The 2019/2020 Ski Cross World Cup season has commenced with a double event in Val Thoren’s, France with mixed results for the Australian athletes.
 
Two-time Olympian Sami Kennedy-Sim made a good start to the event, qualifying for finals in 14th place.
 
Anton Grimus and Doug Crawford did not advance to the finals, after placing 49th and 57th respectively in qualifying.
 
In the first of two World Cup’s, Kennedy-Sim had a strong first round heat, starting well in the top section and leading at times during the heat. In the lower section of the course, Kennedy-Sim slipped back to third, and was unable to advance to the next round. This gave Kennedy-Sim a final ranking of tenth.
 
“Today’s racing was very tight. I had the lead at some points of the run, and I will carry that confidence into tomorrow’s racing”, said Kennedy-Sim.
 
“I look forward to reviewing the race this evening and being competitive again tomorrow.“
 
In the second World Cup, Kennedy-Sim placed fourth in her heat, giving her a final ranking of 14th.
 
OWIA Ski Cross Head Coach Shawn Fleming commented after the race.
 
“Well that was not the day we had planned for. Decent start but stuck in the mix going into first turn and checked speed tight on the inside. From there she was playing catch up the whole way.”
 
“Next week we compete in Montafon, Austria, which will be a shorter format this year due to low snow but the forecast looks quite challenging for the coming week with heavy snowfalls.”

Sami-Kennedy Sim, Robbie Morrison, Anton Grimus, Doug Crawford and Lee Rolls represented Australia at the Austrian National Championships and Europa Cup in Pitzal.

Due to poor weather and high wind, the event format for the National Championships was adjusted so that a sprint race would be run in the valley.

The field was very strong with many international World Cup athletes using the race as a warm-up to the season proper.

Morrison and Kennedy-Sim were among the standout performers, with Morrison taking home a silver medal and Kennedy-Sim finishing in fifth place.

Grimus finished 28th, Crawford 42nd and Rolls narrowly avoided a crash to finish in 83rd position.

In the Europa Cup event Kennedy-Sim backed up her previous solid performance by taking out fifth place, while Morrison had another outstanding result claiming 12th position, with Grimus 29th, Crawford in 45th and Rolls 63rd.

Article courtesy of Snow Australia

Race Three and Four of the Hotham Ski Cross ANC were held at the weekend, with some solid performances from Australian Ski Cross athletes.

Sami Kennedy-Sim continued her good form from Races 1 and 2 to take home a silver in race three and the gold on race four.

Fellow Aussie Elizabeth Lambert improved across the weekend, finishing 16th and ninth in race three and four respectively.

The men’s event impressed onlookers, with a host of international skiers lining up against some strong Aussie talent.

The Australian men were unstoppable, taking out five spots in the top 10 in race three: Robbie Morrison third, Anton Grimus sixth, Doug Crawford seventh, Lee Rolls eighth and Alfred Wenk ninth.

Race four saw some similar results for the men, the Aussies again taking out five top ten spots, Robbie Morrison remaining the strongest of the group and improving on his race three results to finish in second place.

Crawford outperformed Grimus taking out sixth position, Grimus seventh, Rolls eighth and Wenk ninth.

Kennedy-Sim said the Hotham track was a good challenge that suited athletes at all levels of the sport.

"It was a good challenge for myself and the other World Cup athletes," Kennedy-Sim said.

Listen to more of Sami's thoughts below:

https://www.instagram.com/tv/B2QBi26lx0d/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=dlfix

Aussie athletes achieved four podium places across the first four races of the FIS ANC Ski Cross held at Hotham on Tuesday 3 and Wednesday 4 September.

After finishing fourth in the first final, Sami Kennedy-Sim improved her standing on day thanks to aggressive racing which saw her cross the line in second position in Wednesday’s final.

Fellow Aussies Anton Grimus, Robbie Morrison and Doug Crawford also achieved some outstanding results over the competition.

Grimus said that despite the tough conditions, Doug and Robbie did a great job in making the finals after Race 1 and 2 respectively.

“It’s great to see the younger guys coming through the ranks and racing really well,” Grimus said.

“We had both soft and firm snow throughout the course which made it tricky.”

Canadians Marielle Thompson and Zach Belczyk took out the finals of Race 1 and 2 in the Women’s and Men’s Ski Cross races respectively.

Race 3 and 4 of the Ski Cross ANC will be held at Hotham on the weekend, Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 September.

Results

Final 1 Women’s
Marielle Thompson (CAN)
Zoe Chore (CAN)
Brittany Phelan (CAN)

Final 1 Men’s
Zach Belczyk (CAN)
Tyler Wallasch (USA)
Anton Grimus (AUS)

Final 2 Women’s
Marielle Thompson (CAN)
Sami Kennedy-Sim (AUS)
Brittany Phelan (CAN)

Final 2 Men’s
Zach Belczyk (CAN)
Tyler Wallasch (USA)
Robbie Morrison (AUS)

Dual Olympian Sami Kennedy-Sim has finished her 2018/2019 FIS Ski Cross World Cup season with two quarter-final appearances in Sunny Valley, Russia.

With back to back races over the weekend, the NSWIS skier finished 16th in her first race on Saturday. She then went on to improve her position by two places on Sunday with a 14th place.

After the races Kennedy-Sim said on Instagram she was looking forward to regrouping for the next season back in Australia.

“Not my best racing in Sunny Valley this weekend, actually not my best season.

“Looking forward to some sun at home and making a solid plan to have a chance at the crown again next year,” she said.

After the Sunny Valley event, Kennedy-Sim is in 15th place on World Cup standings, but will not be contesting the final event of the season in Veysonnaz, Switzerland, on March 17.

IMAGE - The course and finish area in Sunny Valley © FIS Facebook

Ski and Snowboard Australia

NSWIS Ski Cross athlete Sami Kennedy-Sim has had a strong weekend of competition in Feldberg, Germany, with two top 10 performances, including a season's best fifth place.

Kennedy-Sim made a positive start to the event, performing well in qualifying to advance though to finals for both days in seventh place.

On day one of competition, Kennedy-Sim won her quarter-final round, but unfortunatley placed fourth in the semi-final to miss out on advancing to the final medal round. In the small-final, Kennedy-Sim won her second heat of the day, to finish in fifth place overall, her best result of the season.

On day two, Kennedy-Sim narrowly missed out on advancing to the semi-final stage, finishing third in the quarter-final, giving her an overall placing of tenth.

After the race, a happy Kennedy-Sim commented on her performance.

"The racing at Feldberg was some of the tightest racing I have ever seen. Almost every heat had a photo finish."

"I am so happy with both my fifth and tenth place performances this weekend. I was skiing very fast all week and look forward to continuing racing next week in Sunny Valley, Russia."

After Feldberg, Kennedy-Sim is currently ranked 14th on the World Cup standings with three events remaining.

A number of SSA athletes were also in action in Feldberg, with Robbie Morrison making his World Cup debut in 52nd, Doug Crawford 54th and Lilly Speiser 26th.


IMAGE - Sami Kennedy-Sim (second from left) in a tight heat in Feldberg © FIS

NSWIS Ski Cross athlete Sami Kennedy-Sim has competed in her final World cup event before the World Championships, reaching the quarter finals and finishing in 12th place in Blue Mountain, Canada.

After bad weather caused the cancellation of qualifications, all competitors took part in head to head racing, with Kennedy-Sim advancing through the first round heat in second place. 

In the quarter-finals, Kennedy-Sim finished third in her heat, missing out on the top two required to move though to the next round, putting her in a final position of 12th.

After six races this season, Kennedy-Sim is sitting in 18th place on the Ski Cross World Cup standings.

The Ski Cross tour now heads to Solitude Mountain Resort for the upcoming World Championships in Utah, USA. Qualification takes place February 1, with finals the next day on February 2.

IMAGE - Sami Kennedy-Sim across the line first in one of the Ski Cross rounds in Idre Fjall  © FIS Freestyle

NSWIS Ski Cross athlete Sami Kennedy-Sim has made a strong start to her first events of 2019, placing 14th in the first event and eighth in the second event at the World Cup in Idre Fjall, Sweden.

After qualify for finals in 11th place, on day one Kennedy-Sim was unable to advance through the quarter-final found, to give her a ranking of 14th.

On day two, Kennedy-Sim had her best result of the season, winning her first round quarter-final to advance to the semi-final stage.

Unfortunately Kennedy-Sim was unable to advance to the big final, finishing fourth in both the final two rounds to end up in eighth place.

The Ski Cross World Cup tour now heads to Blue Mountain, Canada, the final stop before the 2019 World Championships.

IMAGE - Sami Kennedy-Sim across the line first in one of the Ski Cross rounds in Idre Fjall  © FIS Freestyle

Ski and Snowboard Australia (SSA) has today named a team of 16 for the FIS Junior Freestyle Ski & Snowboard World Championships 2018 that will take place in Wanaka, New Zealand from 24 August - 8 September 2018.

Australia has a proud record at the Junior World Championships and will be looking to bring home a swag of medals as they take on the top nations from around the globe.

The FIS Junior World Championships will form part of the Audi quattro Winter Games NZ which returns for its sixth edition in 2018.

Held at the impressive Cardrona Alpine Resort, the competition will feature freestyle ski and snowboard Big Air, Halfpipe and Slopestyle for both disciplines, Ski Cross, Snowboard Cross and Snowboard Parallel Slalom and Parallel Giant Slalom.

SSA Performance Pathway & Program Manager Benjamin Wordsworth said FIS Junior World Championships provides valuable experience for junior athletes to step up onto the international stage.

“I’m really happy with the team we’ve selected, across all the disciplines… I feel we have a strong side who’ll be able to match it with the best in the world.

“This is an important event in our performance pathway as it provides our young athletes the opportunity to compete on the world stage and gauge where they’re at against the top young athletes.

“Australia has experienced a lot of success at the Junior World Championships. Many of our top athletes like Scotty James, Alex Pullin and Jarryd Hughes, to name a few, all represented Australia at the Junior World Championships and have gone on to represent their country at the Olympic Games, senior World Championships and World Cups.

“We certainly believe the team we have assembled have the ability to achieve podium finishes when they line up Cardrona later this month,” said Wordsworth.

Congratulations to the following athletes selected in the Australian Team for the FIS Junior World Championships:

Snowboard Cross

• Emily Boyce
• Christina Taylor
• Finn Sadler
• Bryn Nicholas
• Carter Mills
• Alec Gordon

PGS

• Harvey Edmanson

Ski Cross

• Robbie Morrison
• Doug Crawford

Park & Pipe

• Howard Smith – Ski Slopestyle/Big Air
• Abi Harrigan – Ski Slopestyle/Big Air
• Mia Rennie – Ski Slopestyle/Big Air
• Tom Heffernan – Ski Slopestyle/Big Air
• Charles Beaton – Ski Slopestyle/Big Air
• Mable Mashburn – Ski Slopestyle/Big Air
• Eve Dowley – Snowboard Slopestyle/Big Air

Schedule
Freeski & Snowboard Big Air: 22 – 26 August 2018
Ski Cross & Snowboard Cross: 24 – 28 August 2018
Freeski & Snowboard Slopestyle: 27 August – 1 September 2018
Freeski & Snowboard Halfpipe: 31 August – 4 September 2018
Snowboard Parallel GS & Parallel SL: 4 – 7 September 2018

For tournament website visit: https://www.wintergamesnz.kiwi/the-games/

Sami Kennedy-Sim has ended her season with a career-best overall World Cup tenth place with 259 points. Her result has been a steady climb up the standings after finishing 12th in 2017, 14th in 2016 and 16th. Her first World Cup season was in 2009/10.

The World Cup Ski Cross Final in Megeve, France over the weekend did not provide the thrilling season finale athletes hoped for after increasingly bad weather forced organisers to cancel the event.

In the prize-giving ceremony under the falling snow in the finish were Sweden’s Sandra Naeslund earned both the ski cross and the Freestyle overall crystal globes for 2017/18. 

 “I was disappointed to not race and try to improve my world ranking but I am happy to have finished the season tenth overall. Conditions here have been challenging and the track suffered due to rain and snow,” Kennedy-Sim said.
 
After a long season the two-time Olympian is headed home to Sydney before tackling the 2018/19 season.

Two-time Olympian Sami Kennedy-Sim, who has been Australia’s leading Ski Cross racer for over a decade, has seen her sport grow internationally into a fierce battle ground.

Talented and determined athletes require every mental and physical skill to enter the combat zone in which four women go head to head over jumps and down features to finish first or second to keep alive any hopes of progressing to the next round.

There’s no prize for third until the very last race for the podium.

Kennedy-Sim, who has been a fixture in or near the top ten in the world for many years, placed eighth in the PyeongChang Games after a series of annoying 11th places in lead-up World Cups.

Last weekend in Russia, she improved on her Olympic result with a fifth and seventh in two tightly contested finals and is preparing for the World Cup Finals in Megeve, France this weekend.

A broken wrist strap on her ski pole at the start of her PyeongChang final’s race robbed the Sydney ski queen of an even better result and she has no doubts about going after a third Olympics.   
 
“Hell yeah,” Kennedy-Sim exclaimed when asked if she was continuing this week.  

“PyeongChang was definitely a step in the right direction. It’s taken me eight years to get here. I am definitely committed to continuing.”

Her struggle to get to her first Olympics in Sochi after suffering from a stroke is well documented and the now 29-year-old says she has grown as an athlete and a person.

“I had such an amazing Olympic experience in Korea. I learned a lot from Sochi and how I would do some things differently. I grew up,” she said.

“Olympics is not a World Cup. It’s a really special thing. You only get one shot and I wanted to make the most of the experience.”

“Watching other teammates and letting myself soak up the Olympic vibe was really important. In Sochi I tried to push it down and this time I was far more relaxed and far better prepared than four years ago.”

Is Kennedy-Sim a fighter? Hell, yeah (using her own words). From a life-threatening illness to competing in a cut-throat, sometimes vicious racing in a sport that is still emerging in Australia requires a tough-minded attitude, yet it’s the race in her head that she wants to conquer more than anything.  

“Honestly for me, even three weeks from Olympics to now, my biggest battle is between the ears.”

“My mental game really tends to be what lets me down, particularly in the last six to nine months. I’m looking forward to building that (her mental skills). If I can get that up to scratch, I will be all good.”

“It’s about fine tweaking, that’s I need to do.”

Kennedy-Sim knows she is better than good in the elite echelon of Ski Cross, yet as she talks openly and publicly about her competitive mental skill set and desire to step it up more, you can’t escape the feeling - as a bystander -  that she struggles with the idea of climbing her mental cliff, and that you would willingly stand beside her, or better still behind, and gently nudge her up the craggy, rock face called confidence.

“There are elements of my personality under pressure,” she muses. “And for me now it’s about the skills. It’s about minimising.”

“The Olympics were five full race rounds to stay in the game. I am looking forward to building on that more and having that bit more confidence. You only get that in races. That’s why I stayed on racing instead of going home.”  

Being a proud Olympian comes through in everything Kennedy-Sim says and forms her approach to the future.

“In the last year I’ve learnt that our sport is continuing to grow rapidly at the elite end and those experiences at that level you can’t buy. Seeing the way successful people operate.”

“It’s only the beginning of March and I’ve been in nine countries in three months watching how those successful people operate. Learning how and what makes the best tick. It’s about surrounding yourself with successful people.”

“I often try to make sure that I am setting an example. I want to be the most successful I can be. If you stand in your own way you’re never going to get there,” she states.  

The strength of genuine team feeling amongst the Australians in PyeongChang was highlighted by Chef de Mission Ian Chesterman and embodied by leading athletes such as Kennedy-Sim.

“Those days before the Closing are treasured and the ceremony itself tied us all together. The feeling of the team was so good.”  

“I think that the people that made the Olympic team were the bobsled guys and they really embraced the Olympic culture. They went to so many events for people they didn’t know.”

“They really were the glue and were relatively new to the winter sport. That was so important to the team. There was such good comradery.”

“So, for me, at 8am in the morning, I was up at their event.”  

“We are here for you. It is the Olympic spirit.”

“There will be a few people who retire and if this is a cultural set for our team, with so many young ones, what a great start!”  

Kennedy-Sim is a natural leader who is often involved in development programs in the domestic winters on the NSW and Victorian ski fields.

“I always aspire to be someone who can be sought out. Community engagement is important. I might fantasise about retiring but keeping going justifies everything for me. I want to be someone who instigates healthy change. That means I’m doing my job.”

There is one more event on her racing calendar for this season. The World Cup Ski Cross Final, which uses current world rankings and goes straight into racing without timed qualification runs and that’s just how Kennedy-Sim likes it.

“There’s no qualifications – just rankings seeding, which is good for me. It’s way better racing.”
 
The Ski Cross World Cup Final in Megeve, France will be held on Saturday, 17 March from 11.30pm (AEDT). You can follow live results here  and watch on Eurosport Australia. Check your local guides here
 
Belinda Noonan
OWIA

After finishing eighth at the PyeongChang Games, Ski Cross racer Sami Kennedy-Sim didn’t let up and has successfully contested the Sunny Valley double World Cups in Russia over the weekend.  
 
Demonstrating her strength in the sometimes brutal sport, Kennedy-Sim qualified fourth and fifth in the back-to-back races over two days, coming away with fifth and seventh placings in tightly contested finals.
 
Coming off the Olympic Games, many would expect that rest, recovery and time to chill would be a priority, but not for the Manly racer who is enjoying good form and intends to continue.
 
“I am proud to have continued on from my strong racing at the Olympics in Russia,” Kennedy-Sim said this morning after making the top eight in both World Cups in Russia.
 
“The track was in great condition and made for very tight racing, with photo finishes deciding the final heats. I led all but one heat in the past two days and am looking forward to racing in Megeve on March 17.”
 
World Cup race one was won by Fanny Smith (SUI), 2nd Brittany Phelan (CAN), 3rd Katrin Ofner (AUT), with Sami Kennedy-Sim in 5th. Race two was won by Sandra Naesland (SWE), Brittany Phelan (CAN), 3rd Fanny Smith (SUI) with Sami Kennedy-Sim in 7th.
 
“I now have nine days to rest and recover from a whirlwind few weeks before the World Cup finals kick off in Megeve, France,” she said.  

Belinda Noonan
OWIA

Dual Olympian Sami Kennedy-Sim has recorded her best result of the season after finishing eighth in the women's Ski Cross finals at Phoenix Park on Friday. 

While the 29-year-old said that it was "hard not to be disappointed" with her placing, the skier heads into her last remaining World Cups after PyeongChang confident and ready to fight. 

"That was a solid battle and it's a step up for me and the best result that I've had all season," she said.

"I'm going to continue building on this, I've got three more World Cups after this straight away so it's time for me to get my act together and keep producing these performances."

Canada dominated the podium, with compatriots Kelsey Serwa and Brittany Phelan winning gold and silver while Switzerland's Fanny Smith secured bronze. 

Prior to the finals, Kennedy-Sim spent time reviewing old footage from the PyeongChang test event. 

"I was looking for race footage from when we were here ... and all I could find was our qualifying footage so we decided to have a watch," she said.

"Two years ago I was still making small finals and getting similar results but I am so much better now than I was two years ago.

"Then talk about four years ago, six years ago, everyone is just stepping up in this sport and it is a pleasure to be part of it.

"To be one of the top girls in the world, that's sick and I hope that I can get other kids to come and have a crack, it's super fun!"

After the Sochi Olympian was guaranteed a spot in the quarterfinals due to Italy's Lucrezia Fantelli not starting, the Sydney native said that she was afforded an "extra training run" in her first heat of the day. 

"I just managed to knuckle everything down when it counted and get into the semi," she said.

"I skied the run that I've had on my mind the whole time I've been here and it finally came out on snow."

Misfortune struck the skier when her pole broke at the beginning of the semi-final. 

"Unfortunately I had a bit of bad luck in the semi-final to go through to the final breaking my pole at the start and getting stuck.

"Exercising my fitness and my strength by having got myself up the Wu-Tang which didn't feel very good."

While Kennedy-Sim was disappointed to have missed out on walking with her teammates in the Opening Ceremony, there was a sea of green and gold at Phoenix Park to cheer the Olympian on. 

"I've looked out in the crowd today and there's a big sea of yellow Aussie jackets here. That to me has summed up my Olympic experience, coming down in my first heat and just seeing so many Aussies, everyone cheering my name, that's amazing to have that support," she said.

"I'm really lucky to have my family here, some friends, some teammates but also my Ski Cross family.

"Our small team, we are a big family and we travel and spend way more time together than we do with our own families.

"I'm really looking forward to sharing today with them and being able to spend time with people and really relax a bit.
"In two days we pack up and it's business again."

 David Barden
olympics.com.au

Sami Kennedy-Sim has achieved a top 10 finish in seeding at the women’s ski cross competition at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang.

Predicted inclement weather forced organisers to move seeding from Friday to Thursday, with finals now scheduled for earlier in the day on Friday.  

Kennedy-Sim was sixth to go in the seeding round, crossing the line with a time of 1:14.97.

She finished ninth overall and 1.86 seconds off the pace, which was set by Canada’s Marielle Thompson.

The Sochi Olympian was happy to blow away some of the cobwebs and post a strong run.

“I had my worst run ever in training this morning, so to get those Olympic nerves out of the way was a good thing,” Kennedy-Sim said.

“My start was really strong but I’ve got some elements that I need to clean-up. Looking good going into a race tomorrow, it will be fun,” she said.

Kennedy-Sim knows she’ll need more than a strong start if she is to move through Friday’s finals.

“Always something I can rely on but on this track, we had quite a bit of passing in the training days and there was crazy passing yesterday in the men’s (event).

“Fair game, everyone has a bullseye on their back here.”

The 29-year old takes confidence from her previous Games experience.

“I learnt that anything can happen at an Olympics. The cool thing is you don’t have to worry about the qualifying run because you’ve already qualified. Takes the pressure of a little bit.

“Win lose or draw, if I can inspire a couple of kids at home to get off the couch and get active – that’s the best thing, that’s what the Olympics is about,” she said.

Women’s Ski Cross finals begin 9am local time (11am AEST) on Friday 23 February (Day 14). Kennedy-Sim will start in heat two in the round of eight finals. 

Finals consist of 1/8 finals, quarterfinals, semifinals, small final and big final. The competitors are placed in the heats of the first phase (1/8 finals) based upon their seeding. Each heat can have a maximum of four competitors with the first two competitors of each heat advancing to the next phase.

Michelle Cook
olympics.com.au

Dual Olympian Anton Grimus has missed out on progressing through to the quarterfinals of the men's Ski Cross on Wednesday after placing fourth in his eighth final heat at Phoenix Snow Park. 

The 27-year-old suffered a crash during his seeding run and went into the first final round with a sore shoulder which hampered his chances of finishing within the top two of the heat. 

While Wednesday's event has seen multiple crashes as each skier tries to be the fastest down the mountain, Grimus joked that he prefers it to the thought of having to compete in other freestyle skiing sports.

"Put it this way, I'd much rather do this than aerials," he said.

"I guess it's all a matter of if you're comfortable with what you're doing and we train day in, day out, off the snow and in the gym. We've got great support from our nation in that and, like anything, if you do it once, if you do it twice, you're going to get used to it.

"There's consequences -- especially on the big stage -- everyone's going hard, that's how it is."

With his PyeongChang campaign now over, Grimus said that he's looking forward to cheering on the remaining Australians who are yet to compete at the 2018 Winter Games, including teammate Sami-Kennedy Sim. 

"We've got a really close knit group," he said.


David Barden
olympics.com.au

The sun was out in full force at Phoenix Park on Sunday as Sochi 2014 Olympian Anton Grimus had his first official day of on-course training ahead of Wednesday's Ski Cross competition. 

The 27-year-old, who has had a rollercoaster of a season as scheduled events across Europe were cancelled or cut short, said that he was "stoked to be able to get some actual training on a course" before he makes his second Olympic appearance. 

"I'm fortunate that we've got three days here of training which is probably more than we've gotten at an event this winter," he said.

"It's a great course, matches up really well and from a safety aspect it's pretty good as well because you're never too high up in the air but the jumps are big. Sochi, the last jump was just insane - there was no room for error. But here, you can really just go full gas, trust in yourself and let it rip."

Despite having undergone two surgeries in the past 15 months, Grimus is heading into PyeongChang 2018 confident and with the knowledge that he can ski fast. 

"I just know I can do it."

"We've got a great team here, heaps of support, dietitian, physio, doc [and] coaches all around us.

"We'll be spending a bit of time at the computer seeing where we can go better and that ski tech will be making sure that our skis are fast.

"I've got full trust in everyone and we've got a great team with OWI [Olympic Winter Institute] and AOC [Australian Olympic Committee] has put up a really good show here for us and everything's organised I think better than any other team.

"We definitely have all the tools to be able to execute and it's great."

David Barden
olympics.com.au

SKI CROSS: Sami Kennedy-Sim has been selected to fly the flag at the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games as Australia’s sole competitor in the women’s ski cross event.

“I am so proud to be on my second Olympic Team! To share this experience with my friends and family will be the best,” Kennedy-Sim said.

The Manly-native made her Olympic debut four years ago at the Sochi 2014 Games and is now a seasoned athlete of the World Cup circuit with more than 91 starts under her belt.

Despite four years of competition against the world’s best athletes, Kennedy-Sim said it is her Sochi 2014 experience that will help her the most heading into her second Olympic campaign.

“I know what to expect now. The Olympics is so different to normal World Cup competitions.”

The 29-year-old’s debut Olympics proved difficult after she had some trouble in the qualifying run before showing glimpses of brilliance in her 1/8 final. However, Kennedy-Sim ran out of luck in the race and didn't progress, finishing the day ranked 28th.

Determined to improve from an opening campaign, Kennedy-Sim has come a long way in four years including two 12th place finishes at the 2015 and 2017 World Championships and a silver medal at the 2017 Idre Fjall World Cup.

“Four years older - four years wiser! I am more connected with myself as a person and athlete now then I was in Sochi.”

The women’s ski cross event will be the last Freestyle Skiing discipline to be contested at the 2018 Games, with Kennedy-Sim facing off against 32 competitors on Day 14 of the Games (February 23).

Kennedy-Sim, who married fellow Olympian Ben Sim (Cross-Country Skiing – Vancouver 2010) will head into the event knowing she’s raced on the Olympic course previously.

“We competed in Phoenix Park two seasons ago. The course is really fun and challenging so I am looking forward to getting back there,” she said.

Australia is also hoping to be reallocated a quota position in the men's event which will be confirmed later this week.
 
Ski Cross will be just one of five Freestyle Skiing disciplines at the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Games with athletes in Aerials, Moguls, Ski Halfpipe and Ski Slopestyle also vying for medals. Find out more about freestyle skiing at the Games HERE.
​
Ashleigh Knight
olympics.com.au

Two back-to-back competitions opened 2018 for the Audi FIS Ski Cross World Cup tour at Sweden’s Idre Fjall resort on the weekend with mixed results for the Australians amid another weather-affected event.

Saturday’s qualifying saw Sami Kennedy-Sim easily through as she has done every race, but going out in the quarter finals in World Cup 1, ending up with another 11th place. Sunday’s women’s finals were cancelled after the wind picked up, but by virtue of the qualifying time trials the previous day, Kennedy-Sim picked up her first top ten for the season.

Anton Grimus was not in the mix for World Cup 1, bowing out in the qualifying in 46th place, but bounced back in the second qualifying time trial with a much-improved 17th, booking himself into the eighth finals for the Sunday World Cup, where he came third.

“Idre was a tough one,” Grimus said. “The weather came in overnight with snow and wind.”

“The track was running a lot slower, so the girls were canned but the guys were able to manage without too many problems.”

Grimus had struggled for results until making the finals in the second World Cup in Idre, and is still wanting more after coming third in the opening final round and not moving through to the quarters.   

“I got out of the gate in fourth which wasn’t a bad situation to be in and I backed myself to get down the course.”
“One mistake up the top put me in a long landing and I kept pushing and made up some ground.”

“I just over pressed the jumps in the slow conditions and knuckled two or three jumps leading into the flat section, which wasted my speed away and didn’t have enough down the bottom to make the pass and ended up in third place.”

“(It’s) a bit disappointing. I wanted a lot more from myself in this race. The track was a track that suited me but I didn’t have a clean enough run to make it happen… but onto Nakiska now,” he said.  

Sami Kennedy-Sim, who wants to break this season’s 11th place hoo doo, did make it into the top ten for the second World Cup by virtue of the qualifying time trials.  

“We’ve got a lot of wind, fresh snow and poor conditions,” Kennedy-Sim said on Sunday night after the second World Cup for the women was cancelled.

“At first it was postponed and I didn’t get a training run. It looked like we would proceed (to the finals) and then they cancelled the comp,” she said.

Staying healthy and injury-free was uppermost in her mind.

“If they had run the comp I would have withdrawn. The men’s race was in pretty bad conditions and if they were having trouble, it would have been worse for the women. They made the right decision for the safety of the athletes. Today wouldn’t have ended well.”

Kennedy-Sim was frustrated with Saturday’s World Cup result.

“I’m disappointed I didn’t make the top eight. This track is notorious for drafting. I tactically changed to be behind and draft.”

“I executed well and my race plan for the first half of the event was all good. I was able to overtake and then I went long on a jump and I got rotated. It was a near crash.”

“It was disappointing for me to have another 11th. The result on paper was another 11th but it was a photo finish. Things are starting to come together.”

“Whilst I’m happy with the decision to cancel the second World Cup, I would have liked to be able to race. I wanted to do well for our ski technician Martin Palacios for his birthday!”

Grimus and Kennedy-Sim, along with all the Ski Cross World Cup tour athletes, coaches and technicians will travel to Nakiska, Canada for the last competition on January 20 before PyeongChang.

“Let’s hope the bags come too,” Kennedy-Sim quipped. “The entire tour is on that flight.  It’s a busy and exciting time.”
 
 

The December weather that plunged the Ski Cross World Cup tour into an endless ‘start-stop’ challenge is hopefully only a memory as the season restarts in Idre, Sweden on Friday this week.

Australia’s two best Ski Cross athletes, Sami Kennedy-Sim and Anton Grimus are buckling down for the remaining World Cups in Sweden and Canada before PyeongChang with coach Shawn Fleming saying that Idre provides ‘a good replica’ of the end section for the upcoming Games.

“The PyeongChang start will be slightly different from what we were on before (at a previous event), but the rest is the same. There are good opportunities for passing in the second half,” Fleming said.

“For us coming into Idre – it’s good practise because there’s a lot of passing at the end. The last half in PyeongChang is dead straight and you could be at the back and pass all the way to the front. It’s not done until you at the finish.”

Sixteen women will qualify to the final rounds in Idre and Fleming says Kennedy-Sim has pace.

“Sami is skiing up there for pace with the best of them. Really, for her, it’s just buckling down and staying composed.,” he said.  

“She is definitely someone who builds on her confidence and that’s the key.”

“December was the first European winter in a long time that was start stop. The programs were continually altered and that was tough for everyone. In Montafon, there was only one training run and then step in perform right away on a one and half minute course.”

“Sami definitely recognises that the lack of continuity has made it hard and owns some of the silly mistakes. The results were 11th, 11th,11th. Just give us something other than 11th,” he said.  “The small final is just as attainable as the big final when there is only four.”  

“We get the 11th and can see the trend. It’s not that we’re not as good or as fast. The trend gives us a really clear position to know where to go. We need to do a better job putting it together in that one run and then it’s fair game.”  

“There’s an element of luck in a sport like Ski Cross. It requires mental toughness and can switch day to day.”

“Ninety percent of what Sami does ninety percent of the time is right. Now it’s finding another five per cent.”

The Idre track suits Kennedy-Sim and is the location that delivered a World Cup podium and bronze medal last year.  

 “She likes the track at Idre. We’re hoping the weather looks good for the double then we are off to Nakiska (in Canada), a quick break and a final training camp before PyeongChang.”

Anton Grimus is looking for the edge and has been training with the Americans. He will want to be inside the top 32 skiers to go through the eighth finals.

“I’m fairly confident he’s going to make it and be going in to the Games. Of course, you’d want to see results,” Fleming said.

Grimus had knee surgery in June to ‘clean up’ a previous surgery in January and is all good to go.

“It’s (the knee) not 100 percent but not a limiting factor in his skiing. He’s a competitor and wants to do well.”

Currently Grimus sits outside the top 32 for Olympic qualification but Fleming says that, “with adjustments to entry allocations he should be OK for PyeongChang.”

The Idre World Cup qualifications begin with the men at 9pm, Friday evening (AEDT). The first World Cup finals on Saturday start at 9pm (AEDT). The second World Cup kicks off at 10pm on Sunday, 14 January.

Follow OWIA on Twitter for all the action. Check out the www.owia.org for a full report and watch the finals LIVE on Eurosport Australia
 
By Belinda Noonan
OWIA

Cancelled races and delays took a toll on the six-event in sixteen days Cross Alps Tour this month with three races being either abandoned or decided by qualification runs only.

The Cross Alps Tour, a tour within the broader World Cup schedule, wrapped up last night in Innichen, Italy with Australia’s Sami-Kennedy Sim finishing 11th in the race and 13th in the Cross Alps rankings.

Anton Grimus placed 33rd in the time trial qualification of 53 men, one place short of the final line World Cup line up and 43rd on the Tour rankings.

Kennedy-Sim says she is happy, albeit frustrated with another 11th place.

“We lost a couple of the races due to weather and the results were just qualifying times, not racing. It was hard to get momentum,” she said.

“I’m happy to be having elements of high performance in place and to be racing.  

“The work pre-season, physically and on the mental game, has been good. The elements are all there and it’s nice to see things progress. Now it’s about putting it together.”

“I’m glad to have things to work on. That would be boring if I didn’t. I love the fight and I will keep fighting.”

“Everyone is stepping up (ahead of the PyeongChang Games),” Kennedy-Sim explained. “More people have come up from Europa Cup but there is still about 35 girls in each World Cup.”  

Kennedy-Sim will return home for two weeks to “recharge” before the tour starts again on January 12 in Idre, Sweden.

Anton Grimus will also take advantage of the break to further strengthen his chances of making the  top 32 to qualify for the PyeongChang Games. Grimus, who underwent knee surgery twice earlier in the year is currently ranked 34th.

The poet Robert Burns’ saying goes that ‘the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry’.
 
Such has been the challenge for the Audi FIS Cross Alps Tour with bad conditions having affected the Ski Cross World Cups in the first three locations (Montafon, Arosa and Val Thorens), that better race weather is now high on the athletes’ wish list.
 
NSWIS Ski Cross athletes Sami Kennedy-Sim, currently ranked 11th in the world, and Anton Grimus, ranked 37th, are among those hoping for kinder skies in Innichen, Italy for the fourth World Cup tour stop.
 
Coach Shawn Fleming agreed that the start to this season has been challenging but that conditions were looking good going forward.  
 
“Italy is looking great, although I don’t want to jinx us!” Fleming said. “The weather forecast is looking fairly stable especially compared to what we have had to deal with so far through the Cross Alps Tour.”
 
“The track is ready and our first day of training is tomorrow.”


Mentally preparing for race day for events to then be called off presents its own set of challenges.
 
“Everything has been challenging thus far in the season in regards to creating any normalcy or finding some momentum,” Fleming said.
 
“It has been a season of ‘hurry up and wait’. At the end of the day we know and accept this as a part of outdoor winter sport and all athletes and nations are affected equally.”
 
“We try are best to prepare the athletes for the long days of waiting on hill and making sure they have strategies to pass the time although it then becomes a challenge to ‘fire up’ after long hours waiting.”
 
“Montafon was a very unique event due to scheduling and weather and in the end the entire event consisted of one training run and then straight in to heats with no qualification.”
 
“All-in-all it was three hours on one morning and very challenging on athletes to perform with such little time to adjust to the track.”

Anton Grimus, who is looking for Olympic qualification points and to build his confidence after losing much of last season, is happy so far and was able to begin strongly at Val Thorens last week in the eight-final.  
 
“Anton’s knee has been holding up quite well and he is definitely been able to preform day in and day out,” coach Shawn Fleming advised. “He is being treated regularly by our physio to make sure no sneaky issues arise and so far things are looking very positive.”
 
Sochi Olympian Kennedy-Sim, who has regularly been inside the six in World Cups – including a silver in Sweden earlier this year, is after race readiness to fine tune the necessary split-second decisions, saying she “can’t wait to get back in the start gate”.
Two back-to-back World Cups will be raced in Innichen, with qualification for Ladies and Men  scheduled for Wednesday, 20 December then finals on 21 December and again on 22 December.


 
You can follow the live updates HERE and on OWIA’s Twitter account HERE. Eurosport will be broadcasting the Innichen Ski Cross World Cups on 21 December at 11.30pm (AEDT) and 22 December at 11.30pm (AEDT).
 
 
 
 

There was more bad luck lined up for the 2017 FIS Ski Cross Alps Tour on Tuesday night in Arosa (SUI), as the second competition in a row was forced to be cancelled due to the inclement weather that has been hovering over the Alps for the past week.

The qualification round for the Arosa competition took place in the early afternoon on Tuesday after heavy winds forced the its postponement from Monday. And though that successful qualification round and a spirited public heat selection soon after it carried great promise into the evening, the sudden onset of a heavy snowfall threw everything that the organizers and officials could handle, and more, and after four challenging heats of the men’s eight finals the decision was made to call off the rest of the competition.

However, because the qualification phase of the competition was completed successfully for both men and ladies, according to FIS rules a final result was able to be rewarded to based on the qualification rankings.

The rankings from qualification saw NSWIS athletes Sami Kennedy-Sim in 11th place with team-mate Anton Grimus in 37th place.

After two Cross Alps events, Kennedy-Sim is in 11th place and Grimus 33rd place on the tour standings.

From Arosa, the 2017 FIS Ski Cross Alps tour moves on quickly to Montafon (AUT), where the next competition of the tour is slated to take place on Friday 15 December.