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

It might not have been the result she wanted to finish on but Lydia Lassila’s illustrious career simply won’t be judged on her final jumps at PyeongChang.

The 36-year-old has achieved it all over the past two decades and despite the initial disappointment of just missing tonight’s aerials finals, there is no doubt her legacy will live on in Australian sporting history.

“I really wanted to be in the final tonight and really should have been in the final but that is the nature of the beast,” said the inspirational mother-of-two.

“For me my story is over and that’s ok, I’m alright with that.

“I’m leaving this sport knowing who I am - a very strong independent individual that can get through any storm and on reflection it’s been wonderful.

“I’ve brought my family along for the ride which hasn’t been easy but we’ve benefited and had some wins from this process.” 

Lassila became the first women to compete in five Olympic Games in PyeongChang where she ended the competition in 14th.

The result followed two Winter Olympic Games where she claimed medals, becoming Olympic Champion in 2010 before she won bronze at Sochi 2014.

It was at her fourth Games where her determination to return from injury and eventually become the first woman to complete a quad-twisting triple somersault that continued to prove why she is an all-time legend.

“I’ve learnt how to be patient and it took me a long time to understand the concept of delayed gratification, of working hard for something to hope that it will pay off in the end.

“It certainly paid off in Vancouver and in Sochi and I was true to my word.

“That 19-year-old (that competed in 2002) hasn’t changed much in her will, determination and competitive drive she’s just learnt life lessons.”

Australian Olympic Team Chef de Mission, Ian Chesterman, was clearly emotional as he sat alongside Lassila to offer his thoughts on one the favourite athletes he has led over the past five Games.

“I want to emphasise the great legacy Lydia leaves," he said.

Olympic Winter Institute of Australia CEO Geoff Lipshut was equally high in his praise of Lassila.

“Lydia is the last of our all-time greats that is active,” Lipshut said.

“Alisa (Camplin), Dale (Begg-Smith), Torah (Bright) and Lydia. It’s been an absolute privilege.”

It will no doubt be hard for one of the nation’s most dogged competitors to watch from the sidelines but Lassila will be out cheering on both Laura Peel and Danielle Scott in the Aerials finals tonight.

“We’ve got two girls in the final and we’ve got to be happy for that.

“It’s important for us and important for them as they’ve worked very hard for that.”


Matt Bartolo
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

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

Last weekends Aerial Skiing events in Lake Placid. NY, USA, marked the almost perfect end of an amazing World Cup career for Lydia Lassila.

Lassila's incredible World Cup career spanned over 17 years, with her first World Cup start coming at Mt Buller in September 2001.

With the two medals on the weekend, Lassila's brings her total career World Cup tally to 39, which includes 16 total victories.

Lassila is undoubtedly one of Australia's sporting greats and well in the conversation as Australia’s greatest ever wintersports athlete.  After her final event on Saturday night, Lassila sits equal second for the most World Cup medals ever won by an Australian, but is the only Australian to have better than a 50% lifetime conversion of World Cup starts to podiums.

Top-5 Australian World Cup medal winners

Kirstie Marshall (Aerial Skiing) - 41 World Cup medals (17 wins & 1 WC Globe from 93 starts)
Jacqui Cooper (Aerial Skiing) - 40 World Cup medals (24 wins & 5 WC Globes from 133 starts
Lydia Lassila (Aerial Skiing) - 39 World Cup medals (16 wins & 1 WC Globe from 77 starts)
Dale Begg-Smith (Mogul Skiing) - 29 World Cup medals (18 wins & 4 WC Globes from 74 starts)
Alisa Camplin (Aerial Skiing) - 19 World Cup medals (10 wins & 2 WC Globes from 53 starts)

Lassila was remarkably near the top of the World Cup rankings in each season she was in competition, finishing on top of the standings as World Cup champion Globe winner in 2009, runner-up four times and in third place twice.

Next month Lassila will be aiming for her third medal at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, Korea, which will be her fifth start at the Winter Olympics, the most by an Australian female.

IMAGES: Lydia Lassila at her first ever World Cup at Mt Buller in 2001 ©  Mark Ashkanasy / Alpine Images

Four-time Olympian Lydia Lassila has claimed silver and teammate Laura Peel has taken bronze at the second Aerial Skiing World Cup in Lake Placid, New York.

It’s the second time in as many days that the two VIS athletes have stepped up onto the podium at the last World Cup before PyeongChang.

It was very close, with both Australian athletes tied on the same score after doing the same jumps during each round of the competition, Lassila received the benefit of the tie break to move to the higher step on the podium.

Lassila, who woke up on the second competition day with a bout of food poisoning, finished in second place with a score of 93.76.

“Today was a real grind for me but I just did the bare minimum of jumps just to try and keep my energy reserves,” she said.

“It was tough but somehow I made it through, I had a nap in between qualifications and finals. The wind was really tricky today and it got a few people out but we managed it really well as a team and just did what I needed to do – nothing special, but just good!”

Joining Lassila on the podium again in third place was 2015 World Champion Laura Peel also with a score of 93.76.

The 28-year-old said that while she wasn’t “feeling great coming here” she leaves Lake Placid feeling “really good” after putting down the tricks she plans on performing at PyeongChang.

“I felt like I’d been training well but I didn’t feel like I’d been able to put it into the competition,” she said.

“I think I just kind of found a different mindset this week and I just wanted to go for it, hold nothing back before the Games and build some confidence, do all my tricks I’m going to do at the Games.

“It’s just about becoming more consistent and repeating … I can’t change the past so all I can do is attack the next competition and I think I did a really good job this weekend.”

For Lassila, who has now claimed five medals since rejoining the World Cup circuit in 2017, stepping back up onto the podium in Lake Placid was a bittersweet moment.

“This is my last ever World Cup, so it’s a little sad,” she said.

“I tried to really just enjoy each moment today, standing up there and feeling those nerves and that focus and that’s the part of this I miss – that feeling before the jump and then of course the exhilaration when you land. Those feelings can't be replicated anywhere else.”

All four Australian women made the top 12 and qualified for the finals on Day 2, with Peel and Lassila joined by 2017 World Championship silver medallist Danielle Scott, in sixth palce, and Sochi Olympian Sam Wells who finished 11th.

Olympic silver medallist David Morris narrowly missed out on the finals by 01.77 points, finishing the day in 13th place.

While there may have been 16,000 kilometres between Lake Placid and the land the athletes call home, there was still a strong Aussie support group present on Saturday to cheer on the Flying Kangaroos.

“It’s wonderful to have support here,” Lassila said.

“Dave Morris’ family have been an amazing support for me over many years but as well for the team so it’s good to have some connection to home when we’re so far away.”

Peel, whose mother was in the crowd, added that it has been “really awesome and cool to see the rest of Australia getting into winter sports and rallying a bit”, especially with just 18 days left until the opening ceremony of PyeongChang.

David Barden
OWIA

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

​Lydia Lassila has told her peers to ‘savour’ their Olympics experience and make the most of every moment.

The four-time Olympian was in Melbourne attending Australian team processing for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang when she addressed athletes.
 
“Savour these experiences because they are what last forever,” Lassila said.
 
“Not only the performance (but) the fun times and the struggles that you go through.
 
“Treasure that, it doesn’t last forever. Make the most out of it,” she said.
 
Lassila said each of her four Olympic Games experiences has been different.
 
“I was in a different headspace each time,” she said.
 
“From the rookie who was super green and didn’t know what was going on and overwhelmed by the first experience. Everyone was looking after me.
 
“By the next Games I was the veteran and I was seasoned.
 
“Now I’ve got kids and I’m in a completely different mindset, but really enjoying myself and savoring these last moments as an athlete. It’s really special.”
 
Two-time Olympian Britt Cox recalled her first Olympic Games experience to the group.
 
“I qualified for Vancouver three weeks before the Games.” Cox said.
 
“I remember being there and was the baby of the team. I’d be in the Olympic village and it would be five thirty in the afternoon and everyone would say, ‘isn’t it your bed time’,” she said.

Australia’s Chef de Mission, Ian Chesterman opened proceedings at the team processing session, telling athletes the 2018 Olympic Winter Games will be first class.
 
“The local community in South Korea will really get behind these Games and make them a great experience for everybody,” Chesterman said.  
 
Chesterman said athletes would be provided an environment that would give them the best opportunity to ‘produce their best on the right day’.
 
“We’ve been working hard for a long time so that when you get out on your field of play you feel everything has gone as well as it could possibly go and you’ve had your chance to do your best on that day,” he said to the athletes.  
 
“Not everybody will win medals at the Olympic Games but everybody gets to go along and become an Olympian.
 
“We want to make your experience a positive one.”
 
“Once you are an Olympian, you’re always an Olympian. It’s a great badge to be able to wear throughout your life,” he said.
 
 
 
 

Australia’s Flying Kangaroo Aerial skiers are in Moscow for the World Cup Final this weekend and will be jumping from a massive multi-storey high scaffold set-up just outside of the city centre.

Following Lydia Lassila and Danielle Scott’s one-two podium finish last weekend in Belarus, the Flying Kangaroos remained in Minsk for two days ahead of the Moscow final.

“All the athletes are in great shape,” coach Jeff Bean said.  “We had a great few days jumping prior to coming here (Moscow).”

“Everyone is jumping better and becoming more confident as we continue to train their jumps. They are ready for Moscow and for the World Championships next week in Sierra Nevada.”

The Ladies overall title will come down to Scott and China’s Xu Mengtao. Scott narrowly regained the yellow bib in Minsk and is sitting on 402 points - just a hair’s breadth ahead of  Mangtao’s 400 points.

In six competitions this season Scott has one victory and three runner-up results plus a top ten placing, as she seeks to improve on a 2015/16 season in which she finished second overall in the Aerial Skiing World Cup to USA’s Ashley Caldwell.  

With Scott’s double-flipping precision and exceptional form matched up against Xu’s explosiveness and triple-flipping degree of difficulty, the drama developing ahead of this weekend’s competition and the battle for first overall is high.

Third overall currently belongs to Lassila, and the 35-year-old mother of two has written one of the most remarkable stories in Freestyle this season with two gold medal podiums.

Laura Peel and Samantha Wells have shown great consistency and find themselves just outside the overall top-ten. in eleventh and twelfth places respectively.

Dave Morris has not had the season he was hoping for, coping with niggling injuries earlier in the tour but is now feeling more like his Olympic self. Morris enters the final event on sixteenth place overall and has been using the current World Cup season to test out some new advanced skills.

Morris enters the final event in 16th place on the world ranking leader board.

Conditions in Moscow are different to normal with the aerial skiers jumping from a scaffolding set up, which requires two elevators at the rear to transport the athletes to the top.

“The in-run is steeper and the transition area in front of the jumps is longer than normal so the visuals are slightly different,” coach Bean said.
 
“We are fortunate to have a very experienced group of athletes who have jumped here in Moscow for the last three years as well as in Beijing so we are jumping and training as per normal.”
 
"The weather here is currently challenging and looks like it will continue down that track with warm condition and rain, we are happy to have a good training foundation and feel ready regardless of the conditions."

Competition begins in Moscow on Saturday, with qualifying commencing at 10.05pm (AEDT) and finals from 3am on Sunday morning, which can be watched live on Eurosport.  

 

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

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.

The Will To Fly is the story of Olympic Champion Lydia Lassila, who as a young mum, against all the odds competing in one of the most dangerous sports in the world, dares to reach for an almost impossible dream and in doing so, helps pave the way for women in sport.

Be sure to visit a cinema near you to watch this amazing film on one of the Australia's most successful and inspirational athletes.

The film has been a massive hit so far with great reviews, be sure to check it out on the big screen at your closest cinema.

WEBSITE
www.thewilltoflyfilm.com

TRAILER
https://vimeo.com/134584319 

SEE THE FILM
http://thewilltoflyfilm.com/see-the-film/

A one time opportunity to purchase tickets to the Australian Premiere of The Will To Fly film about Lydia Lassila is available for a limited time only.
 
This black tie event will be held on March 8th (International Women’s Day) - tickets are selling fast!

Australian Premiere @ Rivoli Melbourne
Date: Tuesday 8th March, 6:30pm
Location: The Rivoli Cinema - 200 Camberwell Rd Hawthorn East, VIC
 
To purchase (over 18), click here:
https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/the-will-to-fly-premiere-black-tie-event-adults-only-tickets-21607149566

Sydney Preview Screening: The Will to Fly + Q&A with Lydia Lassila
Date: Thursday 3rd March, 6:30pm
Location: Hayden Orpheum - 380 Military Road Cremorne NSW

Sydney friends! Don't forget there is a special Q&A preview screening of The Will To Fly coming up very soon on the 3rd of March at the Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace in Cremorne!

Get in early and be one of the first to see the film before the national release! Grab your tickets in this link below:
http://www.orpheum.com.au/wp-cinema/movie/OWILLTOFLYQA/Preview+Screening+The+Will+to+Fly+QA+with+Lydia+Lassila/

 The Will To Fly is the story of Olympic Champion Lydia Lassila, who as a young mum, against all the odds competing in one of the most challenging sports in the world, dares to reach for an almost impossible dream and in doing so, helps pave the way for women in sport.
 
"Lassila's story is one of amazing tenacity, self-will, and perseverance that
supersedes one's interest (or disinterest) in sport" FilmInk
 
"The Will To Fly is an inspirational film of determination and triumph" Vogue
Australia

"The Will To Fly is an incredible story of one woman's courage, resilience and
determination in the face of impossible odds" Women's Fitness

WEBSITE
www.thewilltoflyfilm.com

TRAILER
https://vimeo.com/134584319

The Australian Flying Kangaroos OWIA/VIS Aerial Skiing program has taken part in celebrating Snowbasin Resorts 75th year of operations.

Snowbasin, situated in Utah, USA, is the North American home of the Flying Kangaroos OWIA/VIS Australian Aerial Skiing program.

Steeped in history, Snowbasin Resort opened in 1940 as the 'Ogden Snow Basin Winter Playground' and proudly hosted the 2002 Olympic Games' Downhill, Combined and Super G races.
 
Australian Olympic Gold Medallists Alisa Camplin and Lydia Lassila also feature at the resort, with their own signature Gondola, recognised alongside many of the greatest snowsports athletes in history from all over the world

At a special celebration at the resort, OWIA and VIS athletes were on hand to meet the Snowbasin guests and sign autographs at the base of the resort.

Snowbasin is having a fabulous winter season, with excellent snow and many days of perfect weather for the athletes to enjoy skiing at one of the North America’s very best ski resorts.

IMAGE: The Australian Flying Kangaroo Aerial Skiing athletes with Snowbasin Resort General Manager John Loomis.

Seven superb athletes have been nominated for “The Don” Award, for Australia's most inspiring athlete, and Olympians dominate the list. Hurdler Sally Pearson, aerial skier Lydia Lassila, basketballer Patty Mills, marathon runner Michael Shelley and tennis young gun and Rio 2016 hopeful Nick Kyrgios made the cut.

They are joined by formula one ace Daniel Ricciardo and cricketer Mitchell Johnson, as the odd ones out.

Named after famed batsman Don Bradman, "The Don" Award is presented by the Sport Australia Hall of Fame to a sportsperson who has most inspired the nation during the past year.

Pearson, who picked up her first Don following her successful London Games campaign in 2012, said the award marked a "pinnacle in an athlete's career".

"Don Bradman symbolised everything that was wonderful in sport," the hurdler, who defended her Commonwealth crown after a tough preparation, said.

Lassila is also a second-time nominee, having won the Don Award in 2010 after her Vancouver Winter Olympics victory.

"What was more important than any 'hardware' I've ever received was reaching my personal quest of becoming the first woman to ever perform a quad twisting triple somersault," she said.

"I am really humbled to be nominated for the Don Award for a second time."

Kygrios' giant-killing Wimbledon run - where he pulled off one of the biggest upsets in Wimbledon history by beating world No.1 Rafael Nadal to reach the quarter-finals - scored him a nod.

Mills was recognised for becoming the first player of Australian indigenous heritage to win an NBA championship ring, playing a key role in the San Antonio Spurs' victory.

Shelley defeated the mighty Kenyans to win the Commonwealth marathon race in Glasgow, while Ricciardo's Grand Prix wins in Canada, Hungary and Belgium got him a spot on the shortlist. Johnson's Ashes endeavours secured his nomination.

"At the core of this award is the values set (by) Donald Bradman, which include dignity, integrity, courage and modesty in compatibility with pride, ambition and competitiveness," Sport Australia Hall of Fame Chairman John Bertrand AM said.

"All seven have demonstrated those values."

The winner will be announced at a gala dinner in Melbourne on October 9.

They will succeed golfer Adam Scott, who won in 2013 after his historic US Masters triumph.

AAP and AOC