Provisional XC Team Named

The provisional Cross Country Skiing National Teams for 2017-2018 have been released by SSA XC, the cross country committee of Ski & Snowboard Australia.

Jessica Yeaton, Barbara Jezersek, Phillip Bellingham and Callum Watson have been invited to join the World Cup Team based on their results over the past year. These four athletes are also the front-runners for selection to the Australian Team at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. An additional six athletes are invited to join the Continental Cup and U23 Teams, a number of whom are also in contention for Pyeongchang. The full provisional team list is available in PDF format below. Team selection is subject to acceptance of the team invitation by the athletes.

National Teams 2017-2018 – Provisional Selection

Ten athletes are invited to join the Junior Team, including several new faces. The 2018 World Junior/U23 Championship will take place in Goms in Switzerland at the end of January, and it is expected that an Australian Team of up to 5-7 athletes will compete.

The training base for the Australian Team this coming northern winter is Davos in Switzerland, the home town of Head Coach Valerio Leccardi. Athletes will start to assemble in Davos from mid-November, with a World Cup also there on December 9-10, and the Junior Team arriving around Christmas for a training block through to mid-January.

Progress through the season can be followed on the AUSXC website and also via @AUSXC on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Support for the team is welcome via donations for athlete expenses via the XC Towards 2018 project, and all skiing enthusiasts are welcome to attend the Cocktail Party and fundraising evening in Melbourne on October 13.