The halfpipe team, which stepped four times on World Cup Podiums last season, will be represented on the FIS World Cup Tour by an equal six men and six women.
“The objective for the team this upcoming year is to have three riders in the finals with a minimum of one podium at the Olympic Games,” said Head Coach Tom Hutchinson.
The team selection is a result of an open Selection Camp for athletes meeting the minimum eligibility criteria. The selection camp was held in Stoneham, Quebec the week following the Canadian Snowboard Championships in April.
“The Olympic Team selection process will differ as our qualifying events are all held in 22-foot halfpipes, which reduces the number of events we will enter on the World Cup Tour. The other way it differs from the traditional process is that qualifying contests are not just FIS World Cups but also includes Grand Prix events in the US. This open system allows professional snowboarders to have a chance at qualifying for the Games,” commented Hutchinson.
In Women’s action, the four veterans from the 2009 season will remain in place on the National team. Sarah Conrad of Dartmouth Nova Scotia; Alexandra Duckworth of Kingsburg, Nova Scotia; Mercedes Nicoll of Whistler, British Columbia; and Dominique Vallée of Montréal, Quebec will all be back on the World Cup tour.
Two new riders will join the core group of veterans: Charmaine Ironside of Calgary, Alberta, who took part in the 2009 FIS World Snowboard Championships last year, will join the National Team rank accompanied by returning athlete Katie Tsuyuki of Whistler, British Columbia. Tsuyuki was relegated to the National Development Group in 2008-09 but has been promoted back to the National Team for the Olympic year.
The Men’s team will showcase the talents of returning athletes: Jeff Batchelor of Oakville, Ontario; Brad Martin of Ancaster, Ontario; Justin Lamoureux of Whistler, British Columbia; and Crispin Lipscomb, also of Whistler. The men’s halfpipe program will see two new faces added to the National Team line-up. Derek Livingston of Aurora, Ontario and Dan Raymond of Whistler, British Columbia will be moving up to join Canada’s elite halfpipe riders.
Raymond, who grew up in Québec, won the 2009 Nor-Am Tour for halfpipe, giving him a FIS World Cup quota for the upcoming season.
Last season, the Canadian Halfpipe Snowboard Team stepped on the podium at four occasions in World Cup action in addition to Batchelor’s silver medal at the World Championships.
All four new riders have come from the National Development Group.
“We opened the camp to professional and amateur riders to have the top riders representing Canada. It is also pushing members of the National team harder. Competition for the spots ultimately makes better riders,” added Hutchinson.
With their top-eight results at the 2009 FIS Snowboard Championships, both Lamoureux and Batchelor were offered positions on the team prior to the selection camp as set forth by a provision in the CSF Halfpipe Team Selection Protocol.
Batchelor, Martin and Lipscomb all podiumed on the World Cup Tour last season in men’s contests. Conrad is the only women to have reached the FIS World Cup podium steps.
Lamoureux is the only halfpipe rider to have already met the 2010 Olympic Internal Nomination Process qualification criteria, with two top-five results at select World Cup events.
