Freestyle Community Update - February 2024

Dear Freestyle Community,

The 2024 FIS World Cup Freestyle Mogul season has so far been one for the Freestyle history books! Jakara Anthony at the highlight stop of the World Cup tour in Deer Valley has won her 11th World Cup event of the season. This brings her career World Cup wins to 19 eclipsing one of the all time greats and two time Australian Olympic medallist in Dale Begg-Smith who achieved 18 World Cup victories. 11 World Cup wins in a season also equals the record set by American legend Hannah Kearney. With three World Cups remaining in Kazakhstan and Italy in March who knows what might be next!

I think that is appropriate at a historic moment like this to recognise where Australia as a Freestyle nation has come from since the first Olympic event in 1992. In the mid 90s having Australians achieve World Cup top 16 finals was what was considered significant by our sport leadership. Hats off to the OWIA, NSWIS, Snow Australia and Club programs for what has been achieved across the board during this remarkable period.

Also of significant note was the first World Cup podium for Cooper Woods with a 2nd place at Waterville in late January. Following Woods’ Olympic top 6 Super final appearance this has been brewing! 

Jakara is going to need to allow for additional baggage after the last event in Italy in March as she will be bringing home at least two Crystal Globes!

The last time the FIS Aerial and Mogul World Cups were staged in Deer Valley in February 2023 Australia dominated proceedings with Women’s and Men’s Single mogul victories to Jakara Anthony and Matt Graham. This was quickly followed by Danielle Scott winning the Womens Aerial World Cup jumping one of the best triple jumps by a female athlete in the history of the sport scoring 115 points. This proved hard to match this year in difficult changing conditions.

These wet and slow conditions limited the Aerial World Cup for men and women to double somersaults only for the safety of the athletes. Despite the challenges Danielle Scott and Abbey Wilcox both climbed onto the podium in second and third respectively. Two Australian flags on the same World Cup podium always warms the heart!

Womens FIS Aerial World Cup Standings are:

Laura Peel has decided to take some time off to recharge prior to the start of the Olympic qualifying season starting in December 2024. With three events left we wish Dani and Abbey all the best in the remaining World Cups. Lets hope Dani can bring some more FIS Crystal back to Australia in 2024!

The NSWIS Australian Development Mogul team have been training in Winter Park since late November. The training camp was highlighted by the US Selections event in Winter Park in mid December.

Australian results below:

These athletes will now compete in four NorAm Single Mogul and Dual Mogul events during February and early March. The team have just finished competing in the Single Mogul event in Deer Valley. The Dual Mogul event will be taking place tomorrow.

See results below:

Moguls - Women

Moguls - Men

Dual Moguls - Women

Dual Moguls - Men

Congratulations goes to Lottie Lodge and Edward Hill in representing Australia in Dual Moguls for the first time ever at the Youth Olympic Games in Korea. Lottie created history by winning a silver medal in Dual moguls with Ed Hill narrowly missing the top for semi finals. Ed and Lottie also finished in 7th place in the new event format of mixed team Dual Moguls.

The Snow Australia Emerging Talent Program has also been based in Winter Park Colorado since early January under the coaching of Ethan Topalovic and Paris Speirs. The first of two Rocky Mountain Freestyle events was held at Winter Park over the weekend. Fantastic to see promising results at this level of competition from our Australian group of Emerging Athletes. An outstanding achievement to Talia Manns and Eliza Peake for winning the Single Moguls and the Dual Moguls respectively. The work done in this area greatly impacts the possible success and transition of ETP athletes into National team institute athletes in the future.

Also great to see several of our club program athletes training with Northern Hemisphere mogul programs during the Australian summer holidays. Work that will certainly assist their skill development leading into the upcoming Australian winter at their home clubs.
Many of our athletes if not already will soon be home to return to school and get back into club water ramp and gym over the coming weeks. Wishing all of our athletes the best of success for the remainder of the 2024 FIS season.

David Speirs
Freestyle Committee Chair

Read full update

In this edition:

• Anthony breaks Australian record for most career mogul victories
• Double Aerial podium for Australia in Deer Valley
• Lottie Lodge wins Winter Youth Olympic Games Silver
• Historic moguls results for Anthony and Woods
• EOI - FIS Freestyle Junior World Championships
• NSTC Preseason FUTURES Camp
• Watch World Cups Live with Snow Live x FIS.TV

Images courtesy of Chris Hocking/OWIA, OWIA Coaches, AOC and Ethan Topalovic