Turtle (noun) :  a reptile of the order Chelonii or Testudines which lives in or near water and has a thick shell covering its body into which it can move its head and legs for protection.

 

SKI SLOPESTYLE: It is ironic that Annabel Blake has a turtle tattoo on her 161cm frame. It is there to remind the Sochi Olympic Ski Slopestyle hopeful to slow down. But in a sport where high-risk is rewarded and in a skiing career on a sharp upward trajectory, you wonder how often the lowly turtle gets a look-in.

“As soon as I started skiing, mum slapped a helmet on my head because I was a rogue and out of control,” Blake said unashamedly of her early skiing days at Charlotte Pass.

“But my best memory would have to be when I taught myself to do a 360 off a ledge I built on a rock at the back of our lodge.”

Now 22 years old, Blake has adopted what she describes as an “exhilarating and exciting” sport. Her mum, Janine Shepherd, calls it “totally crazy.”

Ski Slopestyle is the newest discipline on the Olympic program in 2014. Athletes perform tricks for points on the Slopestyle course - a ski hill littered with rails and jumps like a mini skate park.

“If you’re going to add a jump or a metal rail into the middle of it, you’re definitely asking for trouble,” Blake told Australian Story in an episode that airs on the ABC tonight (Monday 25 November).

“There is something new to learn every day. You could ski in the park every day for the rest of your life and still not be the best you can be.”

Loaded with determination, Blake broke through for her first World Cup appearance this year.

“I was so nervous I couldn't stop shaking,” she said of the milestone.

“In training I had a big crash, broke my binding, and then got crashed into by a racer. I wish I could say it was enjoyable, but I didn't relax until it was over - then it was fun!”

Her rate of improvement is the antithesis to the turtle pace, but if this thrill-seeker does share any characteristics with the Chelonii reptile, it is a tough outer shell. In a sport where you grow accustomed to broken bones and smashed helmets, courage is a prerequisite.

There is a voice constantly telling Blake “if you’re not living on the edge you’re taking up too much space,” and it is that of her mother, Janine Shepherd.

Shepherd was an elite Cross Country skier when she was hit by a truck during a training ride and left a partial paraplegic. Told she would be lucky to survive, let alone walk or have children, Shepherd defied the greatest of odds.

“She is incredibly stubborn and will never take no for an answer,” Blake says.

“I wouldn't want to be the person to tell her she couldn't do something - not only because she would show me up but because she wouldn't listen to me!”

Not only did Shepherd have three children, she also became a pilot, finished her university degree in Physical Education and walked again. Now she is a best-selling author and inspirational speaker.

“Mum has redefined what I thought is possible,” says Blake.

“If she isn’t skiing, she is kayaking, swimming, cycling, or trying to think of her next adventure. She has a more active lifestyle that most able bodied people I know.”

If all goes to plan when her next World Cup appearance rolls around on December 20, Blake will achieve a goal that has been two generations coming – becoming an Olympian.

Australia is poised to send strong representatives in Ski Slopestyle led by World Championship medallists Anna Segal and Russ Henshaw.