Aussies headed to first park & pipe World Cup events for season

   
Images: Jess Rich | Russ Henshaw

This September, Cardrona Alpine Resort will see a not-to-be-missed spectacle with the NZ Winter Games taking place at the resort from 25 August to 10 September.

A strong international field will compete in freeski and snowboard slopestyle World Cup and a freeski and snowboard halfpipe World Cup, which will provide an opportunity to earn early season FIS points for Olympic hopefuls.

Australian athletes such as skiers Russ Henshaw and Ryley Lucas, and snowboarders Jess Rich, Tess Coady, Emily Arthur and Matt Cox will be heading over to start their 2018 Olympic Winter Games campaign.

They’ll be up against a strong Kiwi contingent with the obvious advantage of competing on their home mountains.

Henshaw is relishing the current conditions on the NSW snow fields from his home base in Jindabyne, getting in as much training as he possibly can ahead of the first slopestyle event at the Winter Games.

“My main goal is to stay healthy. Last season I came home achieving what I wanted to achieve – and that was to be injury free.” He told the OWIA.

Henshaw’s career has included a World Championship silver and bronze, an XGames podium and four World Cup medals but it is a second Olympics that is a driving goal.

“I’m feeling pretty confident (of qualiyfing). My absolute main goal is to stay healthy,” he said. “I will be doing everything in my power to go into PyeongChang healthy and ready to go.”

After the World Cup in New Zealand Henshaw will compete in two more of the World Cups during the coming season to qualify inside the top thirty for PyeongChang next February.

The women’s events will also see a strong challenge from competitors, with dual Junior World Champion Tess Coady out to back up her successful 2016-17 season, and Jess Rich who is upping her game this season after learning a few things from 2016-17.

“Last season for me was mostly trying to figure out what will make the world’s best in competition and experience,” Jessica Rich told the OWIA.

“I was trying a lot of different approaches. I realised I needed a coach for certain aspects and other things I could do on my own.”

“I didn’t have a coach last year, so that’s what I did learn. I need one. On comp day it’s really good to have a second set of eyes and someone to talk to. You aren’t going to be changing anything technically.”

“Having someone to tell you where the course is running is important.”

Rich came away with a ninth place at the World Cup in Quebec and plans to train in Australia as long as she can before Big Air events which begin in November in Copenhagen.

Rich will also compete at Thredbo’s One Hit Wonder in September.

See the schedule of events for the NZ Winter Games www.wintergamesnz.kiwi/2017-sports-schedule/

Alexandra Rouse
Ski & Snowboard Australia

Video: Jess Rich gets ready for World Cup season 2017-18 in Perisher's Park