It’s hard to believe that no less than eight years ago Tess Coady, a two-time Junior Snowboard World Champion and NSWIS Junior Athlete of the Year, had never even seen snow.
However when the opportunity presented itself at a week-long family trip to the ski fields as a nine-year-old, the young gun’s love of snowboarding was almost instantaneous.
“I remember it super clearly because I’d never been anywhere really that cold … besides Melbourne,” the 17-year-old joked.
“The snow definitely wasn’t what I thought it would be, it was a lot wetter. We were all super stoked when we got there.”
Building towards what will be her Olympic debut at PyeongChang 2018, the Snowboard Slopestyle and Big Air athlete recently finished 11th at the opening of the Big Air World Cup season in Milan.
For the first time ever, the snowboarder competed on a ramp made entirely out of scaffolding, towering above the bustling Italian metropolis.
“It was kind of like a skyscraper, it was a massive structure,” the Year 11 student said.
“That was definitely a first, it was pretty crazy to be standing at the top of that and it’s just a straight drop. I remember thinking a lot of times going in the lift that this is super sketchy [and] definitely could drop at any second.
“[But] it was actually really cool. I think the weirdest part was being able to look down the drop and it was pretty steep and that was kind of nerve-racking, you only have a really small space so you’ve got to be really onto it mentally and have a plan figured out every time you’re dropping.”
Earlier this year in April, Coady shot to prominence after claiming both the Big Air and Slopestyle Junior World Championships in the space of a few days in Spindleruv Mlyn, Czech Republic.
Coady’s love of adrenaline sport is undoubtedly infectious and she’s adamant that Big Air “is definitely one of the most exciting winter sports events to spectate, because it’s one massive jump and it can be literally anywhere in the world”.
“You would see some pretty intense stuff and there’s some pretty crazy crashes too which can be really exciting to watch,” she said.
A winning combination of nerves, self-belief and big crowds always get the 17-year-old “amped up” when competing.
“The crowd gets me more excited to be competing, knowing there’s people who are getting excited about the things you’re doing,” she said.
“I always get a bit nervous but I think the best thing to do is sort of control where you can, think about how many times you’ve done the run or the trick and how many times you’ve landed it.
“You’ve got to trust your riding and your ability.”
Next up on the PyeongChang hopeful’s schedule is the Big Air World Cup in Copper, Colorado where she plans on putting down “some pretty big tricks and be pushing my way up towards finals”.
“I’m hoping just to put something down that’s a really solid trick and get some good scores on the board” she said.
“I’ll be finishing school next year which is something I’m excited to get done … Making a career [out of this] is definitely the ultimate goal, it would be so sick.”
David Barden
OWIA
Image: Instagram @tess_coady
However when the opportunity presented itself at a week-long family trip to the ski fields as a nine-year-old, the young gun’s love of snowboarding was almost instantaneous.
“I remember it super clearly because I’d never been anywhere really that cold … besides Melbourne,” the 17-year-old joked.
“The snow definitely wasn’t what I thought it would be, it was a lot wetter. We were all super stoked when we got there.”
Building towards what will be her Olympic debut at PyeongChang 2018, the Snowboard Slopestyle and Big Air athlete recently finished 11th at the opening of the Big Air World Cup season in Milan.
For the first time ever, the snowboarder competed on a ramp made entirely out of scaffolding, towering above the bustling Italian metropolis.
“It was kind of like a skyscraper, it was a massive structure,” the Year 11 student said.
“That was definitely a first, it was pretty crazy to be standing at the top of that and it’s just a straight drop. I remember thinking a lot of times going in the lift that this is super sketchy [and] definitely could drop at any second.
“[But] it was actually really cool. I think the weirdest part was being able to look down the drop and it was pretty steep and that was kind of nerve-racking, you only have a really small space so you’ve got to be really onto it mentally and have a plan figured out every time you’re dropping.”
Earlier this year in April, Coady shot to prominence after claiming both the Big Air and Slopestyle Junior World Championships in the space of a few days in Spindleruv Mlyn, Czech Republic.
Coady’s love of adrenaline sport is undoubtedly infectious and she’s adamant that Big Air “is definitely one of the most exciting winter sports events to spectate, because it’s one massive jump and it can be literally anywhere in the world”.
“You would see some pretty intense stuff and there’s some pretty crazy crashes too which can be really exciting to watch,” she said.
A winning combination of nerves, self-belief and big crowds always get the 17-year-old “amped up” when competing.
“The crowd gets me more excited to be competing, knowing there’s people who are getting excited about the things you’re doing,” she said.
“I always get a bit nervous but I think the best thing to do is sort of control where you can, think about how many times you’ve done the run or the trick and how many times you’ve landed it.
“You’ve got to trust your riding and your ability.”
Next up on the PyeongChang hopeful’s schedule is the Big Air World Cup in Copper, Colorado where she plans on putting down “some pretty big tricks and be pushing my way up towards finals”.
“I’m hoping just to put something down that’s a really solid trick and get some good scores on the board” she said.
“I’ll be finishing school next year which is something I’m excited to get done … Making a career [out of this] is definitely the ultimate goal, it would be so sick.”
David Barden
OWIA
Image: Instagram @tess_coady
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