Latest News
- Canadians take Gold and Bronze in the Men’s Halfpipe at the Freestyle World Junior Ski Championships
- Edmonton’s Keltie Hansen on Slopestyle podium at FIS Junior World Championships, Gunning fourth
- Strong Canadian team heads to Junior Worlds
- 2011 Canada Post National Championships locations announced
- Skill transfer
- Men’s mogul team in the summer
- Omischl takes on the challenges of coaching
- Still in contention
- National Team stars coach on the Blackcomb Glacier, summer 2010
- CFSA appoints new Membership Services Coordinator
Archives
Archive for February, 2010
Canada’s Ashleigh McIvor wins first Olympic Ski Cross
Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010
Our congratulations to Ashleigh McIvor for her golden performance in today’s inaugural Ski Cross! Go Canada Go!
McIvor with her 2009 FIS World Championship gold medal
Steve, Kyle, Warren all qualify for Aerials final
Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010
On a nerve wracking night of qualifying all three Canadians qualified for Thursday night’s Olympic Aerials finals. Steve Omischl, Warren Shouldice and Kyle Nissen all put it together when it counted. Omischl and Shouldice downgraded their difficulty and both executed beautiful lay/double full/fulls on their second jump to secure their spots.
Nissen’s quadruple twisting second jump almost cost him but he saved his landing on the very soft landing hill.
Two of the favourites failed to advance as both World Cup winner Anton Kushnir of Belarus and 2006 Olympic Champion Han Xiaopeng of China crashed on their second jumps.
It was a great night of jumping, and a great night for the Canadians!
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Warren Shouldice
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Steve Omischl | Kyle Nissen |
Gauthier and Heil, living positively
Sunday, February 21st, 2010
Vancouver, B.C. – The Canadian Freestyle Ski Association congratulates two-time Olympic medallist, mogul skier Jenn Heil and her coach Dominick Gauthier for receiving today’s Coca-Cola Living Positively Award.
Coca-Cola says the award is “designed to celebrate individuals and organizations who live out the positive ideals of the Olympic Games in their everyday lives, in their work, in their goals and in their interactions with others.”
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Dominick Gauthier and Jenn Heil
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Heil and Gauthier were recognized for their role in B2ten – an organization that prides itself on connecting the private sector with amateur sport toward the betterment of society.
B2ten was born out of the support Heil received going into the Torino Olympic Games, where she won gold. Today it provides assistance to 24 amateur athletes including National Freestyle Team members and Olympic gold medallist Alex Bilodeau along with teammates Steve Omischl and Stéphanie St-Pierre.
Coca-Cola has also recognized Heil’s contributions outside of sport, including her role as a spokesperson for Plan Canada’s ‘Because I am a Girl’ campaign. She said, “I am honored to be recognized by Coca Cola for Living Positively. I feel so privileged to have benefitted from B2ten; it made the difference for me and now for many others. There is much more that we can achieve both through B2ten as well as other community affairs initiatives and I intend to contribute time and energy to these efforts on an increasing basis in the years to come.”
Gauthier has supported Heil all along her journey, both on and off the field of play.
“Hard work and passion are two necessary components required to make an athlete an Olympian. These same qualities are necessary to exact change in society,” said Gauthier, adding, “Through them we see that in realizing one’s dream one can excite a nation”.
For more information, please contact Canadian Freestyle Ski Association Media Relations Manager Kelley Korbin at: kelleykorbin@freestyleski.com.
An incredible Olympic weekend
Monday, February 15th, 2010
The Canadian Olympic Mogul team were absolutely brilliant this weekend. First the women competed on Saturday night under horrible weather conditions but rose to the occasion.
Jenn Heil staged a heroic defence of her Olympic crown, qualifying in second position and then putting down a superb run in the finals. All she could do after that was to watch to see if Hannah Kearney from the US could top it. And top it she did with the run of her lifetime earning the gold.
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Alex Bilodeau, Olympic Gold Medallist;
Jenn Heil, Olympic Silver Medallist |
So a silver, and Canada’s first medal of the 2010 Olympics, and a thunderous acknowledgement by the huge crowd of Canadian fans, for Jenn. As one of the spectator signs so accurately read: “Jenn Heil = The Real Deal”.
In what was a surprise to many, but not to those in the know, 18-year-old Chloé Dufour-Lapointe had the performance of her brief career, and served notice that she will be one of the main contenders for Olympic gold in 2014, by placing fifth.
And Summerland, BC’s Kristi Richards placed fourth in the qualifications but fell after her first air and finished 20th in the finals. But showing her true spirit she put on a show for the fans by getting her skis back on and then executing a huge back full jump on the second air.
It was all exciting stuff and served to build even more excitement for the men’s competition on Sunday. And what a night it was…
By now you all know the outcome – but it bears repeating:
Rosemère, Quebec’s Alex Bilodeau ended the frustration Canada has felt about never winning a gold at a Canadian hosted Olympics. With an absolutely outstanding run with two huge airs, some of the best technical skiing ever seen, and with blistering speed Alex was the OLYMPIC CHAMPION.
Pictures of celebrating fans at Cypress Mountain, in downtown Vancouver and across Canada were thrilling to see. Alex created Olympic history on Sunday and all of Canada cheered.
The night didn’t belong only to Alex – in a demonstration of the depth and talent of the Canadian team Vincent Marquis missed the podium by the narrowest of margins finishing fourth; Pierre-Alexandre Rousseau thrilled everyone with his fifth place finish; and Maxime Gingras completed an outstanding evening with his eleventh place finish.
Congratulations to all our athletes, to the coaches and support teams who prepared them so well, to their families and all our sponsors who provided the means and support necessary to compete at this level on the world stage.
And a note of congratulations and thanks to VANOC and the technical crews who built a fabulous course under the most trying of conditions.
What a weekend!
Freestyle’s Biggest Fans Entry: Thunder Bay
Friday, February 12th, 2010
Opening Ceremonies Festivities Kick Off With Big-Air Celebration to Cheer On Olympians
Thursday, February 11th, 2010
MEDIA ADVISORY
Opening Ceremonies Festivities Kick Off With Big-Air Celebration to Cheer On Olympians
Featuring the Flying Canucks, the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games mascots and a giant 5.3 metre high mailbox
| What: | Just hours before the Olympic Flame enters BC Place Stadium, General Mills and Canada Post will host Vancouver’s premier pre-Opening Ceremony party to cheer on Canada’s Olympians at the Vancouver Mail Processing Plant, 349 West Georgia Street. This will be the “place to be” before the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games officially begin, featuring an Olympic-sized salute to Canada’s athletes. The traffic-stopping event will include: appearances by Olympians Dominique Vallée (Snowboard), Jeff Bean (Freestyle Skiing), and Emmanuel Sandhu (Figure Skating); sky-high performances by the Flying Canucks, Canada’s elite freestyle aerialist team; a special visit from two of the official mascots of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games; and the world’s largest mailbox. Commemorative “signature” red t-shirts, created in partnership with the Canadian Olympic Committee and featuring autographs of athletes, will be given away as fan keepsake |
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Why: |
This public celebration marks the culmination of the CHEER campaign, a cross-Canada outpouring of support and enthusiasm mounted by General Mills in partnership with Canada Post. The CHEER campaign invited Canadians to write messages of encouragement on postcards, pre-paid courtesy of Canada Post, found on specially-marked Cheerios boxes. The CHEER cards were then collected from across the county and delivered to Canada’s Olympic and Paralympic Teams by Canada Post. The “Cheer Wall” –a collection of “Cheers” from across the country – will be unveiled as part of the festivities, and will be on display in front of the Canada Post Vancouver Mail Processing Plant for the duration of the 2010 Winter Games. |
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Visuals: |
Personifying the Olympic Spirit, the Flying Canucks’ performance will offer unique, one-of-a kind aerial stunts by past and future Olympians. Reaching jaw-dropping heights off the trampoline, the Flying Canucks will perform outstanding acrobatic skiing, snowboarding, and freestyle “big air” manoeuvres, all in synchronization to the high energy beats of a dynamic soundtrack. Two giant CHEER Postcards, with messages of goodwill, will be delivered to Olympians Dominique Vallée, Jeff Bean and Emmanuel Sandhu. |
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Who: |
Photo and interview opportunity with: - Dominique Vallée, Olympian (Snowboard) - Jeff Bean, Three-Time Olympian (Freestyle Skiing)& Member of the Flying Canucks - Emmanuel Sandhu, Olympian (Figure Skating) & Three Time Canadian Men’s Champion - The Flying Canucks aerialist team - Representatives from Canada Post and General Mills Canada about the importance of ongoing support for our athletes |
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When: |
Friday, February 12, 2010 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. |
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Where: |
Canada Post’s Vancouver Mail Processing Plant 349 West Georgia Street (in the retail parking lot facing Georgia Street, under the “Let’s Go Canada” banner) Vancouver, BC |
For more information or to secure an interview, please contact:
| Brendan Bailey Optimum Public Relations, Vancouver P: 604-647-2985 E: brendan.bailey@cossette.com |
Lillian Au Canada Post P: 604-662-1388 E: lillian.au@canadapost.ca |
Examples of “Cheer” Postcards from across the country (high resolution images available upon request):
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Tougas and Guérin go three, four at Gabriel NorAm
Sunday, February 7th, 2010
STE-ADÈLE, Que., – Geneviève Tougas of Saint Hubert, Que., surprised herself with a third-place finish at Sunday’s eight-nation NorAm freestyle ski competition at Ski Mont Gabriel. The 22-year-old aerialist was preparing to pack away her skis and watch the medal ceremony when she learned she’d reached the podium.
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Geneviève Tougas
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“I didn’t know until they called my name because I really don’t watch the scores when I’m competing,” said Tougas, who was coming off a 6th place finish here Saturday.
“I really liked this NorAm because there was so much competition,” added Tougas, whose World Cup career best is 11th. “It wasn’t just Americans and Canadians. It didn’t feel like a NorAm, it felt more like a little World Cup,” said Tougas.
She didn’t try her more difficult double-twisting double flip, which she has struggled with lately. But she scored 153.50 points with two easier jumps, a lay tuck and lay full. That left Olympians Tanja Schaerer of Switzerland second at 163.79 and Elizabeth Gardner of Australia the winner at 175.56.
Sabrina Guérin of Laval, Que., nearly landed her second jump, then fell, en route to placing fourth in 147.98. Australian Lydia Lassila, who has won two World Cups this season, fell on her two jumps to finish sixth.
Inspired by a star-studded men’s aerials field, national development team skier Travis Gerrits of Milton, Ont., produced a career best score of 191.00 to place ninth. He was recruited into freestyle skiing’s Jump 2010 program a few years ago after a history in trampoline, gymnastics and alpine skiing. He aspires to shine at the 2014 Olympics.
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Sabrina Guérin
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On Saturday, while jumping against some of the world’s best aerialists, Gerrits said he just wanted to land two clean triples and produce a personal best score. He did just that with a single-twisting triple flip and a double-twisting triple.
Nicolas Fontaine, a four-time World Cup overall champion and head aerials coach for Canada’s national development squad said of Gerrits, “He’s a good skier, a good acrobat and he’s got talent.”
The winner was Anton Kushnir of Belarus, winner of four World Cups this season, with a score of 249.48. It was a Belarusian medal sweep as Dmitri Dashinski took second in 248.73 and Alexei Grishin third in 246.93.
Gerrits’ development squad teammate, Jonathan Vellner of Red Deer, Alta., was 13th in 170.04.
For more information, please contact Canadian Freestyle Ski Association Media Relations Manager Kelley Korbin at kelleykorbin@freestyleski.com.
CFSA’s Freestyle’s Biggest Fans Contest
Sunday, February 7th, 2010
Freestyle Ski Clubs from across Canada showed their true colours (red and white of course) and proved they are huge fans of the Canadian Freestyle Ski Team!
The winners of the CFSA’s Freestyle’s Biggest Fans Contest are set up for an epic Olympic celebration party with draw prizes from Columbia, fun party supplies from RBC and Canada Post, and a Pizza Party courtesy of the Canadian Freestyle Ski Association!
And the medals go to:
1. Central Alberta Jumps and Bumps AB
2. Équipe de ski acrobatique Val Saint-Côme, Qc
3. Tie! Fortune Freestyle, ON / Saskatoon & Table Mountain Freestyle Clubs, SK
Check out the top entries at freestyleski.com in the Club Zone!
Saskatoon & Table Mountain Freestyle Clubs, SK
Dual medals in dual Moguls at Killington
Sunday, February 7th, 2010
Aerialists face tough competition at Ski Mont Gabriel
Teenagers Mikael Kingsbury of Deux Montagnes, Que., and Justine Dufour-Lapointe of Montreal both rallied from crashes in their semi-finals to capture bronze medals in NorAm freestyle ski action in Killington, VT Saturday.
Kingsbury, 17, continued his medal-winning streak by collecting his fourth medal in his last four NorAm moguls starts. He won his previous three, all single moguls events, including Friday’s NorAm here.
Then he qualified first in Saturday’s prelims to advance to the round of 16 in dual moguls.
Kingsbury won his first two duals of the afternoon. However, he failed to reach the gold-medal final after crashing in his semi-final against Zak Watkins of the U.S.
Kingsbury lost some speed control late in his semi-final. That forced him to downgrade from a D-spin to an easier back layout on his second jump, but he still crashed.
Kingsbury was a convincing winner in the race for bronze over David Digravio of the U.S.
“I watched my speed and did my same run as usual, with big air,” said Kingsbury. “I’m pretty happy with all my results. Maybe this will give me a chance to earn some World Cup starts.”
With four medals in four NorAm starts, Kingsbury figures consistency is a key to his recent success.
Peter Judge, CEO of the Canadian Freestyle Ski Association commented that he’s “extremely excited about the level of results as we look for the next generation of athletes moving towards 2014.”
The gold medal went to Friday’s silver medallist, Jeremy Cota of the U.S., leaving the silver for Watkins.
Other Canadian male finalists were Arnaud Laurin-Landry of Montreal, Simon Pouliot-Cavanagh of Quebec City, and Marc-Antoine Gagnon of Terrebonne, Que.
Justine Dufour-Lapointe, the 15-year-old sister of World Cup skiers Maxime and Chloé Dufour-Lapointe, took a hard fall in her semi-final against Junko Hoshimo of Japan. However, she rallied to win her bronze-medal dual over Aspen Witt of the U.S.
Eliza Outtrim of the U.S. won for the third time in her last four NorAm starts, leaving the silver medal for Hoshimo.
Other Canadian female finalists were Béatrice Bilodeau of Rosemère, Que., Alexandra Dufresne of Lorraine, Que., and Julie Bureau of Lac Beauport, Que.
Meanwhile, in Ste-Adele, Que. the Canadian Aerial Development Team faced some tough international competition in its NorAm. Geneviève Tougas of Saint-Hubert, Que., placed sixth, for the top Canadian placing in Saturday’s wind-blown, eight-nation NorAm freestyle ski competition at Ski Mont Gabriel.
She scored 140.60 points to finish one place back of 2006 Olympic aerials champion Evelyne Leu of Switzerland.
After scoring a solid 78.59 points for her opening jump, Tougas had trouble with her second jump.
“The wind was bothering me a lot. It was everywhere, sometimes a tailwind, sometimes a headwind, sometimes from the side,” said Tougas, whose best World Cup showing this season was 11th at Deer Valley last month.
“I should not have thought about the wind so much, and just focused on what I had to do.”
The five aerialists ahead of Tougas will all compete at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games, including winner Assoli Slivets of Belarus. She scored 172.47, while Australian Lydia Lassila, one of the Olympic medal favourites, missed one of her jumps en route to a second-place 169.19. Third went to Elizabeth Gardner of Australia in 159.65.
Other Canadian women were Sabrina Guérin of Laval, Que., in 11th and Laurence Allard-Riendeau of Montreal in 13th.
“This is really good for our young jumpers,” said Nicolas Fontaine, head aerials coach for Canada’s national development squad, of the heavy international entry for this NorAm event. “It’s always really motivating for them to be around world-class athletes.”
Olivier Rochon of Gatineau, Que., who’s nursing a sore hip injured last week, was the top Canadian male. He was ninth in men’s aerials with a score of 206.48 while competing with downgraded jumps.
David Morris of Australia won the men’s aerials with a score of 242.82. Past Olympic silver medallist Dmitri Dashinski of Belarus was second in 239.56. Dashinski’s teammates, 2010 World Cup overall aerials champion Anton Kushnir, was third in 226.38.
Travis Gerrits of Milton, Ont., was 12th after trying a pair of triple somersaults in competition for the first time. He scored 184.95. Next Canadian was Jonathan Vellner of Red Deer in 16th place.
Aerial NorAm competition continues tomorrow with a second multi-nation event at Ski Mont Gabriel.
For more information, contact CFSA Media Relations Manger Kelley Korbin at kelleykorbin@freestyleski.com
Kingsbury hat trick
Friday, February 5th, 2010
Deux-Montagnes native wins third gold in as many starts
KILLINGTON, Vt. – Mikael Kingsbury of Deux-Montagnes, Que., continued his domination of men’s moguls on the NorAm freestyle ski circuit Friday. He collected his third-straight win after starting the season with a solitary bronze medal in his NorAm portfolio.
“He’s a phenomenal jumper, and he’s improved a lot since last year,” said former World Cup skier Jim Schiman, one of Canada’s national development team coaches. “He’s putting down big jumps and he has made a lot of technical gains.”
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Mikael Kingsbury
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Winning back-to-back events in Lake Placid a week ago buoyed his confidence entering the first of two moguls’ events here.
“Every year I’ve improved a little more,” said Kingsbury, 17, who tries to pattern some of his technique after Canadian-born Australian mogul skier Dale Begg-Smith who is a medal favourite at the 2010 Olympics.
Kingsbury finished second in the preliminary round Friday before improving his jumps in the final.
“I was watching all the guys and saw some good runs with fast times, so I knew I had to ski well,” said the 140-pound Kingsbury. “It’s one of the best runs I’ve ever done,” he added after polishing up his jumps – a back-twisting flip and an off-axis D spin – in the final.
“Mikael is an awesome skier. He just rips all the courses,” said team-mate Cédric Rochon of St-Sauveur, Que., who placed third.
It was Rochon’s first career NorAm medal after producing a World Cup personal best of 10th in Lake Placid last month.
“I’m really happy with the way I’m skiing,” said Rochon, 19. “I’ve improved a lot and I want to continue to improve and go faster.”
Rochon’s score was 23.83, leaving Jeremy Cota of the U.S. second in 24.75 and Kingsbury leading at 25.28.
Rochon, Kingsbury, Eddie Hicks of Whistler, B.C., and Philippe Marquis of Quebec City will also be forerunners for men’s moguls at the Vancouver Olympics.
Other Canadian men in Friday’s final were Hicks in fifth, Marc-Antoine Gagnon of Terrebonne 10th, Marquis 13th and Simon Pouliot-Cavanagh of Quebec City 15th.
In women’s moguls, the Americans swept the podium as Eliza Outtrim’s score of 23.15 left Heidi Kloser second in 22.98 and Allison Digravio third in 22.84.
Canadian World Cup skiers Audrey Robichaud of Quebec City, Maxime Dufour-Lapointe of Montreal, and development squad member Béatrice Bilodeau of Rosemère, Que. took fourth, fifth and sixth respectively.
“I skied okay,” said Robichaud, after scoring 22.37. “I made a couple of mistakes in the morning that I fixed for the finals. I wish I did better, that’s for sure, but I’m mainly here for training.” Robichaud won two medals – a gold and a bronze – in last week’s Lake Placid NorAms.
Other Canadian finalists were Alexandra Dufresne of Lorraine, Que., in 12th, Alex-Anne Gagnon of Terrebonne, Que., 13th, and Julie Bureau of Lac Beauport, Que., 14th.
Action resumes with dual moguls Saturday, and Aerial NorAms from Ski Mont Gabriel on Saturday and Sunday.
For more information please contact Media Relations Manager Kelley Korbin at: kelleykorbin@freestyleski.com.
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Please note, our pre-Olympic news conferences are as follows:
MOGULS
When: Monday, February 8, 2010; 11:15 a.m. PT
What: Media availability with Canada’s Olympic Mogul Team
Where: BC Media Centre, Robson Square – 800 Robson, Vancouver
Who: Jenn Heil (Spruce Grove, AB and Montreal, QC)
Kristi Richards (Summerland, BC)Chloé Dufour-Lapointe (Montreal, QC)
Alex Bilodeau (Rosemere, QC)
Vincent Marquis (Quebec City, QC)
Pierre-Alexandre Rousseau (Drummondville, QC)
Maxime Gingras (St-Hippolyte, QC)
Team Coaches
CFSA CEO Peter Judge
CFSA High Performance Manager David Mirota
AERIALS
When: Friday, February 12, 2010; 10:00 a.m. PT
What: Media availability with Canada’s Olympic Aerial Team
Where: Main Press Centre (apologies but only accredited media can attend this venue, if you are unaccredited and would like a post-conference phone call from an athlete please contact us and we will try to accommodate your request)
Who: Veronika Bauer (Toronto, ON)
Steve Omischl (North Bay, ON and Kelowna, BC)
Warren Shouldice (Calgary, AB)
Kyle Nissen (Calgary, AB)
Coach Daniel Murphy
CFSA CEO Peter Judge
CFSA High Performance Manager David Mirota