The Canadian Freestyle Ski Team unveiled its roster of athletes competing in aerials, moguls, halfpipe and slopestyle for the 2015-16 season on Nov. 19, and Cassie Sharpe of Comox is on the women's halfpipe team.
“I’m really looking forward to having a ton of fun doing what I love!" Sharpe said in a Canadian Freestyle Ski Association news release. "That’s always my main goal; to enjoy myself fully but I’m also really excited to compete some new tricks and a fresh new run that no girl has ever done before.
"I would really love to make finals at every contest I am in, as well as continue to push myself everyday out of my comfort zone! I’d also love to get my first X Games invite this year. Since last season I’ve spent a lot of time training in the gym but I’ve also had some down time to hang out with my family and friends, which has been great. It’s really nice to get some quality time in with my parents especially, it helps de-stress my brain and calm me down before the craziness picks up!” the 23-year-old Sharpe said.
One of four women on the halfpipe team, Sharpe will be looking to take the next step in her career after winning World Championship silver last year.
The season will include two domestic FIS Freestyle Ski World Cups for mogul athletes on January 23 in Saint Côme, QC and Jan. 30 in Calgary, AB, as well as X Games Aspen (Jan. 26-31) and the return of the X Games Europe held on Feb. 24-28 in Oslo, Norway.
To accompany the announcement, the official schedule for the season has been released, including all major FIS and AFP events. To view and download a pdf version of FIS World Cups and AFP Platinum events, click here. A more comprehensive schedule, including Nor-Am and Canada Cup events, can also be accessed at http://freestyleski.com/schedule.
“We are excited to start the new winter season with an impressive mixture of youth and veteran talent on our team,” said Bruce Robinson, CEO of the Canadian Freestyle Ski Association.
“Our athletes were given the best preparation possible thanks to our coaches and technical staff. We pride ourselves on being the best freestyle team in the world and this will be an important time for us as we continue our preparation for the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea.”