Julia Murray

Motto:

"Put your head down and go for it"

The Rundown

Nicknames: "Jules", "Dovebird", "JMurr"
D.O.B.: December 23, 1988
Place of birth: Vancouver, BC
Where you grew up: Whistler, BC
Current hometown: Whistler, BC
Where you train: Whistler, BC is my home base for training. But we ski in the southern hemisphere as well as local Mountains of British Columbia.
Website/Blog: www.juliamurray.ca

EQUIPMENT

Skis: Atomic
Boots: Atomic
Poles: Gabel
Helmet: Giro
Goggle: Oakley

Headgear:

Shoulder Patch:

Current international standing and recent results:

Current World Cup Point Ranking: 4th
2009 World Cup Point Ranking: 11th
2009 FIS Point Standings: 11th

2010

Race date	Place	Nation	Category	Discipline	Position	Points
23-02-2010	Cypress	CAN	Olympic Games	Ski Cross	12	220.00
24-01-2010	Lake Placid	USA	World Cup	Ski Cross	DNS
20-01-2010	Blue Mountain	CAN	World Cup	Ski Cross	10	260.00
13-01-2010	Alpe d'Huez	FRA	World Cup	Ski Cross	4	500.00
09-01-2010	Les Contamines	FRA	World Cup	Ski Cross	2	800.00
05-01-2010	St. Johann i.T./Oberndorf	AUT	World Cup	Ski Cross	3	600.00

2009

13th - World Cup Finals, La Plagne, FRA
3rd - World Cup, Meiringen, SUI
18th - World Cup, Grinewald, SUI
10th - World Championships, Inawashiro JPN
7th - World Cup, Branaes, SWE
9th - World Cup, Myrkdalen-Voss, NOR
5th - World Cup, Cypress Mt. CAN
4th - World Cup, Lake Placid, USA
12th - X Games, Aspen, USA
21st - World Cup, Flaine, FRA
31st - World Cup, Les Contamines, FRA
29th - World Cup, St. Johann, AUT

2008

1st - Jeep King of the Mountain tour, Sun Valley, USA
4th - FIS World Cup, Meiringen, SUI
1st - Europa Cup, Sierra Nevada, ESP
7th - Jeep King of the Mountain tour, Squaw Valley, USA

One On One With...

What are your goals for 2010?
All of my life I have grown up skiing on the mountains of Whistler/Vancouver. To know I have the chance to compete in the Olympic games held on my home turf opens up a field of opportunities for me. I automatically broaden my goals. First of all my goal is to make finals in every race coming up to the Olympics. This will lead to my goal of being selected for the Olympic team. The next step is to compete for the gold medal in the Whistler/Vancouver 2010 Olympic games with my teammates in front of my family and friends.

How did you get into your sport (i.e. other Olympians in family?)
I started skiing when I was 2 years old. My mother got me on skis as early as possible. Skiing is in my family. My Father, Dave Murray, was a "Crazy Canuck" downhill ski racer. He went to the Olympics twice in his career as a skier, once in Innsbruck and another in Lake Placid. My Mother, Stephanie Sloan, was a three-time World Champion freestyle skier. She competed in all 3 events: Moguls, Aerials, and Ballet skiing. I ski raced all through high school and took the year after to dedicate to my alpine career. The next spring, I was invited to a ski cross camp. It was a ton of fun. I kept getting invited back to selection camps over the summer and fall of 2007. I eventually got named to the Canadian National Ski Cross team.

Describe a bit about your hometown, about how you got started there in your sport.
Whistler is full of world-class athletes as well as all round active people. Whistler has so much to offer, so to grow up in Whistler without being active is out of the question. I always want to make use of the mountains, either on a powder day or for training. Throughout high school I was in a program that allowed me to miss a couple of days of school per week so I could train more on the hill. This made for a more challenging high school experience, but also allowed me to gain more and more experience on skis, which definitely pays of now.

How were you supported by your community growing up?
My coaches, family and friends all supported me through my skiing and schooling. Whistler, being such a small community, is great for developing athletes. People of the community always follow what local athletes are up to and support them however they can. I constantly have people interested in what I am doing. I get congratulatory comments whenever I see people I know, which makes me want to do even better.

What is it about your hometown that inspired you in your sport?
My Father made a great mark in the Whistler community. Even after his death in 1990 from melanoma, people will always remember him as an amazing person. I am constantly reminded of him through fellow locals in my community. Everyone knows of who I am and lets me know how much I am like my father. The Olympic downhill run is named after my father (Dave Murray Downhill) and every day after skiing through my entire life, that was my last run down the hill to home. I would race my Mother down it and eventually, after just a few years, I started winning.
The fact that everyone in Whistler takes advantage of the mountains also inspires me to continue loving the sport I live for.

How were you impacted by where you grew up?
My Father made a great mark in the Whistler community. Even after his death in 1990 from melanoma, people will always remember him as an amazing person. I am constantly reminded of him through fellow locals in my community. Everyone knows of who I am and lets me know how much I am like my father. The Olympic downhill run is named after my father (Dave Murray Downhill) and every day after skiing through my entire life, that was my last run down the hill to home. I would race my Mother down it and eventually, after just a few years, I started winning.
The fact that everyone in Whistler takes advantage of the mountains also inspires me to continue loving the sport I live for.

How would you describe yourself?
I am an outgoing positive person who tries to make the best of any situation. I don't take anything for granted. Over the past 20 years of growing up in an athletic, healthy town, I have learned to take advantage of the outdoors and live a healthy life. I always like to meet new people and hear different stories of their lives.

What is one of the biggest challenges you've faced in reaching your goals in this sport?
One major challenge was the decision of whether or not to keep skiing, or go to University. I have made the best of both worlds. After the season of ski cross last year, I attended the University of Victoria for an accelerated spring semester. I have definitely made the right decision to commit myself to my number one priority of skiing to my potential.
Other than that, it is just simple: the harder I work, the more it will pay off.

What do you consider of one of your biggest accomplishments to date?
My biggest accomplishment was last season winning the Sun Valley Jeep King of the Mountain race competing against fellow World Cup skiers. Another large accomplishment was last years final World Cup in Meiringen, Switzerland in which I placed 4th.

What other interests do you have outside your sport?
I like mountain biking, road biking, running, and swimming in the lakes around the Whistler area.
Over the summers I spend a lot of time on Hornby Island (one of the gulf islands). I make full use of the sandy beaches and ocean. I love beach volleyball on a chill sunny day. I love camping, campfires and being with friends and family when I'm at home.

A quote from a mentor about their chances in 2010 or a description of what they're like as people
"I got the opportunity to work with Julia quite a few times over the years, from her time with Alpine to her time with the Canadian Ski Cross Team, and she is one of those quiet workers that rarely shows the emotion that is inside of her. She is always the one with a smile and when there's a job to be done, she buckles down and goes after it. This past season I had the opportunity again to work with Julia on the road and she is an incredibly pliable athlete and, as her results show, she is getting stronger and more confident as we near the Olympics." - Eric Archer, Canadian Ski Cross Team Head Coach

Links:

http://www.ctvolympics.ca/search/results.htmx?q=julia+murray
http://thestar.blogs.com/olympics/
http://www.ctvolympics.ca/freestyle-skiing/news/newsid=15755.html
http://www.thestar.com/sports/olympics/article/696363
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgLvEaEJqhM