A little bit about me

Favorite TV Show Or Movie: Entourage, Prison Break
Favorite Music Band/Singer: Citizen Cope, Bedouin Soundclash
Favorite Sport(s) (other then skiing): mountain biking, tennis, golf
Favorite Food(s):  All the things I’m not suppose to eat. Ice cream in particular
What Do You Like To Do In Your Free Time?  Building stuff... Japanese tea houses, custom things.  I like grooving to some chill tunes, or jamming on my guitar.  But most of all, spending time with friends and family
Athlete(s) You Look Up To: All those who never stopped living their dream when obstacles were thrown their way
What Do You Enjoy/ Like About Ski Racing The Most? every thing about the sport.  It constantly challenges my mental and physical boundaries.  Skiing is a sport which has no boundaries, someone can always go faster than the fastest in the world
Future Ski Racing Goals (Where Do you hope ski racing takes you in the future?): To be the best in the world

My Path to the Present

Being born in Down Under to an Australian father and Canadian Mother, I grew up skiing in the snowy mountains of Victoria. At the age of five I moved to Canada where I would make my new home in Ottawa. I began racing with the Ottawa Ski Club at the age of six. A bunch of eager youngsters, we tore around the hills of Camp Fortune, spending as much time skiing in the trees as on the hills. I showed my first glimpse of future success when at seven I won the Skimeister, which is a four event combining Slalom, Giant Slalom, Ski Jumping, and Cross Country Skiing. I continued to be a top racer in the region through my years as a J3, representing Canada at the Whistler Cup in 1996. My years as a J2, I struggled against competition that had grown earlier than I had, being almost twice my size. At the age of 17 I began to catch up in size to the other racers. I began to catch them in time as well. The years of working on a strong technical base under the supervision of Vernon Finkenstein and Mike Mclaughlin had paid off.

After three years of skiing with the National Capital Division Ski Team in Ottawa, I was selected to the Ontario Ski Team, where I skied for two seasons. My second year with the Ontario Team I suffered a knee injury which sidelined me for much of the fall. I made a quick recovery from surgery, but despite my best efforts through the season, I just missed Canadian Team selection. I moved my racing career to the US where I competed with the Dartmouth Ski Team, combining my skiing with university. I had some strong finishes on the NCAA circuit, ending the college season with a fourth in the Slalom at the NCAA championships. My most impressive results that season came at the Nor-Am competitions and the Canadian and U.S. National Championships, which again put me extremely close to National Team criteria. Although the team said they wanted me skiing with them, they were unable to give the financial support to fund a full time program for me. They allowed me to travel along with the team to training camps and races that season as an independently funded athlete affiliated with the Ontario Provincial Ski Team program.

I used this opportunity to ski with the National Team to make big changes in my racing. Skiing with a better group of racers, along with the help from the National Team staff, I made some great improvements in my skiing. At the end of the season I qualified for the National Team. My first year on the Canadian National Team I made some huge improvements. I started training with the Development team under the supervision of Peter Rybarik. Within a month I had earned a spot to travel to Europe and compete in the Europa Cup Circuit. In my third Europa Cup, starting from the back I won the race. The next day I won again. The two victories along with a victory on the Nor-Am circuit earned me a spot in the first World Cup race after the Christmas Break.

In my first World Cup I started out of the blocks 59th. Despite the rough conditions and challenging course, I squeaked my way into 30th place after the first run. With the reverse thirty, I was to start first. I had a blistering run, and lead the race for 17 racers. It turned out I had had the fastest second run, finishing in 10th position. I had made a breakthrough onto the World Cup circuit. The next week I finished 10th in Wengen, then 17th in Schladming. At the 2005 World Championships in Bormio, I finished ninth. It was the season I had dreamed of. I finished the season in 22nd position in the World Slalom Standings. I capped off the season with a Canadian Slalom Title in Mount Ste. Anne.

My Results in the 2005 season had qualified me for the 2006 Olympics in Torino. I was poised and ready to go! I started the year off with strong finishes in Beaver Creek and Madonna. At the following race in Kranjska Gora, I fell in training and suffered a painful back injury. My results and confidence slipped away. When my back started getting stronger in February my confidence grew approaching the Olympic Games. I expierienced one of the best runs of my career with a 10th place in the first run. To the disappointment of my cheering fans, I straddled a gate in the second run, crashing hard. Despite the final outcome, it was an incredible experience, and one I can look forward to again 4 year later.