Eight retiring athletes recognised with the Snow Australia medal during the 2022 Award night

The 2022 Snow Australia Awards night held in Melbourne last week was also an opportunity to pay tribute to eight snowsports athletes who decided to retire after the 2021/2022 season.

Para-alpine skiers Mitch Gourley and Mel Perrine, para-alpine guide Bobbi Kelly, mogul skiers Sophie Ash, James Matheson, Taylah O’Neill and Brodie Summers, and ski cross athlete Sami Kennedy-Sim were all presented with the Snow Australia Medal during the gala event, in recognition of their Games participation, service and outstanding achievements in snow sport.

“[To retire] wasn’t an easy decision,” said Sami Kennedy-Sim, three-time Olympian and Australia’s flag bearer during the Beijing 2022 closing ceremony. “I loved being an athlete and the opportunities that being a winter sport athlete has provided me with. It's so unique, I got to travel the world and meet amazing people.”

Kennedy-Sim was presented the Snow Australia Medal by alpine skiing legend Steve Lee, one of only three Australian skiers ever to claim victory on the Alpine World Cup circuit.

“Skiing is a sport for life - not just for athletic pursuit,” Kennedy-Sim later added in an Instagram post, making her retirement official to the public. “I can’t wait to continue to inspire my communities and share the love of this amazing sport with others. To have Steve Lee present me with the Snow Australia medal was a true honour.”

Beijing 2022 Chef de Mission Kate McLoughlin was also in attendance at the Snow Australia Awards, presenting the Snow Australia Medal to the three most recently retired Paralympic athletes.

“Surreal, I think that’s probably the best word I can use that encompasses everything that my career has encapsulated,” said para-alpine skier Mel Perrine, the most decorated Australian winter sport Paralympic athlete with two Paralympic bronze medals and 12 World Championship medals, including four golds.

The four-time Paralympian went on saying that she was glad to walk out on her own terms, something that she had always wanted to do.

“I’ve been lucky to be blessed with an amazing career. It had everything that an athlete can expect and I was so lucky to end with an amazing campaign where I got to show the skills that I still have and that I am still competitive at World Cup and Paralympic level.

“And all this together with my awesome guide. She’s fantastic,” Perrine said, referring to her sighted guide Bobbi Kelly, standing by her on stage.

“Thanks to everyone who was on this journey with us, and to Mel, who’s been great to ski with. It’s an honour to be able to call her a friend for life,” Kelly said.

Four-time Paralympian and 2017 World Champion in the para-alpine Super Combined Mitch Gourley said he is ready to take on a new challenge in sport administration and he is looking forward to his new role as an elected member of the IPC Athlete Council.

“I guess it’s been a really long career and there have been some amazing highs and amazing lows in there, as with anyone. The real highs were obviously the people I met and learnt from along the way,” Gourley said.

Four of the eight members of the moguls team who represented Australia at the Beijing Olympics also announced their retirement and were presented with the Snow Australia medal by former mogul skier and two-time Olympian Manuela Berchtold.

In recognition of the great camaraderie within the team, all athletes remarked how being part of the Australian moguls squad over the years felt like being in a family.

“Retiring at 27 is weird, but to be able to grow up with these people from such a young age and go to the Olympics with them is such a cool thing,” said James Matheson. “That doesn’t happen very often in a lot of other sports. That family culture is very special and I will always remember it.”

“It’s the accumulation of all those moments shared with all those people that played a part in some way, shape or form along the journey. Those are the things I really cherish,” echoed three-time World Cup medalist Brodie Summers.

Retiring at just 25, Sophie Ash is leaving the sport after realising her dream of competing at the Olympics with her sister Gabi, who’s a member of the aerials team.

“I am just so happy to be out here with my team and share this with everybody,” she said.

Asked about whether she felt more sad or excited about the future, two-time Olympian Taylah O’Neill said she did feel a bit sad after being with the team since she was 13 years old.

“It’s been quite a journey with everybody. At the same time, we’ll be together forever. We’ve formed a pretty good friendship and even though we’re going our separate ways, we’ll stick together in the future and we’ll be there for each other,” she said.

Snow Australia CEO Michael Kennedy congratulated all the retiring athletes, saying it was a pleasure to acknowledge their careers and welcome them to the exclusive Snow Australia medal club.

“The aim of the Snow Australia medal is simple. It’s to recognise and celebrate those athletes that have represented our sport and our country at the highest level, and ensure their contribution is enshrined in our history,” he said.

Over 60 Snow Australia medals have been presented since the launch of the project in 2020, with more snow sport athletes to be recognised at other Snow Australia official functions over the coming months.