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Stanley Hayer - Canadian Ski Cross Team

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Calendar of Events/Results

Inawashiro, Japan March 2nd, 2009
Freestyle World Championships
22nd Place

I wish I had more good news to write about after this race but with an early first round exit it is not easy, maybe that is why it has taken me longer to enter this write-up. The race in Inwashiro was very similar to the event 2 years ago, fast with a couple of jumps, nothing to really think about, more of a cross your fingers course and hope that your skis are running and that your clothing is fast. I am not sure if I wrote earlier this year in any of my write-ups about my knee, well to let everyone know, I have a problem with my knee that I have been fighting since the race in Flaine, France in January. I am not trying to use it as an excuse for my inconsistency but it is really one of the only reasons I can really think of for what is happening. I also wanted to let you know since I have had a few people let me know that they are wondering what is going on. I will have everything fixed this spring and will be back with vengeance next winter, no worries. So back to Japan. Like always, the people of Japan always try to put on a great show, they are very proud of there culture and hospitality and for good reason. The village of Inawashiro was full of snowmen, an amazing accomplishment since there was really no snow to talk about in the region. The organizers also put on a great opening ceremonies with kids and drums dancing and laying down a sweet beat! In the race it was Canada's McIvor taking home the Gold after really putting on a show with her aggressive passing and confidence. On the Men's side it was two Canadians and two Austrian's in the finals. Unfortunately Barr and Del Bosco got a little tangled up at the start and had to settle for 3rd and 4th, Congrates to Davey Barr for his medal at this event. Andy Matt, brother of the famous Alpiner, Mario Matt took home the honors of being named the 2009 SX World Champion. Defending Champion Kraus for the Czech Rep. ended up 23rd, tied with yours truly but I do not have any doubts that both of us will be at full speed come February 2010 in Vancouver.
Next race, Grindelwald, Switzerland, March 12th, 2009

Branaes, Sweden February 24th, 2009
26th Place

This really was a dissappointing race for me, I really wanted to do well here, the last race before the World Championships in Japan. I was starting to ski well, 1st at X-Games, 2nd in Cypress, 5th in Voss and the goal of getting into the finals here in Sweden. Qualifying day did not go great, no major mistakes but with the course being fun but not very technical even a small mistake could mean not qualifying. I qualified 25th but with a pretty even start I was hoping to make it to the podium. It took me a good 10 starts to get comfortable with the extra heavy and slow gate but come race time I figured I had it. I lined up on the outside and indeed had a great start but was a little greedy going into the first turn. I pinched the other riders and ended up getting hit and pushed off track, if I would have just left more room I would have been in the next round. Next time. The track however was a joy to ski, not one hard landing and a few features like including a step-up, a water-fall and an airplane turn to name a few sections. the race was also live in Swedish TV and on Eurosport as was the last race in Voss. It is nice to see that SkiCross is starting to make inroads into the main stream of sports media at least here in Europe.
Next Update, after the race in Inawashiro, Japan, March 2nd, 2009

Voss, Norway February 19th, 2009
5th Place

This was one of the races that maybe not even just myself thought should be cancelled that wasn't! I have said that a race always has a winner and someone that isn't happy with second but a race is a race, however this race was more a test of survival then racing. I have say the track was pretty good and would have been great had the conditions been better. The problem was really just one turn and some poor light/visibility for most of the day. I understand that crashes are a part of our sport but when a accomplished skicross racer just crashed for no real apparent reason then you have to ask yourself what is wrong. The problem here was that the course developed some really nice holes that would not have been an issue if they were visible and if they were not so soft. A few people just plan and simple stopped in their tracks and went head over heels, not pretty and escpecially not pleasant for the riders behind that are left dodging skis and bodies. Hopefully one day the riders will be able to make a call on a dangerous situation and unite to be heard by the FIS, we have to remember that we are racing, not the organizers, not FIS officials, it is US, the athletes putting it on the line and most of us would love to see the season through to the end without a major injury. At the end of the day the race went as scheduled, I battled my way through my first couple of heats in second, with some luck and in the semifinals was set to in second when I once again was caught on the wrong side of the rider in front of me unfortunately letting a French rider on the inside and then eventually getting passed by an Austiran leaving me frustrated and in the small finals. I took care of matters in the small final placing a strong 5th on the day. I was just happy to make it through the day and off to the next race in Branas, Sweden on the 24th of February.

Cypress, Canada February 6th, 2009
2nd Place

What an amazing day for the Canadian SkiCross Team. Six medals up for grabs at the Olympic Test Event/ World Cup at Cypress Mountain and the Canadian Team was able to walk away with 5 medals. It seemed like a Nascar event for me, I led most of my heats, crossing the finish in first 3 times and then leading for 74 seconds in the finals on a course that was 74.5 seconds long. At least is was fellow Canadian Chris Delbosco that took the win. Davey Barr rounded out the men's podium in 3rd after Kraus had problems on the third jump. I guess it was just meant to be this race day, it was something that we had hoped for last season but were unable to achieve but in Cypress we were not to be denied. Three Canadian men in the finals of a World Cup SkiCross, once again a great accomplishment and even more exciting since it was on the Olympic hill a year from the sports debut in 2010. The course was twisting, turning, banked filled and big jump affair, something different from most of the other World Cups but a welcome change. The start was more technical then the normal push till your poles break and the rest of the course had features that made you actually think about what you were going to do. There are also only a few people that are comfortable enough to be fast in the banks, luckily we are part of that group. In the semifinals I had to make a pass on Lars Lewen in bank #5, it was close but clean, we did hit a little and with Lars still reeling, Davey was able to get by to join both myself and Delbosco in the finals. I got off to a great start, probably would have been second to Kraus until he bobbled and I shot into the lead. I wasn't even nervous, I was to busy trying to ski the course at speed, a little careful on the two jumps that I seemed to overshoot the landing on each run. I thought I had it but Chris is the master of following close and making quick passes. 2nd place though, my best finish on the World Cup Circuit this season and I earned some very needed World Cup points which now have me sitting in 6th overall. I really want to get into the top 3 overall again this season. Five more races plus World Championships, lots of time to prove myself.
Next stop, Voss, Norway

Aspen, USA X-Games   January 25th, 2009
1st Place

As we rolled into Aspen we all were looking forward to seeing what a real skicross would look like. We haven't had to many of those this year. For some reason the races are going more alpine rather then trying to make skicross stand out on its own. This course is just great, lots of rolls, jumps and places to pass. Qualifying today was a lot different from training, it snowed all morning or more accurately snow/rained and start numbers played a huge roll in how one did. I started a bit later in the draw and after almost falling after the first jump had a decent run that put me into 4th place. I was pretty happy with that, I really had no idea what to expect. Most people went for a second run but the track was about 4 seconds slower then the first run so it was more a training run that didn't mean anything. Now we have one day off before the big race on Sunday, time to get all the gear ready and to watch a few of the other events. Tonight there was a double back-flip on a sled, not landed but pretty nuts anyway. Tomorrow the highlight event for me will be the Snocross Finals, I love the smell of the race gas and the sound of all the horse power, the next best thing after Motocross.
What a day, I never dreamed that I would be standing on the top of the podium at the X-Games but dreams do come true. It was a real battle today, not just with the other racers but also with the weather. The track was slow and we really had to work to get to the bottom fast, it was like doing a windgate test in the lab with a 10 minute break before having to do it all over again. I had great starts all day, getting away to small leads before the flats. The bottom of the course had the other riders catch up to me but with a few extra skates I was able to hold them off. In the finals I skated down the last pitch before the final jump, in the air I pulled a sweet "Fonzee" but was able to beat the rest of the heat across the line. YES, X-Games SkiCross Champion 2009
Check it out on www.xgames.com
Next stop, Cypress, Canada

Lake Placid, USA January 19th, 2009
14th Place

After a very early wake up and a 4 hour drive to Zurich we were finally on the plane heading to beautiful Lake Placid. I have actually never been to Lake Placid but the four days that we spent there were great. A really nice town that I would like to visit in the spring. Our first night we spent in Montreal and then drove to Lake Placid where a couple people had a chance to get on the course. On the training day I took it fairly easy, my knee being sore from the last race in Flaine, not really sure what I did but I could barely move or turn. I had a really good scare on qualifying day and had to stay in the finish until the last racer to be sure that I qualified for race day. I got lucky and finished 30th unlike some of the other top racers who didn't make the show. What a weird day. Race day I was pretty excited since the start was prettty fair from any spot, at least that is what was thought until the guys started to press the right side but not the left. I got lucky and was allowed to start from the right gate the first heat. I jumped out of the start, stayed on the snow on the first jump and jetted into the lead. I held on while Enak, Rahlves and Conrad battled behind me. In the second heat I had Puckett, Lars and Rahlves and thought that I had a great chance to move into the semis. I shot out of the gate got two good pushes and thought I had the lead. I then felt the guys on my right side and then off the first jump I watched them go by. I tried to stay close but Puckett got a little wild at the end of one of the rhythm sections and I was left in fourth and out. I have no explanation, I have decent starts but am missing just a bit in my speed to the first turn. Something I can fix and will.
Next stop, X-Games, Aspen (Colorado)

Flaine, France   January 14, 2009
6th Place

World Cup #3 finally saw me ski a little more like normal. I qualified 7th on a course that was rebuilt because of lack of snow the first day. We had 3 training runs and a got off a very late qualifying on the second day. I skied pretty good, having a little trouble with the 180' turns sliding a little more then most, but still managing a solid 8th place. Race day was a nearly perfect day, with sun shining everywhere but on the race course. My first 2 heats saw me have solid starts and I managed to hold onto the lead until the finish. In the semifinals I had Kraus, Puckett and Bennett in my heat, I had a great start but lost a little in the pushing a skating before the first turn. I battled for a 2nd place but was caught on the uphill side of Kraus going into the first big turn and was undercut by Puckett, a beauty of a pass. You can find some pictures on www.skicross.cz. I was able to get close at the finish but ran out of track finishing behind Kraus and Puckett. In the small final I was a bit slow off the start but pushed my way into second behind the Finn and held that to the finish to capture my season best 6th place. Everythings seems to be getting better, just in time for X-Games.
Next stop, Lake Placid

Les Contamines, France   January 10, 2009
12th Place

World Cup #2 saw me back in Les Contamine, one of the races that I seem to either get on the podium or go out early. After qualifying 7th on the fast Super-G style course I felt confident that this was going to be a podium year. I had a fairly easy first Heat with Michael Schmid from Switzerland and we both got into round 2 no problem. In the 2nd round I had both Schmid and Kraus and a surprise to me I was ahead out of the gate. However after a couple of pushes I found myself in 3rd then 4th following an out of control Frenchmen. I tried to rally on the finish straight but ended up about 5 meters short of moving on. Another short day on the World Cup but promising in regard to my start.
Next stop, Flaine, France.

Tignes, France   January 7, 2009
2nd Place

The Tignes Airwave Games is always a challenging race, flat light, fast hard turns, big jumps and six crazy riders fighting for a pretty good cash prize and this year was no different. I had a little trouble qualifying, placing 18th and most likely getting stuck with an outside gate that was not really where I wanted to be for the first turn. I played it smart making a pass in the first heat just before the finish. It was hard to believe I could draft off a little Frendmen in his pajamas but I did. The second round saw 3 Canadians together and with a bit of teamwork all three of us (Davey, Delbosco and myself) made it to the finals. In the finals I was stuck in 5th at the first turn but a little tangle left the door open for me to sneak up to 3rd. I then passed Eric Iljans midway down for second and held that to the finish. Behind me Davey was making a few passes himself as he worked his way into third.
Next stop, Les Contamines, France

St. Johann, Austria   January 5th, 2009
19th Place

We get to start this season in Austria at a night race(World Cup #1), perfect or at least that is what I thought. Once we arrived we learned that the track was prepared by the same crew that does the World Cup Alpine Event in Kitzbuhel, this meant that it was as icy as a skating rink and the landings really started to hurt. Blue toes and sore kness were proof of that. The track was tough due to the conditions but I managed to qualify a solid 12th. Race day I had a good feeling out of the start and took an easy lead going into the first turn. I led to the midway point before making a crucial mistake on the fall away turn which led to 2 french passing me. I tried to set up a move for the last jump but was hit by the 4th place German before take-off. I was lucky to land on my feet but the German was carted off with a wrecked knee, I hope he recovers quickly. My day was however over, I am really not accustomed to going out so early in a race but better to get the bad luck out of the way before the real important races like X-games, Cypress and the World Championships in Japan.
Next stop, Tignes, France

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