Coach Profiles
At Excel we aim to recruit coaches with the best personal racing experience and coaching knowledge. All coaches have a clear DBS, First Aid and SSE accredited Safeguarding in Sport qualifications.
Rob founded Excel Race Academy in 2018 after a successful career both as an athlete and coach. He worked his way onto the ‘Home Nations Programmes’, the British Development Team, where he met the now Excel coaches Matt and Jo, then finally onto the GBR Senior Team. He achieved numerous tittles including British Slalom Champion and Overall CIT World Cup Champion. In 2013, he hung up his race boots to work full-time as a ski race coach at a number of different academies including holding positions of Academy Children’s Head Coach at Ambition and British Children’s Ski Team coach. In his spare time he plays golf and loves walking his German Shepard “Major”.
Although originally from Milton Keynes, Matt now lives in Blairgowrie in Scotland during the off-season. He has been involved in ski racing as an athlete or coach for a combined 20 years. He joined Excel in 2022. He says “I love seeing my athletes improving themselves and their skiing, smashing races and reaching their goals” and boy is the evidence of this is clear. He loves a powder day, cricket, cycling and American football.
For his Christmas present at 8 years old, G-man asked Santa for a wee block of beginer lessons at Glasgow ski centre, and the rest is history! He says “I love the mountains, it’s where I feel at home. I’m all about passing on my love for the sport, making people passionate to ski and seeing the joy people get from bombing around on wooden planks.” If not on a set of Atomic slalom skis you’ll see him laying it over on his monoboard. His other favourite sports are football, tennis, and golf, but name any sporting he’ll take you on anytime!
He started skiing with local Scottish club Gordon skiers and won the Bairns Bucket a record 3 times in a row! Unsurprisingly he progressed onto the children’s’ then adult’s British Ski Team, where he teamed up with another of our coaches, Matt. His claim to fame is forerunning a NorAm finishing only 2 seconds off Marcel Hirscher (if only he raced it!). Jo then took to instructing and coaching at the Warren Smith Academy in Verbier, before joining Excel in 2021.
Originally from Alabama in the USA, Joe recently moved to Lancashire in the UK to be with his wife and started work with Myerscough Basketball team. He has a degree in Sport and Exercise Science from the University of Alabama, a Master’s degree in Strength and Conditioning from Edith Cowan University in Australia and is now pursueing a Phd doctorate at the University of Central Lancashire… phew! In his downtime from being an S&C wiz he loves chilled walks, hikes and a good coffee.
She will act as assistant coach on a part-time basis supporting the core coaching team at UK Chill Factore training sessions and National Championship race weeks abroad. She started skiing on the Norfolk Dry Slope before making it onto the U16, U18 and U21 British Ski Team. She obtained a first-class Biomedical sciences degree whilst ski racing full-time. Now a keen road cyclist and is due to complete her Master’s in Physiotherapy (pre-reg) in summer 2023.
