ustralian Olympic Team Chef de Mission Ian Chesterman reflects on the Australian PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games team.

We finish these Games in an exciting place for the future. This is the best performed Australian team at an OWG by many measures.

We didn’t produce gold that’s true, but if you look a little closer you’ll see why I am so pleased with our results at these Games.

We’ve matched the number of medals previously won, but demonstrated a depth of elite results that we have not seen before. We have for the first time 3 new medal winners at one Games.

We have more top six results than ever before – seven - all who made finals. Our medallists are 22, 23 and 23 – and we can expect all to be back in Beijing in 2022.

We had more opportunities than ever before, and I think that depth is the biggest change in the last four years.
The overall results demonstrate the program success we are having in moguls, SBX and HP.

Not only did Matt Graham win silver, we saw Jakara Anthony, just 19, finish 4th and Britt Cox 5th.

Matt was beaten by the greatest mogul skier of all time in Mikal Kingsbury.

In the top six in men and women for moguls, Australia had three athletes. Canada had four and no other country had more than one. We also had a 14 and a 20th.

So it was a highly successful moguls group with so much promise for the future.

Our snowboard cross athletes performed superbly. Three men in one semi final, two in the final, a result of 2nd, 6th and 10th, indicates that this program works.

I particularly congratulate Jarryd and I’m delighted that he will carry the flag for Australia into the Closing Ceremony.

Half pipe also produced two top ten results including the medal for Scotty James. The men’s final was one of the feature events at the Games. In the end Scotty couldn’t beat the greatest of all time in Shaun White, but demonstrated that he is a prodigious talent with an incredible future ahead.

Laura Peel was top five in woman’s aerials and Sami Kennedy Sim’s eighth was a strong result for the Ski Cross team, and could have easily been even better.

Greta Small had the best Alpine result ever by an Australian woman, our cross country had best ever results including a 12 from 21 result in the teams event. Our sliding sports – Luge, Skeleton and Bob – all did us proud.

Our figure skaters inspired us and looked completely at home on the Olympic stage. Harley Windsor created history by becoming our first indigenous Winter Olympian.

Our ice racers gave their all and kept the dream of Olympic representation alive for their sports.

I would also like to record my thanks to one athlete, Lydia Lassila, for her outstanding career over five Olympic Games and for the legacy that she leaves.

Injuries took their toll.

Tess Coady’s unfortunate end remains the low point of the Games for me. An immensely talented 17 year-old was denied her chance to perform in events that were dominated by teenagers. Who knows what might have been.
Russ Henshaw, Brodie Summer and Belle Brockhoff were all handicapped by pre-Games issues, as was Jess Rich, who still managed to finish just one spot out of the finals in Big Air.

Our aerial skiers, so long the back bone of our team at the Winters, missed out on a medal for the first time since 2002. Laura Peel made the final to finish a highly credible 5th. Thanks to Dave Morris for another stellar performance, unlucky to miss progressing through the finals but clearly establishing himself as a champion athlete and a champion person.

The rest of the world is catching up, has caught up, demonstrating the need for our own water ramp facility.

Our athletes are committed and excellent but we are struggling to provide an environment that matches those of their rivals.

Simply, we need a water ramp training venue. Not only will a water ramp be great for our athletes it will bring a major economic boost to the host region with our athletes and international teams visiting to train.

Building a half pipe is also essential and I thank the Federal Government and Sports Minister Bridget McKenzie, for their on-going commitment to these projects. Both are crying out for a home.

The performances both on and off the field of play has been exceptional.

Our team has been thrilled with the support they have received from home. It seems our sports and our athletes have captured the interest and hearts of Australians as never before. The decency of our athletes has been on show for all to see.

I thank all the media here and at home who have embraced our team and shared our stories. Every time an athlete has gone out to compete here in PyeongChang, the Aussie spirit of giving it a go has shone through, and you have provided a platform for our athletes to inspire many at home.

PyeongChang must be congratulated for putting on a wonderful Olympic Winter Games. Everything worked, the Koreans were so friendly and helpful, and the venues were superb.

I thank the AOC staff and team staff who have worked so hard to plan and operate this team.

Let me conclude by saying that I’ve been with our winter team since in Lillehammer in 1994, and it is the best team I have ever been involved in.

Ian Chesterman

David Morris has finished 10th in the men’s aerials final at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games and has “ticked a lot of boxes” in this Olympic campaign.

Morris, 33, did not progress to the second round of the final after scoring 111.95 for his back full – double full – full, putting him in tenth place. Only the top nine progressed to Final 2.

Morris was pleased with the jump he put down but the field produced high scoring jumps. The leader, Guangpu Qi of China was awarded 127.44 for his execution of the same trick.

“We tried our best, it is what it is. Tenth is a pretty sweet result and I’m happy with that,” Morris said.

“We’re in an Olympic final so that’s awesome and this competition is top class so even to be here is quite the privilege.”

Despite a deep landing, Morris was in contention to progress until the final competitor, America’s Jonathon Lillis, completed his jump and slotted into seventh place.

Tenth starter Zongyang Jia had a stumble at the tail end of his landing but still managed to scrape in above Morris.
Morris said his coach Jeff Bean spoke to the judges at the conclusion of the round for clarification.

“They said they’ve given (Jia) four metres of controlled skiing which is what you need after landing so… they discounted the last part because it’s not part of the jump so unfortunately we can’t really argue against that,” he said.

“That’s the rules, that’s fine. I’d love it if it was 10 metres or 20, or you had to ski out of the whole zone, but that’s not how it goes.

“(Judges) see it once in fast motion and have to make a very quick decision and it’s their decision and I’m fine with that.”
Ukrainian athlete Oleksandr Abramenko claimed gold with a score of 128.51 for a back full – full – double full, followed by Jia (CHN) winning silver and Ilia Burov (Olympic Athletes of Russia) finishing with bronze.

Morris made it into the final after succeeding in Saturday’s repechage round, where he finished second in the round.

The Sochi silver medalist was determined to perform a high difficulty five-twist jump he has recently mastered at the Olympic final, but was saving it for the Super Final of six from which the medal winners would be decided.

“I was just building up to it, we have a certain step process that we have to get to that skill.

“It was a little disappointing I didn’t get to do that in the comp, but as a career goal I wanted to do that on snow and land it and today I did that… so I’m very happy with that, that’s a big box ticked for me.

“I can walk out of here really proud of this year.”

Morris said that after Sochi Olympics in 2014 when he won silver, he was unsure whether he would continue with his sporting career.

However, this PyeongChang campaign had dispelled any doubt by allowing him to achieve new goals.

“Coming back I was wondering whether it was worth it after Sochi and the first two comps back I was second and third and I was number one in the world, and the next year was a world championship medal which I hadn’t got (before),” he said.

“Then this year I got three flips and five twists so progressively I got better and better so I’m really happy with my career as a whole and (now I will) take a bit of time off and reconsider what I want after that.”

Morris has shown great courage through adversity in recent times, with his mother being diagnosed with cancer just weeks prior to the PyeongChang Games.

However, Morris said his family agreed that the Olympics were his focus and that he should pursue his professional goals before returning home to Melbourne to be with his loved ones.

“The support I’ve had my whole career is fantastic so my message for mum is I’m safe, I’m healthy, I’m in one piece, I’m alive, I’ll come back and we can deal with everything as a family.”

Next, Morris will take time out at home to focus on personal matters before considering his next professional move.
However, he already has one eye on the future – just not his own, so to speak.

“I’m going to try to look into a bit of coaching, we have some development athletes at home that are in drastic need of some good coaching,” he said.

“I’ve been chatting to them helping them out a bit so it would be nice to get them on the right path and see how far that goes.

“I promise nothing, I’m happy at this point, I’ve ticked a lot of boxes in my career, but I enjoyed it so much that to come back in an environment like this would be amazing.

“It’s hard to leave this environment, like Lydia (Lassila) said this is what we’re used to we love this stuff.”

Candice Keller

With Vancouver 2010 and Sochi 2014 already under his belt, David Morris is ready to soar to new heights at his third Olympic Games at PyeongChang.

While the 33-year-old Sochi silver medallist undoubtedly feels the pressure ahead of Saturday’s qualifications, Morris said he’s taking the time to smell the roses.

“I’d never thought I’d make one [Olympics],” he said.

“I’m just out there having a good time. At the end of the day it’s still a win but to walk away with a medal would be fantastic.”

While the lead up to the first day of competition has been “less than ideal” as the Victorian adjusts to a new site and unpredictable winds, Morris says he just needs to “switch on a little bit more” and that all will be well.

“It’s challenging and it’s not insane,” he said.

“It’s a little bit of windy here but it keeps changing directions … [it’s] really hard for the coaches and athletes to adjust.

“We need very specific speeds and it makes it very challenging to do a nice jump when you have no idea what speed you’re going to hit the jump pad.”

If there’s one thing the aerial skier is looking forward to most about competing this week, it’s having the opportunity to showcase his skills in front of the world.

“I love big crowds, they get me going,” he said.

“I tend to pay more attention when people turn up, I like to show off.

“Being the third time around, there’s a lot more experience coming in and a little bit more pressure because I’ve done it once on a good day and they expect me to repeat it.

“I’m just enjoying myself because it’s a pretty awesome venue. I’m soaking it up, I want to remember being here and what it was like.”

While there might be the occasional bumpy landing, Morris is keen to assure those watching that it’s never as bad as it looks.

“We have a big chopped up landing hill, it’s quite steep so we don’t hit it flat,” he said.

“It can hurt but that’s the reason we are in the gym working out all the time. Our gym work isn’t so that we can do the skills, we go in to get strong so that when we mess up we can stand again.

“If you’re not strong enough to take the hit they [coaches] won’t send you off.”

Though the conditions have prevented Morris testing his five-twists, three-flips jump on the site he said he’s ready to pull it off should he make Sunday’s top six final.

Men’s aerials qualifications kick off on Saturday 17th February with finals on Sunday.

David Barden
olympics.com.au

FREESTYLE SKIING: Nothing can stop Australia’s freestyle aerial skiers from throwing their biggest tricks at PyeongChang 2018. Not weather, not pressure, and not fear.

After landing in South Korea on Tuesday, the team – made up of veteran Lydia Lassila, David Morris, Laura Peel, Samantha Wells and Danielle Scott – are excited about the week of competition ahead.

An intensive training camp in Ruka, Finland, over the past several weeks has put the squad in a strong position to compete for places in the Super 6 final, and even an Olympic medal.

David Morris, who will make his third Olympic appearance in PyeongChang, completed one of the most difficult tricks in freestyle aerial skiing just last week and he won’t be holding back from throwing it again in PyeongChang.

“It’s a medal winning jump, obviously landing is crucial but if I get into the top 6 there’s no way I’m not doing that skill,” Morris said.

The trick, a double full/double full/full – best described as three flips and five twists – has only ever been performed by three other athletes with Morris eager to be the fourth.

It’s with a sense of relief and accomplishment that Morris wants everyone to know he’s ‘peaking at the right time’, he’s ready to land the hardest skill he’s ever done and in reality, it was pretty easy.

“I’ve been ready for quite a while, I just had to man up and do it and it was easier than I thought it would be, but very very scary,” he said.

“I haven’t come all (that) way to just back down at the last minute. I think even if the weather’s not perfect, I’m still throwing that down.

“My coach is like ‘if there’s an opportunity to change it to an easier one maybe we’ll go easier’, I’m like ‘no’.

“I don’t feel like it’s dangerous to do anymore… if I’m in the super final obviously you’ve been landing and you’re on fire and there isn’t any reason why we wouldn’t do it after that so I wouldn’t have any hesitation.”

Morris’ courage and commitment is shared by the team, who come into PyeongChang with varied experience.

Peel made her Olympic debut at Sochi 2014 where she finished seventh, and since then has consolidated her performance.

“I still have the same basic self, same foundation (and) still the same beliefs but I feel a lot more prepared, a lot more confident, I’m more consistent with my tricks and there are a lot of similarities of course but now I feel more prepared and more myself and ready to go after it, “she said.

Teammate Scott is primed to perform a quadruple-twisting double somersault; she is the first Australian woman to complete the trick on snow.

“If I get to the round where I need it (I’ll do it) for sure,” she said.

“I think I was the first Aussie to do it on snow, but both Lydia and I have done it recently so it’s pretty exciting… I’ll definitely take advantage of being able to do that if I get the opportunity to.”

For Lassila, her tactics are a little different. She has four Winter Olympic Games on her CV already and after Sochi 2014 she even took a break from the sport.

However her passion and motivation for aerials didn’t weaken, nor did her body. And so she decided to line up again, putting herself in contention for a place on the Australian Olympic Team.

The dual Olympic medallist (gold Vancouver 2010, bronze Sochi 2014) recently claimed a first and a second place at Lake Placid World Cups in the United States, but she’s approaching things a little differently in her final Olympic campaign.

“Some athletes will go big which is really exciting, but it won’t be me. I’m kind of weening out so I’m on the double, which is a lot less stressful on my body and mind,” she said.

“(I’m) still competitive on the double… I’ve got some consistency there, I’ve got some experience there obviously.

“Anyone can make a mistake so my aim is to just keep consistent and not make any big mistakes.”

Second timer Wells said the secret to Australian freestyle skiers keeping their calm under pressure was nothing more than good old fashioned banter.

“It helps to keep it a bit lighter when things get a bit more stressful,” she said.

And in the end, it could come down to the conditions on the day. Morris has said he won’t be swayed by the weather, but for the majority of the field PyeongChang could prove to be one of the toughest challenges yet.

“Weather and wind is obviously a factor that this place is known for, and that does effect us so fingers crossed mother nature cooperates with us and I think it will be really good,” Scott said.

Freestyle skiing aerials starts with women’s qualifications on Day 6 (Thursday 15 February) with women’s finals on Day 7 (Friday 16 February) and men’s finals on Day 9 (Sunday 18 February).

Candice Keller

As an underdog at the Sochi 2014 Games he put landed a series of jumps that saw him claim Australia’s first men’s aerials medal, a silver, in Olympic competition.
Then after a poor 2016/17 World Cup season by his own high standards, Morris put it together when he needed to, to claim World Championships bronze.
Now just a fortnight out from competing in his third Olympic Games he has landed the hardest jump there is in the book.
Comprising of three flips and five twists, Morris successfully landed the jump at the Australian aerials team’s pre-Olympic training camp in Ruka, Finland.
Morris had been successfully practicing the jump off the water ramps in Utah but was waiting for the right conditions to try it on snow.
“Unleashing the secret weapon before the main event,” Morris said on his Instagram.
“Today the weather was perfect so I decided to go for it."
“It’s a career first, an Australian first, and the reason I returned to the sport.
“I’ll give myself the benefit of not being perfect straight away and I know I can make this a lot better.”
Now the focus turns to doing it in his next competition – the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games.
Morris competes in qualification on Day 8 (February 17) before finals take place the following night. 
Matt Bartolo
olympics.com.au

AERIALS: Australia’s aerial skiers will look to build on their rich tradition of Winter Olympic success when a team of five high flyers hit the jumps at the PyeongChang 2018 Games.


The team features a full contingent of Aussie women with dual Olympic medallist Lydia Lassila lining up at her fifth Winter Olympic Games alongside 2017 World Championship silver medallist Danielle Scott, 2015 World Champion Laura Peel and Sochi 2014 Olympian Samantha Wells.

Sochi 2014 silver medallist and 2017 World Championship bronze medallist David Morris will fly the flag in the men’s competition.

While the accolades for each member of this team are exceptional there is none more astounding than those of 2010 Olympic Champion and 2014 Olympic bronze medallist Lassila.

With so much adversity throughout her career it is astonishing to think she has made it to the start line of her fifth straight Olympic Games, let alone be well in contention to win an Australian record third Winter Olympic medal at PyeongChang.

“I never dreamed of going to 5 Olympics or having a career this long,” said Lassila who claimed a gold and silver medal at back-to-back World Cup events in Lake Placid last weekend.

“I’ve learned so much about myself, endured set backs and celebrated the victories.

“I love my sport, I love my country and that’s what has kept me coming back.”

The team has been in strong form throughout the season with Peel also claiming dual bronze medals in Lake Placid and Scott winning World Cup gold in China. The trio of Scott, Wells and Morris then linked up to win silver in the non-Olympic team event in Secret Garden.

“I competed all the jumps that I will be competing in PyeongChang in Lake Placid so doing that and finishing on the podium definitely gives me a confidence boost,” Peel said.

“However I know every day is a new day and everyone will be bringing their A game to the Olympics so right now it’s about getting back to work and building consistency.

“It’s just as exciting to be selected the second time around. I know more what to expect this time amd I think that experience will help me to really focus on the task at hand.

“I’m also looking forward to cheering on all the other Aussies.”

The team trains and lives with each other throughout the year and puts a lot of their success down to the combination of strong team camaraderie and the ability to push one another to new heights.

“We're all pretty chilled here in Finland at the moment in a last training camp before heading to PyeongChang,” Morris said.

“Everyone is up to standard and really jumping quite well. We were all lucky enough to basically qualify our spots last year so it hasn't been a stressful season for us, just making sure we stay healthy and have enough energy to peak at the big event.”

Having secured a medal at his second Games, Morris is now looking to pull out all the stops and perform a jump he has never tried on snow to climb one step higher on the Olympic podium.

“So far we haven't had enough time to practice my quintuple-twisting triple-flip,” he said.

“It's on my bucket list as something I need to do in the sport so the plan will be to perform it in this training camp, and then hopefully get the opportunity to show it off at the Games.

“If I make the super final (last round) that'll mean I'm having a pretty epic day and landing so by that point I'll be confident to perform it in competition for the first time and compete for a medal.”

Just like Morris, Scott too has the jumps she needs to lift her too Olympic glory. The 27-year-old claimed her best result to date at the 2017 World Championships and will be hoping that the experience from her first Games will help her lift at PyeongChang.

“It feels pretty cool knowing that this will be round two of flying the green and gold in the Olympic arena,” Scott said.

“Winning a medal at the World Champs has given confidence as it is the same format as the Olympics.

“Confidence is everything but so is being prepared and being able to handle the different conditions at each site so I hope to go out and put all my preparations to work.”

Wells will also be looking to take her Games experience, as well as some solid form that includes two top six World Cup results this season, onto the Korean slopes as she aims to better her 18th place finish in Sochi.

“Leading into my second Games, I’m feeling much better prepared and I am bringing with me an arsenal of competitive jumps,” she said.

“I’m excited to share this Olympic experience with my coach, and support staff, as well as some of my family, who will be coming to watch.”

Aerials skiing will kick off on with the women's qualification on Day 6 (February 15) followed by the finals on Day 7 (February 16). The men's competition then runs across Day 8 and 9 (February 17-18). 

The discipline of Freestyle Skiing is Australia’s most successful Winter Olympic event with Alisa Camplin’s two medals (2002 – gold, 2006 – bronze), Lassila’s two (2010 – gold, 2014 – bronze) and Morris’ Sochi 2014 silver accounting for half of the nation’s Winter medal haul.   
​

Matt Bartolo
olympics.com.au

Four-time Olympian Lydia Lassila has won gold and fellow Flying Kangaroo Laura Peel has taken bronze at the Aerial Skiing World Cup in Lake Placid, New York.

Following what were disappointing results in Deer Valley last week, Australia’s aerial skiers bounced back in the first of their final two competitions before PyeongChang.

Lassila, who celebrated her 36th birthday during the week, finished in first place with a score of 99.75, said that it had been important “to step up the intensity this week” after she missed out on last week’s finals by 0.63 points.

“Long day, you know it’s hard for me to make it through a day I’m one year older this year!” she joked.

“You always want to be in the final especially in the Super Final so it’s important for me to do that and go through that process and have these long days so that I know in PyeongChang I’ve got that.

“But it was good, I really took it one jump at a time which is how I’ve kind of always tried to and I just felt really on, especially tonight I just felt really calm, confident, aggressive, assertive – all the right things that I needed to feel.

“I didn’t do too many training jumps because I just needed to conserve my body for tomorrow and, you know, just in general!”

Lydia shared the podium on Friday evening with Sochi Olympian and 2015 World Champion Laura Peel taking bronze with a score of 90.59.

With the Winter Games kicking off in 20 days, Peel said that it was “exciting to know that I did the jumps well today that I’m going to need to do”.

“So often in the top 12 I just do a full full and then one of my triple twisting doubles but today I decided to do two triple twisting doubles because we’ll have to do three jumps in PyeongChang,” she said.

With the last World Cup “not great for Australia”, Peel said that it had been “awesome” to get to stand on the podium with Lassila.

“I mean, Lyd’s like a superwoman so it’s always cool to be on the podium with her and Hanna [Huskova] from Belarus doing triples, it’s awesome seeing triples out there from the ladies,” she said.

“I think after Deer Valley I just had a little time to reflect and sort of refocus and I felt in a good place today, I felt calmer and more confident,” she said.

Fellow VIS skier Danielle Scott, who recently won gold in Secret Garden, finished the day in 12th place with a score of 52.52 after missing out on the six-woman Super Final after leading all Aussies earlier in the day qualifying in 3rd and teammate Sam Wells was 24th while two-time Olympian and Sochi silver medallist David Morris also finished 24th in the men’s event.

Speaking prior to Friday’s World Cup, coach Jeff Bean said that the focus for Lake Placid had been “just to take care of the little things” after the team “were all just a little bit off” at Deer Valley.

“We had a disappointment there,” Lassila said.

“The whole team did, so it was really important for us to step up the intensity this week and we did.”

With PyeongChang following a similar back-to-back consecutive day schedule, the tight turnaround in Lake Placid will be a great trial run for the Flying Kangaroos.

“It is great practice,” Lassila said.

“It will be about really conserving energy tonight, not getting too excited, going to sleep, getting physio – doing all the right things for my body which seems to be my biggest challenge and hopefully feeling fresh tomorrow.”

David Barden
OWIA

Australia’s Flying Kangaroos are jumping straight back in the saddle for this week’s Aerial Skiing World Cups in Lake Placid, New York following disappointing results in Deer Valley, Utah.
 
Coach Jeff Bean described the team’s last World Cup as being his “worst event in four years coaching with the team” but added that the Aussies are ready to “step up our game”.
 
“It just felt like everybody and everything was a little bit off across the board,” he said.
 
“We had some rough weather, but I don’t look at anything as an excuse, ever. We were just a little bit off, everybody was close but it was actually a good reminder for this week to just take care of the little things, take care of the details – the extra percentages here and there.”
 
Four-time Olympian Lydia Lassila missed out on progressing through to the first final by 0.63 points, finishing in 13th place in what was her first World Cup since March 2017.
 
Sam Wells finished 15th while Danielle Scott, who won gold in Secret Garden, China last December, came in at 17th and 2015 World Champion Laura Peel in 20th.
 
Two-time Olympian and Sochi silver medallist David Morris also narrowly missed out on making the men’s finals in Deer Valley, finishing just outside the top 12 in 14th place with a score of 104.98.
 
“The competition was actually really good, a lot of good jumps doing down which means you had to perform very well to get in [the finals],” he said.
 
“I unfortunately did a nice jump but not a fantastic landing, I got docked on my landing scores and was unable to make the finals.
 
“I’m not overly disappointed because really we’re just training for the Olympics so we can peak at the right moment – which is the whole team because we’ve all qualified so, at the moment, it’s just training and building up the skills and confidence leading into the Olympics.”

Bean said that “as painful as it was” for the Aussies, “it was a good reminder that it’s the details that help us win and have helped this program win in the past”, especially in the lead up to PyeongChang.
 
“That’s what we really need to get back to so luckily this wasn’t mid-February and we take it as a learning [opportunity] and we move on,” he said.
 
“Luckily we have two World Cups this week so we really get to get back on the horse right away which is a huge opportunity for us after a bad week.”
 
Fresh from the jump site, Bean said that Tuesday’s training “was probably the best we’ve had at a World Cup in probably a year”.
 
“The site was good, the weather was good – all of our girls did triple twists and double flips, Dave got up to triple flips so it really set us up for the week which is nice,” he said.
 
“And then we have a really good solid day of training tomorrow, we’ve already gone up two degrees of difficulties so we can work on our degree of difficulty. Quite often on World Cup you’re just scrambling to even do your jumps, here we can actually work on them.
 
With back-to-back competition days, the Flying Kangaroos will train again on Wednesday before taking Thursday off ahead of Friday and Saturday’s World Cups.
 
“I think the team’s actually feeling pretty good, [Deer Valley] was a good wake-up call for the staff as well as the athletes and everyone jumped well, just not well enough,” Bean said.
 
“We’ve just got to, for lack of a better term, step up our game and that’s what we’re doing this week, we’re just taking care of the details.
 
“Just raising the level of intensity a little bit for everyone because that’s what you need to do at this time of year in preparation for the Olympics because it’s going to be more stressful and more intense there so we have to be prepared for that.”
 
The final Aerials World Cups before PyeongChang will be held in Lake Placid, New York this week on Friday and Saturday. For live updates from the site, follow OWIA on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.
 
David Barden
OWIA

Australia’s aerials contingent have missed out on qualification for the finals of the penultimate World Cup event prior to PyeongChang 2018.

Needing to place in the top 12 in Deer Valley to progress to Final 1, Lydia Lassila came agonisingly close just 0.63 points off qualifiying in 13th place in what was her first event back since the 2017 World Championships.

Sam Wells finished 15th a further three points back with World Championships silver medallist Danielle Scott claiming 17th and 2015 World Champion Laura Peel in 20th.

In the men’s competition Sochi 2014 silver medallist David Morris also came close scoring 104.98 to finish 14th, just over five points outside of the top 12.

"It was a very tough day here for the team," coach Jeff Bean said.

"In my four years of coaching we've not had at least one athlete qualify for the final. It was all small little mistakes and in this sport when it's only three seconds it's those small little mistakes that count.

"Lydia finished in 13th only just missing the final but this is a day that we can all learn from.

"This wasn't the Olympics, we know the team is jumping well and we have two events in Lake Placid next week that we are going to move forward and focus on and make sure we are ready for the Games in February."

The Chinese and USA teams dominated the women’s event progressing four athletes each through to Final 1 while Belarus’ Sochi 2014 gold medallist Anton Kushnir topped the qualification charts for the men.

Matt Bartolo
olympics.com.au

Danielle Scott won the day two Aerial Skiing, redeeming herself in the best way possible after placing 22nd on her first day on the hill at China’s Secret Garden, aerials location for the 2022 Olympic Games.
 
Indeed, there was nothing that could wipe the smile off the faces of the Flying Kangaroos on Sunday who were not only thrilled at their teammate’s excellent result but also overjoyed after claiming silver in the team aerials event.
 
“Yesterday was a bit of a sad day for me, I got blown off the hill so didn’t really have much of a chance,” Scott said.
 
“Good to come out and have a bit of a redemption today, it was still really tricky conditions. I did exactly what I needed to do and broke the 100 points which is what I’ve been aiming for this season, just trying to get those little goals.”
 
The Flying Kangaroos and VIS skiers went into the nail-biting final round of the team event against China and Russia with the pressure on once again for the team who earned bronze last year to pull out their biggest tricks.
 
As Scott pointed out, with the Aussies having just two women on the double “it makes it a little bit more difficult for us to produce higher scores”.
 
“Last year we came third which was pretty exciting because we have a big disadvantage having two girls and one guy compared to two guys and one girl,” Morris added.
 
“These two ladies really to have to pull their biggest skills and we can’t really can’t make any mistakes if we want to make it through the rounds and we did that today which is very exciting.
 
“[We] ended up one spot higher than last year so we’ve progressed a little bit which is excellent and it was pretty fun. Thought we had it there for a minute, we saw China go down and I got a little too excited too early and then they beat us by a very small margin but a fantastic result for the day and everyone jumped like champs.”
 
“We’ll one up it next year,” Scott laughed, “pressure is on!”

Morris, a two-time Olympian, finished ninth on Day Two and said that the team competition had been “a good little confidence boost that we’ll take into the next competition”.
 
“Ninth today, a bit better than yesterday,” he joked.
 
“Nearly the same score, I think I beat it by one whole point which was a little sad because it was a way straighter jump but very happy with ninth.”
 
Samantha Wells also improved on the second day of the World Cup, placing fifth despite far from ideal conditions.
 
“Maybe a bit warmer [today] if anything and I put three full double fulls down one after the other in all different ranges and I was really, really pleased with myself,” she said.
 
“We were really happy to come to this event and jump in some difficult conditions and bring out our higher degree of difficulty in the opening event. We’re really pleased to be walking away from this event with a silver medal as a team and it’s a great way to open the season for us.
 
“We’ve got a big training camp coming up before [the next competition] so I think we’ll be probably be a bit more prepared with a few more jumps under our belts and a few more landings under our belts and it’ll be a good chance to knock them out of the park.”
 
Sochi Olympian Laura Peel finished 13th on the second day of the World Cup and currently sits 12th on the World Cup Standings while teammates Scott and Wells now sit 3rd and 5th respectively.

Watching from the judges stand, five-time Olympian and World Champion Jacqui Cooper described the “quite special moment” she had watching the three girls she recruited into aerial skiing as teenagers compete at a World Cup.
 
“My career ended as theirs started,” she said.
 
“To come back and see them all, that was fantastic. I was even getting pins and needles in my hands and in my feet. Obviously yesterday was a bit of a tough day but I was happy, Sam and I had some bonding time before the competition. To see Danni come out today and win it’s really nice to have moments with these athletes that I’ll always have a strong connection with.
 
“The win is the bonus; the medals are the bonuses but at the moment our team wouldn’t be focused on trying to win every event. It’s about getting competition experience for the rest of the season … We are heading in the right direction.”
 
The next World Cup for the aerial skiers will be from the 10-12 January at Deer Valley, USA. 


David Barden
OWIA​​

OWIA/VIS athletes Laura Peel and Danielle Scott have started the season in great form, both recording victories in a warm up Europa Cup competition in Ruka, Finland.
 
With many of the world’s top athletes currently in Ruka preparing for the World Cup season, a strong field competed in two events.
 
On day one, Laura Peel jumped two well executed double back somersaults to take first place. Samantha Wells and Danielle Scott struggled with their landings finishing in 16th and 26th.
 
On day two, Danielle Scott rebounded strongly, competing two triple twisting double back somersaults to finish over 10 points clear in first place. Laura Peel claimed her second medal, finishing in third place, with Sam Wells also improving from day one to finish in tenth.
 
David Morris improved on his day one finish of 18th to place 12th on day two.
 
VIS development athletes also competed in the event, with Brittany George recording the highest place finish, with a 12th place day two performance. Abbey Willcox had her best result on day two finishing in 20th. The event was the first Aerial Skiing career starts for Gabi Ash and Alice Neill, with Gabi 15th on day one and Alice 19th on day two.
 
The first World Cup for the OWIA/VIS athletes will take place in Secret Garden, China, on December 16-17.

IMAGE: Daniel Scott (left) and Laure Peel (right), Europa Cup winners in Ruka, Finland.

Andrew Pattison
OWIA

Aerial skiing might be an individual sport but it is the incredible team bond that is helping to ensure our Australian athletes are flying higher than ever before.

Currently training on the water ramps at Utah Olympic Park, the Australian team lives, trains and laughs together as they build towards the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games.

There is plenty to be happy about for the Aussie contingent with each of the team landing on the World Cup podium last season, and all appear to have a shot at adding to Australia’s five Aerials Olympic medals at PyeongChang next year.  

“When there's good banter, that's a decent sign of a well bonded team, and our banter is pretty constant,” said Sochi 2014 silver medallist and 2017 World Championships bronze medallist David Morris.

“Everyone is doing really well and being as supportive as they can whilst also making sure they concentrate on themselves. The mood is always good up on the ramps, the team is always having a good time and I can honestly say everyone is jumping really well which in turn makes training more enjoyable all-round.

“We will definitely be a force to reckoned with come the snowfall.”

Morris’ roommate is World Championship silver medallist Danielle Scott is also thriving in the positive environment.
 
“The team dynamic is pretty chill right now as every World Cup athlete has already qualified for the Games according to our national criteria,” she said.

“Dave and I live together and it is a lot of fun pushing each other inside and outside of training, we have a lot of hilarious banter!”

The Utah sun is a long way from the icy competition slopes that will soon be upon the Aussie athletes and they are lapping up the warmer weather for as long as they can.

“I love water ramp training mainly because it's summer,” said Scott.

“It's a lot harder on the body but I'm a summer girl at heart so I don't know if I could do this sport if we didn't have a summer.

“Training is going well. I'm working on some pretty technical parts of my jumping so it's been intense but good.

“My coaches Joe and Jeff have been fantastic in pushing me and giving me everything I need to be the best jumper I can be leading into next season.”

With the strong training base in place Scott is confident she will be ready to go come the PyeongChang 2018 Games.
“It sure is a different feeling leading into these Games now that I have one under my belt,” she said.

“It will be nice to enjoy the hype as opposed to being a little overwhelmed by it.

“The first Olympics for us is usually about gaining experience so I do feel a lot more confident knowing that I have that experience and can focus more on my performance.”

Morris is also making the most of the camp in Utah.

“I'm smashing training at the moment,” he said.

“I came over here well prepared after an intense strength and fitness camp at the VIS and have hit the ground running and haven't stopped.

“We've been incredibly fortunate with almost perfect weather every day, we haven't had any cancelled sessions and the whole team has utilised this opportunity.

“After a lot of work fixing things last year I was quickly able to get up to speed and up to my hardest skills rather quickly which is always more fun because the more twists I do the more I enjoy it.”

Matt Bartolo
olympics.com.au
 

The Flying Kangaroos Aerial skiers will be keen to continue their strong form today when they compete in the Pyeongchang 2018 Test event at Bokwang Snow Park.

Lydia Lassila, Danielle Scott, Samantha Wells, Laura Peel and David Morris hope to maintain their standard when the event begins with qualifying this afternoon at 3.40pm.

Dual Olympic medalist Lassila became the story of the season last weekend when she fought through challenging weather conditions to take gold at the World Cup event in Deer Valley, Utah.

It was a remarkable result for the 35-year-old who was making only her second competitive appearance since winning bronze at Sochi in 2014 and as with Deer Valley, Lydia’s aim is, “to keep staying on my feet.”

“Our team feels really focused and strong at the moment and everyone is in a position to do really well.”

The result moves Lydia into seventh in the overall World Cup rankings.

Team mate Danielle Scott is the current World Cup leader with three podium finishes this season, including two gold.

“It has been an amazing start to the season and I am really happy,” Danielle said.

“The confidence is there and I hope to get the most out of each experience no matter what the outcome is.”

Samantha Wells and Laura Peel are currently ranked 9th and 11th.

Wells finished third in a World Cup event in December, while Peel  - who was the 2015 World Champion has already enjoyed a top-ten result in 2017 after recovering from a serious ankle injury.

Wells believes the results reflect the hard work being put in behind-the-scenes.

“It is fantastic to see our team doing so well. I think it has a lot to do with our coaches working well together and keeping the team dynamics positive.”

Sole male competitor David Morris has also excelled in recent months.

The 32-year-old Sochi silver medalist has achieved two top-ten finishes in his last three events, but believes there is more to come.
“As always I'd like to be doing better, I'd like to get myself on the podium,” he said.  

“I've been close but couldn't finish off the final jump to snare a medal. It's been productive so far and that's a positive and I’m just going to keep going and hopefully peak at the right times.”

This weekend’s event provides athletes with the unique opportunity to get a feel for the venue they will compete on in 2018.

“When things are new there's always distractions, and that will all get out of the way for the test event so that next time we return it'll feel more familiar and we'll be able to just get to work because we've done it all before,” Morris said.
 
The finals will be braodcast live tonight on Eurosport from 9pm (AEDST).

Lydia Lassila’s remarkable return to Aerial Skiing is very much on track for a tilt at a fifth Olympics after her extraordinary World Cup gold medal in Deer Valley, Utah, USA.
 
In only her second event since her Bronze medal in Sochi and the birth of her second child, against the world’s best athletes including VIS teammates Danielle Scott, the world number one, and the current world champion, Laura Peel, Lydia’s expectations were only to keep building throughout the season and improve from week to week.
 
“I was emotional all day and I had a good feeling,” was Lydia Lassila’s first comment after winning Gold. “I couldn’t believe I won.”
 
“To be honest, I was happy to stay on my feet.”
 
The day unfolded with Lydia qualifying fifth and Danielle Scott second and both moving into the Top 12 Final.
 
As the weather worsened and took its toll on the Aerialists, including Scott who was caught in a sudden cross wind as she took off, Lydia fought through to come out on top going into the Super Final and a shot at the podium.
 
“I knew it was tough weather and I kinda like that. I was in a good space all day – and sometimes days like this are good for me because it becomes fight or flight,” Lassila said.

With American Kiley McKinnon scoring an impressive 95.17 in the six-athlete super final and Lydia last to jump, it was tense viewing – wondering if the mother-of-two could lift by almost ten points from the first final to create the upset win that no-one really expected.
 
Performing the same Full Double Full as McKinnon, Lydia executed brilliantly and was awarded accordingly with 95.52 points and a World Cup gold.
 
“This is the feeling that I missed and came back for,” she said. “It’s not the winning so much – it’s being able to do your best, the pure adrenalin and the fun.”
 
“Hopefully we will get a few more mums out there going after what they want. You can have it all – on some days,” the 34-year-old said.

“The team effort with the coaches and athletes, even helping Danielle and I today, is what has made it happen,” Lydia added.
 
Lydia’s return has lifted the Australian Aerial Team and according to team coach Jeff Bean, it’s good for confidence.
 
“I’m ecstatic for Lydia. It’s good for her confidence and motivating for everyone,” Coach Bean said.

With American Kiley McKinnon scoring an impressive 95.17 in the six-athlete super final and Lydia last to jump, it was tense viewing – wondering if the mother-of-two could lift by almost ten points from the first final to create the upset win that no-one really expected.
 
Performing the same Full Double Full as McKinnon, Lydia executed under pressure and was awarded accordingly with 95.52 points and a World Cup gold.
 
“This is the feeling that I missed and came back for,” she said. “It’s not the winning so much – it’s being able to do your best, the pure adrenalin and the fun.”
 
“Hopefully we will get a few more mums out there going after what they want. You can have it all – on some days,” the 34-year-old said.

“The team effort with the coaches and athletes, even helping Danielle and I today, is what has made it happen,” Lydia added.
 
Lydia’s return has lifted the Australian Aerial Team and according to team coach Jeff Bean, it’s good for confidence.
 
“I’m ecstatic for Lydia. It’s good for her confidence and motivating for everyone,” Coach Bean said.

“It’s been tough weather here, which caught Danielle when she got hit by a head wind. Dave Morris has had some small injuries but has had a good building block week here getting the quad twist happening.”
 
For Danielle Scott, the day is bitter sweet after taking a hard fall and scratching her face but still able to retain her yellow bib as the current world number one.
 
“My face is sore. There were some pretty tough conditions out there today,” Danielle said.
 
“The qualifying was great but it was one of the trickiest days we’ve had with snow falling and wind gusts. In the final, the timing on the clock on the run in was fine, but speed wasn’t on my side. I will live and learn.”
 
Dave Morris went after the quad twist again and is making progress as the season continues. He went out in the qualifying in 18th place.

"Disappointing result for me today," Dave said. "I always hope for a spot in finals but I didn't dedicate my takeoff as much as I needed to and the judges weren't too impressed with my legs having to bend in the air. But a safe landing and still in one piece for the rest event in Korea."
 
Coach Bean says time will be good for Morris.

“He’s doing all the right things and there’s a lot of room for him leading into the World Championships,” Coach Jeff Bean advised.

Unfortunately, Samantha Wells and Laura Peel both struggled on landings in the qualifying round and were unable to advance to the final 12..

Olympic Winter Institute CEO Geoff Lipshut is delighted with the continuing success by the Flying Kangaroos Aerial Skiing program.
 
"It is great to see Lydia back in action today and winning,” Mr Lipshut said. 
 
“This was only Lydia's second competition since Sochi - it is important to keep building confidence and to have a podium so soon after such a long break is fantastic. Like everyone in our program we are just thrilled to have Lydia back on the team. She is such an inspiration in so many ways."
 
The next stop on the World Cup calendar is the Olympic test event in Bokwang, Korea on February 10.  

With a couple of weeks to rest and train since the last competition in Lake Placid, the men and ladies of the Aerials World Cup should be ready let fly in Deer Valley starting with the qualifying round on Saturday morning (AEDT) and you can watch the finals live on Eurosport from 2pm in the afternoon. 

Current world ranking leader Danielle Scott who has been on the podium for all three World Cups this season, will be wanting to defend her position.
“The latest training block went well although the warm weather hung around and we lost a few days to that,” Danielle said.
 
“The conditions were frustrating but I was able to keep the ball rolling with my jumping and I’m looking forward to the incredible atmosphere that the Deer Valley World Cup always has to offer.”

Olympic Gold and Bronze medallist Lydia is back, having reached the final six in Lake Placid.
“Training is going Ok. It’s been a tough week as Kai starts school and I'll miss Alek's birthday next week,” said the mum of two. “Otherwise jumping has been fine and I’m looking forward to competing again after a long break between events.”
 
The strong Australian Flying Kangaroos Team is in the enviable position of having every member as a genuine podium finisher on any given day. That is true for Laura Peel who is ready to make it back into the Super Final and said after Lake Placid that the few weeks break between events will be valuable training and a “good time to ‘dial the jumps in a bit’.”
 
World Cup bronze medallist, Samantha Wells also made the final in Lake Placid and is considered the quiet achiever of the group.

For the men, Dave Morris will be chasing the Sochi 2014 Olympic gold medallist Anton Kushnir from Belarus who is riding high atop the leaderboard after three years away from the sport.

Morris is looking stronger and says he “had a good day of training today”.

Deer Valley sees the return of the strong Chinese aerials team after their top squad sat out competition in Lake Placid.

Despite not competing in Lake Placid, Chinese aerialists hold second overall on both the ladies’ and men’s side, with top lady Xu Mengtao and top man Qi Guangpu both owning two previous victories in Deer Valley. 

Also in Deer Valley, members of  the Development Squad are in Deer Valley, watching and learning.

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

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.

The winter wonderland weekend continued with a flurry of stellar results in the Aerial Skiing World Cup in China today, just a day after Danielle Scott claimed Silver in the opening event of the season.

The Flying Kangaroos, led once again by the in-form Scott, added three more medals to their weekend tally, with Scott winning the one-jump World Cup event, while Samantha Wells snared Bronze.

The qualifcation seeding ahead of the team event acted as a perfect opportunity to battle for World Cup points as the individuals strove to push themselves up the world rankings as well as improving their team's standing.

Scott took the full 100 points from the competition, before the two girls combined with Dave Morris, fresh off a 5th place effort in the one-jump event, to grab another Bronze medal in the Team World Cup, the first medal of any kind obtained by an Australian Aerial Skiing team.

After Gold and Bronze with Belle Brockhoff and Alex Pullin, the VIS athletes have capped off what has been the most successful December on record for Australian winter athletes with the third World Cup win of the season to go along with a collection of podium finishes.

Scott’s second career win today put her at the top of the pile in the World, something she said was extremely special to her and credited her support team.

“I’ve been so close to that yellow bib for a long time so it feels great to finally wear it and land on top of the podium,” she said.

"I feel pretty good about the execution of my jumps and have loved every second of working with Joe (Davies) and Jeff (Bean) on the hill."

"Barbara and Kate have also been excellent, it was a fantastic team effort out there."

“I felt really good about the execution of my jumps and have loved every second up here. To finish the day with Bronze in the team event as well just made this time one to remember,” she said.

​It was a career defining weekend for Wells too, who bounced back after a disappointing individual performance yesterday to hit a personal best score to make her second career podium.

“My aim was just to carry out some of the things we worked on in pre-season camp which was my take-off and my landing technique,” said Wells.

“Even though I didn’t start well on paper, I was happy to progress my jumps over the course of the four days, and landed the dFF for the first time in competition so it was a really satisfying and enjoyable time.”

Dave Morris faced a tougher task but pushed on for 5th, before joining up with the girls to go one better than last year’s 4th place team finish in Beijing to claim the Bronze.

“Unfortunately I was fairly unprepared for competitions this weekend with injury, so today was a much-needed confidence boost after a disappointing result in the first World Cup,” Morris said.

“Last year the team came 4th, being at a disadvantage having two girls and one boy, instead of two boys and one girl. Sam and Dani really put down some great jumps, which combined with mine to secure a spot in the top three, pushing out what seemed like some much stronger teams, but quality jumps and good landings pulled through and we have Australia’s first team medal."

"I’m very proud of everyone’s efforts today."

World Champion Laura Peel is yet to find her best form after qualifying strongly on day one in fourth place, followed by two 12th places but has her eyes set for bigger things in 2017.

The team will break over Christmas but will re-group again for the next event on January 13th at Lake Placid, USA.

Bigger and better is the overall goal for the Freestyle Aerials team this weekend for the first World Cup in Beida Lake, China as the season gets underway with the opening event of seven competitions at six different venues spread out across Asia, Europe and North America.

Australia’s team of Dave Morris, Danielle Scott, Laura Peel and Samantha Wells finished two weeks  training in Ruka, Finland, which included hours jumping on snow daily, before heading to China for back-to-back competitions on December 17 and 18, 2016, at China’s Beida Lake resort. 

Danielle Scott, who finished with a series overall second place last season and third the previous season says she has, “one step to go”.

“We’ve been making the jumps bigger and better. We’re just going to work with doubles at the highest degree of difficulty, maxing out the scores,” Danielle said.

“Beida Lake is the first event and I want nice, clean jumps every round.”

With a start list that could number up to 35 women, going clean and making the final 12 will be a huge confidence booster for the Flying Kangaroos, none more so than 2015 World Champion, Laura Peel who is returning to competition after recovering from ankle surgery last season.

“Until Finland, it had been 620 days since I jumped on snow. It was a long rehab and the ankle handles snow better than the impact of the water jump,” a happy Laura said from China yesterday.
 
“I’ve come back well. It was hard work getting back physically – now it’s also about mentally getting in the swing of things. I’m excited about the weekend.”

Asked about her goal for the weekend, the experienced World Champion was straight to the point; “Land facing forwards.”

Last year was a breakthrough season for Newcastle’s Samantha Wells, who made her first podium with a silver in Deer Valley, USA and as far as Sam is concerned, the only way is up.

“Last year I became more consistent but there were areas of my jumping that weren’t receiving the scores. I spent the Australian winter working on the height and landing of my jumping. My form  scores well, but I need more air,” Samantha explained.

“Carrying the basic elements of a quality jump with an increasing degree of difficulty is what I’m after. For me, it’s about focussing on executing the improvements that have been made.”

​Sochi Silver medallist Dave Morris is as candid as ever when asked about his preparation going into Beida Lake.

“Not great. Worst preparation ever. Ruka started well then I suffered a torn quad muscle, which affected my knee resulting in nearly two weeks off. I haven’t done any triples at all,” he said.

A philosophical Morris said the injury is not overly serious but has suppressed his natural ‘go-for-it’ approach to every event.

“In my career, I’ve got away without any major injuries. It’s my turn I guess.”

“I’d like to start the year off with a bang and do big tricks but realistically I have to get through these two events (in Beida Lake) with nice, safe doubles and build up through the season.”

“It’s a training event and we’ve solidified what I’ve got already. I can’t throw my body around,” the 32-year-old.

There will be more coming, not least because Morris will not be satisfied until he goes for five twists  in an event.

“From earlier this year, I started really practising doing five twists on the snow to potentially do it at an Olympics.  Everyone in the Super Final had five except me.”

“We’ve trained five properly this year and I’d like that in my back pocket.”

Morris took a year off after Sochi and says, “I would not be happy with my career if I didn’t do five twists and three flips – or at least try it.”

The competition for the podium will be stiff as the Chinese look to reassert their team having dipped from the high placements in the 2010-14 period to only one man in the top ten last season and one woman in the top five.  

The top stories of last season were an Eastern European surge on the men’s side, and the second-straight US crystal globe on the ladies’. The Russian team is also one to watch out for.

Oleksandr Abramenko, a decade-long tour veteran found a newfound consistency to capture the first-ever Freestyle crystal globe of any kind for Ukraine, whilst American Ashley Caldwell improved from second-best in 2014/15 to win last season’s crystal globe - the second in a row for the young USA ladies team.

With seven podiums in 10 events over the past two seasons and a penchant for performing the most difficult jumps, Caldwell is the one to chase, but not without competition from Danielle Scott, who has been pipped by the American on the podium the past two years. 

While less explosive than Caldwell, Scott’s clean technique and consistency puts her in a position to podium at nearly every event she enters. In the five seasons on the World Cup, Scott has only finished outside of the top-10 seven times. 

From Beida Lake, the Aerials World Cup hits its US swing, first at historic Lake Placid just after the holidays and then on to the classic showdown in Deer Valley in early February. 

As with all of the events under the FIS Freestyle Skiing umbrella (except for big air), the season truly ends for the top aerials athletes in the world at the 2017 Freestyle World Ski Championships in Sierra Nevada, Spain, in March.

With the first World Cup of the season two weeks away, Danielle Scott has showed she is well placed for a strong season following back-to-back Europa Cup victories in Ruka, Finland.
 
The wins were achieved on the back of four well-executed competition jumps, with her Day Two performance particularly impressive with a two jump score of 187.96, almost 20 points clear of second place.
 
Scott was joined on the podium on Day One by her Flying Kangaroos teammate and current World Champion, Laura Peel, who finished third in her first event since March 2015. In the second event Laura finished in sixth place.
 
Samantha Wells had two top ten results, with a fifth place Day Two performance being the highlight.
 
Olympic Silver Medallist David Morris elected not to compete, as he manages some minor injuries early in the season.
 
Flying Kangaroo development athletes Britt George, Abbey Willcox and Harrison Tulberg all made their competition debuts coached by Olympian and Victorian Institute of Sport Technical Coach Bree Munro. The three athletes all had near perfect scores in their back layout and back tuck single backflip jumps. Britt George was the highest placed with a 14th finish in the second event.
 
The opening World Cup event will take place in Beida Lake, China, on December 16-17.

PHOTO: Danielle Scott (middle) and Laura Peel (right) on the podium in Finland

Danielle Scott has finished second overall for the season in the 2015/16 FIS Freestyle Skiing Aerials World Cup, after finishing second in the final event of the season in Minsk, Belarus.

The 25-year-old Olympic Winter Institute of Australia (OWIA)/Victorian Institute of Sport (VIS) athlete was locked in a battle with World Cup leader, Ashley Caldwell of the United States.

After finishing first in qualifying, Scott entered the first final with confidence, putting in a good jump to finish equal fourth, and therefore qualifying for the Super Final.

With the top six qualifying for the Final, Scott was third to jump, and put in an excellent Double Full Full, a triple twist double somersault under pressure, scoring an impressive 96.93, and her second highest score for the season.

Caldwell though responded strongly. Last to jump, and with the World Cup title on the line, she finished with a score of 103.27 performing a Full Full Full, a triple twisting triple somersault to claim a good win, taking home the crystal globe as World Cup champion for 2015/16.

Following the event, Scott reflected on what was a thrilling finale to the aerials competition.

“I’m pretty happy with second overall; it’s one up from last season, so I guess it just keeps getting better and better,” Scott said.

With so many possible scenarios today, Scott maintained her focus on each individual performance.

“The strategy today was definitely dealing with the conditions and speed,” Scott said.

“I’ve had a little bit of trouble with that recently, so I just trusted the coaches were putting me in the right places and do what I needed to do,” she added.

Samantha Wells finished eighth overall in today’s event, after a very strong performance of 3rd place in the qualification round, while Renee McElduff finished in 17th place.

In the Men’s, David Morris finished 21st to finish the season inside the top ten, finishing ninth overall.

IMAGE: Danielle Scott (left) celebrates on the podium © FIS