Swedish ski schools prove local terrain beats generic training in measuring athletic performance
A 50-year analysis of three Swedish ski schools shows that testing athletes on familiar local landscapes yields better performance insights than standardized scientific protocols alone. The finding suggests sports organizations and fitness companies could improve talent evaluation and training outcomes by integrating geographic data with conventional metrics.
Originaltitel: Landscapes of Performance: Using Local Geography for the Testing of Sport School Pupils in Sweden, 1972–2023
<p>Do natural conditions and local landscapes still matter in sport? In the balancing between natural and scientific training, Swedish upper-secondary ski schools have played an important role. This paper deals with specific landscape features for testing at three Swedish ski schools: Hallstatestet in Sollefteå, Hovfjällsracet in Torsby, and Stoltjonastestet in Järpen. The following questions are addressed: How do the coaches at each school use local tests to analyze performance? How is the importance of local tests articulated, and what roles do history and nature play in this process? The paper concludes that the use of local landscapes to articulate elite performance connects ideas of measurability and scientization to the lingering tradition of natural training. Local landscapes thereby become a mediator between scientific and experiential knowledge about sport performance and point out how local sport heritage can be used for addressing environmental issues in sport.</p>