WEYMOUTH skier Bonnie Davenport simply cannot wait to return to one of her ‘favourite races’ as she braces herself for the English Alpine Championships.

Twice before the 14-year-old has raced in Bormio, Italy, and with experience now on her side, the aims for the Championships are almost set in ice.

Davenport’s preparations for one of the biggest races in her calendar have perhaps not gone as smoothly as she may have hoped due to a troublesome knee injury reared its ugly head over the winter months, an issue that has left the teenager scratching her head pondering the reasons behind it.

Davenport, who is currently based in Switzerland, said: “I don’t really know how my injury came about but I’ve had physio since late November and I’m still currently recovering.”

“I’m still carrying it but I’m hoping I’ve got back to fitness over the past couple of weeks heading into the Championships.

“I’m doing all the disciplines in Bormio and I’ve set myself a target of a top ten in the under 16s races, so hopefully I can have a good week while I’m out there.”

The English Alpine Championships run from February 11-16 and are organised by Snowsport England, the national governing body for snow sport in England that is responsible for growing participation in snow sports through direct funding from Sport England.

They work closely with snow centres, artificial slopes and clubs around the country, as well as managing English squads and athletes across all snow sport disciplines.

For Davenport, there is little doubt about what makes the English Alpine Championships one of the highlights of her year.

Racing as part of the British Ski Academy, the teenager has already shown herself to possess plenty of talent, with the chance to put that to the test against the best in the country a big part of her determination.

Davenport, who will compete in the Super G, slalom and giant slalom in Italy, said: “I’ve competed there twice before, I really enjoy it it’s one of my favourite races.”

“It’s a really large scale event and the atmosphere is really great.

“I haven’t managed to podium but I skied in the under 14s first, and under 15s last year so it’s a step up to the under-16s.

“So far this season I have skied in the Anglo Scottish Cup and the Welsh Alpine Championships as well as the British School Girls Championships, but the Anglo Scottish wasn’t great as I was recovering from the knee injury at the time.”

For this winter Olympics season Snowsport England has launched ‘PyeongChang to Piste’ (www.pyeongchangtopiste.org.uk), featuring events and taster sessions run by various clubs and slopes throughout the country along with tailored downloadable resources for schools.