News from the CANADIAN SKI CROSS TEAM
ASPEN, CO (January 25, 2009) – Last years X Games silver medalist, Stanley Hayer (Calgary, AB), won gold at X Games 13 in Aspen, CO. In a final heat stacked with some of the world’s best Ski Cross competitors, Hayer rose to the top to become the first Canadian male to win gold in Ski Cross at the X Games.
On a course that had more in common with a Cross Country sprint race, thanks to the 4” of fresh snow that fell over night, Stanley Hayer (Calgary, AB) battled slow snow conditions and stiff competition to stand atop the podium for only the second time in his Ski Cross career. After placing 2nd three times and 3rd three times last season, today’s victory comes as sweet relief for the veteran of the Canadian Ski Cross Team.
“Standing on top of that podium today was just awesome! It’s so good to have that 2nd place monkey off my back,” said Hayer, “I had great starts all day, my skis were running fast in these conditions and everything seemed to be going my way.”
The X Games format differs slightly from the FIS World Cup format in that there are 6 competitors in an X Games start with the top 3 in each heat advancing rather than the customary 4 in the start with the top 2 advancing at World Cup events.
All told there were 5 Canadian men in the Semifinal heats. One of the heats saw Davey Barr (Whistler, BC) with teammate Brian Bennett (Quesnel, BC). Barr had struggled all day with the conditions and battled in every heat to advance. In 3rd spot out of the start behind Daron Rahlves (USA) and Brian Bennett (Quesnel, BC), Barr lost ground near the finish and was passed moving him into 4th and out of the finals.
Brian Bennett, riding a wave of good results this season, was able to catch, X Games favorite, Daron Rahlves (USA) at the finish line to win his semifinal heat and advanced to the finals where he finished 5th for the day. This marks Bennett’s best finish at the X Games.
In the other semifinal heat, X Games rookie, Brady Leman (Calgary, AB), Chris DelBosco (Sudbury, ONT) and Stanley Hayer (Calgary, AB) were all fighting for a berth in the final. In a move that raised a protest from both DelBosco and Leman, competitor Andreas Steffen (SUI), took an aggressive inside line on a turn, raising his outside ski. His ski clipped both Leman and DelBosco forcing them from the course. The subsequent ruling to the protest did not come out in favour of the Canadians and was deemed “incidental contact” by Race Organizers. Leman and DelBosco were unfortunately finished for the day. Hayer advanced with no incident from the semifinal round for a spot in the final.
A great start in the final helped Hayer find the hole shot and he was able to hold 1st position to the finish and win the race, despite an early charge by former Alpine World Cup Champion Daron Rahlves and a late move by both Takizawa and Andersson.
On the women’s side, Canada started the day with 4 women competitors, but an early morning crash in training left Anik Demers-Wild (Lac Beauport, QB) unable to compete. The remaining Canadians were comprised of X Game rookie, Kelsey Serwa (Kelowna, BC) and veteran X Games competitors Ashleigh McIvor (Whistler, BC) and Julia Murray (Whistler, BC).
Kelsey Serwa (Kelowna, BC) was Canada’s top female competitor of the day after a series of strong heats got her to the final. Serwa managed a strong start that got her to 4th spot where she was able to pass World #1 Ophelie David (FRA) to move into second spot behind Megdalena Jonsson. Towards the bottom of the course Serwa made a move to pass Jonsson. Holding a tight inside line, Serwa came off the jump a touch too tight and missed the landing to the inside of the jump. The result was a spectacular crash with no serious injury and a 6th place finish.
Ashleigh McIvor had a strong day making it to the semifinals where an attempt to move up from 4th spot off a jump resulted in a crash. The moment before takeoff two of the women in front of her put on the breaks leaving her with no time to react McIvor came off the jump in a bad position and crashed on the landing missing a spot in the finals.
Julia Murray, also in the semifinals, was having a strong heat holding onto 3rd place for much of the run, Murray came up slightly short on the landing of a jump towards the bottom of the course and was subsequently passed taking her out of the finals.
“It was just one of those days,” said Eric Archer, Team Head Coach, “It wasn’t even a Ski Cross course, the snow that fell last night made this more of a test on endurance and will power, and today Stanley had both of those to spare”
NEXT RACE WILL BE THE WORLD CUP FROM CYPRESS, BC. ON FEBRUARY 6TH 2009
RESULTS
MEN
1 – Stanley Hayer
2 – Hiroomi Takizawa
3 – Andreas Steffen
4 – Daron Rahlves
5 – Brian Bennett
6 – Eric Andersson
WOMEN
1 – Ophelie David
2 – Magdalena Jonsson
3 – Sasa Faric
4 – Seraina Murk
5 – Karin Huttary
6 – Kelsey Serwa
Andrew Squires
Canadian Ski Cross Team
Director of Marketing and Supplier Services
Website – www.ski-cross.ca