Scout in the cold – Meet GB Para snowboarder, Nina Sparks

Starting out

I first tried skiing at a dry ski slope in our town, High Wycombe, where I loved going at weekends. Then, I had a go at the real thing on a family holiday in Switzerland.

When I saw snowboarding on TV, that’s when everything changed. I thought, ‘I’m definitely going to try that.’ For me, snowboarding is the closest you can get to flying, without actually flying!

Then came the setback. In 2021, I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) and discovered I had nerve damage in my leg. Because I was already snowboarding, I thought, ‘well, I’ll just carry on.’ I got in touch with GB Snowsport and asked if I could get involved as a Para snowboarder.

It all happened quickly. I was classified to take part in Para sport in November 2021. Then, last winter, I won three international podiums at Europa Cup races held in the Netherlands and Austria. It was quite surreal, because I’d only just come into the sport. I hadn’t even had MS a year, and thought ‘How has this even happened?’

I was then selected to take part in the Para Snowsport World Championships in January 2022, and came sixth, which isn’t bad for my first season. I thought: ‘I seem to be doing well. I’m going to keep doing this!’ I compete in the banked slalom event, and this winter, I’m hoping to compete in Snowboard Cross, too.

A sense of belonging

There are lots of similarities between being part of a sports team and being in Scouts. You get the same sense of belonging. I joined Scouts relatively late (when I went to university), and found a Scout group near me who met on a day I was free.

I joined them as a volunteer and I’ve helped in all sections. I’ve also gone on international trips, including the World Scout Jamboree in Japan, Roverway in the Netherlands and the Moot in Iceland, which have really prepared me for what I do now. Google Translate and Google Maps has basically got me through the last couple of years!

My most rewarding experience in Scouts (and the most recent Scouts event I’ve taken part in) was Operation Feather – supporting the Lying in State of our late Patron, HM The Queen.

Seeing the communication and teamwork between 18–25 year olds was so inspiring. It was amazing that they’d been through every section, and they came together from all over the country.

Together, they made a huge difference and it really made me realise what an amazing movement we’re part of.

Doing our duty

In Scouts, I’m a member of the Queen’s Scout Working Party (QSWP), which is a National Active Support Unit for people who’ve earned their Queen’s Scout Award. In fact, I’m the Membership Co-ordinator.

Four of us from QSWP were selected to help with Operation Feather behind-the-scenes, doing all sorts of jobs at Gilwell from assisting with valeting 150+ uniforms daily, to checking everyone had eaten and slept.

Originally, we were told we’d be based at Gilwell all week, but we went into London when it got busy. Witnessing first-hand what the Scouts were doing was definitely a highlight and I’m proud to have been part of such a unique event.

I was due to go to a Snowboarding training camp on the Sunday morning of that week. I rang my coach to tell him what I was doing, and that supporting the queue at the Lying in State is a once in a lifetime opportunity.

I saw the whole thing through, and I was on the Mall for the funeral procession. One of the Operation Feather Core team drove me to Gatwick, still in my Scout uniform, and I made it to my training camp in Madrid at a silly time in the morning!

The most challenging part of Operation Feather was the lack of sleep because it was a 24-hour operation. I’m one of these people who does any job when it needs doing, so I probably should’ve slept more than I did.

The most rewarding aspect was knowing we played our part. As Scouts, we make a promise to do our duty to The Queen – and we did it. It was one of those classic Scout events where we turned up as strangers and came home as friends.

Into the mountains

Next up for me is a training camp in Italy in Stelvio. On a typical day, we’ll get up in the morning, have breakfast and then go snowboarding (the best snow is always in the morning on the glaciers).

In the afternoon, we’ll do gym sessions or some other kind of physical activity – or just nap. Rest and recovery is very important.

My goal now is to get to the next winter Paralympics, which take place in Italy in 2026. That’s the trajectory I’m on, but it’s a journey and there are lots of other competitions and milestones and travelling between now and then.

Scouts has prepared me so well for my sporting career. It sounds silly, but simple things like being able to pack, knowing how to layer clothes to keep warm, and being able to handle a situation where there are lots of new people and not be fazed by it, is useful.

Being part of a team is about doing my best and representing my country, just like the words in the Scout Promise. It all ties in.

Inspiring others

To someone looking to get into professional sport, I say: ‘try your best, work hard and try and improve every day.’ I’ve got a great coaching team and a great wax technician. That’s really important in snowboarding. Of course, my mum and dad are really supportive, too.

It’s quite challenging balancing volunteering with sports, but I’ve found a role that really works. As Membership Secretary for the Queen’s Scout Working Party, I go to Scout events when I can, but I can do most things on the move. I was at the airport the other day on my laptop checking member references. It’s really flexible.

My own role model is Ellie Simmonds. What she did for para sport during 2012 was amazing. She really helped bring it into the spotlight. A lot of people, when they think of para sport, think it’s all wheelchairs and prosthetic limbs – which it does encompass, but there’s more to it than that.

No disability is quite the same, and para sport is very much like Scouts: everyone accepts everyone.