ABSTRACT
Children and youth in a variety of sports, including alpine skiing, possess unique structural, physiological, and behavioral characteristics which contribute to successful performance. These characteristics may be similar to the profile of mature elite athletes in the same sport. However, as children grow and mature, the relative contribution of theses characteristics to high-level performance are likely to change. By studying the growth and performance profiles of young skiers, a better understanding of the substrate of successful performance can be identified. Additionally, if characteristics of successful skiing performance can be identified in children and youth, perhaps they can be used in the process of selecting young skiers for advanced training programs and perhaps elite competition.
