RIDER Q & A – Anna Segal

Anna having fun in Thredbo, August 2010. Image:: Ben Hansen

En route to Norway to kick of her 2010/2011 winter season Anna Segal put her airport downtime to good use answering some Mountainwatch questions…

It’s been a topsy-turvy year for Australia’s freeski queen, marred by injury, including a broken leg at the Rip Curl Throwdown in Thredbo in August. But having put in some time with the Uni textbooks she is off the couch and ready for another season, complete with a new resolution to make this one about having fun.

So you broke your leg in August, what have you been up to in the past couple of months and how’s the recovery?

The second half of this year has been pretty boring in comparison to the first half. Since my ankle surgery my life has revolved around uni and the gym. But the downtime has been good for me.

 

It wasn’t the best thing to ever happen, but has there been any silver lining? I bet your uni lecturers are pleased…

Yeah, there was definitely a silver lining in terms of school. While I was recovering from surgery I had to stay on the couch with my leg up in the air for two weeks. I was only allowed to move to shower and pee. After that I wasn’t allowed to drive for another 8 weeks, which made me pretty immobile. I had plenty of time to catch up on all my reading and assignments. I really need good grades this semester to transfer courses. I don’t think that would have eventuated if I hadn’t been stuck on the couch for so long.

Next stop Norway? When do you leave and what’s taking you to the home of Santa?

I’m actually on the plane to Norway right now! I stopped off in Denver for two nights. Mainly because if I had flown straight to Norway, I could only have taken one 23kg bag. There’s no way that would last me for five months! So I dropped some luggage off with my boyfriend and also got to hang out with him for a day.
p.s. Santa lives in Finland !

And from Norway…? Where will December take you and will you make it home for Christmas?

I’m only in Norway for a week, then I’m flying back to Colorado, which is where I’ll be for X-mas. I won’t be making it home, but my sister is visiting me for a week around that time. She is flying into Denver on Christmas night. I guess she got a super cheap flight as no one else wants to fly on Christmas. But it will be good to have some family around.

Anna. Image:: Rundle

Will Breckenridge be home again this year, what is it about Breck that keeps you coming back?

Yep, I’m back in Breck this year. I love it there. The resort always has its park and pipe open early, which is important for getting back into it before all the big comps start. My pass works at Vail, Breck, Keystone and A-Basin, so there is a huge amount of terrain. Plus, I have an amazing group of friends to ski with there.

You’re a Breckenridge team rider, what does that involve?

The Breck team is so well organised. The resort provides so much support for us. On the riders end of things, we are expected to represent the resort well – which is not a hard task at all. I mean, I wouldn’t have kept going back if I didn’t love the place. In return, they provide us with a lot of great opportunities, such as private early morning/sunset shoots in the park, media opportunities, team workouts (which are killer) and media training.

Dew Tour – new stops for girls, though you’ve already had a taste of the Dew Tour… Are you planning to compete at all the stops this year?

This year the girls are being included in two out of the three stops. Which is a HUGE step up from the past. Last year, female slopestyle was completely left out of the program and the year before it was a ‘demonstration’ event, with only five girls competing at each stop.

I’m hoping to do both events. The first stop in Breckenridge is really early on in the season. I’m registered for it, but I’m going to see how my ankle is feeling. I don’t want be competing on 70ft kickers if it isn’t ready. It’s not worth messing up the rest of my season. But I’m going to play it by ear.

The inequality between girls’ and boys’ freeskiing is something you have an opinion on, how do you think the growth of the girls’ Dew Tour will develop girls’ freeskiing?

I think it’s a really positive step for girls’ freeskiing. We do have X Games, but for slope, only 10 girls are invited. There has been a lack of opportunities for talented girls to break through. I think that this year the Dew Tour will provide this, and we will see a lot of previously unknown names bursting onto the scene. This will increase the level of competition and as a result, everyone will start pushing themselves more.

Having set the bar pretty high for yourself with X Games and Dew Tour medals, do you find yourself shouldered with the ‘one to beat label’? How’s that to handle?

I definitely felt like that last season and I HATED it. I’m not too bad dealing with pressure. I’m always putting a lot of pressure on myself. But I hate being labelled and compared to other girls, especially my friends. I think that there will be a lot less of that this season, as I missed the Aspen X Games and got 4th at the Euro X Games in Tignes. But I’m actually stoked on that. I’d rather be the underdog.

Anna. Image:: Rundle

2011 – have you got some big dates locked into the Calendar already?

Yeh.. The schedule is getting pretty full! Obviously there is X Games at the end of January. But I’m also really looking forward to the first FIS slopestyle world champs in Deer Valley. I know that a lot of people are skeptical about FIS hosting a slopestyle event, how they will judge ‘style’ and all that. But this event is going to help decide whether slopestyle makes it into the 2014 Olympics and I’m excited to be part of that.

What’s the next big challenge? Any new tricks you’re planning to master or other goals you’re setting for yourself?

I’m trying to be a little more relaxed about my goals this year. With all the injuries and pressure last season I got too stressed out about results and learning new tricks. A good dose of the real world and full semester of uni made me realise that my main goal in skiing should be to have fun. If I’m not having fun, there’s no point in continuing. So that’s what I’m going to do this season!

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