After a record breaking International season for Australia’s Snowsports athletes, 21 have been nominated for Snowsport Athlete of the Year Awards in their class, in recognition of their outstanding achievements ahead of next week’s Australian Ski & Snowboard Awards.

This year, 17 athletes won a combined 40 World Cup and World Championship medals plus 29 Para ski and snowboard medals.  The closest previous result was in 2013 when Australian athletes claimed 25 World Cup medals. 

Australia has also celebrated two World Champions, two Para-snowsport World Champions and a dual Junior World Champion this year, all of whom are nominated along with several other outstanding performing athletes.

The Australian Ski & Snowboard Athlete of the Year Award is the highest honour bestowed upon athletes in the sport.  Finalists are drawn from the list of nominees with the winners announced at the Awards.

Nominees for Snowsport Athlete of the Year
Dominic Demschar – Alpine Skiing
Sami-Kennedy Sim – Ski Cross
Britt Cox – Mogul Skiing (Current World Champion)
Matt Graham – Mogul Skiing (2016 Athlete of the Year)
Danielle Scott – Aerial Skiing
David Morris – Aerial Skiing
Russ Henshaw – Slopestyle
Scotty James – Snowboard Halfpipe (Current World Champion)
Christian De Oliveira – Snowboard Slalom and Parallel Giant Slalom
Alex Pullin – Snowboard Cross
Belle Brockhoff – Snowboard Cross
Junior World Champion Slopestyle and Big Air)
Jessica Yeaton Cross Country
 
Nominees for Junior Snowsport Athlete of the Year
Alec Scott – Alpine Skiing
Max Hill – Ski Cross
Liam Burton – Cross Country
Jakara Anthony – Mogul Skiing
Millie Bongiorno - Snowboard Slalom and Parallel Giant Slalom
Adam Lambert – Snowboard Cross (Europa Cup Champion)
Tess Coady – Snowboard and Big Air (Current Junior World Champion Slopestyle and Big Air)

Nominees for Para-Snowsport Athlete of the Year
Mitch Gourley – Para Alpine Skiing (IPC Alpine Skiing World Champion)
Joany Badenhorst Para Snowboard (IPC Snowboard Cross World Champion)

The Snowsports Athlete of the Year award has previously been won by the likes of Alisa Camplin, Jacqui Cooper, Torah Bright, Zali Steggall and Dale Begg-Smith.

The awards also recognize the rising stars, coaches and schools for their significant contributions to the sport this season.

What: 2017 Australian Ski and Snowboard Awards
When: Thursday 27 April 2017
Where: Maia, Shed 14, 161 Harbour Esplanade, Docklands

General Public ticket price: $125   See https://www.skiandsnowboard.org.au/events/7436/

Britt Cox and Matt Graham were the best performed of the Aussies on Dual Moguls day at the 2017 FIS Freestyle Ski and Snowboard World Championships, each posting a top 10 result. 
 
Cox finished seventh overall after going down to Kazakhstan’s Yulia Galysheva in their round of eight heat.

​Galysheva went on to win silver. 
 
“Yulia is an excellent skier, a fast skier and I tried to put up a good fight but she was definitely a clear winner in that one,” Cox said.  

“Dual Moguls is so much fun but anything can happen. There’s generally a lot of upsets and I went in there trying to put down run after run," she said. 
 
Earlier in the day it was an all Aussie affair in the women's event when Cox went head to head against her young compatriot Jakara Anthony in the round of 16. Cox earned her quarter final berth with a 21 - 14 victory against 18-year-old Anthony who is competing at her first World Championships.
 
Anthony went on to finish 16 from a field of 31 starters. Fellow Aussie Madi Himbury was eliminated in the round of 32 and finished 24th. France's Perrine Lafont won gold. 

In the men's event Matt Graham made it to the round of 16 where he drew American skier Thomas Rowley as his opponent.  The closely contested heat was awarded to Rowley which saw Graham finish 10th in the overall standings.
 
Brodie Summers and James Matheson could not advance from the round of 32, finishing 18th and 28th respectively.

The men's final was not without drama with both finalists crashing before the finish. Ikuma Horishima of Japan and Wilson Bradley of the United States pushed the limits and scrambled to the line in an effort to win gold with victory ultimately being awarded to Horishima.  

The 2017 FIS Freestyle Ski and Snowboard World Championships brings to an end the 2016/17 Mogul Skiing season.  
 
 

SIERRA NEVADA, SPAIN| Britt Cox has won gold at the 2017 FIS Freestyle Ski and Snowboard World Championships, eclipsing a strong field to become Australia’s first ever Single Mogul Skiing World Champion.
 
The win caps an incredible season for Cox, who recently won the women’s Mogul Skiing World Cup crown, a second feat no Australian has previously achieved.
 
“All season this was the event in the back of my mind, this was the event that I really wanted to be successful at,” Cox said.
 
“To be successful here and ski the way I did, I couldn’t be happier,” she said. 
 
Cox set the pace early in Wednesday’s event, qualifying in first position with 80.23 points. In the round of 18 she lifted again, scoring 82.82 points to maintain her lead over the 34 strong field. 
 
It was in the round of six where Cox earned her world champion status, scoring a commanding 83.63 points to defeat France’s Perrine Laffont who finished second with 82.51. The reigning Olympic and World Champion Justine Dufour-Lapointe of Canada was third with 80.74. 
 
“A lot of people have been asking me what clicked this season and I don’t think anything necessary clicked, it was more a matter of all the training I have done over a number of years finally paying off for me,” Cox said.
 
“One of the things my coaches are huge advocates for are basics and fundamentals and I’ve learnt from them that to be successful consistently you have to master those basics and fundamentals and we’ve worked hard on that for a long time and I think it’s finally starting to pay off for me,” she said. 
 
For Cox, Spain’s mild conditions were a fond reminder of skiing in Australia and she thrived in the environment.
 
“It was so unbelievably warm it felt like skiing back in Australia and I had so much fun today, you couldn’t ask for better weather for the final event of the season,” she said.
 
With the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games now her focus, the two-time Olympian says she has more to give.
 
“In my head I’m watching the runs I’ve done this season and there’s still so much more I want to do with my skiing and I have so many opportunities and training camps to come where I can build upon that and work on my skiing to hopefully put myself in the best position to do the run of my life next year,” she said.  
 
In the men’s event Australia’s Brodie Summers, Matt Graham and Rohan Chapman-Davies did not progress to the round of six instead bowing out in the round of 18. Summers was best ranked of the Aussies finishing in 11th position earning 79.58 points for his final run. Graham’s final run scored 78.09 which ranked him 14th overall and Chapman-Davies was 15th with 76.93 points. James Matheson finished 29th with a 73.14 point run. 
 
Competing at her first World Championships, 18-year old Jakara Anthony finished 12th in the women’s event, producing a solid 75.45 in the round of 18. It was also Madi Himbury's first World Championships and she finished  20th with 68.91 points. 
 
The Aussies return to Sierra Nevada’s Moguls course on Thursday to contest the Duals event.

With the Mogul Skiing World Cup season done and dusted all that remains are the World Championship titles to be decided in Sierra Nevada, Spain over the next twelve days beginning  tomorrow - Wednesday, March 8.

Following the World Cup Final last week in China the OWIA/NSWIS mogul squad headed to  Spain for recovery and training.

The red-hot favourite for the Ladies World Championship is 22-year-old Britt Cox, the season’s Overall FIS Ladies Freestyle Skiing Crystal Globe winner who has seven victories in eleven events to her credit.  

After being presented the Overall Crystal Globe last weekend, Cox was justifiably pleased with her season.  

“I am so happy to be able to do the skiing I had envisioned for myself and I’m grateful for my support network in helping me do just that,” she said.

OWIA team mates Matt Graham – who took third overall in the FIS Men’s Mogul Skiing - and Brodie Summers have also had a successful season, but coaches Steve Desovich and Jerry Grossi say there is much to do.

"Now that we are in Spain the focus is obviously to take everything from the season and create key objectives and goals to get the skiers on track," coach Desovich said.

“This season has been a wonderful surprise thus far and we are very pleased with the skills and performances (of the athletes).”

“Coming into the season we really did not know how the team would stack up - so it’s good to see all their hard work pay off,” he said.

After arriving in Spain, the mogul team had the use of the Centro de alto Rendimiento Sierra Nevada (commonly known as CAR Sierra Nevada Altitude Training Centre), which is one of the finest sports facilities in the world.  

"We opted to arrive into Sierra Nevada early to recover and relax with on-going strength and conditioning,” Desovich explained.

“The recovery process is a real science and art that John Marsden (OWIA Head of Athlete Preparation) handles quite well. The opportunity also allows for individual customisation to optimize and affect the athletes’ potential. We are quite fortunate to have a man of John’s calibre on board for this period."

Co-coach Jerry Grossi, who was originally an aerial skier, is responsible for the jumps in the OWIA mogul program.
Grossi agrees that the success of the Australians in moguls this year has surprised everyone, but he and Desovich see far more potential.

“We hope that the recent success of our athletes motivates them to work harder and realize their true potential, Grossi said.
 
“We still have a ton of work to do. They know it, we know it. We want this season to give them the confidence to go after it a lot harder, and have the mind set to do whatever it takes to improve quality and performance.”
 
It’s tough school at the top.
 
“As their jump coach, I see where we could improve and areas to be fixed. We will continue to work hard and focus on technique and improving jump quality, which will have direct effect across the board.”
 
“The guys seem very motivated now. They are looking forward to going to work and sealing any cracks up for good.”
 
“Our goal for next season is to have an impenetrable package with high quality top to bottom runs.”  
 
Next season aside, the immediate goal is the World Championships, which begins with Ladies qualifying for Britt Cox and NSWIS skiers Jakara Anthony  and Madi Himburyon Wednesday evening 7.40pm (AEDT).  
 
Men’s qualifying follows at 21.50pm for Matt Graham and Brodie Summers plus NSWIS athletes Rohan Chapman-Davies and James Matheson.
 
The mens and ladies finals will be broadcast live at midnight, Wednesday 8 March on Eurosport and can also be viewed on a  live stream via Ski & Snowboard Australia at https://www.skiandsnowboard.org.au/2017-snowboard--freestyle-world-champs/
Mogul Duals will be comepted on Thursday, March 9 and again will be live on Eurosport or via live stream on the Ski & Snowboard Australia website.
 
 
 

Sophie Ash and Jakara Anthony have delivered Australia another two strong Asian Winter Games results, finishing fifth and sixth respectively in the women’s Moguls.
 
The pair set themselves up for a shot at the podium after producing consistent runs through qualifying and the first final.
 
Ash’s qualifying run received a score of 74.70, ranking her second for the round of 10 where she scored 75.86.  
 
“Really exciting to qualify second, I was hoping for a top three result (in qualifying) so I was really happy,” Ash said. 
 
Ash’s final run scored 69.20 for overall fifth place. 
 
“The bottom air was a weak part of the run, I feel I didn’t hit it very well today,” Ash said.
 
“I had a few runs where I hit it well so I knew I could do it so it was a bit frustrating for the final run,” she said.
 
Anthony’s path to the final included a 74.70 in qualifying and 77.52 in the round of 10.
 
In the final the 18-year-old scored 68.29.
 
“Pretty happy with all my runs,” Anthony said.
 
“They were consistent and got progressively better throughout the day.
 
“I picked up the speed but unfortunately it wasn’t enough in the end.”
 
Anthony has found the Asian Winter Games an invaluable learning experience.  
 
“For me these Games were about getting the experience at a big profile event so that I will have experienced something similar to the Olympics if I get to go.”
 
In the men’s event, Aussies Cooper Woods-Topalovic and Ben Matsumoto narrowly missed qualifying for the round of 10, finishing in 11th and 12th respectively.
 
The pair were among the youngest in the 19 strong field, which was largely comprised of World Cup skiers.
 
Woods-Topalovic’s score of 76.61 missed qualification by the smallest of margins, with the 10th placed skier, Korea’s Myung-Joon Seo qualifying through in 76.81.
 
“I had quite a good run but I didn’t land my bottom air, I got deducted a couple of points on that but still happy with my overall performance and so were my coaches,” Woods-Topalovic said.
 
“There are still a couple of mistakes that need to be worked on.”
 
Matsumoto was also happy with his qualification run for which he received a score of 66.50.
 
“It felt better than Friday in the Dual Moguls,” Matsumoto said.
 
“I’ve never been to a competition nearly as big as this. It’s been an amazing experience and I’ve learned a lot,” he said.   
 
ere to edit.

Brodie Summers has been a man on an upward path this season, making four finals in the season a duals bronze medal, culminating tonight in his first World Cup podium – a silver.

“I felt good all day,” Summers said. “The best part was sharing the podium with Matt. I was really chuffed about that – and seeing lots of Australian flags on the podiums.”
 
“The course is fun but also very tricky. The most noticeable point of difference is the spacing on the turns... these are by far and away the tightest moguls I have ever skied.”
 
“It was a tough course and to be rewarded at the end of the day is just great and I want to ski my best tomorrow in the Duals.”
 
Summers acknowledged the team effort that is the glue behind the Australian mogul skiing success.
 
“The success was really about the entire team executing the game plan. We stuck to the plan and it paid off.”
 
Matt Graham took the bronze behind Summers and did so by coming from 11th place in the qualifying, making his fourth podium for the season and appearing in all bar one Super Final, earning him a reputation as one of the most consistent skiers on the World Cup tour.
 
“I’m feeling really confident. One of my goals at the beginning of the season was consistency. I’ve made the top six everywhere except Lake Placid,” Graham said.
 
“I had a good feeling at the top of the course. There were some dicey runs in practise and to ski up from 11th place in the qualifying to second in Final 1 was really satisfying.”
 
“If you qualify low, it is unusual to make the Super Final. I knew that first final had to be goo and I laid it down.”
 
“In the Super Final, I made some mistakes in the middle section but I’m super happy for Brodie and had my fingers crossed for him during his run. It’s great.” 
 
Success was also tasted by 19-year-old NSWIS skier Claudia Gueli who made her first final and finished in 13th place. 
 
“It was really cool to see Claudia make her first final today. She was ripping this course so that was very well deserved,” Britt Cox said.
 
Other Australian results in Thaiwoo include Krystle Yin 19th, Madi Himbury 22nd, James Matheson 18th and Rohan Chapman-Davies 19th.
 
The Dual Moguls will be competed today (Sunday) at 2.05pm and concludes the 2016/17 Mogul Skiing World Cups.
 
The World Championships will be held at Sierra Nevada, Spain on March 8 and 9.
 
 

Australian athletes are feeling confident for the rest of their competition after experiencing strong qualification runs yesterday in the men’s and women’s Sapporo 2017 Asian Winter Games Dual Moguls at the Bankei Ski Arena.  
 
18-year-old Jakara Anthony was the best positioned of the Aussies, scoring 67.11 in the qualifying round to progress to the quarter finals and finish the women’s event in fifth position.
 
“My qualification was going really well except I struggled with the bottom air today.” Anthony said.
 
“It was a bit sharper than the jumps I’ve been on so that bumped me down a bit in the rankings.
 
“I thought my duals run was better but I’m just a bit slow so I didn’t win it, but that’s ok, I’ll ski something similar on singles day and I think it will do the job,” she said.
 
Sophie Ash’s qualification score of 64.65 saw her advance to the quarter finals and finish seventh overall.
 
“I’ve been doing a full back in training so I’m happy to get that in comp especially here in Japan because this is a good event,” Ash said. 
 
“I wasn’t quite happy with my bottom air, I wanted to go a bit bigger but I’m happy I skied well out of the top air and got some good skiing in because it’s really sweet conditions,” she said. 
 
In the men's event, Cooper Woods-Topalovic and Ben Matsumoto finished in 11th and 13th positions respectively.

Matsumoto scored 60.85 in qualifying but his run in the round of 16 didn’t go to plan.  
 
“I went a little bit bigger than usual off the top air but I think I came in a bit short and my skis caught in the snow so I just went over the front and fell into the bumps,” Matsumoto said.
 
“I put a top to bottom down in qualifications, it wasn’t the cleanest or best run but my goal was to get to the bottom.
 
“I was more looking forward to singles so hopefully I can ski how I want to in that event,” he said.  
 
Woods-Topalovic’s qualification score of 74.04 had him riding high for the round of 16.  

“I put down the run I needed to and my coaches were very happy,” Woods-Topalovic said.
 
“It felt good coming in and I was stoked.” 
 
Woods-Topalovic said the Aussies were already looking ahead to the singles event.
 
“Good to get the nerves out of the road in this first comp and be a bit more relaxed in the gate on Sunday.
 
“Hopefully we can put down a couple cleaner runs and good performance.”
 
The Aussie Mogul team will be back in action on Sunday for the men’s and women’s singles events.
 
 
 

They may be a little weary from the week-in week-out competing, travelling, training and resting on the FIS Mogul Skiing World Cup tour this season but the Australians are staying on top of their game in a spectacular season that has created history.
 
Britt Cox became the first Australian female to win a Mogul Skiing World Cup title last week in Japan and Matt Graham won a bronze medal, but now their focus is on the last two World Cups in Thaiwoo, China before the World Championships in Spain on March 8 and 9.
 
Juggling the athletes’ regime is the responsibility of coaches Steve ‘Des’ Desovich and Jerry Grossi.  
 
"With Britt, the focus remains on rest and recovery ahead of the event in China this week,” Coach Desovich explained.
 
“We have had a rigorous schedule leading to the normal travel fatigue so that is a primary challenge right now.
 
“Britt has done so well this season due to her attention to detail and being able to execute what she needs to do when she needs to do it. First in training then transferring to the event, " he said.
 
Training in China will be about learning the course, continuing with skill development and execution.

The Australian coaches have consistently maintained their focus on skill and execution – a plan that has also kept Matt Graham in podium contention throughout the season and boosted  results for  Brodie Summers.
 
Leading into China, Graham is in third position in the overall World Cup standings – and trails second position by 47 points. Canada’s Mikael Kingsbury – like Britt Cox – has already secured the overall Crystal Globe as number one.
 
"Matt has had some real highlights this season which we are quite happy with,” Desovich said.
 
“The near misses that have transpired are just a reminder of which skills need further enhancement and really getting all the ingredients correct in the three sectors of our sport which are jumps, turns and speed.”
 
“He has some exciting opportunities left in the season and we look forward to the next day of training in China which is the next step required to execute at the highest level more consistently."  
 
Brodie Summers has had a much improved 2016/17 season delivering three top ten World Cup results including a bronze in Dual Moguls at Deer Valley.
 
"Brodie has done a nice job this season on many levels. Jerry and I are quite pleased with his work right from April onwards where he has been able to experience some nice growth across the board,” Coach Desovich said.
 
“As per usual, the focus will remain on skiing and jumping better while also preparing for the specifics of the course simultaneously. Brodie needs to continue to put himself in a position to succeed by completing his training runs along with lifting the quality of his skills while doing so."  

The Thaiwoo, China Moguls World Cup is on Saturday 25 February from 12 noon with live coverage of the finals on Eurosport Australia from 4.30pm.

 

Moguls athlete Jakara Anthony is chasing an Olympic dream and with less than a year to go to the Pyeongchang Olympic Winter Games the 18-year-old is stepping up at the right time.
 
At last weekend’s Tazawako Freestyle Ski World Cup in Japan, Anthony broke through for her first top-ten World Cup result.
 
“I finished up ninth which was amazing,” Anthony said. “I wasn’t expecting to do that well so I was really happy with how it went.”
 
“This season I’ve also made two other finals on the tour finishing 11th and 14th so it’s really good to get my name out there and to be getting these good scores.
 
“Nice to know I can compete with some of the best in the world,” she said.
 
Anthony says familiarisation is the reason for her recent run of good results.  
 
“I think a lot of it has to do with feeling comfortable on tour, it’s a very different atmosphere to any other competitions I’ve done and just having the experience of a few comps before was what I needed to put my run down to get confident.”
 
The Barwon Heads 2016 high school graduate has been selected to represent Australia at the Asian Winter Games in both the Moguls and Dual Moguls events.
 
She has deferred tertiary studies in Bio Medicine to pursue her skiing goals and has spent the season training at Winter Park in Colorado.
 
“I want to consistently make top ten at World Cup and I want to get to the Olympics,” she said. “Potentially 2018 if I qualify, but if not I’m looking at 2022 in Beijing.”
 
Anthony arrived in Sapporo earlier in the week and has good first impressions.
 
“I didn’t realise how big the event was and its very high profile, everything is very official and there’s a lot of athletes from different countries that I didn’t even know participated in winter sports and it’s really awesome to be a part of it.”
 
The 2017 Sapporo Asian Winter Games Moguls will begin on Friday.

Britt Cox has created history, becoming the first Australian female to win a Mogul Skiing World Cup title, in today’s Dual Mogul event in Tazawako, Japan.
 
After victory in yesterday single moguls event at the same resort, the 22-year-old NSWIS skier went down in the round of 16 to Russian Marika Pertakhiya by the smallest of margins, 18 to 17, and finished in ninth place.
 
Fortunately for Cox her closest rivals, Perrine Laffont of France and Justine Dufour-Lapointe of Canada were also unable to progress to the later rounds of the event. Cox now leads Laffont by 259 points and wraps up the series win, with only two events and a maximum of 200 points remaining in China next weekend.
 
Cox’s outstanding season comes on the back of six World Cup victories, which equals the legendary Dale Begg-Smith, who won six World Cup events in his Olympic Gold Medal winning year in 2005-2006.
 
Once the news came in that the title had been secured, Cox reflected on her journey in the sport.
 
“Mogul skiing has been my passion ever since I was a little kid. I live and breathe moguls, so to find out this afternoon that I have won the crystal globe for mogul skiing feels incredible."
 
“The job certainly is not done yet, we still have two more world cups in China before the World Championships in Spain."

"I skied well in the duals today but my opponent in the round of 16 skied better. It was a close one but I think I got a bit wild in the middle section which meant the dual went her way."
 
"I am so grateful for the motivated and hard working support team I have around me. The  Australian system of OWIA, AOC, AIS, NSWIS and Ski and Snowboard Australia provide our team with the best possible support to allow us to simply do our job as best we can week to week."
 
Olympic Winter Institute of Australia Mogul Skiing Head Coach Steve Desovich was thrilled with Cox's season after the event.
 
"Today Britt formally clinched the World Cup Title, which we are ecstatic with."
 
"This is a very monumental achievement and so well deserved. Ultimately only the very best are able to stay consistent throughout a whole season and emerge victorious."
 
“Having said this, we have two events remaining in China next week and the World Championships in March, which is where the focus will be at this stage.”

Cox’s World Cup title was not the only highlight for the OWIA/NSWIS Mogul Skiing Program in Japan, with Matt Graham putting together another impressive performance to take bronze.
 
Graham advanced though the first few rounds before a semi-final showdown with world number two, Benjamin Cavet of France. In a very competitive dual, Graham was unfortunately unable to progress to the big-final, going down 19 to 16.
 
Graham bounced back in the small-final, this time being on the right side of the 19-16 decision to take bronze against Kazakhstan’s Dmitriy Reiherd.
 
Graham was thrilled to come away with his third World Cup medal of the season.
 
“Today was pretty awesome. I am really happy to come away with my third consecutive podium here in Tazawako.”
 
“Today was pretty awesome. I am really happy to come away with my third consecutive podium here in Tazawako.”
 
“The duals were extremely fast today and I had some really good runs and some runs which I was just able to scrape through the round, but, I guess that is duals. It’s one against one and you just need to do what you have to do to win.”
 
“Unfortunately I made a big mistake against Benjamin Cavet in the semi-final as I was pushing my limit with how fast I could ski, but to bounce back and put a really good small-final run down was very satisfying.”
 
Other Australians in action included NSWIS skiers Rohan Chapman-Davies 9th, Jakara Anthony 16th, Madi Himbury 24th, Brodie Summers 27th, Krystle Yin 28th, Claudia Gueli 32nd and James Matheson 39th.

Britt Cox has sustained her excellent World Cup season by winning her sixth Mogul Skiing World Cup gold medal at Tazawako, Japan.
 
Today’s win makes it six golds from eight World Cups, plus one bronze and only once missing the podium this season (in Val St. Come, Canada).
 
With just one World Cup remaining this season in China next week ahead of the World Championships in Spain on March 8, Britt’s dominance in ladies’ moguls is unassailable for the World Cup title and also a realistic chance to take out the Freestyle Skiing overall World Cup, which is determined across all Freestyle disciplines. 
 
Cox did not have today’s event all her own way – qualifying second and then again in the first final to Perrine Laffont from France.
 
However, by the medal round Cox was back on top scoring 78.57 to Laffont’s 78.36.
 
"Wow what a day and what a feeling to be on the top of the podium in Japan,” Cox said.
 
“This is my first time in Japan and I am amazed at how much the Japanese people love mogul skiing. It was so exciting having all the Japanese school kids cheering for us on the side of the course."

"I really wanted to pick up the intensity for the finals today, so I was really happy when I took a good chunk off my time in the finals. I think that's what got me to the top spot today."
 
Coach Steve ‘Des’ Desovich couldn’t be happier.  
 
"We are thrilled with Britt’s performance today as she was able to improve on each of her three runs throughout the day,” he said.
 
“Britt skied fast, jumped well and had very good turns to conclude a nice rounded performance between all three sectors. The conditions were tricky and it was a challenge due to changing weather and snow conditions but Britt adapted very well and advanced nicely throughout the day with no major errors."
 
The week-in week-out schedule for the mogul skiers could take its toll but the coach praised the fitness of Cox and the Australian squad for their continued success.
 
"It has been a long season thus far and we still have duals tomorrow and China next week - so really it just has to keep going whether you want a breather or not,” Desovich said.
 
“Britt’s improved strength and conditioning is really paying off at this time of the year and it’s nice to see her continue so strong"

Cox was joined in the first final by fellow Australians Jakara Anthony – who is headed to the Asian Winter Games next week, and Madii Himbury finishing 9th and 16th respectively.
 
"It's always fun when I have my Aussie girls in the finals with me, I'm stoked for Madii and Jakara today,” Cox said.

Matt Graham continued his strong form, finishing 5th. Graham is also enjoying a successful season, having been in the top six in the eight World Cups so far, collecting one gold and one silver along the way. Brodie Summers was the next placed Australian male making the first final and finishing 10th.
 
Other Australian results included Claudia Gueli 24th, Krystle Yin 28th, Rohan Chapman Davies 39th and James Matheson 41st.
 
The Dual Moguls will be competed tomorrow (Sunday) from 2.05pm. 

IMAGE: Britt Cox (middle) on top of the mogul skiing world for the sixth time this season in Tazawako, Japan. © IDone

The second-to-last stop on the 2016/17 FIS Freestyle moguls World Cup tour is on this weekend in Tazawako, Japan, with a full weekend of competition on Saturday, February 18, and dual moguls on Sunday.

Dominating the Ladies World Cup is Britt Cox who, though not totally in the clear with 605 points to second-overall Justine Dufour-Lapointe’s (CAN) 434, is in a strong position to take the first-ever moguls title for the Australian ladies’ squad. 

Cox comes into Tazawako fresh off wins at the Olympic test event last weekend in Phoenix Park, Korea.
Training mate Nicole Parks is unfortunately out due to injury but NSWIS skiers Jakara Anthony, Claudia Gueili, Maddi Himbury and Kyrstle Yin.   

Matt Graham and Brodie Summers are back in action with 22-year-old Graham seeking another podium after last week’s sixth place.

““I would have liked to have been a few spots higher, so next week I’ll just fix a few things up and put down some cleaner runs and hopefully the results will come through,” Graham said after the Olympic test event last weekend.

With less than a month left in the World Cup season, it’s time to look at the Freestyle Skiing overall World Cup standings, where each athlete’s points totals are divided by the number of competitions entered in the season to give an average score against which all other athletes can be compared fairly.

Looking at the 2016/17 overall rankings, it’s the moguls skiers leading the table at this stage.

With 605 points in seven events thus far, Cox’s overall score of 86.43 puts her well clear of second place ski cross athlete Marielle Thompson (CAN), giving Cox a strong chance of the biggest trophy in Freestyle. 

Should she hold on to take the overall globe, which last season was won by halfpipe and slopestyle skier Devin Logan of the USA),  it will be a truly remarkable accomplishment for the 22-year-old skier whose previous best rankings at season-end were 14th in moguls in 2013/14, and 57th on the overall list in 2014/15. 

Single moguls competition in Tazawako gets underway on Saturday with ladies qualifications beginning at 11.45am, followed by the men’s. Finals get underway at 3.30pm. Sunday’s dual moguls competition will see preliminary heats beginning just after 2pm  and the final heats squaring off at 3.30pm.

Australia’s Mogul Skiing team has descended on Korea’s Bokwang Phoenix Park for Saturday’s World Cup and PyeongChang 2018 Olympic test event.
 
It follows an epic weekend at Deer Valley (USA) in which Australian athletes prominently featured in the results, achieving podium finishes in both the single and dual events.
 
Britt Cox retains the yellow leader’s bib after her Deer Valley form secured gold in the dual moguls and bronze in the single event. The 22-year-old has three World Cup wins under her belt this season and is looking to further grow her medal tally this weekend. 
 
Brodie Summers won bronze in the men’s dual event and is hoping for a second notable performance in as many weeks.
 
“Coaches from other teams on tour have been coming up to me and shaking my hand,” Summers said. “They were really impressed with my skiing.”
 
The result was Summers’ first World Cup podium and the 23-year old has been feeling the love from his friends and family back in Australia.
 
“Social media went nuts for a few days. I was constantly replying to messages and comments,” he said.
 
“Nice to be rewarded and see the hard work I’ve put in during the off-season is starting to shine through. Deer Valley is one of the toughest courses in the world so it’s definitely motivated me even more for the backend of the season.”
 
Summers says it’s a great feeling to be in South Korea for one year to go celebrations.
 
“You can sense the excitement around the hotel at the moment.”
 
“It gets you fired up and makes you want to lay it down this week,” he said.
 
“The main thing is getting a good feel for the venue and the course and what’s it’s going to be like in 12 months-time. We’re trying to take in as much as possible and get all the baseline prep work done.”
 
The Sochi Olympian recently changed his training tactics and says the new strategy is paying dividends.
 
“There’s been a big emphasis from my coaches on completion percentage training,” Summers said.
 
“It’s basically performance on demand,” he explained. “Every day I would have to sign-off on my completion percentage and we tracked that over an entire training camp.
 
“It was definitely a strenuous and intense style of training because you have to put your signature next to your performance and you have to stand by what you’ve done. While it was confronting it was also what I needed and I praise my coaches Des (Steve Desovich) and Jerry (Grossi) for making me do that.
 
“I think it’s been really helpful for me and given me a lot of confidence over the last few events. It makes me feel grounded and I trust myself and know what I need to do on the day.”
 
The Bokwang Moguls World Cup will commence Saturday with women’s qualification at 3:20pm (local time), followed by men’s qualification at 5:05pm. Finals will be held under lights beginning at 7pm (local time).  
 
Australia has nine athletes competing at the event:  
 
Male:
Matt Graham
Brodie Summers
Rohan Chapman-Davies
James Matheson
 
Female:
Britt Cox
Madii Himbury
Jakara Anthony
Claudia Gueli
Krystal Yin
 
OWI athlete Nicole Parks won't start the event due to the knee injury sustained in Deer Valley. 

PYEONGCHANG 2018: The countdown is well and truly on to the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games with only one year to go until Australia take on the world’s best in South Korea.

A strong start to the World Cup season has seen a number of Australian athletes claim podium finishes and confidence is growing that the sunburnt nation can add another successful chapter to its Winter Olympic history book.

“We’re exactly where we want to be a year out from the Games,” Australian Winter Olympic Team Chef de Mission Ian Chesterman said.

“We have a wide range of athletes who are having success on the world stage and we would love to find ourselves in the same position in twelve months’ time.”

Australia will look to send a team of approximately 60 athletes to PyeongChang where they will compete against athletes from close to 100 nations in 12 venues across the region.

The Organising Committee is well on track to deliver an exciting and efficient Games and will host a number of test events throughout February and March.

“PyeongChang has an excellent set of venues to showcase all of the Olympic sports,” continued Chesterman who has just returned from a planning visit to PyeongChang.

“The Organising Committee has pulled together a compact Games that will provide a great stage to perform on which is exactly what you want.

“Many of our athletes will get the chance to get accustomed to the Olympic venues over the next few weeks as they continue to build towards success in a years’ time.”

Australia continues to grow in stature on the world stage in winter sports with a number of athletes now becoming regular medallists in world class competitions.

Among those who’ve had a strong start to the Winter Olympic season is dual Olympic Moguls skier Britt Cox who currently leads the world standings.

“I am really happy with my skiing at the moment and stoked on my results so far this season,” said the 22-year-old who is currently in PyeongChang preparing for the test event.

“There is always something to work on though so I’ll be busy developing those skills over the next 12 months in the lead up to PyeongChang.

“We always have an excellent culture in the mogul team and I also love seeing the Aussie athletes from different disciplines laying it down at various locations around the world.

“We see aerials or snowboard-cross athletes have a great event and then we’re like ‘we have to match it in our competition this week’.”

Four-time Olympian and dual Olympic aerials medallist Lydia Lassila recently returned to competition following her bronze medal performance at the Sochi 2014 Games and has already added another World Cup gold to her impressive resume.

Having achieved just about everything in the sport the lure of a fifth Olympic appearance was just too much to pass up for the 2010 Olympic Champion.

“Time away from the sport always brings perspective and for me, it was clear, I just missed it and still have the love and drive to do it which is why I’m here,” Lassila said.

While she has been focused on getting back to her best Lassila has kept a keen eye on her Australian teammates competing across the world.

“It’s been really motivating and inspirational for me to see so much success within winter sport this season.

“I think we are in the best position we’ve ever been in. We may not be a large team but we have a broad range of high quality athletes.”

Lassila and her teammates continued success has helped elevate winter disciplines into the mainstream of Australian sport and Chesterman believes this can only help strengthen Australia’s standing in the future.

“We have a highly credentialed team across a broad range of sports which provides motivation to the athletes coming through the ranks to continue in their sport.

“It is important for our current athletes to continue to be role models as without that aspiration for the younger athletes we wouldn’t be where we are today.”

Australian athletes are likely to feature in alpine skiing, biathlon, bobsleigh, cross country skiing, figure skating, freestyle skiing (aerials, moguls, ski cross & slopestyle), luge, skeleton and snowboard (slopestyle, halfpipe, snowboard cross & big air) in PyeongChang.

t is in these competitions where Australia will look to continue their Winter Olympic medal winning run that has seen Aussie athletes stand on the podium at every Games since Lillehammer 1994.

After winning three medals at the most recent Games in Sochi, Australia has now won 12 Winter Olympic medals with Lassila, Steven Bradbury, Alisa Camplin, Dale Begg-Smith and Torah Bright all becoming Olympic Champions.

The 23rd edition of the Winter Olympic Games will run from February 9-25, 2017.

Britt Cox has won her fourth World Cup gold medal in Mogul Skiing in the Dual Mogul event in Deer Valley, Utah, USA.

Following her bronze in the single mogul format two days earlier, Cox maintained her strong form to win gold again and make it five podium finishes from the six World Cups this season.

Cox retained her yellow bib as the current world number one and remains focused on each event taking just one step at a time.

“I didn’t think it was going to pan out this way this season, I’ve just been focused on every event that’s coming, but it’s awesome to win again,” Cox said.

“The course was a lot more challenging tonight than it has been all week, but my family got to see me win for the first time which is really special.”

It was also a landmark personal best night for team mate Brodie Summers, who reached the World Cup podium for the first time by claiming the bronze.

Brodie Summers was impressive as he took flight on the way to a debut podium spot.

​Speaking after his win in the Small Final, the 23-year-old shared his excitement.

“I’m so stoked right now, I was just having so much fun tonight and now I’m really on top of the world,” Summers beamed.

Summers raced against NSWIS teammate Matt Graham in the quarter final round on his way to the podium, with Graham finishing 11th overall.

“It was just great to ski with my boy (Graham) again, he had the tough line in that dual and I didn’t really know what was going on but he put up a really good fight,” Summers said.

Nicole Parks was the best placed of the remaining Australian female skiers finishing with a dual mogul PB in 8th followed by Krystle Yin (12th), Jakara Anthony (19th), Claudia Gueli (26th) and Madii Himbury (29th).

In the mens, James Matheson was 20th with Cooper Woods-Topalovic (24th) and Rohan Chapman-Davies (39th).

The next World Cup event for the mogul athletes is the Olympic test event in PyeongChang, Korea on February 10.

Britt Cox continues to deliver her best every week in this year’s Mogul Skiing World Cup season, bringing home the bronze from Deer Valley in Utah and retaining her number one world ranking.

Her bronze medal in Deer Valley adds to three previous golds this season (Ruka, Lake Placid and Calgary) highlighting an exceptional achievement, having now been on the podium in four out of five World Cups and 5th in the one World Cup in which she didn’t medal (Val St Come).   

Cox dominated the qualifying round of 33 women, maintaining the high execution level, by the talented and dedicated NSWIS athlete.

Going into the finals Britt said the course was in good shape, and, “Classic Deer Valley - which is always great.”

In the first final for the top 16, Britt was joined by development NSWIS skier Jakara Anthony who had qualified for the final with a PB seventh place, but was then unable to make the top six medal round.

Cox qualified for the medal final and claimed bronze behind Canadian Justine Dufour-Lapointe and winner, Morgan Schild from the USA.

“I’m so excited with my podium here in Deer Valley tonight. Many people call this event the Super Bowl of Freestyle skiing and it’s my favourite stop on the World Cup tour, ” Britt said.

“I’m yet to see the scores but I think I made a mistake on the top jump that may have cost me the top spot tonight but that’s something I’ll be working on over the next few days.”

“My entire family and extended family are here and that makes it even more special.”

Coach Steve Desovich was happy with his athletes saying video review will continue to help with fine tuning.

“Britt skied well today with the exception of a few small errors,” Desovich said.

“She was able to produce a good performance over three runs and I am sure that she will learn a lot after we review the video and apply those lessons to the next competition opportunity, which is dual moguls here on Saturday.”

Matt Graham, coming off his win last week in Calgary, is consistently remains near the podium with a fourth place, very narrowly missing third place.

Coming through qualifying in third, Graham then finished second in the final 16, and in the medal super final scored 79.18 points, but was just behind Canadian Phillipe Marquis who pipped him for the bronze with 79.76 points.

"Overall today was quite a success," Matt said after the event. 

"I am happy to have put down three solid runs in the qualifications and the two final rounds. Unfortunately it wasn't enough to be up on the podium which is a little disappointing."

"I made a couple of errors in my super final run which cost me. I feel like I am skiing strong and with confidence so I plan to take that into duals on Saturday."

The coaches are happy.

“We are very pleased with Matt's performance here. Jerry and I thought that he executed quite well overall. It will be good to re-examine the video to see what needs to be done moving forward,” Coach Steve Desovich said.

Australia fielded a large moguls squad in Deer Valley. Other results in the men included NSWIS Skiers James Matheson (30th), Brodie Summers (35th), Rohan Chapman-Davies (37th) and Cooper Woods-Topalovic (DNF).

In the women’s, NSWIS skier Jakara Anthony who is heading to the Asian Winter Games later this month continues improving, qualifying  seventh, then a final placing of 14th.

Other women to compete were Madi Himbury who qualified in 17th and was unlucky to miss the first final, Claudia Gueli (21st), Nicole Parks (24th) and Krystle Yin (26th).

A second strong result in as many weeks has put Jakara Anthony in good step for the 2017 Asian Winter Games (AWG) which are now just 16 days away.
 
Anthony was among a large group of Australian Moguls skiers in action at the Deer Valley World Cup and one of two Aussie females to progress through to the final, the other being Britt Cox.  

18-year-old Anthony finished the qualifying session in seventh position, scoring 70.80.
 
Her performance in the final was awarded a score of 72.26 and this eclipsed her previous personal best which she achieved at the Calgary World Cup a week ago. Ultimately she finished 14th in the field of 33. 

With the Asian Winter Games just around the corner Anthony has lifted her game at the right time. At her first two World Cup outings of the season (Lake Placid and Val St Come) she was earning scores in the early 60's. 

“It’s nice to know my skiing is getting rewarded and I have the ability to get up there. Hopefully I can produce another good result," Anthony said. 
 
The emerging Moguls skier gets her first chance to ski for her country in Sapporo (JPN) at the Asian Winter Games.

“I’ve heard there’s a lot of snow in Japan so I’m hoping the course is pretty similar to what we’ve been skiing here," she said. 

Britt Cox added another podium finish to her season tally, finishing in third place behind Mogan Child (USA) and Marika Pertakhiya (RUS). It is Cox's fourth podium finish from five starts this season, her other three outings earning gold. 

In the men's division AWG athlete Cooper Woods-Topalovic was on track for a good run in his first World Cup start, but he picked up a little too much speed in the middle section of the course and did not finish. It is onwards and upwards for the 16-year-old who will join Anthony in Sapporo as part of the Australian moguls team. 
​
Results

Two of Australia’s up-and-coming mogul skiers are preparing for a busy month of competition which will span two continents and culminate with the 2017 Asian Winter Games in Sapporo, Japan.
 
Cooper Woods-Topalovic and Jakara Anthony are part of a strong Australian contingent stepping out at Thursday’s World Cup event at Deer Valley. Later this month they’ll be among 30 Australian athletes to wear the green and gold at the 2017 Asian Winter Games.
 
Deer Valley offers an opportunity for the emerging athletes to mix it with the world’s best and Woods-Topalovic says it’s a dream come true.
 
The 16-year-old is making his World Cup debut this weekend.
 
“You can expect a clean top to bottom, a very big smile and a very proud family, coaches and friends,” said Woods-Topalovic. “I want to take in the experience and have fun with it all.”
 
It’s been a historic season for Australian mogul skiing with Britt Cox currently leading the women’s World Cup and Matt Graham second in the overall rankings. Woods-Topolovic says he is buoyed by the results of his team-members.
 
“It’s a very exciting and a magic thing what Matt and Britt have done.
 
“That such a small nation like Australia can perform really well in these high level sports is a real confidence boost.”

Jakara Anthony’s 11th place at last weekend’s Calgary World Cup was a new personal best and the 18-year-old was pleasantly surprised with the result.
 
“I wasn’t expecting to do as well as I did,” she said. “I’m stoked to achieve one of my goals which was to make a final at a World Cup.”
 
Anthony is aiming for another big performance this weekend.
 
“I’d like to make another final on the singles day here at Deer Valley and hopefully produce an even better result.”
 
There will be little time for rest for the pair before they head to Japan for the Asian Winter Games. It is the first time that Australia has sent a team to this regional event.
 
“To be selected to represent my country is such an honour,” said Woods-Topalovic. “I hope I can show Australia what I’ve got and bring it on the day.
 
“The Asian Winter Games is going to give me an insight of what the big stage is like and hopefully down the track I’ll be ready and I know what to expect so I can get on with the competition.”
 
Anthony will also be making the most of her Asian Winter Games experience.
 
“I’m super excited to experience what I think would be similar to an Olympic atmosphere and I think it would be great preparation if I were to qualify for the Winter Olympic Games,” said Anthony. 
 
“It’s what you dream about as a kid. I’m super stoked to be skiing for my country,” she said. 
 
The 2017 FIS Freestyle Ski World Cup competition begins Thursday (US time) with the Moguls finals under the lights on Deer Valley’s Champion ski run. Qualifications begin at 3pm with finals at 7pm local time.  
 
The 2017 Asian Winter Games in Sapporo Japan begin on 19 February.

With four Moguls World Cups done and dusted, the OWIA and NSWIS skiers have arrived in Deer Valley in Utah, USA prepared and ready after last weekend’s historic double win by Britt Cox and Matt Graham.   

Britt Cox took her third win in four competitions and extended her World Cup lead over reigning Olympic gold medallist Justine Dufour-Lapointe from Canada.  After coming into the season with a career-best World Cup standing of 14th-overall, Cox  looks poised to battle for the first moguls crystal globe for Australia since Dale Begg-Smith did it in the 2007/08 season.

“Each time I win, I get more excited,” Britt said after her Calgary success.

Expect more excitement from the down-to-earth 22-year-old from Victoria as she approaches Deer Valley.

“I have set myself goals and I’m ready to stay focussed.”

Britt is joined in the Ladies event by OWIA’s Nicole Parks and NSWIS skiers Jakara Anthony, Madi Himbury, Claudia Gueli and Krystle Yin.

Meanwhile, Matt Graham scored the second win of his career last week in Calgary, surpassing Canadian Mikael Kingsbury in a heavyweight superfinal.

Kingsbury leads the men’s moguls World Cup by 74 points over Graham - 320 points to 246.

Graham will be looking to put all the pieces together with clean jumps and landings, form and the quality turns and skiing he has become known for under OWIA coaches Steve ‘Des’ Desovich and Jerry Grossi.

Brodie Summers has been on the comeback trail, making it to the first final in Calgary and wanting to repeat that performance with more. Summers has said that this season is all about having clean performances and to, “compete how I practise.”

Summers attributes his increasing success to his parents and the rising awareness of how good the Australian mogul program is to his coaches.  

“My parents, being the people that they are always provided opportunities for dreams but never pushed. The drive and determination comes from us,” Summers said of himself and sister.  

“Des and Jerry pick up on minute detail and are the difference between a good run and an amazing run. We are very lucky.”

The comraderie and professionalism within the world’s elite mogul skiers is also a driving point.

“Something really special about our sport is the way all the moguls athletes and coaches interact with each other.”

“The way in which we get along is special. There’s good companionship in the lead up to an event because we are all using the same facilities. Often we play cards with the Swedes, Canadians – whoever. Some of my best friends are my competitors.”

“The competition is business and that’s different.”

Graham and Summers are joined in the 53 competitors list by NSWIS skiers James Matheson, Cooper Woods-Topalovic and Rohan Chapman-Davies.
 
The event gets underway from 9am (AEDT) Friday, February 3. Live scoring can be found at http://fis.live-scoring.net/8479   

The Australian Mogul Skiing team has had its most successful day in history, with Britt Cox and Matt Graham both winning World Cup gold in Canada.
 
Cox is now a triple World Cup winner, having won three of the four World Cups so far since the season opened mid-December in Ruka, Finland. She backed up the opening win with another gold in Lake Placid a month later, securing the yellow bib for the World number one ranking. Last weekend Cox had to settle for fifth in Val St Come, Canada but retained her lead in the ranking.
 
The 22-year-old Cox led the field in the qualifying round by over three points (78.22), went up a notch in the first final to lead scoring 81.11 and then had more for the medal round, taking the win with 82.11 points.
 
“Last week in Val St Come was a good learning event. This week in Calgary I stayed really focused on the process.”
 
“The course in Calgary is very technical because the pitch changes midway and becomes steeper. In previous years, I’ve found the course to be challenging, but now I can attack it more aggressively.”
 
“I wanted to be lofty in the jumps and also snappy, aggressive and fast,” Britt said.
 
Cox was satisfied with her three runs on the way to the win.
 
“I felt I did a clean run in the qualifying with room for improvement, because the level rises for the finals and I was able to lift all day. Each time I win, it’s more and more motivating.”
 
Retaining the yellow bib had a special significance for Cox this week.
 
“Our first day of training here was Australia Day. I was able to wear my green jacket and yellow bib. That was pretty exciting.”
 
The historic win puts the dual-Olympian into rare company as a multiple World Cup winner in one season with seven World Cup events to come before the World Championships in early March in Spain.

Matt Graham scored an impressive win over the five-time Overall World Cup Champion Mikael Kingsbury from Canada, who is widely regarded as the most successful World Cup mogul skier ever.
 
Graham has been steady throughout the season so far, scoring silver behind Kingsbury in the first World Cup and fourth last week in Val St. Come, Canada.
 
After qualifying in fourth, Graham was relaxed saying, “I knew I had more in the tank.”
 
In the first final, he took the top position for the medal run: a space he hasn’t occupied before.
 
“The course here is very technical. There’s not many courses like this in the world. The second half is much harder.”
 
“It was pretty bizarre being the last to go and up there by myself. It was windy with a cross tail wind. There was the sound of the wind and I just got in a good head space,” he said of the time waiting.
 
“I executed well, putting all the pieces together with two clean jumps and landings and good turns with no breaks in form or leg splits.”
 
Arriving at the finish Graham’s first reaction was how he could have done better.
 
“To be honest – I know I made a few mistakes and I wasn’t super confident (of winning). I couldn’t hear anything up the top. Then the score and placing came up and I was stoked – super excited.”
 
Overhauling Kingsbury for the second time is major win for the 22-year-old, Graham now moves into second on the world rankings behind the Canadian.
 
Britt Cox was just as excited for her NSWIS team mate. “It feels unreal to share the top spot on the podium with Matt. We train together all year round and I’m stoked to see his hard work paying off.”

See Britt Cox and Matt Graham’s winning runs: https://youtu.be/-zEn_IHNVbs

A number of NSWIS athletes also achieved personal best results, with three athletes reaching their first ever World cup final. These personal best results included Madii Himbury in 10th, Jakara Anthony 11th and Krystle Yin in 14th.

Also in action for Australia was Nicole Parks 22nd, Pip Sparrow 26th, Brodie Summers 28th, James Matheson 29th, Claudia Gueli 32nd and Rohan Chapman-Davies 42nd.

Official training has begun for the Mogul Skiing World Cup in Calgary’s WinSport Olympic Park ahead of the event early Sunday morning.

Britt Cox, Matt Graham, Brodie Summers and Nicole Parks head up the OWIA team along with seven NSWIS athletes who have completed three days of strength and conditioning work after the Val St Come World Cup last weekend.

“It was a great period for the guys to be active off snow with head trainer John Marsden in charge of taper and peak and physical preparation activities,” coach Steve Desovich said.

“Physio Peter Hogg has also taken the time to treat athletes and manage any on-going smaller injuries they might have, as well as contribute to the recovery process.”
 
Britt Cox is looking to retain her yellow bib as World number one, having won the first two World Cups in Ruka, Finland and then again in Lake Placid. The Canadian women swept the podium last weekend with Britt in 5th place but happy with her performance.
 
“It was a strong performance but a few mistakes in the middle section cost me a spot on the podium,” she said.
 
Matt Graham, who is now ranked number three in the world,  has collected one silver and a fourth place in his three World Cup appearances and remains a podium chance in any event he enters.
 
The Australian mogul skiers are known for their attention to detail and high technical standards, which may prove beneficial in Calgary.  
 
“The Calgary mogul course is quite steep in the second half of the run and therefore quite a challenge to master,” coach Desovich advised.

With Justine’s determined effort to take the win in Val St. Come, a strong runner-up showing by 21-year-old Andi Naude, and a third-place for 2015/16 moguls crystal globe winner Chloe Dufour-Lapointe, the Canadians will be looking to keep some momentum going into a Calgary competition where they were able to complete a similar ladies’ podium sweep last season. 

Action in Calgary gets underway with ladies’ qualifications at 3.25am on Sunday (AEDT), followed by men’s qualifications at 6.25am and men’s and ladies’ finals scheduled for 7.30am.

You can watch the finals live on Eurosport.

Photo: FIS/Buchholz
 
 

The Australia Day Honours List include Dale Begg-Smith who has received a Medal (OAM) of the Order of Australia in the General Division for his Services to Sport.
 
Begg-Smith, who celebrated his 32nd birthday last week, won the Gold Medal for Men’s Mogul Skiing at the 2006 Torino Olympic Winter Games as a 21-year-old. 
 
Begg-Smith came from Canada to settle in Australia as a 15-year-old with his 19-year-old brother Jason to become a part of the Australian sports system and to work with Olympic Winter Institute of Australia legendary coach, Steve Desovich.
 
His international career over three Olympics (Torino, Vancouver and Sochi) delivered the Olympic Gold Medal (Torino), Olympic Silver (Vancouver), one World Championship (2007), 18 World Cup golds and four overall World Cup Championships.
 
“I am honoured and proud to have received this recognition,” Mr Begg-Smith said.
 
Ï had excellent support from Australia, my organisations and team mates and I’m proud to remember what we achieved together, particularly during each World Cup season and then the Torino and Vancouver campaigns.”
 
Ï would not have had the opportunity to achieve what I did without being a member of the Australian team and I am both appreciative and grateful.”
 
Widely regarded as the pioneer of Mogul Skiing in Australia, Dale Begg-Smith has mentored current Men’s world-ranked number three, Matt Graham and Ladies triple World Cup winner Britt Cox.
 
“Dale’s performance in Torino is one of most all time favorite and special memories of an Australian at an Olympic Winter Games,” said CEO of the Olympic Winter Institute of Australia.
 
“To be ranked number one, expected to win and absolutely do it when it counts is the definition of a true champion.”
 
“Dale’s performance in Vancouver four years later in different circumstances was extra special. Returning from serious injury within twelve months, he was again on top of the world and gave himself every chance to win a second gold.”

“The legacy Dale created for Australians in mogul skiing is obvious in 2017 when we see Matt Graham and Britt Cox. These young Australian skiers who were fortunate enough to be team-mate’s of Dale’s are now near the best of the world themselves.”
 
“Australia had never had anyone near medal contention each week prior to Dale and the success Australia has enjoyed since is because of his influence,” Mr Lipshut stated.
 
In early February, Begg-Smith will meet up with Graham and Cox in Deer Valley, Utah for the season’s fifth World Cup.

Home snow had a positive effect on the Canadian team, reversing the drought from the previous weekend sweeping the women's podium and also taking first in the men's at the Mogul Skiing World Cup in Val St Come, Canada.

Despite the Canadian podium rush, Britt Cox has retained her World Cup number one l ranking and Matt Graham’s top five performance moving him to 3rd in the men’s world ranking.   

Graham, qualified fifth and was joined by team mates Brodie Summers and Rohan Chapman-Davies in the final 16.

Only Graham moved through to the top six medal round, ranked fourth and that was where he ended up – scoring 81.11 just missing the podium in a tightly judged event, was won by Canadian Mikael Kingsbury (86.44), followed by Frenchman Sacha Theocharis (82.20) and 17-year-old Swede Walter Wallberg (82.19).

“I am pretty happy overall with how today went,” Matt said.

“My goal was to bounce back with a good result after last week's disappointment in Lake Placid. The course was tricky and catchy so I am happy to put down three reasonably clean runs.”

“Obviously, I would have liked to finish on the podium so I am a little disappointed with my super final run as I made a small error or my bottom jump landing (cork 1080). 

I am looking forward to Calgary next week as I really enjoy that course and I think it can suit my skiing if I perform well,” he said.

Head coach Steve Desovich says a couple of errors were costly.

“Matt had a nice run going into Final 2 but had some key errors with turns and on the landing of the second jump,” said Desovich. “Calgary has been a big challenge in the past, so like Britt he looks forward to setting the right tone on the initial training day.

Leading the Ladies qualification round, Britt Cox skied brilliantly notching up 75.30 points going into Final 1 where she again posted a high score (78.81) just behind leader Canadian Justine Dufour-Lapointe.

The dual World Cup winner from Lake Placid and Ruka had to settle for 5th behind four Canadians in the medal final but retains her yellow bib at the top of the World Cup standings.

“Today was a solid day for me,” Britt said.  

Ï was really happy with the execution of my jumps today but a few mistakes in the middle section cost me a spot on the podium. I’m keen to get to work and fix those things up.”

Overall it was a positive day but one that has left me determined to make the adjustments that I know will help me perform my best.”

Coach Desovich is already looking toward tomorrow.

“Britt skied well in the qualification and Final 1 runs and just had a few mistakes in the middle of her run in the super finals. We look forward to the Calgary training with an eye towards progress. It’s a long season and therefore she needs to just focus on the next training day and go from there.”

Brodie Summers and Rohan Chapman-Davies made it to the final 16 of 55 competitors and finished 13th and 14th respectively.  

“Brodie continues to gain consistency run by run and just needs to complete the job in competition,” said Coach Desovich.  

“This is a function of his skills but also adapting to the course and the never ending set of variables that are present in our sport. Brodie is skiing soundly strategically now but not necessarily yet for the whole run on every occasion,” he concluded.

Other Australian qualification results were James Matheson (30th) in the men and for the ladies Claudia Gueli (18th) a PB, Jakara Anthony (20th) equal PB, Madi Himbury (22nd), Kyrstle Yin (25th), Pip Sparrow 26th) and Nicole Parks (30th).    
Next stop for the fourth Mogul Skiing World Cup is Calgary, Canada on January 28.

Leading the Ladies qualification round, Britt Cox skied brilliantly notching up 75.30 points going into Final 1 where she again posted a high score (78.81) just behind leader Canadian Justine Dufour-Lapointe.

The dual World Cup winner from Lake Placid and Ruka had to settle for 5th behind four Canadians in the medal final but retains her yellow bib at the top of the World Cup standings.

“Today was a solid day for me,” Britt said.  

Ï was really happy with the execution of my jumps today but a few mistakes in the middle section cost me a spot on the podium. I’m keen to get to work and fix those things up.”

Overall it was a positive day but one that has left me determined to make the adjustments that I know will help me perform my best.”

Coach Desovich is already looking toward tomorrow.

“Britt skied well in the qualification and Final 1 runs and just had a few mistakes in the middle of her run in the super finals. We look forward to the Calgary training with an eye towards progress. It’s a long season and therefore she needs to just focus on the next training day and go from there.”

Brodie Summers and Rohan Chapman-Davies made it to the final 16 of 55 competitors and finished 13th and 14th respectively.  

“Brodie continues to gain consistency run by run and just needs to complete the job in competition,” said Coach Desovich.  

“This is a function of his skills but also adapting to the course and the never ending set of variables that are present in our sport. Brodie is skiing soundly strategically now but not necessarily yet for the whole run on every occasion,” he concluded.

Other Australian qualification results were James Matheson (30th) in the men and for the ladies Claudia Gueli (18th) a PB, Jakara Anthony (20th) equal PB, Madi Himbury (22nd), Kyrstle Yin (25th), Pip Sparrow 26th) and Nicole Parks (30th).    
Next stop for the fourth Mogul Skiing World Cup is Calgary, Canada on January 28.