A new generation of freestyler skiers is ripping up the slopes and the athletes are so extreme they spell the name of their group with a 鈥渮鈥�.
The Freestylerz, based in Whistler, are a group of boys and girls aged nine to 12 that compete across the province from December to April.
The 麻豆社国产connection on the Freestylerz is strong. There are 10 local kids on the team and 麻豆社国产resident Tami Bradley is a coach.
Bradley said the sport is booming and the Freestylerz have continually grown in the four years she鈥檚 been involved with the team.
鈥淲e had a boom before the Olympics and now with freestyle killing it and raking in medals, it鈥檚 been going nuts for us,鈥� she said, noting the team has grown from 17 in its first year to 43 this year. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the hot program to be in and we鈥檙e really breeding Olympics athletes. I have a handful that will probably be looking towards future Olympic Games.鈥�
The team competes in three events yearly in three different locations throughout the province known as the Timber Tour. Athletes compete in terrain park, moguls, big air, pipe and all-mountain events. They take on teams from Vancouver, Apex, Silver Star and Mount Washington. The last event, at Silver Star on March 8 and 9, saw 麻豆社国产youngsters, especially the local girls, excel.
It was a clean sweep in the 8/9 girls moguls with Garibaldi Highlands Elementary (GHE) students Chase Capicik, Lynette Conn and Malica Malerby winning gold, silver and bronze, respectively. Capicik also won gold in her age group for the slopestyle, with Conn winning a silver in big air and a bronze in slopestyle and Malerby adding a bronze in big air.
Other strong local finishers included: Cassidy Butterworth (second in 10/11 slopestyle, moguls and big air), Ava Dunham (second in 12 big air and moguls).
The 麻豆社国产boys competing on the Freestylerz are Riley Bowie, Jacob Bowie, Riley Buttworth, Owen Scarth and Adrian Conn.
Bradley said the program is all about fun and competition but pointed out that local girls are inspired by some of the females they see on the big screen.
鈥淲e have 16 girls on the team this year and it鈥檚 rapidly growing because of the Roz Gs [Groenewoud] and Yukis [Tsubota] out there,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey want to be rad West Coast chicks like the girls at the Olympics and it鈥檚 working for our team 鈥� we won 26 out of a possible 27 medals at Silver Star.鈥�
Bradley is a former Olympian herself, having represented Canada in freestyle skiing at the 1998 and 2002 Winter Olympic Games. She said the things kids, including her daughter Chase Capicik, do today far exceed what she was ever able to do.
鈥淲hat you see nine year olds doing to win a moguls event these days is crazy,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e doing two 360s in a run and even a nine year old can do a Japan grab, a sideways barrel and a stomping 540 at the end to finish off her run.鈥�
Coach Bradley said she was a late entry into the sport. She got involved at the age of 21 after a successful college soccer career. She dumped soccer for the lure of the Olympics in 1991 and seven years later was in Nagano for the Winter Games.
But she said a story like hers was rare in the 鈥�90s and is next to impossible today.
鈥淚t would never happen today,鈥� she said, laughing. 鈥淓ven back then it was crazy and today there are young girls doing stuff now that I wasn鈥檛 doing in 1998.鈥�
Bradley said the team is close-knit and she likes the fact that the girls are balanced. She pointed out they all play soccer, dance or participate in gymnastics and all of those activities make better skiers and athletes.
The team trains twice a week on the hill, with additional dryland training, work on trampolines for tricks and in the gym at Challenge by Choice also scheduled.
Bradley said the team is always looking for new members and skiers who have achieved Level 6 training or get recommended by a coach. The final race of the season for the Freestylerz is the B.C. Championships at Mount Washington from April 3 to 6.
For more information on the team, visit .
