West Vancouver (BC), Canada – Headlined by Olympian Palmer Taylor and Canada~Snowboard Team member Derek Livingston, Canada will send a delegation of 24 of its best junior riders to compete at the 2010 FIS World Snowboard/Freestyle Ski Junior Championships in Wanaka, New Zealand, from August 21-31.nThis event marks the first time a FIS World Championship will be staged in New Zealand and also the first time that snowboarding and freestyle skiing will share the same stage in a World Championship. The event will feature six snowboarding disciplines: halfpipe, snowboardcross, parallel giant slalom, parallel slalom, big air and Slopestyle. This will be the first time that Slopestyle has been included in a FIS Junior World Championship.
The event will be taking place in three different venues near Wakana, New Zealand. Snow Park will host the slopestyle competitions, while Treble Cone ski area is set to host the snowboard parallel giant slalom and snowboard parallel slalom events. Cardrona Alpine Resort, site of a previous Halfpipe World Cup competition, will stage the halfpipe, snowboardcross and snowboard big air competitions.
Among the top Canadians entered in the competition, Taylor is the country’s best hope for excellent results. The Collingwood, Ontario resident is the reigning Canadian Champion in Women’s Halfpipe, and represented Canada at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver. Taylor also rides for Team Icarus in Ontario.
Livingston, also riding for Team Icarus and a member of Canada~Snowboard National Team, will lead the Men’s freestylers competing in both Slopestyle and Halfpipe. The Aurora, Ontario resident has four FIS World Cup starts to his credit.
Megan Farrell of Richmond Hill, Ontario,, a member of Canada~Snowboard Development program, will be leading the Women’s Alpine group. Farrell was second at the 2010 Canada~Snowboard Nationals held in Mont-Tremblant, Quebec, in April.
Darren Gardner will lead the Men’s Alpine group headed to New Zealand. Gardner, of Burlington, Ontario, raced his first World Cup earlier this year in Stoneham, Quebec. The young protege of the Calgary Snowboard Club came third at the 2010 Canada~Snowboard Nationals, behind World and Olympic Champion Jasey-Jay Anderson and World Cup winner Matthew Morison. Gardner boasts four podiums on the FIS Nor-Am Tour, including one victory.
Canada~Snowboard will use the 2010 FIS World Junior Championship as a carding selection criteria, providing the possibility of young riders to receive funding from Sport Canada.
With the winter sports entering a new Olympic cycle of four years, this event is signification as there is potential to see some of these young riders who may compete at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia.
TEAM CANADA – 2010 FIS WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
WOMEN
Tayler Wilton – Toronto ON – SBX
Jade Critchlow – Kelowna BC – SBX
Aurelye Deschênes-Hudon – Ste-Jeanne d’Arc QC – SBX
Frédérique Joncas – North Vancouver BC – SBX
Shayna Goodwin – Surrey BC – SBX
Megan Farrell – Richmond Hill ON – Alpine
Jessica Herron – Oakville ON – Alpine
Cora Fellows – Mississauga ON – Alpine
Zoé Rubin – Montreal QC – Alpine
Palmer Taylor – Collingwood ON – HP
Erin Lee – Banff AB – HP
Victoria Marshall – Holland Landing ON – SBS
Samm Denena – Orillia ON – SBS
MEN
Kenneth Riedmann – Toronto ON
Alex Thorp – Nakusp BC
Tommy Pitman – Warfield BC
Mitch Pitman – Warfield BC
Darren Gardner – Burlington ON
Sébastien Beaulieu – Sherbrooke QC
Antoine Laurin-Lalonde – Montreal QC
Olivier Vachon – Québec QC
Trevor Niblett – Toronto ON
Derek Livingston – Aurora ON
Julien Beaulieu – Lac Beauport QC
ALTERNATES
Indrik Trahan (A)
Jade Depont (A)
Jeremy Page (A)