Women of Winter | Zoe Dent
Published Tue 18 Jan 2022
We continue our Women of Winter series this month with the very accomplished and influential Zoe Dent.
Zoe’s journey on the snow started as a free skier before transitioning into coaching and now judging. She has had a major impact on building the profile of women in winter sports through the Chicks with Stix program, a development free ski and snowboard program for women.
As a FIS A License Judge in Freestyle Skiing, and as a member of Snow Australia’s National Freestyle Committee, Zoe is at the forefront of advancing freestyle skiing in Australia.
Zoe, describe your role/involvement in the Snow Industry?
I am a FIS A license judge in Moguls and Aerials and a member of the FIS Judges Action Group. I also sit on the Australian Freestyle Committee as part of Snow Australia.
I began my career as a mogul skier and then transitioned to Park and Pipe. I enjoyed competing and coaching in these areas with Team Buller. These snow sports formed a huge part of my childhood, helping me build my self-confidence and identity in a healthy way. I later became passionate to continue to share the experience that snow sports has given me with others. With a group of like-minded girls, I set up a not for profit women’s program called Chicks with Stix. This program grew to a point where it was was run throughout resorts around Australia and into New Zealand. I enjoy encouraging women of every skill level to be outside enjoying our mountains and pushing their own personal limits.
As a coach with Team Buller I learnt how to work with groups of people, and how to break down the technical aspects of skiing. I was fortunate to work in coaching positions at various training camps in the USA, Canada and Japan. I also gained some very memorable experiences working with the Australian Aerial Ski Team as an upright jumping and skiing coach, working out of Utah. This sparked my interest in the sport of Aerials and I enjoyed watching the athletes train on and off snow, which I believe later assisted me in judging the sport.
Judging has taken me all over the world and I have been lucky enough to ski in some fascinating countries including all over North America, Europe, throughout Russia and Siberia, Kazakhstan, Japan, China and South Korea.
I now have three children who also enjoy the mountains and I am loving exploring the sport with them. I spend much more time on green and blue runs but it is a nice experience to share my passion with my kids and I love watching them discover everything the mountains have to offer!
When did you decide that you wanted to be a Judge?
I fell into judging one year when I couldn’t compete due to injury. I found it very interesting to be on the other side of things, I enjoyed the pressure and experience gained from working with a panel of judges. Judging allowed me to stay involved in competitive moguls, assisted me as a coach, and supported me to travel around the world and ski in some amazing places.
What drives you to be the best you can be?
The athletes and coaches who dedicate their lives to the sport make me want to be the best judge that I can be. They are a huge inspiration and continue to push themselves mentally and physically to take the sport in new directions. As the sport evolves and athletes get better, I need to keep assessing and upskilling my judging abilities. I enjoy getting into long conversations with other judges, athletes and coaches to really break down the technical aspects of skiing and jumping. These discussions give me a full perspective and understanding of the movements occurring in each run/jump.
What has been your proudest moment / achievement?
I have been very fortunate to judge at two Olympic Winter Games, a World Championship, and many World Cups. I have been privileged to witness many firsts in the sports at these events. I am so very grateful for these experiences.
I am also proud of assisting Snow Australia to build a pool of judges across Victoria and NSW. We have managed to attract and train some highly skilled people who are now classified as A and B license judges. This means that we may see more Australians judging at the Winter Olympic Games, World Championships and World Cups in the future. It also assists local clubs to hold events and provides athletes with more competitive experience as they develop their skiing careers in Australia.
What's the best piece of advice you've ever received in your career?
Communication is key! This is important to remember at all times. Working on a Judges’ stand means that you must work closely with a small group of people from different backgrounds, ages, experiences and cultures. Sometimes discussions can become heated, but we are all in it because we are passionate about the sport. It is essential to communicate calmly and effectively to ensure that people are working together as a team to achieve the best result.
Is there anything else you would like to share with other women in this industry?
By creating a supportive network within our industry, we can create a landscape of encouragement for women at each stage of their career. I am grateful to have been supported and encouraged by some key people in the industry. This has allowed me to continue my judging career, alongside participating in our freestyle community, maintaining a career in health, and raising a young family.
