Freestyle Skiing

Freestyle Skiing •My name is Nicholas Vint, and I chose to do my Heritage Fair Project on Canadian Freestyle Skiing because skiing is something that I really enjoy and am passionate about. •Let’s start with the history of freestyle skiing. Competitive freestyle was born in the 1960s, but was then called the “hotdogger,” which included moguls, jumps and ski ballet. Back then a good skier was someone who could progress down the hill of moguls with a few quick turns and jumps. In 1970 things took a turn. By then there was more than ten million skiers. Skiers would speed down mogul courses with big jumps and recoveries which scored high. •In 1974 the Canadian Freestyle Skiers Association was born and soon recognized by the Canadian Ski Association. The governing body of freestyle then became the International Ski Federation. Next let’s talk about the five types of freestyle skiing. Moguls Moguls is the first freestyle skiing category created. In the moguls category skiers progress down a slope of snow bumps and two jumps which they perform aerial tricks. Five judges score the most important part of moguls, the quality of turns through the bumps, accounting for 60% or their points. 20% of the final score is judged by the quality of the two aerial tricks. The time it takes the skier to get down the slope also accounts for 20% of the final score. The competition begins with the qualification round from which skiers then progress to the three stage finals which narrows it down from 20 to 12 and 12 to six skiers. The final six skiers then compete for the bronze, silver and gold medals. Ski Cross The only freestyle category without a judged component. •In ski cross skiers speed four at a time down a timed course through a variety of features, such as, banks, rollers, and turns. Speed is most important in this event. •This competition starts with a qualification run to lead the skiers into single elimination heats. The two fastest competitors move on to the next round. This repeats until four are left. These four compete for the medals. The most recent events added to the freestyle skiing Slopestyle and Halfpipe scene In slopestyle and halfpipe competitors are judged by five judges scoring out of 100, then they get averaged. While the skiers progress down the course, judges evaluate amplitude, style and overall execution of each trick. Competition starts with a best-of-two round for qualification where the top ten men and top six women compete for the best-of-three final where the medals are awarded. The biggest difference between slopestyle and halfpipe skiing are the courses. In halfpipe, skiers progress down a sloped channel, while in slopestyle, skiers advance down a course of various size jumps, rails, and boxes. Aerials •Some of the hardest aerial maneuvers in any sport, containing up to five twists and three flips, all whilst being in the air for three seconds. In aerials skiers go down a slope into one big jump where they show off their flips and twists. 20% of their score is judged by takeoff, height and distance (air). Another 30% is judged by the landing while the last 50% is judged by the form of the skier in the air. The final score is then multiplied by the degree of difficulty of the jump. A two-jump qualification kicks off the competition where the 12 skiers are then cut down to nine, and from nine to six. The final six compete for the medals. Now let’s look at some great Canadian freestyle skiers. Alex Bilodeau Alex Bilodeau is a 33-year-old mogulist from Rosemére, Quebec. He is known for his impressive aerial jumps, the best in the world, they say. When Bilodeau was a young child he played hockey, but soon he realized it was not his thing so he switched to skiing because it was something he could do with his whole family. Some of Alex’s major achievements in the FIS World Championships are a gold in dual moguls in 2009, a sliver in moguls and gold in dual moguls in 2011, he did that again in 2013. In addition, Alex has achieved two Olympic gold medals in 2010 and in 2014. He is the first Canadian freestyle skier to win a gold medal on home soil. He is also the first freestyle skier in any category to win two Olympic gold medals. Jennifer Heil Jennifer Heil is a 37-year-old skier from Edmonton, Alberta, who competes in moguls. She is one of the best female freestyle skiers in the world. She is a great athlete and can control her skis comfortably on the ground and in the air. Besides skiing, Jennifer has a business degree at McGill University. Heil is also the co-founder of the B2Ten private sector which assists Canadian athletes with training and preparation. Jennifer’s major achievements include a gold and silver medal in the Olympics in 2006 and 2010. She also completed fourth in 2002 as an 18-yer-old. In 2006, she was the first Canadian female to win gold at the Olympics. Alongside her achievements in the Olympics, she placed on the world cup podium 58 times, 25 of which were 1st place. In 2006 Heil was named the overall World Cup champion for freestyle skiing. She also won the 2011 Bobbie Rosenfield Award for Canadian female athlete of the year. Jennifer finished her career with a gold medal in both moguls and dual moguls at her final world championship in 2011. Brady Leman Brady Leman is a 34-year-old freestyle skier from Calgary, Alberta, who competes in ski cross. Although being fragile due to some unfortunate experiences, Brady is a great athlete. He wanted to become an alpine racer, but, having a tough year in that sport, he turned to ski cross and totally loved it. He even decided to pursue ski cross at his own expense. As a career, he was interested in financial services and worked hard toward getting a diploma in the field. One of his commitments was to read a book for every TV show he watched. A fun fact about him is that if he had a good a race, he would wear the same long underwear in his next. Brady Leman's major achievements include winning gold in the 2016 Pyong Chang Olympics. As well as 4th in Sochi in 2014. Leman took home a bronze medal at the 2010 Winter X Games and a gold in 2016. Brady also placed in many more FIS World Championships and Winter X games Freestyle skiing involves a lot of hard work and dedication, but for all athletes the reward is worth the huge effort..

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