Being first to jump in the Aerial Skiing World Cup super final in Lake Placid didn’t phase Danielle Scott who opened up the medal round with a smooth back double full full, scoring 92 points, taking silver and moving into outright World number one after an exciting day’s competition for all the Australians.

Scott just made it into the top six after Final 1 and needed to ‘reset’ to make it to the podium.  

“It was a close call to make the final,” Scott said. “All week we had funny training and we train to ‘reset’ after each phase of the event. I thought – ‘this is it – do what I want to do’.”

“I was really happy with my jump in the Super Final and think it’s one of the best double full fulls I’ve done.”

Being the world number one has been a goal for the Sydney-sider.

“I had two goals going into this World Cup. To make the top six and keep the yellow bib – so I’m excited that that has been the result today,” she said from Lake Placid.

The Flying Kangaroos Aerial Team all performed well when Dave Morris and all four women Danielle Scott, Lydia Lassila, Laura Peel and Samantha Wells qualified into the top 12 Final, initially led by an improved Sam Wells who scored 89.14 and led the 27-strong field. Qualifying second behind Wells was Danielle Scott.

Jumping for the top six, Samantha Wells was not able to replicate the landing form from the qualifying round and had to settle for 12th but the improvement keeps happening she said.

“A number of people have commented to me here about how much better I am jumping. It shows that the feedback I get from our coaches is exactly what the judges are rewarding me for,” Wells said.

“Because of a cold during the week, I only managed four jumps on site – so despite the ‘punch front’ landing in the Final it was a pretty good result. Coming first in the qualifying round definitely is confidence building.”

All eyes were on Lydia Lassila’s return to competition and they were not disappointed as the dual Olympic medallist jumped her way into the top 12 with a back, full, full and 86.31 points, pumped her fists into the air after a smooth landing and deservedly looked pleased with her first competitive jump in three years.

Lassila’s attention to detail, air, form and execution were all on display as if she had never been away, nor had a second child. Her jump in Final 1 was a carbon copy of the first for an almost identical score of 86.62, resulting in 3rd and a place in the top six to jump for a medal.

A fairy-tale podium finish was not on the cards after the landing in the Super Final went “over the handle bars” on the landing of her back double full full, leaving Lydia in 6th place overall.

“I’m happy I did enough to make the super final, but not super excited. I overstretched in the Super Final. It’s just a little error – not reading the conditions well enough, but I’m happy with the quality and slowly building,” Lydia said.

“It was really good that all four of us made it to Final 1 and then had three Aussies in the Super Final. We have two more weeks in Lake Placid to be able to get in a good training block and I will get more mileage before Deer Valley.”

Quietly moving up the ladder with each World Cup is World Champion Laura Peel, who continues to strengthen and showed everyone today why, when she qualified 9th (81.27), then came second in Final 1 scoring 87.25 for the same jump behind eventual winner Ashley Caldwell (102.22).

“I definitely did a better job than in China,” Laura said of her final 5th placing. “My goal was to make the Super Final. I’m pretty good with my ‘full in’ and should have landed it. However, I’m getting there and still have some time.”

The gradual improvement will keep going Peel says.

“I’m not where I want to be with my jumps yet, so the next few weeks training will be a good time to ‘dial them in a bit’.”

Australia’s lone male Aerial skier at an elite level, Dave Morris is a happy man after his third World Cup for the season.  
His run to the Super Final started with a fourth in the qualifying, then solid Final 1 where he came in fifth with 110.18 points. The Super Final is where Morris went for the harder quad twist that landed him in sixth overall after a saved landing.
“I’m very happy with today’s result after adding the first quad twist for this season – particularly because I’d only done one in practise,” Morris said.
“In the Super Final I went a little too big (in height and flip rotation), but I have to say that all that working out in the off season paid off with a less than ideal landing which I was able to save ….. just. I will have a few sore muscles but all-in-all it’s good and couple of lessons have been learned.”
The Flying Kangaroos will train in Lake Placid for two weeks before heading to the fourth World Cup this season at Deer Valley on February 3.

The Australian Flying Kangaroos Aerial Ski Team have made an impressive start to the World Cup event in Lake Placid, USA, with all team members advancing through to the final.
 
In the women’s qualifying, Australia was particularly impressive claiming the top two places and three of the top five.
 
All Australian female athletes jumped a back full-full, a double twisting double back somersault, with Samantha Wells in first with a score of 89.14, Danielle Scott second (88.83), Lydia Lassila fifth (86.31) and Laura Peel ninth (81.27).
 
Making an inspiring return was Lydia Lassila, qualifying fifth in her first competition since winning bronze at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, and giving birth to her second son.
 
In the men’s event, David Morris scored 115.64 for his back lay-double full-full jump, a triple back somersault with three twists, qualifying for the final in fourth place.
 
Finals in Lake Placid commence at 12:15pm AEST.

IMAGE: David Morris flying high above Lake Placid during training © FIS

Dual Olympic medallist Lydia Lassila will compete in her first event, since her Sochi bronze medal in 2014, this weekend at the Aerials World Cup in Lake Placid, USA.
 
The gold and bronze medallist and mother of two thought long and hard before returning to training for an historic fifth Olympics.
 
If selected for PyeongChang2018, Lydia would equal summer Olympians Natalie Cook, Jian Fang Lay and Mary Hanna for the most Olympics by an Australian woman, and also equal former Aerial Skiing World Champion  Jacqui Cooper who was selected for Salt Lake City but injured the day before competition began.
 
“I was hoping that retirement feeling would come – but it kind of never did. It was also exciting that I had the drive to keep going,” Lydia said late last year when she joined the Australian Aerials team in Finland.
 
With on-snow training ticked off – the time to compete has arrived.
 
“Yep I’m going - and leave Finland on January 9th,” Lydia confirmed.
 
“It was a solid month of training in Ruka in December and I kept the focus on building up slowly and having fun which I certainly did.”
 
“I’m pretty excited to head to Lake Placid and start competing again. I’m not sure I’ll be in peak form (probably a bit rusty) however I’m going to stick to the same focus and keep building up slowly and having fun.”
 
Renowned for her quad/triple in Sochi as much as her Vancouver gold, Lydia’s expectations for a fifth Olympics are more about consistency and strategy – but according to Australia’s Aerial coaches Jeff Bean and Joe Davies, Lydia is ready to go.
 
“Lydia has a special drive and is just starting to get back into comp mode,” Coach Bean said.
 
“She’s calm on the outside but there is fire inside – I can’t wait to see it. Her body is in shape and we will see Lydia continuing to build. She’ll be ready to go.”

That Lydia has been able to return is not a surprise to co-coach Jeff Davies but she has exceeded his expectations.
 
“Lydia is impressive to watch as she goes about the day-to-day business of being an athlete,” he said.  
 
“She has exceeded my expectations in some areas. I coached her via email in the summer (northern hemisphere). That, to me, is the mark of a veteran athlete who knows her body and sport so well.”  
 
Whilst Lydia says she is feeling good and all is going to plan, her last words are those of a mother.
 
“I’m happy with where my jumping got to and feel it’s a good base to keep building on for the rest of the season. I’ve had a good break over the holidays and spent it skiing with my family in Northern Finland. Kai is getting pretty good.”
 
Further Information:  
Belinda Noonan, OWIA
Belinda.noonan@owia.org
0411 157 063

Time flies, as it will this year for Australia’s Olympic hopefuls ahead of the Opening Ceremony for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, Korea on February 9 next year.

Australia is preparing to field a team of up to 55 athletes in Korea, which is a few less than the sixty in Sochi, but according to Chef de Mission Ian Chesterman smaller is looking stronger.  

“December produced outstanding results starting with moguls when Britt Cox and Matt Graham won Gold and Silver respectively in the season opening World Cup,” Mr Chesterman said.

“The following weekend delivered more with a Snowboard Cross Gold for Belle Brockhoff and Bronze for Alex ‘Chumpy’ Pullin and an historic weekend for the Aerials team as Danielle Scott claimed an individual Silver and then Gold plus a World number 1 ranking, Samantha Wells placed third and with Dave Morris Australia won its first-ever Team medal with a Bronze.”

Importantly for Australian winter sports is the emerging depth across more disciplines.

“As well as all those medals there have been other top five places in World Cups and major international competitions where our athletes continue to represent Australia with distinction,” Mr Chesterman added.

“It’s the depth of the performances that is the most important thing. We see so many athletes representing at the highest levels and truly establishing Australia as a winter sport nation.”

Fifteen winter sport disciplines offering a total 102 Olympic medals will be contested in PyeongChang, which is South Korea’s first Winter Games and the third for an East Asian city - after Sapporo in 1964 and Nagano in 1998.

The three skating sports are figure skating, speed skating, and short track speed skating. The six skiing sports are alpine, cross-country, freestyle, nordic combined, ski jumping, and snowboarding.

Australia is likely to qualify in the three skating and four skiing sports.

Test events for OWIA athletes continue in February at the 2018 Olympic venues at Gangneug Ice Arena and Bokwang Park including;
9 - 12 February:                Long Track Speed Skating: Danielle Greig
10 February:                      Aerial Skiing:  Danielle Scott, Lydia Lassila, Laura Peel, Samantha Wells and Dave Morris
11 February:                      Mogul Skiing: Britt Cox, Nicole Parks, Matt Graham and Brodie Summers
15 – 19 February:             Figure Skating: Brendan Kerry and Kailani Craine.
17 February:                      Snowboard Halfpipe: Scotty James, Kent Callister and Nate Johnson
   
“The Games have been well located to provide ease of access for athletes,” Ian Chesterman advised.

“These days with the games being so big that’s a real challenge. The venues all look good, with many already used in test events and more to come.”
 
“Full credit to the organising committee producing such good venues and for building infrastructure such as the high-speed rail from Seoul.”
 
“Korea is well prepared with venues for these Games.”
 

Australia’s Flying Kangaroos Danielle Scott, Laura Peel, Samantha Wells, Lydia Lassila and Dave Morris have arrived in Lake Placid, USA ready for the third Aerial Skiing World Cup, which kicks off with qualifying just before 7am on Sunday, January 15 (AEDT).

In mid-December Australia enjoyed a successful winter weekend when Danielle Scott won silver in the season-opener World Cup, backed it up with a gold and equal World Number 1 ranking the following day and was joined by Samantha Wells on the podium who took bronze.

To cap off the wonderful winter weekend, Danielle and Sam were joined by Dave Morris with all three delivering their best to claim bronze in the Team Event – a first for the Australian Aerial Skiing Team.

Australia’s Aerial coaches Jeff Bean and Joe Davies say that the athletes have worked hard for their early season success.

“We made a lot of changes over the summer and the team’s success is indicative of that work,” they said.

When asked if there will be any special preparation for Lake Placid, both coaches chorused, “Absolutely not.”

“We treat every comp like a training day,” Coach Bean said. “We’ve learned a lot since 1998 starting with Kirstie, and Jacqui and Alisa. That breadth of experience across the program is something pretty special.”

“We understand that the expectations can’t go away but we are able to take all the resources that the Aerial program provides to produce the best that we can as a group. We have an entire team of people who can get on the podium on any given day,” Joe Davies added.

For Danielle Scott the goal will be to maintain her World Number 1 ranking with the yellow bib.

“The World Cups in China in December were Dani’s best-ever start to the season,” said Geoff Lipshut, CEO Olympic Winter Institute of Australia.

“The same can be said for Samantha Wells, who broke 90 points for the first time in December. That was a big step up for her. It’s also super pleasing to see Laura Peel jumping well and making changes after coming back from injury.”

Sochi silver medallist Dave Morris is fully recovered from injury and trained well leading into Lake Placid.

“Dave’s health and confidence are good, and he is indicating that he’s getting back on track for the World Cups in North America,” Mr Lipshut said.

“The OWIA is appreciative of the valuable support provided to the Aerial Skiing athletes from sponsors and its major stakeholders and partners,” he added.

Lydia Lassila joins the team for her first event since Sochi in 2014 and first World Cup for the 2016/17 season.

“The Aerial Skiing program is very structured and we run a pretty tight program. Lydia has trusted the program from the outset and we think she saw that we all put a lot of thought into that structure and do all the extra ‘one percent’s’ that make a difference,” the coaches said.​

The Aerial World Cup in Lake Placid begins at 6.55am Sunday, 15 January (AEDT) with Ladies Qualifying; Men’s Qualifying at 9.35am and Finals from 2.15pm.