Danielle Scott has continued her strong start to the 2021-2022 World Cup season, finishing in equal fifth place overnight in Ruka, Finland.
 
Improving on her eighth place finish in the first day of competition yesterday, Scott performed her double full-full, triple twisting double back somersault, scoring 89.18 points in the one jump competition.
 
The 31-year-old relocated to Queensland in order to train at the brand new Geoff Henke Olympic Winter Training Centre water jump facility at Brisbane’s Sleeman Sports Centre and will look to increase her degree of difficulty in her jumps as the season progresses.
 
“It’s been a pretty good start to the season, just slowly building” said the double World Championship medallist.
 
“It’s crazy, we are finally in the fourth year of the Olympic quad, it feels like a long time coming, just with COVID and everything being so different, but I feel ready, and we have to keep building, it’s only December.”
 
2021 World Cup and World Champion Laura Peel again jumped the highest degree of difficulty in the women’s field, with her full-full-full triples twisting triple back somersault scoring 76.84 points after having trouble with her landing, giving her a final ranking of 13th.
 
“I am getting up there with degree of difficulty, so I am putting in the work for what’s ahead in the season” said the two-time winter Olympian from Canberra.
 
China took the top two places on the podium, with Mengtao Xu in first place with a score of 99.49 points, with her teammate Fanyu Kong in second with a score of 95.52. Rounding out the podium was Hanna Huskova of Belarus in third place with a score of 94.60.
 
Also competing for Australia in the women’s event were Gabi Ash in 26th place, Abbey Willcox in 31st and Airleigh Frigo in 37th. In the men’s event, Wesley Naylor finished in 43rd place.
 
Australia also competed in the mixed aerials team event in Ruka, with the team of Danielle Scott, Laura Peel and Wesley Naylor finishing in seventh place out of ten nations. The mixed aerials team competition will make its debut at the 2022 Beijing Olympic Winter Games.
 
The aerial skiing athletes will remain in Ruka for one more week, with more World Cup events scheduled to take place in the Finish resort next weekend.

The aerial skiing World Cup season has commenced with a double event overnight in Ruka, Finland, with Laura Peel narrowly missing out on the podium in fourth place.
 
The 2021 World and World Cup Champion from Canberra was the only female athlete to jump triple back somersaults in finals and had the highest scoring jump of the day, scoring 97.38 points with her full-tuck-full, double twisting triple back somersault to advance to the top-six medal round in first place.
 
In the medal round, Peel was performing the difficult full-full-full triple twisting triple back somersault jump, but unfortunately had trouble on landing to score 77.70 points to just fall short of the podium.
 
While disappointed to miss the podium, Peel showed her class as the only triple jumper in a positive sign for the upcoming season.
 
Two-time Olympian and multiple World Championship medallist Danielle Scott qualified strongly in second place, and in finals just missed out on the medal round by less than two points, after scoring 79.38 points with her double full-full, triple twisting double back somersault.
 
Fanyu Kong from China took the win with a score of 89.53 points, with a tie for second place with Zhanbota Aldabergenova of Kazakhstan and Qi Shao of China both scoring 80.04 points.
 
Abbey Willcox made a strong return to competition after missing last season due to injury, just missing the 12-woman final in 14th place, with Gabi Ash in 27th and Airleigh Frigo 32nd in her World Cup debut.
 
Also making his World Cup debut in the men’s event was Wesley Naylor, who finished in 28th place.
 
The aerial skiing athletes will be back in action tonight in Ruka, with a single round World Cup and mixed team event to take place.

The Aerial Skiing program completed training camps at the Snow Australia water ramp facility in Victoria’s Yarra Ranges throughout May and June, before travelling to Mt Buller to train at the Olympic Training Centre facilities at the start of July.
 
The program relocated to NSW in mid-July following COVID restrictions being implemented in Victoria. The athletes and staff remained in Jindabyne throughout the domestic winter training on snow at Thredbo and utilising the acrobatic facilities onsite at Jindabyne Sport and Recreation Centre (JS&RC).
 
The highlight of the year was no doubt the opening of the Geoff Henke Olympic Winter Training Centre at Brisbane’s Sleeman Sports Centre. Australia’s freestyle skiers finally have a world class water jump in our own backyard.
 
Danielle Scott, Abbey Wilcox, Gabi Ash and Aerleigh Frigo commenced training at the new Henke Centre facility in late September, under the guidance of Olympic Silver Medalist and coach David Morris. The athletes plan to transfer the jumps from water to snow during the northern hemisphere winter.
 
Current World Cup Champion Laura Peel relocated to Switzerland at the start of July, completing a full summer of water ramp training, and then an on snow jumping block on the glacier in Saas Fee.
 
Peel will be the only Australian aerial skier in action in the opening World Cup of the season this weekend in Ruka, Finland, with her teammates continuing to train at the Henke Centre in Brisbane.

Australia’s best aerials and moguls skiers are set to soar through the Brisbane sky as they begin testing the new Olympic Winter Training Centre at the Sleeman Centre.

The $6.5 million facility is the first year-round outdoor aerial facility in the world.
 
A collaboration between the Australian Government through Sport Australia and the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS), Queensland Government, Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) and Olympic Winter Institute of Australia (OWIA),  the new home base for elite athletes will boost Australia’s talent and training pathways to identify and develop the next Lydia Lassila or Alisa Camplin, who grew from junior gymnasts to Winter Olympic champions.
 
Australia’s rich legacy in aerials and moguls has netted eight of Australia’s 15 Winter Olympic medals, including three gold.
 
The ‘Flying Kangaroos’ aerial ski team members Danielle Scott, Abbey Willcox, Gabi Ash and Airleigh Frigo are the first to trial the facility, beginning this week with single and basic double somersaults before progressing to larger jumps and more complex skills throughout the testing phase.
 
The moguls team, including PyeongChang 2018 silver medallist Matt Graham, current world number two Jakara Anthony and 2017 World Champion Britt Cox, will begin their training at the centre late next week.
 
From the top of the 37 metre high facility, athletes can reach maximum speeds of over 70km/h and launch up to 17 metres above the water, trialling and perfecting aerial manoeuvres in the safety of the water-landing before transferring them to the snow.
 
AOC CEO Matt Carroll said he was thrilled to see the project completed and athletes testing the centre.
 
“It’s fantastic to see this world class facility come to life and have Olympians showcasing their skills in Brisbane,” Mr Carroll said.
 
“This means Australia’s best talent can be identified, developed and reach their peak performance right here at home, while being close to family and their community. 
 
“Thank you to Minister Colbeck and the Australian Government, and Minister de Brenni and the Queensland Government for working in partnership with the AOC, OWIA and AIS to get a great result.”
 
Australian athletes have had to hone their skills overseas, with a water ramp facility in Utah having more than 3600 days of training logged by Australian athletes from 2013-2017.
 
“Having a home facility means this is time and funding that can be invested here in Australia rather than overseas facilities, providing greater opportunity to the next generation and bringing Australian sports fans closer than ever to our winter athletes.”
 
The centre has different jumps to cater for a wide variety of Olympic winter disciplines and experience levels, from beginner to the tallest triple jump.
 
OWIA CEO and Chef de Mission of the Australian Team for Beijing 2022 Geoff Lipshut welcomed the opportunity to give current athletes a performance edge and help identify and develop the next generation of Winter Olympians.
 
“This is a huge step forward for athletes at the next Olympic Games in 2022 and importantly for our athletes of tomorrow,” Mr Lipshut said.
 
“Through our partnership with Gymnastics Australia, this facility creates huge potential for gymnasts to successfully transfer their skills into aerial skiing.
 
“Our transition programs have already produced great Olympic champions in Alisa Camplin and Lydia Lassila, world champions in Kirstie Marshall and Jacqui Cooper and the current world number one, Laura Peel.
 
“This facility will provide a great opportunity for many more young Australians from around the country to get involved in winter sport.”
 
Minister for Youth and Sport Richard Colbeck said the Australian Government was proud to contribute funding to build this world class training base, ensuring ongoing support for our current elite athletes and future Winter Olympic champions.
 
“Through the AIS and Sport Australia, the Government has invested time, energy and funding into this facility because it will have a lasting impact and be a launching pad for generations of athletes and Winter Olympians to come.
 
“It’s great to see that a key feature of the facility is the different-sized ramps, allowing athletes to progress right from emerging talent through to those preparing to jump for Olympic gold.
 
“Our Winter athletes have traditionally been at a disadvantage compared to international rivals, having to travel, train, and compete overseas virtually the entire year. We now have a world-class training environment in our own backyard, which our inspiring athletes needed and deserved.”
 
Competing at the highest level of winter sport seemed a world away for World Cup gold medallist and dual Olympian Danielle Scott, growing up on Sydney’s northern beaches.
 
“In 2002 I was a gymnast and surfer who had never skied,” Scott said. “I watched Alisa Camplin win gold at Salt Lake City on TV and thought what an amazing sport.
 
“Being able to transition from gymnastics to aerials was a pathway I didn’t even know existed, but I’m so thankful as it’s given me incredible opportunities.
 
“I’m excited to see the local talent that can develop on this new facility, with young Australians able to see aerials in the flesh and know there’s a pathway for them to chase their own Olympic dream.
 
“This centre is an incredible opportunity for winter athletes to have a home training base and not be at the mercy of other countries – it will really give us an edge.”
 
The structure, comprising 289 tonnes of steel, measures 37m – equivalent to three Brisbane City Council buses stacked end to end. Elite winter athletes will now join cyclists, gymnasts, divers, swimmers, weightlifters and more at the Sleeman Centre.
 
Acting Manager of Sleeman Sports Complex Angus Macdonald said the new facility was ideally suited to the complex, which caters to high performance and developing athletes as well as community training. 
 
“This pool was purpose-built for this facility and while it’s wonderful that the community have had access to an additional pool in recent years, it’s great to finally see the facility up and running and watching the incredible skills of these high performance athletes and for our venue to play a small part in Australia’s push for Winter Olympic gold in 2022,” Mr Macdonald said.
“Our complex offers a range of supporting amenities like accommodation, gymnastics centre, a fitness centre, and athlete rehabilitation which will be a great benefit to any teams looking for a comprehensive training camp option, and the proximity to other facilities helps create those development pathways for other athletes that might like to give the sport a try.”
 
The official opening of the facility is expected to occur in 2021.

Aerial skier Gabi Ash has won the first medal of her aerial skiing career, taking bronze at the Nor-Am Cup event at the Utah Olympic Park in Park City, Utah, USA.

The VIS athlete started the first two days of competition with a fourth place finish on day one, with her lay-tuck double back somersault scoring 67.60 points. Just missing out on the six woman final was VIS teammate Airleigh Frigo in eighth place.

On day two, Ash went one place better, finishing in the bronze medal position scoring 69.42 points for her lacy-tuck jump. Airleigh Frigo also again just missed the final, finish in seventh.

Also competing for Australia in the men's event was Wesley Naylor, who finished ninth on day one, and 14th on day two.
 
The next competition for the Nor-Am athletes will be at La Relais, Quebec, Canada at the end of the month.

IMAGE: Gabi Ash flying high above Deer Valley in the World Cup event earlier in February © OWIA/Chris Hocking

VIS Aerial Skiers have been training in Utah, USA, since mid December. Five athletes in their first and second years with the program have enjoyed the excellent skiing conditions at Snowbasin resort with Coach Leigh Delahoy, between sessions on the jump hill at the Utah Olympic Park, (UOP). 

World Cup Aerial Skiing coach Manuela Muller, and athletes Britt George, Gabi Ash and Airleigh Frigo arrived in late December, for a training camp and Nor Am competition at the UOP before the opening World Cup event of the season in Lake Placid, USA, on January 19.   

Britt George and Gabi Ash will travel to Lake Placid early this week to join the rest of the Australian team, 2015 World Champion Laura Peel and Abbey Wilcox for next weekend’s competition in New York State, which will be the World Cup debut starts for Ash, George and Wilcox. 

IMAGE - VIS Aerial Skiers at Snowbasin, Utah, USA. From left to right: Isabel Cameron, Amanda Cordeiro, Mia Rennie, Eleanor Higginbotham and Leigh Delahoy