Understand a few of them work on the ski slopes and teach, get sponsored.
The Australian Government set up a program to fund athletes in winter sports, gymnasts were identified for development in aerial skiing.
Certainly in the old days (talking 70’s) the funding was often directed to kids whose parents had made generous donations to the ski federation.
(Based on comments from wife’s uncle who was a junior downhill rep for Australia at that time but was dropped from the team as his dad passed away and his widowed mum was unable to make such donations…)
Hopefully it has improved somewhat now, but there is still an element of “comes from a good family”
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The Winter Sports program was set up after the 1998 Games, where I think Zhali Setggall was our first medallist. She had spent a lot of her youth living with her family in France and competing in European Winter sport events.
Zali was our first individual medalist
Yes, but we had winter olympians well before Zali. There was less funding, but we paid to send skiers on the World Cup circuit in Europe. As well as my wife’s uncle, better known athletes of the era include Malcolm Milne and Stephen Lee.
Arguably Zali had very little to do with the funding program. Money has been directed toward freestyle skiing rather than alpine skiing as it was up to Zali winning her medal in slalom. At junior levels talented skiers are actively directed away from alpine events to skiercross / bordercross / moguls.
And mens short track relay at Lillehammer were our first Winter Olympic medalists. A chap called Stephen Bradbury was part of that team.
Plus Jacqi Cooper
Any working class Aussie Winter Olympians?
The curlers give me slightly working class vibes this Olympics
And Bradbury won gold and now works as a plumber?
Edit according to Wikipedia!
Dean works in a supermarket and ice rink and Tahli at a gelataria.
But I reckon if your good on the slopes you gotta have a bit of coin, it’s not cheap for anyone is it really?
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Jacqui came later. Kirsty Marshall was Australia’s first successful aerials skier
ANNOUNCE AUSSIE BATTLER SKIING FOR GOLD IN WOMENS MOGULS SUPER FINAL AFTER QUALIFYING TOP
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Come on Jakara
Here we go.
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We have a very young team this time around.
My brother knows a couple of them as they went to school in Jindy and train at Perisher.
Jindy has a really good school winter sports program with some kids attending just over winter to partake in the actives. The better kids that are identified as talented often spend 6 months schooling in the Northern Hemisphere
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Nice.
She’s a firm shot. I’d say she’s beaten most of the finalists in other comps.
Come on!!
Until recently, Mt Hotham and Falls Creek has a locals pass that was significantly cheaper (like half price) than the season pass for everyone else. Ovens and Kiewa valley residents were eligible. That made it somewhat reasonable cost wise for them (combined without of season ski gear sales).
However after Vail resorts took ownership, the locals pass was ditched.
Moguls are so painful to watch.
Young knees.
25 years is old in this sport
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Obviously they aren’t at this standard but my brother and a couple of his mates spent half the year OS snow boarding pre Covid and they all hardly have a cent to their name. They are all the stereotypical dope smoking snow boarders you see sleeping in cars etc to save a few bucks whilst doing jobs at resorts for minimum wage to fund it. They all wouldn’t change a thing. Two of them just left a few days ago for Mammoth Mountain for 3 weeks
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Hers to lose.
Anywhere near her best and she wins.