Jack Gower
Snowsports
BIOGRAPHY
JACK Gower’s dad Richard had no idea what he let himself in for when his son called him at the start of the 2020-2021 ski season to ask for some help.
Covid had made life difficult on the international circuit where teams were tightly constrained to their own bubble and Jack’s arrangement to join a training group had suddenly fallen through.
“I asked him to come out just to help me one weekend, but it ended up being a whole year.
Gower (27), who switched from GB to represent Ireland last summer, won the world junior title at giant slalom when he was only 16.
Representing Ireland has provided him the free agency to find a new coach and training group ahead of Olympic qualification and he is delighted with his new set-up.
He has been reunited with his former coach, Canadian Christian Hillier who helped him win that World Junior title in Crans Montana a decade ago.
“We are training with the Swiss Ski Team (second tier) and being able to do that is one of the brilliant things about being Irish.”
Home is Chichester, on England’s south coast but Gower’s late grandmother (her maiden name was Swayne) was born in Dublin and raised in Skibbereen where she met his grandfather.
“He was visiting Cork with the British Navy and when they married they got posted to Chile. That’s where my dad was born but he and all my uncles and aunts spent their summers in Skibbereen.”
His sporty family includes David Gower, the legendary British cricket player and commentator. “He’s my dad’s first cousin but we’ve always called him ‘Uncle David.’”
He has been ranked as high as 38th in the world Super-G rankings and has won prestigious titles like the US Nationals and the 2017 South American Cup which he likens to the equivalent of Formula Two “because all the top World Cup skiers use it for pre-season training.”
“I love the freedom of going fast, I love competing and we do it in incredibly beautiful places all around the world. I also love thinking about how I can improve. It’s a lot of fun.”
OTHER SNOWSPORTS ATHLETES
SNOWSPORTS NEWS
GANGWON 2024 Winter Youth Olympics
Some of the best images from the Winter Youth Olympics Read about all of the performances from the Games Irish first with Thomas Dooley competing in Dual MogulsWINTER YOUTH OLYMPICS – FINAL DAY OF TEAM IRELAND ACTION Irish first as Thomas Dooley competes in Dual Moguls Representing Team Ireland in Dual Moguls, Thomas Dooley was [...]
Performance Round Up – January
Catch up on the latest results of Team Ireland athletes throughout the month of January! Eve McMahon Qualifies a Nation Spot In The Women's Dinghy For Paris 2024 With a race to spare, Ireland's Eve McMahon has secured a nation place for the Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing regatta (Mar del Plata, Argentina - Tuesday 9th [...]
Irish first with Thomas Dooley competing in Dual Moguls
WINTER YOUTH OLYMPICS – FINAL DAY OF TEAM IRELAND ACTION Irish first as Thomas Dooley competes in Dual Moguls Representing Team Ireland in Dual Moguls, Thomas Dooley was the final athlete in action at the Winter Youth Olympic Games in Gangwon, finishing eighteenth overall in the Freestyle Skiing event. This closed out the Irish participation […]
Finlay Wilson – in conversation with Team Ireland’s young Alpine Skier
Sixteen-year-old Finlay Wilson had a brilliant Winter Youth Olympic Games, with personal best performances throughout the Alpine Skiing competition. We caught up with the France based skier, who has strong Cookstown links. Describe your Youth Olympic experience here in Gangwon. These Winter Youth Olympic Games here in Korea have been great, a really fun experience. […]
More PBs on Slalom day at Youth Olympics
On the final day of Alpine Skiing at the Winter Youth Olympic Games in Gangwon, both Eábha McKenna and Finlay Wilson were in action for Team Ireland, competing in the Slalom event. Producing his third personal best of the week, Wilson finished his competition 27th with a time of 1:49.87. McKenna finished just outside the […]
Eábha McKenna – in conversation
Eábha McKenna competed in the Winter Youth Olympic Games in Gangwon, South Korea, just one year after her first taste of the Olympic movement in the European Youth Olympic Festival 2023. We caught up with the Wicklow born, Swiss based promising young Alpine Skier this week; How has the week been so far? It’s been […]