10.26.09-CANADIAN SKI CROSS ATHLETES POISED TO OFFICIALLY LAUNCH NEWEST WINTER OLYMPIC SPORT.

Calgary, AB (October 26th, 2009)

  

Canada to field 13 athletes on World Cup with focus on growing sport across country.

 

Canada’s medal-winning ski cross athletes are back at home and hard at work in the gym after having just finished an intensive training camp at Farnham Glacier near Radium, BC. The 2009-2010 season is an important year for the team due in part to the Olympics but it also marks a season of unprecedented exposure for the team. Being the newest sport in the Olympic Family, ski cross is certain to garner a lot of attention for the entire season.

The sport of ski cross combines the thrill of freestyle skiing with the competitive rush of alpine ski racing. Ski cross pits four athletes against each other as they race down a technically-demanding course that features artificial and natural rollers, jumps, banked turns and tabletops. Athletes navigate the course at speeds upwards of 70km/hour in a single elimination format. The fastest two skiers to complete the course advance to the next round of competition in this thrilling spectator-friendly race. 

“Our goal is to showcase ski cross as the coolest winter Olympic sport in Canada. Having the sport’s Olympic debut at home presents a tremendous opportunity for us to ignite a passion for ski cross in the hearts of all Canadians,” said Cam Bailey, President, Canada Ski Cross, whose organization symbolically staged its official launch meters from the finish line on Cypress Mountain – the venue for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. “This is where it starts for us. Winning an Olympic medal at this venue is an extremely powerful tool for us to give the sport the credibility it needs to build a solid foundation from which to develop the next generation of athletes, and engage future partners from corporate Canada.”

Loaded with medal potential, Canadian Ski Cross athletes have captured medals at World Championships, World Cups, and X-Games since they began competing on the international circuit two years ago, thanks in large part to the organization’s founding corporate sponsor Carscallen Leitch LLP, and the recent additions of Cold-FX and Westminster Savings.

“Each of these players, along with Own the Podium, have graciously invested in our dream, and play a critical role in providing the financial fuel needed to successfully launch the sport, and achieve excellence on the international stage,” said Bailey. “Every additional resource we are able to access is the difference between finishing on or off the podium, and ultimately, propelling more youth across the country into our sport.

“We are extremely grateful for all of the generous financial support received from our partners, and we will be looking to build on this solid foundation by engaging additional members of corporate Canada on our exciting journey to ensuring our athletes have access to all of the tools essential to delivering podium performances,” he said.

Canada Ski Cross is pleased to announce 13 athletes to its World Cup team, from which selections will be made later this season as to who will blaze the Canadian trail at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

Leading the way on the talented women’s team is Ashleigh McIvor, of Whistler, B.C. McIvor, who is pre-selected to be named for the 2010 Olympic squad, was the 2009 World Champion and finished second at the World Cup on Cypress Mountain last winter. McIvor will be joined by four other women on the national team including: Aleisha Cline, of Squamish, B.C., who finished first at the 2009 World Cup on Cypress Mountain; Julia Murray, of Whistler, B.C., who is looking to follow in the footsteps of her parents who were both high-performance athletes by qualifying for the Olympic Games; Kelsey Serwa, of Kelowna, B.C., who was the 2009 Rookie-of-the-Year on the World Cup; and Calgary’s Danie Poleschuk, who is one of the rising stars in the sport having found her way into the top-15 on a regular basis last year, rounds out the women’s team.

On the men’s side, it is Calgary’s Stanley Hayer who headlines the team of eight athletes loaded with medal potential. Hayer, who is the team captain and one of the pioneers of Ski cross in Canada, finished first at the X-Games in 2009 and captured the silver medal at the World Cup on the Cypress venue last year. 

Other athletes on the men’s team includes: Chris Del Bosco, of Vail, Colorado who won the World Cup event last season at Cypress Mountain en route to finishing second overall in the 2009 World Cup standings; Davey Barr, of Brackendale, B.C., who completed the podium sweep at Cypress with this teammates; Cam Culbert, of North Bay, Ont.; Dave Duncan, who now resides in Golden, B.C., third-year veteran, Brian Bennett, of Whistler, Brady Leman, of Calgary; and Toronto’s Nick Zorcic.

“Our team of athletes have been dreaming of this opportunity to represent our country for years, and we are looking to put our sport in the spotlight for all Canadians to enjoy,” said Hayer. “This is a unique group of athletes that continues to push harder each day in an effort to put the Canadian maple leaf on the international podium, and inspire more Canadians to get involved and try our unique and thrilling sport.”

Canada’s Ski Cross athletes will kick-off the 2009-10 World Cup season, December 21-22 in San Candido, Italy. All athletes will be building on last season’s results as they compete head to head for a prized spot on the Olympic Team. Every World Cup start becomes paramount as we move closer to the final selection race held on January 20, 2010 at Blue Mountain Ski Resort near Collingwood, Ontario.

Canada Ski Cross will officially name its 2010 Olympic Team in a press conference to be held in the days following the Collingwood World Cup.

For more information on the Canadian Ski Cross team, check out the "About Ski Cross" tab at the top of the site.