FREESTYLE:
Canadians primed for moguls World Cup opener
KUUSAMO, Finland ― The first event of the 2010-11 FIS Freestyle World Cup season is scheduled for this Saturday at Ruka, Finland’s biggest ski resort and host resort to the 2005 Freestyle World Championships, where current national team member and two-time Olympic medallist Jenn Heil took the title in dual moguls.
At last season’s opening event in Suomu, Finland, Summerland, B.C.’s Kristi Richards earned top spot on the podium. Commenting from Ruka this week, Richards said, “I am really looking forward to the World Cup here on Saturday. I started off the last season with two podiums in Finland, so the country has good memories for me. This year’s World Cup will be on a different course though, which is much steeper. We are here early to get some pre-event training, and it is shaping up to be an amazing course. I love being back on my skis and back in the competition season again. Being in the gate has always been one of my favourite times. I thrive on the challenge of being calm and focused and getting the job done to perfection.”
The Ruka event is the first of a two-week travel/competition marathon for these athletes, who next head to Meribel, France and then on to Bedida Lake, China, for that country’s first FIS moguls World Cup.
Team veterans such as Olympic champion Alex Bilodeau are used to this kind of grueling travel schedule, but for the young talent like Mikael Kingsbury and Cédric Rochon, this will be a good test to life on the road, with all the challenges that it brings, including jet lag and foreign food.
This event also marks the first time Montreal, Que., sisters Chloé, Maxime and Justine Dufour-Lapointe will compete at a World Cup event together.
Early season results are important, as Canadian moguls skiers are working to earn their spots at February’s FIS World Championships at Deer Valley, Utah. S-Magazine
Athletes on the Canadian roster for the Ruka event are:
| Athlete | Hometown | Freestyle Ski Club |
| Jenn Heil | Spruce Grove, Alta and Montreal, Que. | Edmonton |
| Kristi Richards | Summerland, B.C. | Apex |
| Audrey Robichaud | Quebec City, Que. | Le Relais |
| Chloé Dufour-Lapointe | Montreal, Que. | Ski Mont-Gabriel |
| Maxime Dufour-Lapointe | Montreal, Que. | Ski Mont-Gabriel |
| Justine Dufour-Lapointe | Montreal, Que. | Ski Mont-Gabriel |
| Chelsea Henitiuk | Spruce Grove, Alta and Whistler, B.C. | Jasper Freestyle |
| Alex Bilodeau | Montreal, Que. | Mont St-Sauveur |
| P-A Rousseau | Drummondville, Que. | Mont-Sainte-Anne |
| Philippe Marquis | Quebec City, Que. | Stoneham |
| Mikaël Kingsbury | Deux-Montagnes, Que. | Mont St-Sauveur |
| Cédric Rochon | Saint-Sauveur, Que. | Belle-Neige |
| Eddie Hicks | Langley, B.C. | Blackcomb Freestyle |
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