Dan Wakeham
 | This article is an autobiography or has been extensively edited by the subject or by someone connected to the subject. (February 2011) |
Dan Wakeham (born November 12, 1981 in Plymouth, England) is a British professional snowboarder.
Dan started snowboarding on Plymouth dryslope when he was 14. He was sponsored by Santa Cruz Snowboards by the age of 15 and traveling the country riding the national dryslope tour. When leaving school at the age of 17 he spent his first season in Flaine, France where he worked as a digger in the snowboard park.
In 2003 a decision was made to join the GB team and set his target to compete in the 2006 Winter Olympics. In 2004 he signed to Plymouth Nike ACG. In 2006 Wakeham was the first British male to compete in snowboarding at the Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy.
Life on the World Cup Tour wasn't easy with a lack of funding and weak backing from Snowsports GB, the national governing body for snow sports which was poorly run and fell in to administration shortly before the Olympics in Vancouver.[1] Wakeham retired[2] and set up One Snowboarding[3] with GB Freestyle team coach, Hamish McKnight. Together they run freestlyle snowboard camps and are responsible for the GB junior snowboard team. Wakeham also works for Head Snowboards[4] as the national sales agent and brand manager.
At the age of 29, Wakeham was the first Brit to land double flips in the halfpipe. In 2010 O'Neill signed Wakeham as an ambassador for their brand.[5] In 2011 O'Neill made Wakeham their UK team manager.
References
- ^ Broadbent, Rick (5 February 2010). "Snowsport GB goes into administration". timesonline.co.uk. Retrieved 2011-02-17.
- ^ Benammar, Emily (19 May 2009). "British Olympic snowboarder Dan Wakeham retires from World Cup circuit". telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 2011-02-17.
- ^ One Snowboarding
- ^ Head Snowboards
- ^ "Dan Wakeham signs for O'Neill". whitelines. 27 October 2010. Retrieved 2011-02-17.