Sponsors: Stokes skis, Williams Australia, Headzone Australia, Masterline Australia, D3 Australia, Stoney Park

 

Current Location: Geelong Australia

How did you get into skiing? My Dad completed a job for the local waterski club. As a thank you they invited us to their Christmas where games were played all day. My brothers and I actually won the majority of the prizes so dad joined us up as members.

 

Probably when I was around 14 years old. Basically I decided I wasn’t going to start drinking alcohol I was going to commit myself to be the best I could possibly be.

 

Not really but I do enjoy activities filled with adrenaline. If I had the choice of lounging around or do adrenaline activities I would choose the activities for sure.

 

For me it depends what time of year it is.

If I am home in Australia I work during the summer months at Stoney Park waterski park.  The average day would consist of a 6:30am wake up call. I would slalom at 7:15 then tow my coach. From 9am-12:30pm I would be in the boat coaching and driving. Between 12:30 and 1:30pm I would quickly have a bite to eat followed by a trick set. Following this I would then work in the boat until 5pm. After work is completed for the day I manage to take a jump set and possibly one more set depending on whether the sun is still up. Every second day I will find time to go for a run and work out.

 

To be honest I don’t really have one. I did however really enjoy jumping at the Under 21 worlds in Muezac France. 

 

Definitely winning my first pro event. This moment was extremely special for me. I was 18 and had improved a lot through the summer months. I was then with my Coach Ray Stokes when he was diagnosed with terminal Melanoma Cancer. He was given roughly two months to live. So to be able to sure my first pro event win with him was incredible and I will never forget that moment.

How do you prepare for a big competition? 

I keep everything the same. I train the same amount and act the same. Why change from what you normally do when you manage to jump far every day. It shouldn’t have to change just because a big tournament is ahead.

 

Do you still get nervous before a big tournament? 

Of course. For me, every tournament is big. I still want to win and I still want to jump good. I may not seem nervous as I often dance around and joke around to take my mind off whats to come but deep down the butterflies are eating away at me.

 

2011 was my first year on the pro tour. The other GTF girls have been great. I was really quite scared leaving home and not knowing who I would talk to or hang out with a competitions however everyone is great. This year I broke my skis, I thought it was the end of the world yet other GTF girls were willing to let me ride their skis even though I was there competition. For me, that is a true sign of sportsmanship.

 

Plenty, but they are for me to know and for you to find out.

 

I don’t believe jump suits need to be figure flattering. There’s plenty of other sports that wear uniforms that are horrible looking, Take cyclist for example. Imagine having to wear something that shows every bump and wobble of your body. Not to mention I have a stokes suit and I feel thin when wearing it 

Apart from ski gear:

- laptop

- yearly planner

- A few issues of cosmo

- Plenty of comfortable clothes

 

This year when I snapped my Stokes Skis was extremely difficult for me to deal with. They were hand made by my Ray Stokes who has now passed away. As Stokes are one of a kind pair of skis it has been a struggle to adjust my jumping style and technique to suit different skis. I tried 6 different pairs and have now ended up on my older brothers. There not great but I have to deal with it and move on. It was just really hard going into competitions not knowing what the skis were going to do, not feeling safe nor comfortable. I spent nearly two months working on skis not working on technique. Obviously I am only 19 now so I am sure I will have bigger setbacks in the future that I will have to overcome.

 

-Winning the 2011 Moomba Masters Jump event.

- Breaking the US Masters Jump record (now held by Natalia Berndikova)

- Winning the 2011 under 21 worlds

- Breaking the under 21 world record by over 4m.

- Winning both LA Night Jam and King of darkness with my left ski being Stokes and my right ski being a borrowed ski of a different company.

 

Ray Stokes inspires me daily. The knowledge that he has of jump skiing is unbelievable. He was so strong willed and it could be seen how he battled to fight cancer. He never gave up and most of all he believed in me.

 

Obviously it is a great lifestyle however it does have its positives and negatives. I live in Australia therefore our summer does not correlate to the Northern Hemispheres summer. Because of this I have to travel overseas during Australia’s winter to train and compete in the opposing summer. Therefore I am constantly living away from home and out of a suitcase. 

It’s difficult not being around my friends however they totally understand and support me completely. For my skiing I have made the decision not to drink alcohol however this is my personal choice and doesn’t affect the outcome of my personal life. If I wasn’t a pro woman jumper I would never have travelled the world nor met some of the most amazing people I know today.

 

I have a lot of energy, so relaxing for me is hard as I always want to be up doing something. However when I really do need to unwind I have a hot bath and then watch a movie in bed.

 

Girls should not be defined by what they look like. They should be defined by what they have inside them. Every girl has the possibility to achieve greatness they just have to take the time to find in themselves what that greatness will be.

I’ve been told that I’m not good, that I can’t jump that far yet I’ve proved them wrong. I never gave up and I never backed down from a challenge. You have the power. Take the chance!

 

Women’s jumping right now is an amazing sport with very little reward. We work our butts off day after day in order to compete at the highest level possible. If GTF in 5 years’ time could support us girls so that we could make a living off the sport we love then that would be fantastic.