Emma Gennero - Snowboarder

Let's go up the mountains and meet Emma Gennero, an 18 year-old snowboarder!

@_emmagennero_ on Instagram

“I have been snowboarding for 10 years now, and my discipline is slopestyle, which is a combination of jumps and rails all put in a specific sequence depending on the competition. When my brother and I were younger, we’d always go to the mountains and ski. After some time my brother started taking snowboarding lessons and would come back saying how much fun he had while doing it. His motivation really inspired me to become passionate about snowboarding.

During the week I live in Torino, but for my training I go to Seiser Alm (Alpi di Siusi, Dolomites) and at Madonna di Campiglio (Lombardy). When I am training, I wake up at 7 am, go on the ski slopes, practice until 3 pm, and then focus on my school work afterwards. Since I am away a lot I often either take my classes online or ask my classmates to send me the topics discussed in class. This year I finished high school and decided to start an online university program of Business and Management so I can further focus myself on the sport and travel more.”

How are snowboarding competitions for you?

“At the beginning, I didn’t like competing because of the amount of anxiety and nervousness I’d often get. Thanks to my team though, I learned how to understand and enjoy competition. There is a lot of adrenaline before a competition and during training as well, but the feeling you have after finishing your run is what really makes me feel good. My trainers taught me how to deal with these emotions.

Overall, I’d say the overall environment between female snowboarders is really serene compared to other disciplines. There isn’t much competition between each other, and it's easy to form friendships, even with girls from other countries. There’s rarely any tension amongst us.”

What are the important things in your life?

“This year I did my first world championships at Alpi di Siusi (Dolomites). It was really emotional and special because I wasn’t supposed to participate in the first place, so it was totally unexpected. The world championships are a much more serious environment, unlike the European championships I was used to. I saw another level of professionality. I went there with no expectations and came out having had a great time.

Music has really helped me relax and reflect. My friends and my family are really important too, of course. They’re always there for me in the moments of difficulty. I feel very lucky to have people like them in my life.

What are your hopes for the future?

Next year I would love to travel more and visit other parks outside of Italy. Next year I will also be competing in European championships and world championships, with the main goal being to always improve. In a nutshell, I am working to become a full-on professional snowboarder.”

On Instagram: @_emmagennero_