Australia's winter sports athletes resume competition this weekend in Canada, with Dale Begg-Smith starting the defence of his World Cup mogul skiing crown and Jacqui Cooper aiming to equal the world record for career victories in aerial skiing.
Australia's winter sports athletes resume competition this weekend in Canada, with Dale Begg-Smith starting the defence of his World Cup mogul skiing crown and Jacqui Cooper aiming to equal the world record for career victories in aerial skiing.
Begg-Smith established his credentials as the world's best last season, adding the World Cup title to his Torino Olympic gold medal.
He wrapped up the title by taking his sixth victory of the season in Apex, British Columbia, and he will be keen to start his 2007 season with another win on Canadian snow in the Quebec resort of Mont Gabriel.
Joining him in the starting list will be Michael Robertson, a World Cup medallist last season, Torino team-mate Nick Fisher and promising newcomer Ramone Cooper.
Jacqui Cooper needs one more victory to equal the all-time record of 17 career wins jointly held by former team-mate Kirstie Marshall and Canadian skier Marie-Claud Asselin.
She goes into the Mont Gabriel event in good form, having set a new world record of 114.81 points for a single jump in the US freestyle skiing world championship selection trials just prior to Christmas.
Torino 2006 team member Liz Gardner will jump with Cooper in the season-opening event.
Next week in Nagano, Japan, the Olympic Winter Institute will field three women in a World Cup skeleton event for the first time.
Melissa Hoar, the 2006 world junior champion, will join Emma Lincoln -Smith and Torino team member Michelle Steele and for the fourth event of the season.
Finally, on January 14, the World Snowboard Championships get underway in Arosa, Switzerland, with Australia represented by seven athletes - Holly Crawford and Andrew Burton in halfpipe, Jo Shaw and Emanuel Oppliger in parallel giant slalom and Damon Hayler, Alex Pullin and Taan Robrahn in snowboard cross.
Schedule:
Jan 6 - Mogul skiing World Cup Mont Gabriel, Canada
Jan 7 - Aerial skiing World Cup Mont Gabriel, Canada
Jan 13 - Skeleton World Cup Nagano, Japan
Jan 14 - Snowboard World Championships Snowboard Cross
Jan 16 - Snowboard World Championships Parallel GS
Jan 17 - Snowboard World Championships Parallel Slalom
Jan 20 - Snowboard World Championships Halfpipe
Begg-Smith established his credentials as the world's best last season, adding the World Cup title to his Torino Olympic gold medal.
He wrapped up the title by taking his sixth victory of the season in Apex, British Columbia, and he will be keen to start his 2007 season with another win on Canadian snow in the Quebec resort of Mont Gabriel.
Joining him in the starting list will be Michael Robertson, a World Cup medallist last season, Torino team-mate Nick Fisher and promising newcomer Ramone Cooper.
Jacqui Cooper needs one more victory to equal the all-time record of 17 career wins jointly held by former team-mate Kirstie Marshall and Canadian skier Marie-Claud Asselin.
She goes into the Mont Gabriel event in good form, having set a new world record of 114.81 points for a single jump in the US freestyle skiing world championship selection trials just prior to Christmas.
Torino 2006 team member Liz Gardner will jump with Cooper in the season-opening event.
Next week in Nagano, Japan, the Olympic Winter Institute will field three women in a World Cup skeleton event for the first time.
Melissa Hoar, the 2006 world junior champion, will join Emma Lincoln -Smith and Torino team member Michelle Steele and for the fourth event of the season.
Finally, on January 14, the World Snowboard Championships get underway in Arosa, Switzerland, with Australia represented by seven athletes - Holly Crawford and Andrew Burton in halfpipe, Jo Shaw and Emanuel Oppliger in parallel giant slalom and Damon Hayler, Alex Pullin and Taan Robrahn in snowboard cross.
Schedule:
Jan 6 - Mogul skiing World Cup Mont Gabriel, Canada
Jan 7 - Aerial skiing World Cup Mont Gabriel, Canada
Jan 13 - Skeleton World Cup Nagano, Japan
Jan 14 - Snowboard World Championships Snowboard Cross
Jan 16 - Snowboard World Championships Parallel GS
Jan 17 - Snowboard World Championships Parallel Slalom
Jan 20 - Snowboard World Championships Halfpipe
