Jess Rich has narrowly missed out on qualifying for the Snowboard Big Air women's finals after placing 13th in Monday's qualification runs.

While the 27-year-old has had a turbulent 18 months, enduring both a broken back, broken collar bone and a ruptured ACL, she said she got everything that she had hoped for in her Olympic debut - two clean runs.

"It was a surreal experience," she said.

"Definitely wasn't what I planned and so having to deal with a lot of things in the lead up definitely made it challenging.
"I didn't know if I was actually going to make it so the fact that I was able to just drop into the jump today is a huge thing for me.

"I had to play with the cards I was dealt and I had to choose the tricks that work for me and my injury and the fact that I put them down is the one thing I wanted.

"I did better than I thought. To be up against all those women that are riding their best, to come 13th ... I'm stoked."
With only 12 progressing through to Friday's finals, the 27-year-old missed out by just 2.00 points.

Rich sat in ninth position after her first run having scored 73.50 however higher scores by her competitors in the second run through meant the snowboarder had to score 76.25 to progress - she landed cleanly but it was only good enough for a score of 74.25

Austria's Anna Gasser finished first with a best score of 98.00 while Japan's Yuka Fujimori and Reira Iwabuchi were ranked second and third scoring 94.25 and 92.75 respectively. 

Having not recieved medical clearance to compete in the women's Snowboard Slopestyle, Rich has spent every day since arriving to PyeongChang in the gym to realise her Olympic dream.

"There was definitely a chance that I wasn't able to compete.

"They definitely could've said I wasn't strong enough but I had a really good support crew over here and trainers and physios that were working with me night and day and we got there. I think that they're just as stoked as I am to be here.

"Even in the Village, I've been joking that I'm on a fitness camp because everyone's been going off to do their events and I've been waking up and going to the gym at 6AM."

Not only was it Rich's Olympic debut but also Big Air's.

"I honestly don't think there could have been a better show. It was perfect weather for us and you really got to see how crazy these women actually are and what we do every day and I hope everyone can get behind it and see how cool it is."

The Olympian will now return home to Australia for surgery but said she has her sights set on Beijing 2022.
"A lot can happen in four years," she said.

David Barden
olympics.com.au

PYEONGCHANG 2018: Tess Coady and Jessica Rich will make their Olympic debuts at PyeongChang 2018 in the snowboard disciplines of slopestyle and big air.

With quota places for snowboard slopestyle and big air being calculated as one event, the duo have the option to compete in both or one discipline.

17-year-old Coady won back-to-back Junior World Championship titles in both slopestyle and big air at the 2017 event in Spindleruv Mlyn, Czech Republic and with a current world ranking of 5th in slopestyle and 22nd in big air, will aim to compete in both events in South Korea.

“It feels pretty crazy to think soon I will be able to say that I am an Olympian,” Coady said.

“It has been a dream of mine since a young age to go to the Olympics but I never knew what sport I would go for. If someone told me when I was eight years-old that I would be going to the Olympics at 17 for snowboard slopestyle I would have laughed.”

The rider from St Kilda, Victoria, will make her Games debut fresh off Australia’s first ever slopestyle World Cup medal; bronze from the Snowmass event in January.

Coady is the youngest member of the 2018 Australian Olympic Winter Team and says she looks to the more experienced athletes for guidance.

“Chumpy Pullin has always been someone I have looked up to from a really young age. His mental game is so strong and it shows in his riding, I think he is really hungry for this Olympics,” she said.

“Scotty James is always super fun to watch especially these past two seasons he has been on a roll and his attitude towards competing is really inspiring.

“The Team that is going is a super cool group of people and I think there will be really good vibes and lots of support for everyone competing and I can’t wait.”

27-year-old Rich has been selected in the 2018 Team subject to medical clearance. Rich is bouncing back from a knee injury but is still determined to wear the green and gold on the slopes of Bokwang Phoenix Park, having chosen to focus solely on the slopestyle event.

The Manly-local burst onto the international scene two years ago when she placed eighth at the Olympic Test Event in PyeongChang in February 2016.

After signing her first professional contract with the Olympic Winter Institute of Australia in 2016 she has recorded four top-10 World Cup performances.

The women’s snowboard slopestyle event will be held at Bokwang Phoenix Park with qualification on Day 2 (February 11) and finals on Day 3 (February 13). The big air events will be held at the Alpensia Ski Jumping Centre with qualifications on Day 10 (February 19) and finals Day 14 (February 23).

Find out more about snowboarding at PyeongChang 2018 HERE.
​
Georgia Thompson
olympics.com.au

SNOWBOARD HALFPIPE: With seven previous Olympic Games and 22 World Cup and World Championship medals between them, the five athletes selected to represent Australia in snowboard halfpipe at PyeongChang 2018 know what it takes to be the best.

Triple Olympian Holly Crawford will compete at her fourth Games, looking to improve upon her best Olympic result of eighth at Vancouver 2010.

The 33-year-old has one gold and two silver World Championship medals under her belt and recently finished 10th at the 2017 World Championships in Sierra Nevada.

"After a long and bumpy road I am mostly relieved to have officially made the 2018 Olympic Team," Crawford said.

"It is less the Olympic Games itself and more the journey to get there that shapes an athlete. By the time you’re at the Olympics most of the hard work is already done and you just have to let yourself do what you’ve trained to do.

"I am very proud to have been able to represent Australia at the previous three Olympics and every four years I am prouder than the last!"

She will be joined by two-time World Champion and Crystal Globe winner Scotty James.

With two 21st place halfpipe finishes from Vancouver and Sochi, plus a 16th place in snowboard slopestyle from 2010, James said his previous Olympic experiences have made him better prepared for his third Games.

“Having been to two Games and with the benefit of many more international competitions under my belt, I now understand what I have to do to achieve my goals,” the 23-year-old said.

“For me, representing my country in the Olympic Winter Team is the greatest honour that I have ever achieved. I really feed off the support that we give each other as Aussie Team members and the support that we receive from all over Australia.”

Sochi Olympians Kent Callister (22) and Nathan Johnstone (27) will return to the Team for their second Olympic experience.

Callister was the surprise packed of Sochi 2014, finishing ninth as the top ranked Australian in a star-studded field. Johnstone wasn’t too far behind, missing the final by one place to finish 13th on debut.

“I’m very excited to be heading to my second Olympic Games,” Callister said.

“I had a blast riding in Sochi so I’m looking forward to the whole Olympic experience at PyeongChang. I feel very grateful to be going to the Olympics again so I’m going to soak it all in.”

The only debutant in the halfpipe team, Emily Arthur, has also had her fair share of international experience.

The 18-year-old won halfpipe silver at the Lillehammer 2016 Youth Olympic Winter Games and placed 15th in snowboard slopestyle.

She recorded a career-best result at the 2017 Secret Garden World Cup in December, qualifying for her first final and finishing in sixth place. She heads into her debut Games with a world ranking of 13th.

“Being selected is the most insane moment of my life!” Arthur said.

“I've wanted to go to the Olympics for as long as I can remember, it's always been in the back of my mind growing up that maybe one day I could go, and I can't believe it’s now a reality.”

Arthur said it will be a dream come true to make her Olympic debut alongside athletes she has admired for years.

“I look up to the older girls on the Australian Team so much, they have really taken me in and been so amazing to me! They are the girls I looked up to when I was young and still do, I know they are going to look after me and definitely make the experience so fun.”

Crawford's advice to all the rookies on the Team is to "be proud and confident in the work they've put in."

"Trust in your ability, we all train and compete all year round and your body knows what it is doing so just let it. Most of all enjoy the ride and take it all in, you’ve earned it!"

Snowboard halfpipe will be held at the Bokwang Snow Park with qualifications on Day 4 (February13). The men’s final is on Day 5 (February 14) and the women’s final is on Day 11 (February 20). Find out more about snowboarding at PyeongChang HERE.

The team of Mitchell Allen, Andrew Burton, Ben Mates, Torah Bright and Holly Crawford made Australia’s snowboard halfpipe Olympic debut at Torino 2006. Bright has won Australia’s two snowboard halfpipe Olympic medals, with gold at Vancouver 2010 and silver at Sochi 2014. Find out more about Australia’s Olympic snowboard history HERE.
​
Georgia Thompson
olympics.com.au

Touted as likely to be the toughest Big Air World Cup field this season, the women’s Copper Mountain event lived up to predictions with 37 riders, many of whom were from the US and vying for a place on the American Olympic squad.

Just turned 17-year-old Tess Coady, who burst onto the international scene eight months ago winning two Junior Snowboard World Championship titles for Australia in Slopestyle and Big Air, made an exciting start to her Olympic season, placing tenth in the qualifying.

Despite not making the final in such a competitive field, Tess was ‘stoked’ with her result.

“I was very happy to land two solid jumps and particularly happy to score 80 points and finish in the top ten,” she said.

“The vibe on course was intense -  being a US Team qualifying event. All the girls were riding really well and the standard was really high.”

“We had some pretty rough days of practice weather wise which made it hard to get the feel for the jump but on comp day the sun was out and there was no wind and the jump was riding super well,” Coady explained.
 
“I was super stoked to land both of my runs. It was a new trick that I have never done in a competition before (double wildcat) and it helped me break away from the rest of the field a bit.”
 
“All the girls were riding super well in quals and unfortunately my trick wasn't quite enough to get in to finals but I am heading back to Mammoth now to hopefully clean it up a bit.”

NSWIS team-mate Jess Rich, who was coming off seventh and sixth places at two previous World Cups in Europe placed 20th, scoring 60 points.
 
With the Big Air World Cups now completed before the PyeongChang Games in February, Rich and Coady will now turn their attention to Snowboard Slopestyle World Cups in January at Snowmass, USA on January 10 to 12 and then Laax in Switzerland from January 17 to 19.
 
Belinda Noonan
OWIA
 

Following last week’s seventh place at in Beijing, Big Air, snowboarder Jess Rich brought a stronger trick to her second World Cup over the weekend stage at Sparkassen Park in Moenchengladbach, Germany to make the finals and finish sixth overall.
 
The highlight of the event for Rich was her second place qualifying result with 86 points in a 27-competitor field behind eventual winner Carla Somaini from Switzerland.
 
“I did a backside 720 Indy, which is a rare grab for girls in this trick so I think that worked in my favour. I also landed pretty far down the landing which tends to score well,” Rich said of her qualifying jump.

The 120-metre long and 49 metres high scaffolding ramp at Sparkassen Park had been constructed on the hockey field serving again as perfect playground for the athletes who were competing to secure qualification for PyeongChang where Snowboard Big Air will celebrate its much-anticipated Olympic debut.
 
In the final the top scoring six competitors have three attempts to complete two different tricks, with the lower score of the two being erased and not contributing to the final score.
 
Rich rode well during the final despite foggy conditions scoring 112.75 points, for an overall sixth place.
 
“I’m really happy with my riding, although I definitely wasn’t performing my best in the finals,” she said.
 
“My goal so far has been to just land on my feet, instead of having a results based goal, which tends to just stress me out.” 
 
“It was a crazy experience to see that kind of thick fog in a city. It affected the drop in but as soon as you were on the take off the visibility improved.” 
 
Rich is now on her way to North America for the fourth Big Air World Cup of the season at Copper Mpuntain and her third next weekend.
 

Surgery then rehab for a broken collar bone after a mishap in New Zealand in August is all behind Snowboard Big Air’s Jess Rich now that she’s been able to contest her opening World Cup in Beijing over the weekend.

Finishing seventh and fractionally out of the top six finalists with 71.25 points in a highly competitive field in Beijing, Rich’s main goal was ‘a safe and stylish trick’.

“I am super happy with seventh, although I would have loved to have been in the finals. It is nice to build up some confidence after not being able to ride in the past few contests due to injury,” she said.

The event, which was won by Austria’s Anna Gasser, presented all the competitors with challenging conditions in the quest to secure an Olympic qualification spot.

“Every contest at the moment is pretty stacked because everyone is trying to secure their spot in the top thirty. My jump was really good, but the conditions were a little tough. The landing was super icy so if you didn’t land perfectly you couldn’t land,” Rich explained.

The 27-year-old’s main focus as she heads into her first World Cup for the season has been to ensure she is fit and ready to compete after injuries reduced the amount of time spent training in the snow.

“I’ve had a tough run with injuries this past year so I haven’t had as much time on snow as I would have liked,” she said.
“I am just hoping to stay consistent in the next few contests and hopefully qualify for the Olympics in February.”

Next up for Jess Rich is another Big Air World Cup in Moenchengladbach in Germany on December 2nd before heading to Copper Mountain in USA.

Belinda Noonan
OWIA

The first Slopestyle World Cup for the season in Cardrona, New Zealand finished in frustration for OWIA skier Russ Henshaw and snowboarder Jess Rich.

Having overcome multiple serious injuries from past seasons, Henshaw was fit and ready to go until he arrived in New Zealand where he sustained a back strain, which impeded his qualification round, ending out of the finals and placing 34th overall. Other Australian’s results were Nic Stevens in 50th and Ryley Lucas in 59th place.

Henshaw has since returned to his home base in Jinadyne and says he is already well on the mend.

"My back feels a lot better. I had two days skiing since being back from New Zealand and it feels a lot better than when I was there!" he said today.

In the Ladies Snowboard Slopestyle competed this weekend, Jess Rich was unfortunately unable to start either of the two qualification runs. 16-year-old Junior World Champion Tess Coady placed ninth in her qualifying heat and did not make the final ten.

"Unfortunately I was injured during training due to course conditions," Rich said. "I will be off snow for a couple of weeks, but nothing too serious."

The Snowboard Halfpipe NZ World Cup qualification gets underway this Friday with finals on Saturday. Scheduled to compete are Emily Arthur, Holly Crawford, Kent Callister and Nate Johnstone.
 

As a lone Australian woman on the Snowboard Slopestyle circuit last year, Jindabyne’s Jessica Rich was her own coach, wax technician and organiser, and came away with a ninth place at the World Cup in Quebec.

Managing an elite sporting career by herself didn’t leave much room for down-time but the season did provide valuable lessons that Rich has learned from. Consequently changes have been made these past five months during the Australian winter ahead of the first World Cup in early September.  

“Last season for me was mostly was trying to figure out what will make the world’s best in competition and experience,” Jessica Rich said.

“I was trying a lot of different approaches. I realised I needed a coach for certain aspects and other things I could do on my own.”

“How best to travel, live out of a suitcase and get good results was another learning curve because we were travelling to a different place every week.”  

Including a stronger coaching element has been high on Rich’s preparations in Perisher where she has been working with different coaches.  

“I didn’t have a coach last year, so that’s what I did learn. I need one. On comp day it’s really good to have a second set of eyes and someone to talk to. You aren’t going to be changing anything technically.”

“Having someone to tell you where the course is running is important.”

Last season’s results have become a baseline for the 27-year-old who first competed internationally in 2013.

“I personally feel like a lot of my results (from the 16/17 season) didn’t mirror how I was riding. I was just not competing well enough. So those results are now a baseline. That’s the worst I want to do by myself. I will be doing better than that.”  

“This domestic season from May until now have been about really fine tuning what I learned overseas so that I won’t be in that situation again.”

On snow, Rich has been back to basics and fundamentals.

“It’s about making sure I am technically strong with my riding before I perfect those bigger tricks that I want to execute.”

A typical training day with the coaches begins on snow at 7am until 11am. 

“As slopestyle riders we tend to be on the hill the entire day. We don’t just have a two-hour training block. If there’s a sunny or rideable day, I’m out there- absolutely.”

 “Depending on conditions I’ll ride until about 2.30pm. Then its recovery, go home for a snack and off to the gym, which can depend on my day. Some days you are just exhausted,” she revealed.

“At the end of the on-snow training, I do the bike to flush my legs and if I can get to yoga after that, I will. Yoga is my mental hour away and the perfect time to tune out.” 
 
Rich has her opportunity to test the changed approach at the first World Cup – and Olympic qualifier, of the 17/18 season at the Audi quattro Winter Games NZ in early September.  The event will attract around forty competitors.

Snowboard Slopestyle will be competed on September 3 and 4 at Cardrona, near spectacular Queenstown and Wanaka. 

“I’m expecting a lot of hard work ahead of me that’s for sure and I know that when it comes to it,  I’ve put everything on the table and given it one hundred percent.”  

Rich’s main goal is to stay strong and avoid injury.

“There is a major danger element. That’s one thing that’s different with winter sports.”

“Another factor is weather. It could be ninety days between events but seventy of those days could be bad weather.”
 
After the World Cup in New Zealand Rich will return to her Jindabyne base and is hoping to compete in the now popular ‘Toyota One Hit Wonder’ in Thredbo from September 5 – 9.

“It’s a perfect training opportunity on big jumps,” she said.

Her plans are to stay close to home until mid-October if the snow lasts.

Big Air events are also in her sights – the first of which is in early November in Copenhagen.

Following her Olympic dream does come at a cost.

“Even with sponsorship and OWIA funding, I’m working two jobs. One as a house keeper for an Airbnb and also in a Jindy café. I have amazing and understanding bosses.”

By Belinda Noonan
OWIA
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Weather has played havoc at the US Snowboard and Freeskiing Grand Prix event in Mammoth Mountain, CA, USA, with events shortened or cancelled completely.
 
The US Grand Prix also doubles as a FIS World Cup event counting towards Olympic qualification. Unfortunately, wild weather featuring high winds and snow forced the cancellation of the men’s Slopestyle Skiing event which was to feature Russ Henshaw and Ryley Lucas. The extremely heavy conditions led to the men’s Snowboard Halfpipe and Slopestyle qualification rounds to be abandoned.
 
In total, four top ten performances where achieved by the Australian athletes across three different disciplines.
 
The highlight of the event was 16-year-old NSWIS Snowboarder Tess Coady placing sixth in the slopestyle final in her first ever World Cup. Jess Rich was unable to advance to the eight woman final, finishing in 21st place.
 
VIS 2017 X-Games Gold Medallist Scotty James was the leading Australian male in the men’s Snowboard Halfpipe, finishing in sixth place. NSWIS riders Kent Callister and Nathan Johnstone also had good runs in the difficult conditions placing eighth and eleventh respectively.
 
In the women’s Snowboard Halfpipe, Holly Crawford made a positive start to her first event of the season finishing in eighth place, just missing advancing to the final by two places. Emily Arthur was also in action with a 14th place qualification performance.
 
The Snowboard Halfpipe athletes now head to PyeongChang, Korea, for the Olympic Test Event World Cup, with the Slopestyle Snowboarders and Skiers off to World Cup events in Quebec City, Canada.

IMAGE: Tess Coady in nicer weather conditions at Mammoth at the start of the week! © Tess Coady Instagram

It’s been a gradual improvement, but improvement nonetheless for Jessica Rich this season.

Her 21st place in the opening Austrian WC was followed up in Laax, Switzerland last week with a performance that garnered 20th spot and valuable Olympic qualification points.

But as the road to PyeongChang nears, the OWIA/NSWIS athlete will be keen to ensure that improvement is consistent, continuing with the tour’s third event in Sieser Alm, Italy starting tonight (AEDT).

It’s been a great start to Rich’s first European tour, just a year after securing her professional contract and a place in the OWIA program.

Now with the focus on putting down complete runs to try and break into that first final, Rich has a clear understanding on what she needs to make that cut.

"I think the most important thing when competing is mental clarity," Rich said.

"This has always been an area I needed work on, and over the past year I have really tried to put in the time for mental training as well as physical training and I think it is paying off."

"There were a few undesirable things that happened in Laax but I was really happy with how I was able to process them and move on without letting them affect me."

Rich knows she has the skills and tricks to match it at the level, but now the 26-year-old must also deal with the pressure and expectations that come at the World Cup level.

"I feel I am a technically strong snowboarder but trying to execute everything well when you are in a high pressure situation with many changing variables, that is the next big challenge for me.
​
Qualification starts at 6:45pm tonight (AEDT) and all eyes will be on Jess to see how big and exciting her next step will be.

Competing in the second World Cup of the Olympic qualification period, OWIA/NSWIS Snowboard Slopestyle athlete Jessica Rich has recorded an improved 20th place finishing in Laax, Switzerland.
 
Rich again gained valuable Olympic Quota Allocation List points for the second week in a row, following her 21st place performance last week in Kreischberg, Austria.
 
Two heats with 25 athletes in each group competed with the aim of placing in the top six to advance to the 12 woman final. Riders had two runs, with the highest scoring counting towards their final ranking.
 
Rich narrowly missed out on the top six, finishing in tenth place, with her highest score coming in her first run, where the judges awarded her a total score of 52.50 points.
 
After combining the places of both heats, Rich had a final overall placing of 20th.
 
The event was won by Enni Rukajarvi of Finland, with Anna Gasser of Austria in second and American Jamie Anderson third

NSWIS rider Matthew Cox also competed in Laax, finishing in 58th place.

OWIA/NSWIS Slopestyle Snowboarder Jessica Rich has commenced her 2018 Olympic qualification campaign with a 21st place at the World Cup event Kreischberg, Austria.

With all World Cup slopestyle and big air events from July 1 2016 to mid January 2018 counting towards Olympic quota spots, Rich gained valuable Olympic Quota Allocation List points.

Competing in a strong field with only the top-6 women advancing to the final, Rich posted her highest scoring run in the first round with a score of 33.75, giving her a final ranking of 21st.

After the event Rich found a number of positives with her opening World Cup of the season.

“On paper it might not look like I did well in Kreischberg, but fun was had and lessons learned, so how can that be a bad result”.

Winning the event was Anna Gasser of Austria with a score of 81.25, with Swiss rider Sina Candrian in second with 69.95 and Silje Norendal of Norway in third with 62.90 points.

The next stop of the Slopestyle World Cup tour is in Laax, Switzerland, with qualification taking place January 17 and finals on January 20.

IMAGE: Jess Rich sending it huge off a jump in Kreichberg Credit - Jess Rich Instagram

NSWIS Snowboarder Jessica Rich has had a strong performance in the Slopestyle event at the 2018 Olympic venue in PyeongChang,Korea.

Rich narrowly missed out on qualifying for the six-woman final by two places, giving her a final ranking of eighth.

The result marks her second top-10 performance of the season at the World Cup level, following a seventh place result in Cardona, New Zealand, back in August 2015.

Current Olympic Champion Jamie Anderson of the USA took victory, with her American team-mate Karly Shorr in second. New Zealand's Christy Prior was third.

In the men's slopestyle event, Angus Waddington finished in 26th place.

Unfortunately OWIA/NSWIS Slopestyle Skier Russ Henshaw was unable to compete at the Olympic test event after suffering a season ending broken collarbone injury just prior to Korea.

IMAGE: Jess Rich (right) and Christy Prior at the PyeongChang, Korea © Jess Rich Instagram