Canada Snowboard on Monday announced the 18 athletes set to represent the country at the 2010 Olympics, a roster headlined by veteran and defending world champion Jasey-Jay Anderson of Mont-Tremblant, Que.
Ten of Canada's Vancouver-bound snowboarders have Olympic experience under their belts already, eight have won World Championship medals, and all but one member of the Whistler-bound team has cracked the World Cup podium at some point in their career.
Canada's most decorated snowboarder, Anderson leads the Parallel Giant Slalom contingent, along with Matthew Morison of Burketon, Ont., and Toronto's Michael Lambert on the men's side.
Caroline Calvé of Montreal, Alexa Loo of Richmond, B.C., and Calgary's Kimiko Zakreski round out the PGS squad.
"The team we have for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games is solid, experienced, dynamic and ready to compete for gold, at home, in our backyard," Christian Hrab, director of high performance for Canada Snowboard said in a release. "The riders we have selected deserved to be selected following years of hard work, and stellar results in the year leading up to the Olympic Winter Games."
Canada will be represented on the Olympic halfpipe by Sarah Conrad of Halifax, Whistler's Mercedes Nicoll, Palmer Taylor of Collingwood, Ont. - the youngest rider on the team at age 17 - Jeff Batchelor of Oakville, Ont., Squamish, B.C.'s Justin Lamoureux, and Brad Martin of Ancaster Ont.
Montreal's Dominique Vallee, who competed on the world cup circuit after losing her mother to cancer in July of 2009, was among 10 national team members not named to the Olympic squad.
Rounding out the team are snowboard cross athletes Dominique Maltais of Petite-Riviere St-Francois, Que., Maëlle Ricker of West Vancouver, François Boivin of Jonquiere, Que., Robert Fagan of Squamish, B.C., North Vancouver's Drew Neilson, and Mike Robertson of Canmore, B.C.
A notable omission from the SBX team is Tom Velisek, who was fourth at the 2009 world championships and was one top-5 finish away from qualifying for the Olympics.
Italy's Giuliano Razzoli takes the gold medal in the men's slalom.
Mathieu Giroux, Lucas Makowsky and Denny Morrison win a tight race with the US.
