British Ski and Snowboard - Emily Sarsfield

Emily Sarsfield secures new headline sponsor for 2017-18 Olympic season

Lucy Mackenzie — Tue, 25 Jul 2017 08:33:23 +0000

25 July 2017

Emily Sarsfield secures new headline sponsor for 2017-18 Olympic season

British Ski Cross athlete Emily Sarsfield, who is eight times British Champion and competes at World Cup level, has announced a new headline sponsor for the upcoming winter season as she works towards the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics.

The new headline sponsorship for Sarsfield comes from ABC Group, an independently owned service company covering the construction industry in London and the South East for the past 30 years.

Alongside the news of a newly appointed British Ski and Snowboard GBX coach, Guillaume Nantermod, and the recent announcement of her new sponsorship, Sarsfield is aiming to break into the World Top 10 this season.

Sarsfield missed out on the Sochi Winter Olympics in 2014, but with the new set up, coach and support from ABC she is training hard and extremely focused on making Team GB proud in PyeongChang.

Andrew Buchanan MD of ABC Group commented, "Having followed Emily's career over the last 12 years, we have been so impressed with her dedication, grit and sheer determination, not only in what is a very challenging sport, but also her efforts to raise funds to support herself at the highest level. Now that she has the chance to compete at the 2018 Olympics we are proud to be able to give her the extra support she deserves!"

"I am so excited and motivated by the new support” said Sarsfield. “Having ABC on board is a dream come true, it allows me to focus 100% as an athlete. I can finally be on a level playing field with my peers and put my all into making GB proud. It's been a tough road to get here, but I'm determined and looking forward to the journey ahead with #TeamABC!"

You can follow Emily's journey on her social media @EmSkiCross and for more information about the ABC Group visit www.abc-group.com

British Ski Cross' Emily Sarsfield: One Year to Go to PyeongChang 2018 #1YTG

Lucy Mackenzie — Thu, 09 Feb 2017 09:41:24 +0000

09 February 2017

British Ski Cross' Emily Sarsfield: One Year to Go to PyeongChang 2018 #1YTG

Ski Cross Freestyle Emily Sarsfield 1YTG

The 9th February 2017 officially marks one year to go until the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang 2018. We're celebrating this exciting milestone with a series of British Ski & Snowboard athlete interviews from across the disciplines, giving you an insight into their pre-Olympic aspirations and plans.

In this interview we speak to British Ski Cross racer Emily Sarsfield who vows to stay positive this season despite the challenges facing a professional Ski Cross athlete.

Emily Sarsfield

How is this season going? What have been the highs and lows?

The season is going well. It was a little tougher to the start of season than my peers, as I have to work full time converting shipping containers into bars in the summer and didn’t manage to get as much pre season training in as I had hoped, but I am definitely starting to feel the positives in my skiing now. The speed is there in training but I am not quite converting it into the race run… its definitely coming and I am looking forward to it when it does!

It has been a lot of fun with some new tracks and locations, but its definitely been a busy season so far with the introduction of the Ski Cross ‘Cross Alps Tour’ 6 World Cups, 4 countries, 14 days! … think I have slept in 30 different hotels or beds in the past 10 weeks! Although it's tiring, it's exciting and keeps me on my toes. I just have to ensure I am recovering well, having the right nutrition and preparing correctly before the competitions.

It has been a tough one for Ski Cross this year with a lot of injuries and the sad news of Anna Holmlund, one of my peers, who is currently in a coma from an accident in a comp in Italy. The Ski Cross community is a very tight nit group, so an accident like this really has a huge impact of the sport and shows how dangerous it can be, we are all praying for Anna’s recovery.

What are your ambitions for the remainder of the season?

To keep that smile on my face! …And of course keep on improving! It's amazing, even after many years in the sport, it is always evolving, and I am always learning new techniques and tactics. There is always a challenge and I love tackling them and learning from them, becoming a stronger, fitter and faster athlete. With these progressions I aim to constantly be in the top 16 of World Cups, making the finals every race and getting to race head to head … this is where the real fun starts!

Tell us about your funding and how people can help support you?

I have some great sponsors and supporters like Head, 2Pure Active, Profeet, Peak Performance, RockTape, Panache and Sorel, so I know I will be wearing and skiing on the best equipment, which is crucial. This year I was lucky this year to receive a Solidarity funding from the International Olympic Committee, this helps me be able to get to the Olympic qualification events, however it doesn’t allow enough to ensure I have a coach. I am still the only athlete out of 80 on the World Cup Ski Cross circuit without a coach or any support staff … now that's tough! Although it's tough, it shows how determined I am, and makes me think a little differently to all the others, and, of course, adds more ‘hunger’ to it all! However, for me to really achieve my true potential and break into the World top 10, I need a coach and still looking for sponsors and supporters to assist with that, people can contact me via my website: www.emilysarsfield.com if they have any ideas.

Have you started thinking about PyeongChang 2018 yet?

After a huge disappointment around the Sochi games, my attitude shifted and I have tried not to make PyeongChang my main focus. My goals now are a lot more short term: training session by training session; day by day; race by race, and the focus is on becoming a stronger, faster athlete, better skier. With these steps I am sure the Olympics will go hand in hand!

What will you most look forward to if you make it to PyeongChang 2018?

Being able to represent my country on the ultimate sporting stage would be a dream. I think just taking in the atmosphere and sharing it with peers, family and friends would be amazing. But ultimately I will be there to put in my best possible performance, I skied the track in PyeongChang last season in the test event and it was great fun, getting to battle it out back on that track will be sweet! … and hopefully making some Brits super proud! ;-)

What other sport would you most look forward to watching if you make it to PyeongChang 2018?

I love winter sports, they are all so diverse and extreme. It’s great to watch GB Park and Pipe … especially with our amazing GB Team at the moment who are one of the best teams out there! Also, watching Slalom skier Dave Riding do his thing - we used to train together on a few camps when I did Alpine skiing (in fact one time I think I coached him back in the day…I was obviously a very young coach, haha), so seeing him would be sweet!

Why should young people consider taking up your sport?

It is the ultimate downhill sport - it is so much fun! You get a huge adrenaline rush every time you complete the course and racing head to head is awesome! Ski Cross means you have to be a versatile skier, having technical alpine ability, yet being able to ski all terrain, moguls, jumps, everything - it's always different. If you enjoy skiing the whole mountain and racing your mates, you would love ski cross!

Woodsy claims podium in European Freeski Open with Izzy Atkin 4th, whilst Sarsfield rounds off her season with Europa Cup Bronze

Lucy Mackenzie — Mon, 14 Mar 2016 12:45:37 +0000

14 March 2016

Woodsy claims podium in European Freeski Open with Izzy Atkin 4th, whilst Sarsfield rounds off her season with Europa Cup Bronze

Alpine Ski Cross Freestyle Nordic Speed Ski Telemark Park & Pipe James Woods Emily Sarsfield Isabel Atkin

GB Park and Pipe

James Woodsy Woods has secured his best result of the season, clinching a fantastic 3rd place at the European Freeski Open in Laax, Switzerland. Throwing down an impressive performance on the slopestyle course, Woodsy broke his run of 4th place finishes to claim a podium finish against world-class field in the prestigious competition.

In the ladies' competition at the European Freeski Open, Izzy Atkin followed up her recent run of strong results to claim an impressive 4th place in Laax with teammate Katie Summerhayes finishing in 9th in the semis.

The competition was also excellent competition experience for Cal Sandieson and GB Park and Pipe Pathway skiers: Harris Booth, Monty Wright and Chris McCormick.

At the World Championships of Snowboarding in Yabuli International Ski Resort, China, Katie Ormerod finished a solid 3rd place in the Slopestyle semi-finals, taking her through to tomorrow’s finals. After qualifying well for the semis, Aimee Fuller couldn’t quite put the runs in to finish in the top 6, which was the qualifying standard for the final. In the Big Air semis, Katie Ormerod finished in 7th place, narrowly missing out on finals and Aimee couldn’t quite land a clean run after trying her cab underflip. The level was high with two riders performing cab double underflips.

Henry Shackleton and Matt McCormick are in Flachau, Austria, for 2016’s Spring Battle, a World Snowboard Tour Slopestyle event, in which a follow cam jam session is held over the week, with the best runs submitted for judging. Aimee Fuller will be joining them directly from China.

Nine Queens in Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis, Austria, has kicked off, with the action lasting all week. Katie Summerhayes has arrived in resort and is ready to tackle the impressive looking course. She will be joined by Jenny Jones, and also Katie Ormerod who will fly in directly from China.

Delancey British Alpine Ski Team

Dave Ryding was competing in the in the Oberjoch Europa Cup Slalom yesterday In Germany where he came 6th place - +0.73 off the winner.

In Spain Dave will compete in the La Molina Europa Cup Slalom on Thursday, alongside Delancey Alpine team mate Charlie Guest, who will take on the Ladies’ Giant Slalom on Wednesday and Slalom on Thursday.

Dave will then move on to Switzerland to the FIS Alpine World Cup Finals in St Moritz, which kick off today. The Men’s Slalom will be taking place on Sunday.

Over in the US, Jack Gower is competing in the Nor Am Race Series in Aspen, Colarado. Gower finished 13th in yesterday’s Downhill and will compete in the Super G, which runs today, and the Giant Slalom on Thursday.

The Delancey British National Alpine Ski Championships kick off this Sunday, with all the top names in British Alpine Skiing descending on the French resort of Tignes for a week of Senior and Junior racing.

British Ski Cross

Emily Sarsfield rounded off her racing season on a high, claiming a podium in the FIS Europa Cup in St Francois Longchamp, France. After winning the small final to finish 5th in the first race, Emily put in a storming performance to qualify for the final and finish in 3rd position in the second race. A great conclusion to the season.

British Nordic Team

The conclusion of the ‘Ski Tour Canada’ in Canmore saw Andrew Musgrave finish 36th in the overall standings, after an impressive 18th place finish in Friday’s 10km Freestyle. He followed that up with 36th in the 15km Pursuit.

Annika Taylor had a fantastic Ski Tour Canada, finishing 42nd overall, after a 45th in the 10km Freestyle and then 42nd in the 10km Pursuit.

British Speed Skiing

Jan Farrell secured two 8th place finishes at the FIS Speed Skiing World Cup in Grandvalira, Andorra over the weekend. Jan is eager to improve on last season:

"We’ve had two great races in Andorra, with extremely cold conditions and compression in the track. I was 2kmh off the podium on both days so I’m extremely focused on the next race in Vars, where my objective is to beat the British speed record of 245kmh.”

"Last season it was important to gain experience and a better understanding of the top category and although I achieved a personal best in Vars, I’m hungry to exceed expectations and reach podium status this year.”

British Telemark

At the Telemark World Cup in Rjukan, Norway, Jaz Taylor put in two strong performances to finish 4th and 6th in the two Ladies' Sprint races. Alistair Cruz-Mermy claimed the best British result in the mens' races, with 18th place in the Men’s Sprint. Teammate Louis Hatchwell finished in a close 19th position. The second race saw Louis as the fastest Brit, claiming 20th place.

Woodsy through to finals of Silvaplana Slopestyle World Cup, strong results at the Ski Tour Canada, Sarsfield tackles Ski Cross World Cup in Arosa and Ryding back in action

Lucy Mackenzie — Thu, 03 Mar 2016 15:48:34 +0000

03 March 2016

Woodsy through to finals of Silvaplana Slopestyle World Cup, strong results at the Ski Tour Canada, Sarsfield tackles Ski Cross World Cup in Arosa and Ryding back in action

Park & Pipe Nordic Ski Cross Alpine James Woods Freestyle Emily Sarsfield

GB Park and Pipe

Qualification for the Slopestyle World Cup in Silvaplana, Switzerland started today, with James ‘Woodsy’ Woods qualifying in 2nd place in the first heat and 17 year old Cal Sandieson, in his first ever World Cup, finishing in a very respectable 25th place. Due to cloud coming in and out, the female riders Katie Summerhayes, Madi Rowlands and Izzy Atkin will all have to wait until tomorrow to tackle qualification after it was postponed for today.

At the Burton US Open, tricky snow and weather conditions meant qualifications were cancelled yesterday, so GB Park and Pipe’s Katie Ormerod will go straight through to a 16-girl final taking place on Friday. The action starts at 18.00 GMT and can be viewed on the following link: http://events.burton.com/burton-us-open/

British Nordic Team

This week saw the start of the Cross Country World Cup and the ‘Ski Tour Canada 2016’ with two strong results from both Andrew Young and Andrew Musgrave.

In the opening stage in Gatineau, Andrew Young finished in an impressive 17th place in the Sprint Freestyle finals with teammate Musgrave finishing 44th . Young’s result was nearly matched by Musgrave in Montreal who took 18th place yesterday in the 17.5km Classic Mass Start event, with Young finishing 49th. Annika Taylor finished 54th in the Ladies Sprint finals in Gatineau and 49th in the 10.5km Classic Mass Start in Montreal.

Action continues tomorrow in Quebec City with another Sprint event, followed by the Freestyle Pursuit events on Saturday.

British Ski Cross

Despite heavy snow, Emily Sarsfield is hoping that finals run as planned tomorrow in Arosa, Switzerland, which plays host to the next Ski Cross World Cup. After training was cancelled today, action is due to begin tomorrow at 09:45 CET, weather dependent.

Delancey British Alpine Ski Team

Dave Ryding is back in action this weekend at the Slalom World Cup in Kransjka Gora, Slovenia. He will be aiming to put in a good result ahead of the World Cup Finals in St Moritz later this month. The Slalom takes place on Sunday, with the first run at 09:30 CET.

At the World Junior Alpine Championships in Sochi, Russia, Billy Major has unfortunately had three DNFs in the Alpine Combined, Super G and GS this week. He still has time to notch up a result, however, as he tackles the Slalom tomorrow alongside teammate Charlie Raposo. Raposo unfortunately also DNF today in the GS.

Alex Tilley is currently competing in Nozawa Onsen, Japan at the Far East Cup were she finished an impressive 2nd in the Ladies GS today.

British Speed Skiing

The Speed Skiing World Cup starts this week in Sun Peaks, Canada with Jan Farrell firmly setting his sights on a podium in the unlimited S1 category. There is set to be two races: one tomorrow and one on Saturday. Farrell was the only ski racer to pass the 200kph barrier last season.

X Games bronze for Billy Morgan & 15th for Ski Cross' Sarsfield in PyeongChang

Lucy Mackenzie — Mon, 29 Feb 2016 17:05:31 +0000

Billy takes Bronze

29 February 2016

X Games bronze for Billy Morgan & 15th for Ski Cross' Sarsfield in PyeongChang

Park & Pipe Ski Cross Freestyle Nordic Alpine Billy Morgan Emily Sarsfield Snowboard

GB Park and Pipe

GB Park and Pipe's Billy Morgan claimed a prestigious bronze medal at X Games Oslo, landing a backside 1440 triple cork on one of the largest jumps ever built.

After this brilliant result, Billy commented on his success : "I've always seen X Games as one of the biggest, raddest things out there. So to be on the podium and compete with so many riders I look up to is amazing."

You can watch Billy's impressive bronze medal run here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnqaDNA7NJI

Katie Ormerod is back in Colorado ahead of competing in the Burton US Open in Vail. Qualification starts on Wednesday, with finals running on Friday.

Friday sees the start of the Silvaplana World Cup in Switzerland where Youth Winter Olympic Gold Medalist Madi Rowlands and teammate Cal Sandieson will compete in their first ever Ski Slopestyle World Cup. They will ride alongside James ‘Woodsy’ Woods, Katie Summerhayes and Izzy Atkin.

British Ski Cross

Emily Sarsfield took 15th place in the finals of the Ski Cross World Cup in PyeongChang, which doubled up as the Olympic Ski Cross test event. Meanwhile in Grasgehren, Germany, Emma Peters took 16th in the Ski Cross Europa Cup on Saturday.

British Nordic Team

The Nordic World Under 23 and Junior Championships concluded last Friday in Rasnov, Romania, for British Nordic’s Lynne Gray, Annika Taylor, Sarah Hales, Duncan Gibb and James Clugnet. The best results came from Annika Taylor who was 30th in the U23 Ladies 10km Freestyle and 34th in the U23 Ladies 10k Classic.

This week sees the Cross Country World Cup move over to Canada, with the ‘Ski Tour Canada 2016’ running from 1st to 12th March in Gatineau, Montreal, Quebec City and Canmore.

Delancey British Alpine Ski Team

At the World Junior Alpine Championships in Sochi, Russia, Billy Major finished a respectable 49th place in the Downhill on Saturday and followed that up with 56th in the Super G. Billy will compete in the Alpine Combined tomorrow and then along with teammate Charlie Raposo, they will both compete in the GS on Thursday and the Slalom on Friday.

The first edition of X Games Oslo kicks off and Sarsfield through to finals of Ski Cross Olympic Test Event in PyeongChang

Lucy Mackenzie — Fri, 26 Feb 2016 13:14:15 +0000

James Woods, photo Nick Atkins

26 February 2016

The first edition of X Games Oslo kicks off and Sarsfield through to finals of Ski Cross Olympic Test Event in PyeongChang

Park & Pipe Ski Cross Nordic Ski Jumping Emily Sarsfield

GB Park and Pipe

Today sees snowboarder Billy Morgan and skier James ‘Woodsy’ Woods tackle the Big Air at the inaugural X Games in Oslo. Downtown Toyen will host one of the largest jumps in X Games history. With heats beginning today, just six riders from each discipline will go through to Saturday’s finals.

Next Wednesday is the start of the Burton US Open in Vail, Colorado, where GB Park and Pipe snowboarder, Katie Ormerod, will be looking to continue her recent success in Slopestyle. Qualification is Wednesday 2nd March with finals running on Thursday 4th March.

British Ski Cross

Emily Sarsfield is in PyeongChang, South Korea, for the Ski Cross World Cup, which is also an Olympic Ski Cross test event. In qualification today she finished in 14th place, making it through to the top 16 final which runs on Sunday.

Emma Peters is competing in the Ski Cross Europa Cup in Grasgehren this Saturday and Sunday, and is hoping to secure a result in Germany.

British Nordic Team

The Nordic World Under 23 and Junior Championships continue in Rasnov, Romania for Lynne Gray, Annika Taylor, Sarah Hale, Duncan Gibb and James Clugnet.

The best results so far have come from Annika Taylor who was 30th in the U23 10k Freestyle and 34th in the U23 Ladies’ 10k Classic. Sarah Hale came 40th and 47th respectively in the same two races.

Other results for British Nordic: include two 69th place finishes for James Clugnet and an 84th and 89th for Duncan Gibb in the Junior Men’s 15k Freestyle and Junior Men’s 10k Classic.

In the Junior Ladies’ 5k Classic, Lynne Gray came in 77th position.

British Ski Jumping

Young British ski jumping twins Robert Lock and Jake Lock have also been competing at the Championships. Robert finished 52nd place and Jake in 56th place.

Delancey British Alpine Ski Team

Downhill training was cancelled yesterday at the World Junior Alpine Championships in Sochi, Russia. The next training is scheduled for today where Billy Major will hope to get some practice in ahead of Saturday’s Downhill race. Then both Billy and Charlie Raposo will compete in Sunday’s Super G, the Alpine Combined on Monday, the Slalom on Thursday and the GS next Saturday.

Sarsfield in Ski Cross World Cup action whilst Ryding prepares for Wengen

Lucy Allman — Fri, 15 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000

15 January 2016

Sarsfield in Ski Cross World Cup action whilst Ryding prepares for Wengen

Emily Sarsfield Alpine World Cup Dave Ryding Freestyle

British Ski Cross Team

Emily Sarsfield was back in World Cup Ski Cross action yesterday in Watles, Italy where she narrowly missed out on qualification for Saturday’s race, despite putting in an excellent performance. In her first World Cup race post injury, Sarsfield said: “"I was just looking for a good feeling, so was shocked, but really happy with the result. I was just 0.4 off qualification, and after coming back earlier than I expected to the World Cup circuit, I was going a bit into the unknown, but I was really happy with how I skied."

Today sees the second qualification race, weather permitting, for Sunday’s finals.

Delancey British Alpine Team

After his 27th place in last weekend’s tough World Cup Slalom in Adelboden, Dave Ryding is now in Wengen for Sunday’s World Cup Slalom where he finished 25th last season. Dave is hoping to better last year’s result and solidify his standing in the world’s top 15.

Alex Tilley is racing in today’s Slalom in Flachau, Austria, and then in the GS on Sunday alongside teammate Cara Brown - her first World Cup of the season. This follows Cara’s 57th and 67th place in this week’s Europa Cup Downhills in Altenmarkt. Today’s Super G is cancelled due to the weather.

In yesterday’s Europa Cup Super G in Radstadt-Reiteralm, Jack Gower finished 81st and Max Baggio finished 85th position. Paul Henderson will be racing in the Zell am See Europa Cup this weekend in two Slalom races on Saturday and Sunday.

British Nordic Team

This weekend sees Andrew Young of the British Nordic Team racing in Saturday’s Freestyle Sprint race in the World Cup in Planica, Slovenia.

GB Park and Pipe Team

Whilst most of the GB Park and Pipe team finish up training in Breckenridge before heading to Mammoth World Cup or the European Open in Laax next week, snowboarder Rowan Coultas will be representing Great Britain over in China for the 14th Red Bull Open. Hosted in Nanshan, Rowan will be hoping to defend his place on the podium this weekend in the host country of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.

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