Lake Wanaka, New Zealand – With less than a week to go until entries close, the inaugural FIS Snowboard & Freestyle Junior World Championships, being held this year in New Zealand, are promising an all-star field featuring many of the top 50 riders and skiers in the world.nRecent entries include a strong freeski team from the U.S. featuring five competitors who are ranked in the top 10 in current FIS points standings. Hannah Haupt (17), Brita Sigourney (20), Blake Peterson (18), Tucker Perkins (19) and Walter Wood (18) are all currently in the top 10 for freestyle halfpipe while Canada’s Megan Gunning (18) is currently ranked third, promising an outstanding competition between the world’s best.
Another name to watch is all-rounder Cikla Sadar (19) of Slovenia who is ranked 28 in the snowboard halfpipe, 15 in the big air and 10 in slopestyle.
The event marks the first time that slopestyle for both snowboard and freeski, plus freeski halfipe have been included in a FIS World Championship so the young athletes taking part, all aged between 13 and 20, will be part of snow sports history. For many it is the start of their campaign for selection to the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
The 2010 FIS Freestyle and Snowboard Junior World Championships take place Aug. 21-30 at Cardrona Alpine Resort and Snow Park NZ ski areas near Lake Wanaka featuring the following nine disciplines – snowboard slopestyle, snowboard cross, snowboard halfpipe, snowboard parallel slalom and giant slalom, snowboard big air, freeski slopestyle, ski cross and freeski halfpipe.
Leading New Zealand snowboarder Juliane Bray has been named as Patron of
this year’s event. Event organizer, Arthur Klap, said the role of Patron was important in terms of providing
the young competitors with a figurehead and Juliane fits the role perfectly.
“We’re delighted Juliane has accepted our offer of her becoming Patron for the Junior
World Championships,” he said. “When looking for a patron, we wanted someone who has
given strongly to the sports of either snowboarding or freeskiing, was recognized as an
elite performer and was also locally based. Juliane truly covers all those area.”
Bray has twice
represented New Zealand at the Winter Olympics in both the half pipe and snowboard-cross and was the flag bearer in 2010.
Bray said she was honored to be offered the role of Patron and was looking forward to
being involved in the event.
“As patron for the Junior World Champs I am excited to see hundreds of young talented
athletes come together here in Wanaka,” she said. “The resorts are well prepared and
the competitions are going to be spectacular to watch. These sports allow athletes to be
creative and inventive and in events like these we see people achieving things for the first
time and making sporting history.”