Disciplines: Freestyle skiing - moguls

I first started skiing when my family moved down to the Snowy Mountains area in 95'. I started skiing with the school, and on weekends with my parents at Perisher, before joining the local freestyle club run by freestyle legend Toppa. From there, it was a steady progression competing at regional and age class events and achieving results to progress onto the next level of teams and competitions. I have now been competing on the FIS Freestyle World Cup tour for the past three years, after making my debut at the age of 16 in 2005. The highlights to speak of are; qualifying in sixth place for the 2007 World Championships final and placing 15th in the final. I also finished in 15th place in the dual event at the 2007 World Championships as well as in the 2009 World Championships. In my last year as a Junior I finished in forth and sixth place at the 2007 Junior World Championships. In 2008 at the Lake Placid World Cup event, I placed in eighth position, after qualifying in seventh.

Q & A

MW: How long have you dreamt about competing in the Olympic Games?
Since reaching certain ability and realising that competing at an Olympic Games was possible for me, it has been something I have worked towards and dreamt about. It is the pinnacle event in our sport, and it would be an honour to represent my country on this world stage.

MW: How has your preparation for the Games been going?
I had a string of bad luck with injuries over the past two seasons, and I was unable to compete in the majority of the World Cup events last season, which were also Olympic qualifying events. However, I was back and relatively fit for the World Championships in Japan in March this year, where I had results of 15th and 20th which both count towards Olympic qualification.
I had good domestic season training in Perisher this year, and I've just returned from a successful pre season training camp in Switzerland. My body is feeling good, and I'm confident going into the World Cups prior to the Games.

MW: What are your major competitors you'll be aiming to beat?
I'm just focussed on my own race, and being able to compete to my full ability. Mogul skiing is open to a lot of external elements and people often make mistakes. It's best to focus on minimising risk in your own run, and let the results take care of themselves.
However, the top guys in my mind at the moment are: Dale Begg-Smith (Australia), Alex Bilodeau (Canada), Pat Deneen (USA). If I would name a few 'wild cards' I'd say Jesper Bjornlund (Sweden) and Noboyuki Nishi (Japan).

MW: How important are the build-up World Cup events to the Games for your preparation?
Because I missed several qualifying events with injury last year, I still need to gain valuable points in the build-up World Cup events to make the qualification. We have six qualifying events prior to Vancouver and it will be important for me to compete well and obtain top 20 results.

MW: Who do you take inspiration from or look up to in your sport?
I take inspiration from the guys who have been successful in our sport, and the guys who have an alternative way at looking our event.
Janne Latehla (Finland) who won the 2002 Olympic Gold, has always been someone I have taken inspiration from.
Dale Begg-Smith (Australia) my team-mate and 2006 Olympic Gold medallist is someone I look up to and who gives me a lot of advice.
I get along well with the guys from the Swedish Team, and enjoy their enthusiasm and outlook on our sport.

MW: Do you have any superstitions about competeing or habits you must perform before competeing?
No real superstitions to mention. I do have a routine which I follow in the start gate each time and if I do not complete it right, or in the right order, something feels off. Eg. I have to do my boots a certain way at a certain time, and right before I push out, I do two hamstring stretches, always left first.

List your other favourite interests:

Skiing and training takes up a lot of time when you're competing at the highest level and aiming towards an Olympics. But, I still enjoy to free-ski as a hobby. I like to play golf and tennis, read and hang out with my dog Hoover.

List your Top Five Music bands:

1. Tom Waits
2. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3. Sublime
4. Blind Pilot
5. Erlend Oye & The Whitest Boy Alive

Personal Stats:
Nickname: Stiffy
Date of Birth: 03/05/1988
Place of Birth: Newcastle (Waratah)
Birth Country: Australia
Residence Place: Jindabyne
Height: 176cm
Weight: 78kg
Education: NSW HSC, Currently enrolled at the University of Canberra
Club/resort: Perisher
Institute/Academy: Olympic Winter Institute / NSW Institute of Sport
First Participated: 10
Years On National Team: 4

Career Highlights:

• 2 Time Australian Champion (2006, 2007)
• 2007: 4th Junior World Freestyle Ski Championships
• 2007: 15th World Freestyle Ski Championships
• 2008: 8th World Cup
• 2009: 15th World Freestyle Ski Championships

Personal Sponsors:
Perisher Blue, Bolle Eyewear, Event Supplies, IDoneski, Dalbello

Website / Blog:

http://www.ramonecooper.com/
http://ramonecooper.blogspot.com/

Read more about moguls here

images: courtesy Ramone Cooper

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