XC National Teams Announced
Published Mon 13 Nov 2017
The SSA Cross Country Committee is pleased to announce the official National Teams for 2017/2018. Twenty athletes have accepted invitations to join the World Cup, Continental Cup, U23 and Junior Teams, and preparing for major competitions in the coming season including the 2017/2018 World Cup series, the 2018 World Junior/U23 Championship in Switzerland, and the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea.
World Cup Team
– Phillip Bellingham, 26 (VIC, Birkebeiner Nordic Ski Club)
– Barbara Jezersek, 31 (NSW, Team Pioneer Investment)
– Callum Watson, 28 (NSW, Cooma Ski Club)
– Jessica Yeaton, 25 (WA, APU Ski Club)
Continental Cup Team
– Aimee Watson, 30 (NSW, Cooma Ski Club)
– Paul Kovacs, 27 (VIC, Birkebeiner Nordic Ski Club)
– Mark Pollock, 25 (VIC, Wangaratta Ski Club)
– Casey Wright, 22 (VIC, Birkebeiner Nordic Ski Club/UAA Ski Team)
U23 Team
– Ella Jackson, 19 (VIC, Victorian Team)
– Katerina Paul, 21 (VIC, Birkebeiner Nordic Ski Club)
Junior Team
– Nicholas Blackwell, 18 (VIC, Birkebeiner Nordic Ski Club)
– Liam Burton, 19 (ACT/NSW, Cooma Ski Club/Åslia Skilag)
– Seve de Campo, 19 (VIC, Ski Club of Victoria)
– Emily Champion, 15 (NSW, NSWXC)
– Finlay Clarke, 19, (VIC, Birkebeiner Nordic Ski Club)
– Phoebe Cridland, 16 (NSW, NSWXC)
– Maysen Duffy, 15 (VIC, Birkebeiner Nordic Ski Club)
– Jarrah Forrer, 17 (VIC, Birkebeiner Nordic Ski Club)
– Darcie Morton, 17 (VIC, NSW Biathlon)
– Bentley Walker-Broose, 16 (NSW, NSWXC)
This is a big season for the Australian Team, with 8-9 athletes in contention for Pyeongchang 2018 selection and a large Junior Team in Europe to gain experience and prepare for the World Juniors. Between November and February the bulk of team athletes will be based in Davos, the home town of Head Coach Valerio Leccardi. The first World Cups being contested will be Davos and Toblach in December. With perhaps only 1-2 athletes starting the opening races of the Tour de Ski in the final days of 2017, in January the World Cup team will target the Dresden World Cup for Team Sprint experience and then use the Seefeld World Cup for final preparation for Pyeongchang.
Read more on www.ausxc.com