Canadian freestylers come home in style

Chloé Dufour-Lapointe

Sainte-Adèle, QC; March 18, 2008 – With their baggage full of FIS Crystal Globes, the Canadian Freestyle Ski Team athletes returns to Canada to wrap up their season at the Canada Post Freestyle National Championships at Ski Mont Gabriel this weekend.

The Canadian team had some great success in all four disciplines of freestyle skiing this year – moguls, aerials, half-pipe and ski cross – winning the coveted FIS Nations Cup as the top freestyle country on the FIS World Cup for the third year in a row.

Other season-ending highlights included:

Steve Omischl of Kelowna, BC earning a second crystal globe as the overall leader in the men’s FIS freestyle standings. This was added to the crystal globe he won for leading the FIS aerials standings after an incredible year that included six gold medals and two other podiums in nine starts this year.

Steve Omischl

Chloé Dufour-Lapointe of Montreal, QC won the FIS Crystal Globe as women’s rookie of the year after a breakthrough year with three top-ten results.

Red Deer, Alberta’s Matthew Hayward and Sarah Burke from Squamish, BC, won FIS Crystal Globes topping the year-end Half-pipe standings.

Vincent Marquis of Quebec City placed third in the overall men’s mogul standings.

Kimberly, BC’s Stan Hayer was third in the men’s ski cross standings.

At Ski Mont Gabriel this weekend Canada’s mogul skiers and aerialists will be competing for National titles, with development team skiers and top provincial team athletes challenging this year’s World Cup team members for supremacy.

Friday’s event is single moguls; Saturday is aerials; and Sunday is dual moguls – all finals will start at 1:15 pm and admission is free.

posted March 18, 2008