Snowboard Spotlight With Josie Baff: A New Hunger for Success

Each month the Snow Australia Snowboard Committee will put the spotlight on an Australian Snowboard athlete to learn more about them as they train and compete around the World. This month we hear from Josie Baff on how her hunger for snowboardcross drives her to be the best.

The season of 2020, I was 16 years old, my first year on the national team as an NSWIS scholarship holder, and I was heading into the Youth Olympics.

Without many FIS races under my belt, I wasn't really sure how my riding was compared to international competitors. I went into my first European Cup in France with very low expectations of where I would place. However, after qualifying the first day and finishing 3rd the next, I knew what I was capable of. Nevertheless, I knew I would have a lingering sense of disappointment if I fell short of what I believed was possible.

Throughout my childhood, snowboarding was no exception. My desire to do well translated into anything I set my mind to in all my day-to-day activities; school, other sports, relationships with friends, family, and community involvement.

If I was to do anything, I was going to do it well, and I wasn't going to settle for anything less.

I trace this hunger to my experience in ski racing. I grew up ski racing from a very young age and credit a lot of my drive and love for routine to this. Being the competitive sport it is, we were taught that nothing would be handed to us. If we wanted to make it, we would have to work harder than everyone else to achieve it.

The 2021/22 season was my first complete World Cup circuit, and as much as I felt it was a great debut season, I flew home with slight dissatisfaction.

Competing in my first year on tour at 18 was so much fun yet slightly overwhelming. I am one of the youngest on the circuit, and believing that my riding can measure up to women who have been dominating the circuit for years is one of the most challenging parts.

But, to be the best, you must believe you can beat the best.

So, over the past five months, this has been my main priority, believing that I can perform and be competitive on a world stage, race in, race out.

So far, I have fallen in five of my seven World Cups at some stage of the competition; whether that is qualifications, quarter-finals, or semi-finals. However, I am oddly grateful that my first season panned out this way.

By falling shy of my expectations, I have accidentally created this burning fire inside me that is driving me to a newfound hunger for competition. With that, the consistent falling is obviously something that needs to change, and I believe it will start in my head. If I truly, and wholeheartedly believe that I can finish in the top 8, or whatever it may be, at every race, I will rise to my expectations and execute performances that I am happy with.

This belief and confidence stem from good preparation. Since returning home, I've been having a lot of fun working on my riding and ensuring my body is ready to handle the stresses of constant traveling, competition and training.

We are two weeks from leaving for Europe, and I can confidently say I feel a lot more prepared physically and mentally for the season ahead. I'm absolutely loving the time with the team and enjoying all things boardercross.

With the start of the competitive season just around the corner, I am ready to hit the ground running. I couldn’t be more excited to compete again, head-to-head with the world's best. Bring on the 2022/23 season!

Josie Baff :)