The Flying Kangaroos Australian Aerial Ski Team has competed in a number of warm-up events in Lake Placid, NY, USA, ahead of the World Championships in Deer Valley, UT, USA, on February 6th.

With only the one World Cup prior to the World Championships, a strong field was in attendance with all countries looking to get extra competition starts before the main event of the season.

In Lake Placid, the team competed in the US National Championships and in the first of two Nor-Am events.

In the US National Championships, VIS athlete Laura Peel scored an 81.78 to take second place, with team-mates Abbey Willcox 11th and Brittany George 21st. In the men’s event, Wesley Naylor finished 25th.

Britt George and Abbey Willcox where the only Australians competing in the Nor-Am. VIS skier George secured her first career Continental Cup victory finishing in first place, and Wilcox just missed finals in seventh.

The Flying Kangaroos will now head to Utah, USA, to prepare for the World Championships.

IMAGE - Laura Peel (left) on the podium in Lake Placid © Winter Vinecki Instagram

The opening World Cup of the 2018-2019 season has taken place in Lake Placid, NY, USA, with Laura Peel the top Australian performer in tenth place.

The VIS skier made made a strong start qualifying in sixth place with an 81.27 point full-full jump.

In the twelve woman final, Peel attempted the higher degree of difficulty full - double full jump, electing to go for higher risk in preparation for the World Championships. Unfortunately Peel was deep on her landing, and just missed the super final to finish in tenth.

Also competing for Australia was Britt George in 20th with Gabi Ash and Abbey Willcox making their World Cup debut's to finish in 22nd and 23rd.

The next event for the Flying Kangaroos Australian Aerial Ski Team is the World Championships in Park City, UT, USA.
IMAGE - Laura Peel sending one high in the night sky at Lake Placid © OWIA/Lachy Keevers

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

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

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

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

VIS Aerial Skiing athletes Brittany George and Gabrielle Ash just missed the podium on day two at the FIS Nor-Am events at the Utah Olympic Park in Utah, USA.
 
The event, held in challenging snowy and windy conditions, provided good experience as the two athletes prepare for the opening FIS Aerial Skiing World Cup of the season, scheduled in Lake Placid, USA, on Saturday January 19.
 
Also in action in her first ever competition, Airleigh Frigo finished in 13th place on day one and 11th on day two

The Flying Kangaroos Australian Aerial Ski Team took part in a warm up Europa Cup event in Ruka, Finland, over the weekend, with the highlight being two athletes achieving podium performances.
 
On day one, Abbey Willcox finished in second place, which was the best Europa Cup performance of her career.
 
On day two VIS athletes Laura Peel and Britt George recovered from a disappointing day one performances, with Peel taking the win, George in fifth place and Wilcox tenth.
 
The Flying Kangaroos will continue training in Ruka thought to Christmas, before resuming in North America in January for the first World Cup of the season in Lake Placid, USA, on January 19.

IMAGE: Laura Peel (left) and Abbey Willcox (right), podium athletes in Ruka

SnowSports ACT held their last official function with the ACT Awards Presentation on 2 November, recognising the achievements of snow sport athletes from the ACT.

It is chance to recognise the top athletes but also developing athletes too, through Perisher and Thredbo Scholarships and Sportsmanship Awards.

Thredbo Scholarships
Adam Hosie, Thredbo Snow Sports General Manager was present to award the 2019 Thredbo Scholarships. Thanks to Thredbo for their generous contribution of providing three scholarships in the form of 2019 Thredbo Season Passes to three very deserving junior athletes:

•     Emma Vizard
•     Amalie Leslie
•     Max Juric

They all showed a particularly high degree of commitment to their sport and the scholarships provides them with assistance to achieve their snowsports goals.

Perisher Scholarships
Richard Phillips, Perisher Sales and Marketing Manager was present to award the 2019 Perisher Scholarships. This is the fifth year that Perisher has offered ACT scholarships to up and coming junior athletes. The following junior athletes received funding for their 2019 Winter Sports Club Training program:

•     Bella Rotondo
•     Gus Young
•     Hugo Thompson
•     Ella Veleba
•     James Peake
•     Catherine Hardman
•     Kasey Kelley
•     Nellie Byron
•     Prases Satias

Each athlete has set goals to achieve their short and long term goals in their chosen snow sport.

Sportsmanship Awards

The following athletes were acknowledged for their diligence in their training and consistency in their competition results. These athletes having continually been developing their snow sports skills:

•     Catherine Hardman
•     Kasey Kelley
•     Nellie Byron
•     Prases Satias

ATHLETE AWARDS
Athlete of the Year - Laura Peel

Competing on the world stage at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games, Laura placed fifth in the Women's Aerials final. In qualifications, Laura moved through to the final two and then progressed to the Super Final to head into the final six as the third ranked athlete. Peel attempted a Back Double Full-Full in the Super Final where she over-rotated and then back-slapped on her landing and placed fifth overall. Laura hit form at the perfect time ahead of the PyeongChang Olympics securing back-to-back bronze medals at the Lake Placid World Cup just weeks out from her second Olympics appearance.

Snowboarder of the Year - Amber Essex

Amber’s first year as a FIS Snowboarder saw a number of excellent results. Amber achieved sixth place in the Snowboard Cross at the ANC in Mt Hotham, third in the Thredbo Junior FIS race and a first place in the Snowboard Cross in division 1 at the Australian Interschools Championships.

Junior Snowboarder of the Year – Chelsee Kelley

Chelsee continued to achieve strong results in 2018, starting with a third in the Snowboard Cross at the US Nationals. Locally this season, Chelsee was first in the Slopestyle and Halfpipe and second in the Snowboard Cross at the Australian Junior Freeride Championships. She was first in the slopestyle at the Thredbo Snow Series and first in the Perisher Parks Showdown. Chelsee is also an SSA Emerging Talent Park and Pipe Scholarship holder.

Junior Freestyle Athlete of the Year - Lily Veleba

Lily has had an excellent season with continued strong results. Lily was third in the Moguls at the Australian Interschools Championships and fifth in the ABOM 14-19yo category. Lily is also an SSA Emerging Talent Moguls Scholarship holder.

Cross Country Skier of the Year - Seve de Campo

Seve moved to Canberra for university this year and has been awarded an ACTAS Scholarship. Seve has been named on the Australian U23 Team and has qualified for both the U23 and Open World Championships for 2019 from his results this season, which includes a third place in the Australian 10km Championships.

Junior Cross Country Skier of the Year – Tuva Bygrave and Heli Laajoki

Tuva has qualified for the Australian Junior Team from her results this season, including a second and third at the Australian Championships in U18 and second in the 21km event of the Kangaroo Hoppet.

Heli Laajoki won both the Australian Junior Champs Sprint and Distance events in U14. Heli was third at the Australian Interschools Championships.

Cross Country Achievement Awards – Bentley Walker Broose and Archie Gordon

Both athletes have qualified for the Australian Junior Team.

Bentley was first in the Australian Championships in the U18 7.5km and second in the sprint, along with many other podium places including first in the NSW Junior Sprints and third at the Australian Interschools Champs.

Archie was third at the Australian Junior Championships in the open sprint.

Alpine Skier of the Year – Isabella Davis

Izzy competed as a first year FIS athlete and completed every FIS race she entered. She raced in the Australian National Championships, where her best result was a fourth in Slalom and fifth in GS. She competed in the Australian New Zealand Cup with a top 15 result. Izzy is named on the NSWACT FIS Junior Team. Earlier in the season, Izzy was first in the Redlands Cup Diviion 2 and Overall Fastest Girl. Izzy was also first at the Australian Interschools Championships in Division 2.

Junior Alpine Skier of the Year – Jacqueline Davis

Jacqueline had excellent results at the SSA Children’s Carnival with an overall third in U16. Her results included a second in SL, third in SL and a third in GS. Jacqueline has been Awarded overall third in NSWACT Alpine and is a member of the U16 NSWACT Alpine Team. Jacqueline was first at the Australian Interschools Championships in Division 3 and third in Skier X.

Alpine Achievement Award – Michael Ouvrier and Abbey Davis

Michael has shown huge improvement this year. His results include overall third U14 Boy in the SSA Children’s Carnival. At the ACT Southern  NSW Interschools Div 3 he was: first in Alpine and second in Ski X. Michael has been awarded overall second U14 by NSWACT Alpine and named on the NSWACT Alpine Team

Abbey has had an excellent year. Her results at the SSA Children’s Carnival finishing overall second in U14 Girls with a first in GS in race 1, second in GS race 2, and second in SL. She has also been awarded the overall second in U14 by NSWACT Alpine. Her Interschools results include a fourth at National Interschools and a third in Alpine Division 3 in ACT NSW Interschools. Abbey has also been named to the NSW ACT Alpine Team.

Interschools Achievement Award – Charlotte Williams

Charlotte should be commended for her improvement this season as she placed third in the Alpine and Skier at the ACT-Southern NSW Interschools Championships and then went on to place first in the Alpine and second in the Skier Cross at the Australian Interschools Championships. Charlotte was also first in the ACT Schools Cup.
School of the Year – Canberra Grammar Junior School

After receiving the SSA School of the Year Award in May, CGS went on to enter the highest number of entries from an ACT school into the Act-Southern NSW Interschools Championships. At this event, CGS won 16 team medals and 13 individual medals. At the Australian Interschools Chamionships, CGS placed 2nd in the overall co-ed primary school point score.

Volunteer of the Year – Murray Johnson

Murray has been supporting the CGS snowsports program and the Interschool events over several years. Murray has volunteered during the pre-season for the Snowsports ACT Snowfit to cover sessions to support the coaches. In season, Murray provides support to the XC and Alpine races. He is a keen supporter of the XC Interschools and Biathlon and he has been a team manager, BBQ volunteer and guardian of children so that they can participate in the races. He is the rock of bib administration at Nationals and he supports all athletes with their on-snow needs across the Alpine disciplines.

Coach of the Year - Leanne Laajoki

Leanne coordinated the ACT Cross Country Junior Program throughout the year. She coached the program during training sessions on a voluntary basis, including both rollerski sessions and cross-discipline strength training together with Stella. She initiated and coordinated a trial of AIS Basecamp throughout term two, designing the sessions and assessing components of postural strength. In addition, she took over as Chair of the SSA XC Sport Development sub-committee, and among other projects is coordinating a review of the national race calendar from the perspective of athlete development.

Credit: NSW & ACT Snowsports

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

Sochi silver medalist David Morris has qualified for the men’s aerials final at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games.

Morris scored 124.89 for his second jump of the night, putting him into second place (of qualification 2) with four athletes still to complete their run and guaranteeing his final berth.
He already has eyes on Sunday night’s final and plans to deliver the high difficulty five-twist jump he has proudly mastered in a recent training camp in Ruka, Finland on the world stage.
“I’ve basically come here to do five twists and that’s my goal,” Morris said.
“I’m not after a medal as such and I know some people won’t like to hear that but five twists – a landed one – will get a medal.”
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.
“I’m here to perform that in front of a crowd, I’m going to hopefully get one done in practice … and hopefully make it through all the rounds and showcase it at the end and that will be awesome”
To ensure he can achieve that, Morris already has a plan underway.
“Recovery is key in this sport. If I can come out (in the final) fresher than everyone else out here because they didn’t recover properly or they were a bit more tired, that gives me a big advantage and just to be fresh in the brain, fresh in the body and come out and just get sendy again.”
Morris was thrilled with his execution of the back double full – full – full (a quad-twisting triple somersault) celebrating after completing the jump.
“(The jump) had to be big and straight and it was. We stepped up and went huge because there was no option to go small and sneak in with little mistakes,” he said.
“It was a huge relief to make it through qualifications, it’s the worst part of the competition.”
After finishing 15th in the first round of qualifying, the 2017 World Championship bronze medallist needed to produce an outstanding second jump in the repechage.
Starting 15th in a round of 19 athletes, Morris had seen the impressive scores of the rest of the field ahead of him, but managed to remain calm and focused on the task at hand.
“I will be honest, I was watching the scores in the second one and I was honestly thinking that I didn’t have a chance,” he said.
“Because they’re fantastic jumps and that’s great and if I lost to fantastic jumps like that, I’d be totally fine with that.”
In the first round Morris, 33, performed a back full – double full – full and was awarded a score of 112.83.
However, in the high scoring qualifier it was not enough to secure him automatic entry to Sunday night’s final with only the top six progressing after one jump.
Leading round one of qualifiers was American Jonathon Lillis (127.44) and China’s Guangpu Qi (126.70) and Zongyan Jia (126.55).
In an upset, Belarusian Anton Kushnir – who is currently ranked third in the World Cup series – did not qualify for the final, finishing in 13th place overall.
The men’s aerials final will be held on Day 9 (February 18) at 8pm local time (10pm AEST).
Candice Keller
olympics.com.au

Laura Peel has just missed out securing a fourth PyeongChang medal to Australia's tally after finishing fifth in the women’s aerials.

Peel attempted a Back Double Full-Full in the Super Final where she over-rotated and then back-slapped on her landing scoring 55.34.

Hanna Huskova of Belarus took the gold medal with a score of 96.14, ahead of Chinese duo Xin Zhang (95.52) and Fanyu Kong (70.41).

“My goal was to make the top six, the Super Final, and I did that,” Peel said.

“We did our best out there. I had a huge group of supporters in the crowd so I was definitely feeling the love. 

In difficult conditions the 2015 World Champion had trouble picking the wind all night.

“I was a bit slow on the first two jumps, I just squeaked out the second jump which I might not have done if I wasn’t in an Olympic Final.

“I took a step up to get a bit quicker for the final jump and got an extra 4km when we were hoping for 1.5km.
“I did what I could.”

Earlier, the dual Olympian moved through to Final 2 with a score of 85.05 for her Back Full-Full.

She then progressed to the Super Final with a Back Full Double-Full that scored 85.65 to head into the final six as the third ranked athlete.

Teammate Danielle Scott, needing to be in the top nine to progress from Final 1 to Final 2, backslapped while attempting a Back Full-Full.

The 2017 World Championship silver medallist scored 57.01 to finish the competition in 12th.

The duo had progressed through yesterday’s qualifications to make the final 12, while five-time Olympian Lydia Lassila and Samantha Wells missed the Finals finishing 14th and 17th.

Australia had won an aerials medal at each of the past four Winter Olympic Games with Alisa Camplin winning gold and bronze in 2002 and 2006, and Lydia Lassila winning gold and bronze in 2010 and 2014.

Matt Bartolo
olympics.com.au

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

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

Sochi Olympians Danielle Scott and Laura Peel have qualified for the women's Aerials finals on Friday night after a nail biting evening at Phoenix Snow Park. 

The first of the Aussies to hit the course, Scott progressed straight through to the finals after scoring 93.76 in her first qualification run. 

With Peel, dual Olympian Sam Wells and five-time Olympian Lydia Lassila finishing outside of the top 6 in teir first attempts, it all came down to the second qualification run to see which of the Aussie women would join Scott in the finals. 

After scoring 64.86 in her first run, 28-year-old Peel scored 89.46 in Run 2 and secured herself a spot in Friday's finals after finishing in third place. 

“I made a mistake on the first run today so hopefully thats out of the system," Peel said.

“You’re trying to think like it’s not the Olympics, its just any day and you’re trying to nail that jump.

"I feel confident that I still have good jumps [in the bag] and I just need to put them down tomorrow."

Making her fifth and final Olympic appearance, a crash by Vancouver 2010 bronze medallist Lassila saw her score 66.27 and finish in 14th place. 

"This is an outside sport and you can't control a lot of things and tonight I just couldn't control the speed," she said.
With an Olympic career spanning nearly two decades, Lassila said she was disappointed with her final Winter Games performance.

"It's a feeling of loss in a way ... you've lost an opportunity but that's sport and you've got to reflect on the good and happy moments that I've had with my kids, my family, my friends -- life is good," she said.

"Five olympics, I never thought I'd go to five, never win a a gold.

"I love this ... I'll miss it."

The 37-year-old added that while she was "bummed" about Thursday's result, she was incredibly proud of herself and happy to finish her World Cup career prior to PyeongChang with a gold and bronze in Lake Placid, USA.

"It's been a wild ride to bring the boys along and have them at training camps and just prove that you can do it as a mother ... you can do it all," she said.

"I'm really proud of that campaign that I could manage to do that, it's not easy. It's not easy for an athlete that's 17-years-old with no responsibilities but for a 36-year-old with real-life responsibilities, it's a challenge to make sure that no-one is missing out on anything, that everyone has got their needs met, not just myself."

Teammate Laura Peel said that Lassila was an "incredible woman" who has "done so much" for Aerial Skiing in Australia.

Wells finished in 17th place with a score of 58.27. 

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

The athlete selected to carry the nation’s flag at the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games Opening Ceremony will make their team and country proud, the Chef de Mission says.

Ian Chesterman, six-time Winter Olympic Chef de Mission for the Australian team, said that the country’s field of 51 athletes had presented several strong contenders for flagbearer who athletes and supporters would endorse.

“I think the important thing is… when we announce the flagbearer is that it will resonate strongly with the Australian Team and that it will resonate strongly with the Australian public,” Chesterman said.

 “That’s in a large part because Australian winter sport athletes have been doing so well around the world and I’m lucky to have a number of athletes to choose from to carry the flag.

“I’ve been lucky enough to choose six flagbearers and you always have to work out… who would like to do it and who you think would be good to do it for them for their own performance.”

Although freestyle aerial skier and five-time Olympian Lydia Lassila declined the opportunity to be the Australian flagbearer for PyeongChang 2018, Chesterman said her role within the team was not diminished.

“Lydia was obviously a standout candidate to carry the flag; she’s a five-time Olympian, she’s a gold medallist, a bronze medallist and a legend of the sport – of aerial skiing and winter sports overall.

“We understand that the most important thing for an athlete is to produce the best result that they want, that they’ve worked so hard for four years and in Lydia’s case, nearly 20 years as an elite athlete.

“So (we are) totally supportive of her decision to focus on her commitment to be the best that she can be on her day but I also know that Lydia will play a great role within the Australian Team anyway because she’s a great Team member, has been over the last four Games and I’m very confident that she will be again these games in PyeongChang.”

Lassila, 36, is still a chance to carry the flag at the Closing Ceremony, as she did in Sochi 2014.

Chesterman hoped it would be another tough choice for team officials courtesy of a strong performance by the Team overall.

“The Closing Ceremony traditionally goes to the person that had a great result at the Games so I’d love Lydia Lassila to be in that situation - wouldn’t that be a fitting finale for her to carry that flag?

“But there’s a lot of water to flow under the bridge between now and then and I hope I have a number of candidates to choose from when I have to decide who carries the flag at the Closing Ceremony.”

Chesterman said the Australian athletes were settling in to PyeongChang smoothly, and many were excited by the snowfall early on Saturday morning.

“We’ve gradually got athletes arriving, those of us who have been here for a while are enjoying the Village, it’s a very good setup.

“I was down at the Coastal Village yesterday and that’s a really magnificent set up for those athletes. It’s a comfortable environment, the Koreans are doing a great job in welcoming us and everyone’s feeling like they’re part of winter today with a little bit of snow falling.”

Candice Keller
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

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

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​​

Wind gusts and below freezing temperatures made for a tricky day for Australia’s VIS aerial skiers at the first FIS World Cup of the season at Secret Garden, China.
 
Sochi Olympian Samantha Wells said that the conditions on the morning of the competition had been “the worst possible” for an aerials event but managed to place sixth overall after progressing through to the Super Final.
 
“It was minus 22 on the thermometer with wind gusts in all different directions, so we had swirling wind on the in runs which makes it really difficult to get the consistent speed that we want,” she said.
 
The 27-year-old managed to “scrape through” the morning’s qualification round placing eighth “because not many people were landing”.
 
“Then [we] came out this afternoon to much warmer conditions – and by warmer I mean it was a bit more sunny and a little less wind maybe, but still pretty gusty,” she said.
 
“I had really great training so I was able to put a number of jumps to my feet and really build my confidence heading into the first round of finals and I felt really relaxed going into it.
 
Wells had a smooth jump and nice landing which saw her head into the Super Final in fifth place.

“In the Super Final I pushed up my DD to try and get some mileage on the tricks that I plan on performing in PyeongChang and I didn’t land which put me into sixth place but I’m really happy to have been able to get the mileage on that trick in preparation for PyeongChang.”

​Despite the wind gusts, Wells said that her failure to land came down to “personal error” but she takes it all in her stride.
 
“Got to claim it, you’ve got to own it and I can own that crash because it’s a step in the right direction even though it was a mistake,” she said.

“I’ve learnt from it and can carry that into my next World Cup events.”
 
Laura Peel ranked eighth in the women’s qualification and finished the day in ninth place while Danielle Scott ranked 22nd after a missed landing in the qualification round.

After qualifying second and making his way into the finals, David Morris placed 11th overall and said that he was “really pleased with a solid start to the season”.
 
“In tricky conditions, it was a good challenge to do one of my harder skills (quadruple-twisting triple-flip),” he said.
 
“But PyeongChang was very windy so to get some practice in less comfortable conditions is vital.
 
“Really great result for our team today, with three of us into finals and Sam shining after a good summer of training.”

Tomorrow sees the team competition at Secret Garden where Morris hopes to see “some good results” and “have some fun in a slightly less stressful contest”.
 
“It is day two tomorrow, [I’m feeling] much more confident after today’s training and I managed to put the jumps to my feet which was the key for me today, getting the rotation right and landing and I feel pretty relaxed about tomorrow,” Wells added.
 
You can keep up with live updates from Secret Garden HERE or on OWIA’s Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.
 
David Barden
OWIA