FREESTYLE SKIING/SNOWBOARD: A team of 21 Australians, 10 men and 11 women, will mount their assault on the FIS Freestyle Ski and Snowboard World Championships in Kreischberg, Austria, from Thursday January 15 (Australian time).

The Australian contingent consists of a blend of experience and first timers in the World Championships, a biennial event surpassed only by the Olympic Winter Games in terms of importance and prestige. A total of 17 Sochi 2014 Olympians will be competing.

The Kreischberg Championships will be the first time the Federation of International Skiing (FIS) has combined freestyle ski and snowboard events into the one competition program.

Aussies will compete in 11 snowboard and 10 ski events throughout the event.

Watch the action streamed here: https://www.youtube.com/user/FISFreestyle 

Among the experienced campaigners, Australia will be represented by six current and former World Championships medallists – Torah Bright, Alex “Chumpy” Pullin, Holly Crawford, Nate Johnstone, Russ Henshaw (all part of the OWIA/NSWIS program) and Danielle Scott (part of the OWIA/VIS program).

The most experienced of the medallists is Pullin, who is returning to the scene of his first appearance at World Championships when he was just 15-years-old.

Now aged 27 and a World Championship veteran having attended each event since 2003, the Australian lines up in Kreischberg as a two-time winner and defending title holder and will be one of the top contenders for the snowboard cross event, which starts with the qualification session on Friday January 16 (Australian time).

Other Australians to watch for in the snowboard cross event are Jarryd Hughes , Cam Bolton and Belle Brockhoff. Each of the OWIA/NSWIS athletes has the ability to get among the medals.

Crawford, a snowboard halfpipe athlete, is competing in her sixth World Championships. As the 2011 World Champion and silver medallist in Stoneham, Canada, in 2013, the talented Australian often produces something special on big occasions and is capable of stepping onto the podium for a third time.

Equally determined to get among the medals is Bright, a dual Olympic medallist.

The brilliance of Bright enabled her to take home the bronze medal in snowboard slopestlye in Stoneham but in these Championships she is returning to the event she is best known for - snowboard halfpipe.

Although Bright will not compete in slopestyle, World Championships debutant and NSWIS athlete Michaela Davis-Meehan would dearly love to follow in Bright’s tracks in slopestyle.

As another 2011 World Champion, Johnstone is still regarded as one of the world’s top snowboard halfpipe athletes and hopes to turn the clock back and bag another medal.

Also with snowboard halfpipe World Championships experience are 20-year-old OWIA/NSWIS athletes Scotty James and Kent Callister while 15-year-old NSWIS rider Emily Arthur will make her debut at this level.

The OWIA/NSWIS’s Henshaw won the bronze medal in ski slopestyle in the 2011 Park City World Championships and has the flair and athletic ability to attract a high score from the judges. Another Aussie chasing success in ski slopestyle is NSWIS athlete Samuel Ruttiman.

Scott, an OWIA/VIS aerial skier, will be the first of Australia’s World Championships medallists to see action as she joins OWIA/VIS teammates Laura Peel and Renee McElduff when their event starts its qualification round on Thursday January 15 (Australian time) under lights.

Each of the aerial skiers has displayed strong form this season in World Cups and all three are confident of continuing Australia’s proud history in World Championships established by Kirstie Marshall, Jacqui Cooper, Alisa Camplin and Lydia Lassila.

Australia’s moguls team carries medal winning form into the Championships, resulting from Matt Graham’s silver and OWIA/NSWIS teammate Britt Cox’s bronze medals performances in Deer Valley, USA, last weekend.

Basically the same field from Deer Valley is expected to compete in the Kreischberg qualification on Sunday January 18, with the final the following day. OWIA/NSWIS’s Nicole Parks will also fly the Australian flag in the bumps event.

Closing Australia’s participation will be the OWIA/NSWIS ski cross team of Anton Grimus and Sami Kennedy-Sim who will have to wait until Saturday  January 24 (Australian time) for their  qualification session and finals on Sunday January 25.

Visit http://www.owia.org for results for all Australians.

Schedule of all events (Austrian times and dates shown)
14 Jan 2015 WED      
Freestyle Skiing
Aerials (Qualification)LADIES

Freestyle Skiing
Aerials (Qualification)MEN

15 Jan 2015 THU    
18:00    Freestyle Skiing
Aerials LADIES

18:00 Freestyle Skiing
Aerials MEN

13:35    Snowboard
Snowboardcross (Qualification)LADIES

10:10    Snowboard
Snowboardcross (Qualification)MEN

16 Jan 2015 FRI  
 09:25    Snowboard
Halfpipe (Qualification)LADIES

14:45    Snowboard
Halfpipe (Qualification)MEN

11:45    Snowboard
Snowboardcross LADIES

11:45    Snowboard
Snowboardcross MEN

17 Jan 2015 SAT    
18:00    Snowboard
Halfpipe LADIES

18:00    Snowboard
Halfpipe MEN

18 Jan 2015 SUN    
14:00    Freestyle Skiing
Moguls LADIES

14:00    Freestyle Skiing
Moguls MEN

19 Jan 2015 MON    
12:15    Freestyle Skiing
Dual Moguls LADIES

12:15    Freestyle Skiing
Dual Moguls MEN

14:05    Snowboard
Slopestyle (Qualification)LADIES

09:30    Snowboard
Slopestyle (Qualification)MEN

20 Jan 2015 TUE        
Freestyle Skiing
Slopestyle (Qualification)LADIES

Freestyle Skiing
Slopestyle (Qualification)MEN

21 Jan 2015 WED        
Freestyle Skiing
Halfpipe (Qualification)LADIES

Freestyle Skiing
Halfpipe (Qualification)MEN

14:00    Freestyle Skiing
Slopestyle LADIES

14:00    Freestyle Skiing
Slopestyle MEN

11:00    Snowboard
Slopestyle LADIES

11:00    Snowboard
Slopestyle MEN

22 Jan 2015 THU    
18:00    Freestyle Skiing
Halfpipe LADIES

18:00    Freestyle Skiing
Halfpipe MEN

13:00    Snowboard
Parallel Slalom LADIES

13:00    Snowboard
Parallel Slalom MEN

23 Jan 2015 FRI        
Snowboard
Big Air (Qualification)MEN

13:30    Snowboard
Parallel GS LADIES

13:30    Snowboard
Parallel GS MEN

24 Jan 2015 SAT        
Freestyle Skiing
Ski Cross (Qualification)LADIES

Freestyle Skiing
Ski Cross (Qualification)MEN

18:00    Snowboard
Big Air MEN

Snowboard
Big Air LADIES

25 Jan 2015 SUN    
12:00    Freestyle Skiing
Ski Cross LADIES

12:00    Freestyle Skiing
Ski Cross MEN

Peter Henrys
OWIA