1983 - 2005 - Canadian Freestyle Ski Association

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Freestyle’s 2006 Olympians Living up to the expectations… In 1994, the Canadian Freestyle Ski team attended the Olympic Winter Games in Lillehammer Norway. It was the first time that both aerials and moguls were included as full Olympic disciplines, and Canadians were poised to bring home the hardware for Canada in this new fully-adopted winter Olympic sport, and Canada’s best Freestyler’s did not disappoint. 21 year-old Jean- Luc Brassard collected gold for Canada on the opening day of the Games, and captured a nation with his humble yet infectious enthusiasm. One day later, Freestyle collected two more medals for Canada, when Phillipe LaRoche and Lloyd Langlois captured silver and bronze respectively in the men’s aerial event. Three medals and 5 top-6 performances sent a message to the Canadian public and the Canadian media that this was a team that was capable shining on the world stage. So it’s nothing new to the Canadian Freestyle Ski team to go into an Olympic Games considered a medal favourite…in the wake World Championship success, the pressure is always there. Take Nagano in 1997; the Canadian Freestyle team amassed 5 World Championship medals in Olympic disciplines on the site of what would be the Olympic Games the following year. This kind of preliminary success can set what some may deem a dangerous precedent going into an Olympic year. 1998 was met with disappointment as Canadian and international favourites such as Nicolas Fontaine, Veronica Brenner and Jean- Luc Brassard all failed to deliver on the one day where it mattered most. 2002 produced two Olympic medals in women’s aerials, (Veronica Brenner – silver and Deidra Dionne – bronze) but Canada’s known strengths, being men’s aerials and moguls, fell short with Ottawa’s Jeff Bean placing 4th in aerials, and Prince George’s Scott Bellavance being Canada’s top male mogul skier Fast forward to 2006, and Canadian freestyle team members yet again find themselves in a position where they are proven as elite international competitors…be it veteran’s like Deidra Dionne who has achieved not only World Championship medals, but an Olympic bronze in 2002, or Jeff Bean who’s controversial 4th place finish at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games only fuelled the fire to prove to the Freestyle judging community that he belongs upon the podium. He did so last year in Ruka Finland at the 2005 World Championships. Bean was the silver medallist behind Canadian teammate Steve Omischl, who captured the 2005 World Championship title after an almost unprecedented season in 2004 where Omischl utterly dominated men’s aerials on the international stage. Canada’s female mogul skiing phenom Jennifer Heil is faced with her own expectations as well as those of the Canadian public. Heil is by far the greatest female mogul skier ever to come out of Canada, and has unarguably established herself as the top female mogul skier in the world for the past two years. At the age of 18, Heil missed a bronze medal in Salt Lake by one one hundredth of a point, and has since dominated women’s moguls. Relative 4
newcomer Marc-André Moreau landed himself with a silver medal at World Championships last year, and both Stéphanie St-Pierre and Kyle Nissen medalled at the 2005 Torino test event, where they’ll be skiing for Olympic gold this February. The question now is how do these athletes, who are achieving such success on a seasonto-season basis, parlay their experience, talent and passion into Olympic gold? There are many opinions about how to prepare for the Games as a medal favourite. Four-time Olympian and 1994 Olympic gold medalist Jean-Luc Brassard lends his own insight. “It’s important not to let the expectations of others become your own,” says Brassard, reflecting on his own Olympic experience. “The biggest mistake you can make is feeling the pressure when people keep telling you ‘Bring home the Gold!!’ Those words get in your head, and suddenly you’re not performing for yourself anymore.” 2005 World aerial Champion Steve Omischl, who was less than satisfied with his 11th place finish in Salt Lake in 2002, is looking to capitalize on Brassard's theory of keeping it in perspective. In 2002, Omischl knew he was capable of being on the podium, and focussed all his energy on the end result. “I was so determined to be on the podium that I forgot to pay attention to what mattered most, which is ultimately the performance. This time, I know what I’m capable of, and I know that if I just go out there and trust in my own ability, everything else will follow as it should,” said Omischl. 2002 Olympic silver medallist, Veronica Brenner, who in her own words claims she “choked” in ’98, points specifically to preparation. “Don’t treat it like any other competition…because it isn’t! As soon as you get there, you realize it’s a different animal.” Living up to the expectations… “As an aerialist,” says Brenner, “you have 6 seconds. If you hesitate or doubt yourself, it’s over….so you better have a plan, and you better be ready.” And perhaps no-one is more ready than Jennifer Heil. In the past few years, Heil has strategically positioned herself to be physically and mentally ready for the biggest competition of all. In 2003, she took a year off competition to heal and strengthen her body, and complete a year of university studies. She has surrounded herself with a strong support network of people who are able to provide her with the tools she needs to be at her best. So far, this dedication to high performance has paid off, as Heil has dominated women’s moguls for the last two years. What remains to be seen is if Freestyle’s talented crew can take their week-by week World Cup success and turn it into Olympic medals. Only time will tell. 5
Page 3 and 4: TABLE OF CONTENTS Provisional Calen
Page 5: MESSAGE FROM THE CEO Peter Judge Wi
Page 9 and 10: Canada Freestyle Olympians Moguls A
Page 11 and 12: counter the twisting skis — with
Page 13 and 14: Lingo • DD: Degree of difficulty.
Page 15 and 16: The next wave - Moguls Audrey Robic
Page 17 and 18: Athlete Biographies - Canadian Free
Page 39 and 40: COACHING STAFF MOGULS Bob Aldighier
Page 41 and 42: NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT TEAM 2005-06 F
Page 43 and 44: RESULTS 2004-2005 Canadian Team Res
Page 45 and 46: OLYMPIC CHAMPIONS 1988 - 2002 Mogul
Page 47 and 48: WORLD CUP CHAMPIONS 1983 - 2005 Mog
Page 50 and 51: Corporate Supporters / Commanditair

1983 - 2005 - Canadian Freestyle Ski Association

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