Since 1995. #1 in Snow
27 year old Stephanie Hickey is one helleva rider having previously beaten the French, Italian and Canadian riders at their own national titles as well as finishing second overall in the European Cup standings leading up to her Olympic qualification.
"I'm not a natural athlete but I took really effortlessly to snowboarding. I started out racing and later sought out boardercross because it combines my two favourite things about snowboarding, the need for speed and freestyle skills, said Hickey.
"No two courses are ever the same in boardercross, unlike racing when its always red gate, blue gate… boardercross combines speed, obstacles and jumps.
"Depending on the country, the resort or the builder it changes and forces you to challenge your own skills every race. It keeps it at more of a level playing field because all your competitors are also seeing the course for the first time. It keeps the racing honest and the riders fierce.
"Unfortunately after competing in the Vancouver Winter Olympics I had a fairly traumatic snowboarding accident ( broke my back) but the plan is to get back on the board by December and compete in the northern hemisphere."
After a tough year and a half of rehabilitation and training Steph is thrilled to be back on her snowboard, and with her Olympic coach husband will run freeride ski and snowboard tours to Canada in the northern winter.
When quizzed about the next Winter Olympics in Russia Stephanie admits the back injury has been a definite setback and slims her chances but it's by no means out of the question.
