Jacqui Cooper Elected Chair of the Athletes Commission

The SSA Athlete’s Commission held its first meeting on Monday October 14. The purpose of the meeting was to welcome the elected representatives to the inaugural SSA Athletes Commission, explain the role and purpose of the commission and elect a Chairperson.
The commission which is composed of eight members, one of each gender from the four disciplines, unanimously elected Freestyle Aerialist Jacqui Cooper to sit as Chairperson of the Commission.
As Chairperson, under the new SSA constitution, Jacqui will join the Board of Ski & Snowboard Australia.

Jacqui has sat on a number of Committees and Athletes Commission’s with other organizations including the Australian Olympic Committee Athlete’s Commission and the World Anti-Doping Authority Athlete’s Commission.
 

SSA Athlete’s Commission representatives
 

International Competition License and Competition Insurance

Athletes that will be competing in international events are required to apply for an International Competition License (ICL). To apply for an ICL you must have current competition insurance covering FIS sanctioned races. Ski & Snowboard Australia has finalized a new competition insurance policy for athletes that covers both competition and travel. To view the complete policy wording, premiums and application form please click Here.
 

Discipline News

Alpine

2007 Australian Children’s Alpine Squad

The National Alpine Committee selectors have named the 2007 – 2008 Australian Children’s Alpine Squad.

As there will be no official SSA Alpine camp for the Australian Children this Northern Winter Season, the naming of the members of the Squad is for recognition purposes only.

Entry to Children’s FIS races will be as per the existing policy, which is by SSA points, aggregated over both GS and SL disciplines. This aggregation is used to encourage our younger athletes to become all rounders and to prevent any thought of specialisation at a very young age.

Many of the named Squad members will automatically qualify for preferential Children’s FIS race entry, as many have the best SSA points of all children competitors in Australia across the two disciplines.

Entries to Children’s FIS races will be under the same arrangements as entry to senior FIS races overseas, except for the fact that we must adhere to the FIS Children’s race quota of 4 x Child 1 entrants and 6 x Child 2 entrants, usually split equally between genders.

The names of the 2007 Australian Children’s Alpine Squad member, by category are:
 

Cross Country

Clare-Louise Brumley Retires

2006 Winter Olympian and 2005 Kangaroo Hoppet winner Clare-Louise Brumley has announced her retirement from the national cross country ski team and competitive racing. Please see open letter from Clare-Louise below:

After much thought I have decided to retire from competitive XC skiing. What I love in the sport will endure beyond competition and I look forward to many years of skiing in Australia (if our planet doesn't get too hot!)

Fulfilling the Olympic dream was something I had not considered five years ago when I made a comeback to the sport after a seven year hiatus. In 2002 I was in Canada for fun, traveling with James as he trained for the sport. While there the Salt Lake City Olympics were on. Watching the girls race inspired me and in a brief moment one afternoon I decided I wanted to race again. The remainder of the Silver Star trip became a training camp. James and I were systematic and steadfast in our approach from that point on, focusing simply on the realistic goal at hand. It was only after World Championships in 2005 that Olympics 2006 became the goal. I have never focused so many elements of my life and all my energy into something as much as I did for those Olympic Games. Competing for Australia at the Olympics and achieving a result reflective of my form was so immensely satisfying.
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Courtesy the XC Files

Freestyle

SSA Waterjump camps

During November the SSA Waterjump park facility will be host to a number of Freestyle Mogul training camps. The SSA/NSWIS Development Mogul Team, coached by Peter Topalovic will spend four days training at the site to fine tune their aerial skills before they hit the snow during the Northern Hemisphere winter. They will be joined by a squad of Victorian junior athletes taking advantage of the opportunity to receive coaching from Peter Topalovic and Team Buller Head Mogul Coach, Peter McNeil. A total of 15 athletes will be attending the training camp.

Cooper flagged as award contender

Jacqui Cooper has been flagged as a major contender for a new people's choice Australian sports award launched by the Fairfax newspapers The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.
Cooper was named alongside Tour de France runner-up Cadel Evans, MotoGP world champion Casey Stoner, 400m hurdles world champion Jana Rawlinson and Penny Taylor, a member of the WNBA title-winning Phoenix Mercury basketball team.

The media release announcing the Sports Performer of the Year Awards cites Cooper as one of the award prospects because of her "domination of aerial skiing".
Readers of the two newspapers will decide the major award through an exclusive online poll, the release reveals, with the winner - to be announced on November 28 - collecting $50,000.
"Six nominees for the top award will be announced on November 3 and the online voting system will operate from November 5-23."

"Everyone who votes will automatically go into a draw for a prize of $5000."
"Three other awards - for team, coach and young performer of the year - will be decided by a panel of Herald and Age staff and will be announced on the night.

Courtesy OWI/Sportcom

Snowboard

Shaw just misses another final, but stays top 20

Jo Shaw has missed a place in the finals of the second parallel giant slalom event of the 2008 World Cup season by the smallest of margins, but posted her second top 20 result of the year.

Shaw rode to a total time of one minute 30.38 seconds in the two qualifying rounds to miss a place in the 16-woman head-to-head rounds by just three tenths of a second.

Her final 19th placing put her into 18th place overall on the World Cup standings after the opening two rounds of the season.

The Soelden event was won by Austrian rider Marion Kreiner, from team-mate Heidi Neururer, with Nicolien Sauerbreij of The Netherlands in third place.

Neururer leads the World Cup standings on 1600 points, 400 clear of Sauerbreij on 1200, with Kreiner on 1180. Shaw is on 250 points in 18th place.

Courtesy OWI/Sportcom

Snowboard Junior World Championships Selection Criteria

The 2008 FIS Snowboard Junior World Championships will be competed in Khanty-Mansisk, Russia from 24-30 March. To view the SSA Snowboard Junior World Championships Selection Criteria please click here.

Snowboard Development Squads

Ski & Snowboard Australia is pleased to announce the following athletes who have been named and elected to train with SSA Snowboard Development programs during the Northern Winter.

FIS Newsflash

The latest edition of the FIS Newsflash (No. 150) is available here.