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Athletes ready for world stage

Three Fernie athletes to compete in the world’s biggest junior freeride competition.
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Three Fernie athletes will put the Elk Valley on the map when they compete in the world’s biggest junior freeride competition.

Seth Amundsen, Heidi Farmer and Micah Morris are among 60 invitees to earn a spot at the Freeride Junior World Championship, which will be held in Kappl, Austria, from March 21-23.

Skiers and snowboarders were selected by their past overall rankings on the Freeride Junior Tour by Head.

They will represent more than 16 countries from five continents and have been hailed as the world’s best athletes aged 15-18.

“It takes quite a bit of work and determination to get yourself to this point,” said Amundsen.

“I’m super excited.”

Amundsen has been skiing since he could walk and last year ranked fourth in Canada in big mountain skiing.

“I started when I was about two and never stopped,” he said.

“Ever since a young age, I’ve just been skiing the mountain every day.

“I’ve been competing for the past 6-7 years and working on progressing every year, and that’s kinda got me to this point – being successful in competition and being consistent with it.”

Farmer started off skiing but switched to snowboarding when she was about eight-years-old.

“I feel like when you’re really passionate about something, you can just immerse yourself in it,” she said.

“That’s what happened to me, I just love it.”

It has been a whirlwind 12 months for Farmer who won the women’s snowboarding category last year and will soon graduate from high school after completing both Grade 11 and 12.

She will be looking to defend her title in Kappl.

“You meet so many awesome people when you’re over there, so I’m excited to go back,” she said.”

Morris currently lives in Sweden and will meet her fellow Fernie athletes at the championship.

They will be judged on their style, control, fluidity and line choice, and have only one chance to qualify.

“You do an inspection run, you choose your line, you get yourself prepared then you have one chance to qualify and then you get a run to podium,” said Farmer.

Each athlete has taken his or her own approach to training.

“I just go up to the hill every day and ride to the best of my ability,” said Amundsen, who works as a cat driver at Fernie Alpine Resort.

“I work on different types of skiing – working the edge, practicing that grab, whatever I can do to improve my skiing.”

Amundsen is a familiar face on the competition circuit, while this will be Farmer’s first big mountain event this season.

She has been practicing yoga after suffering a back injury and is determined not to let nerves get to her.

“I don’t want to go there and be really stressed out, I just want to go there and have a good time,” she said.

“I’ve been meditating on it almost and visualizing my run even before I’m there.”

With a helicopter whirring overhead and cheering crowds below, there will be plenty of distractions for athletes during the event.

Amundsen gets into the zone by playing music, while Farmer’s pre-race ritual is more physical.

“When I’m about to drop in I always do three squats then I go,” she said.

“It gets your legs working a bit and wakes me up a bit from standing there for 10 minutes.”

The pair agree growing up in Fernie has helped them to prepare for the world stage.

“Considering how small Fernie is, there have been so many athletes that have gone to this competition,” said Farmer.

“We’re the most represented place in Canada in this event,” added Amundsen.

Friends and family can watch the championship from home, with the event to be broadcast to the world.

“We hope to make Fernie and Canada proud,” said Amundsen.

Visit Freerideworldtour.com/event/freeride-junior-world-championship-kappl-2018-head.

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