about

SARAH SAUVEy

DOB: 10/11/1983
Place of birth: Melbourne, Australia Nationality: British & Australian Sport: Freestyle Skiing
Event: Ski Cross
Freestyle FIS Code: 2526819
Team: Team GB - British National Freestyle Ski Team Started skiing: 3
Started training: 12 Home mountain: Mt Hotham, Victoria, Australia Sponsor: Kneissl Financial support: TASS 2012 Scholarship
Place of residence: Melbourne, Australia
University: Swinburne University of Technology Ski Club: Mt Hotham Racing Squad Strength & Conditioning Coach 2009/10: Michael Chiovitti (AUS) Ski Coach 2009/10: Remy Poccard-Marion (FRA)

Sarah's story

Sarah’s dedication to skiing was enormous. Her competitive skiing career spanned from 1996 - 2011 making several sacrifices to train and compete at the top level while balancing her education and career.
The early days of alpine skiing
Sarah started skiing at the age of 3 at Dinner Plain, Victoria, Australia. She began training at the age of 12 with the Mt Buller Race Club, and competed in alpine skiing at an International level from the age of 15. By the age of 17, she was State and National junior champion in both Slalom and Giant Slalom disciplines. Once she completed high school, she trained full-time under the guidance of her ski coach, Luc Pelletier (CAN) with the Mt Hotham Racing Squad. In 2003, at the age of 19 she won the title of Australian National Open Slalom Champion, as well as National Junior champion in both Slalom and Giant Slalom.
How ski cross started for Sarah
Sarah decided to make the switch to the freestyle skiing discipline of Ski Cross after competing at the 2005 World University Games in Innsbruck in the event, and absolutely loving it! Sarah had also competed in the Slalom and Giant Slalom events but had a new spark of enthusiasm after finishing 14th in the Ski Cross event. Her passion for skiing was reignited and she started to investigate how she could join the ski cross competition circuit. Sarah would catch trains, buses, planes, hire cars and ask for lifts; whatever it took to get to a SX event and compete.
Finally a medical diagnosis
Since 2003, Sarah had been suffering from unexplainable stomach pain and collapsing in training. After numerous medical visits, finally in December 2005, Sarah was diagnosed with Coeliac Artery compression syndrome. The arcuate ligament of her diaphragm had tightened across the coeliac artery crushing it shut against her spine. The same ligament was also crushing the nerves around her aorta causing a great deal of pain.
Open vascular surgery
In May 2006, Sarah underwent open vascular surgery to incise her arcuate ligament and remove the nerve ganglion from her aorta. This surgery had a large midline incision from her sternum past her belly button. Returning from this major surgery was the most difficult time of Sarah’s life.
Major surgery recovery and a comeback
It was 12 months before the stomach discomfort was eliminated after Sarah's open vascular surgery. During the months post-op Sarah focused on realigning her body, and committed to a yoga and pilates program – two things Sarah has never found easy. After regaining some basic strength, she started on snow training in December 2006. Just 3 months later she had qualified for the 2007 World Freestyle Skiing Championships in Madonna di Campiglio, Italy. Sarah represented Australia at the World Championships on her own, with a rental vehicle, no coach, no technician and no support. She managed to ski fast and qualified 12th. After placing 3rd in her competitive heat, she finished the World Championships with a 12th place.
A change of nation
Sarah’s parents Ann and John are both English. They moved to Australia in the 70s and Sarah was born and raised inMelbourne. Sarah therefore holds both a British and an Australian passport. After her successful post-op return to ski cross in 2007, and placing 12th at the World Championships, unfortunately Australia advised her that they had no intentions to put a ski cross team together as ski cross was not an Olympic event at that time. After a rejected application to the Victorian Institute of Sport (VIS), Sarah officially changed her nation to Great Britain in May 2007. Sarah purchased an old Vauxhall Vectra and was ready to travel the FIS World Cup SX circuit without relying on public transport or catching a ride..
Ski cross - the new Olympic discipline
Snowboard Cross (SBX) made its debut on the Olympic stage at the 2006 Torino Winter Olympics. It was an incredibly successful and spectacular event and left the spectators wanting more. In late 2007, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced that Ski Cross would be the newest Olympic event and would make its debut at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games.
Competing in Ski Cross at these Olympic Games was Sarah’s ultimate goal.
2009 World Champs
After travelling to Inawashiro, Japan for the 2009 World Championships, Sarah was extremely disappointed when she endured a large, fast-paced crash in training, splitting her knee open and causing serious bone bruising through her patella, femur and tibia. She was gutted that she was unable to start her qualification run. After a break to recover, she went on to win the Czech National Championships and finished 2nd in a European Cup. Sarah returned to Australia ready to channel her energy into a rigorous physical program in preparation for the Olympic season.
Sarah’s Olympic dream
Sarah spent most of 2009 in the gym, working with her strength and conditioning coach Michael Chiovitti (AUS) on an intense tailored physical training program.
She spent the winter training in Queenstown, New Zealand with international “team mates” and World Cup athletes, Mitchey Greig (NZE), Rocio "Chio" Delgado (ESP) and Andra Nedelcu (ROU).
Sarah finished an admirable 2nd place in both the Australia New Zealand Cup (ANC) events in 2009, in a competitive international field, showing that her rigorous training was paying off. In September 2009, Sarah was fortunate to receive a TASS (Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme) 2012 scholarship, which assisted her financially. Sarah resigned from her part-time job sterilising surgical instruments at Epworth Hospital, and was able to focus on her training.
Sarah’s Olympic dream became a reality after Sarah finished in 27th position at the 2010 Alpe d’Huez World Cup, earning enough World Cup points to push her into the top 35 women on the Olympic qualifying ranking list just weeks before the 2010 Olympic Games.
Sarah’s Olympics and the devastation
Sarah and her coach Remy Poccard-Marion (FRA) joined Team GB in Calgary for 2 weeks, at the Olympic precamp. It was great being able to meet other Team GB team members and get back on snow and in the gym. On the 12th February 2010 Sarah proudly marched into a packed stadium representing Great Britain’s Team GB at the 2010 Winter Olympic Opening Ceremony.
On the 23rd February 2010, Sarah was one of only 35 women to compete in the inaugural Ski Cross event at the Olympics at Cypress Mountain. Unfortunately, Sarah missed her pole plant out of the starting gate in her Olympic qualification run, causing her to lose balance and momentum over the opening course features, including a 10-foot wu-tang (wall). This initial loss of momentum was almost impossible to recover from, and whilst she skied the rest of the course well, found herself in 34th position, not progressing to the final heats. Sarah was absolutely devastated to say the least.
Beyond the 2010 Olympics
After her devastating error in the 2010 Olympics, Sarah had aspirations to compete in the 2014 Olympics in Sochi.
She continued channelling her energy into her physical training and working with a sports psychologist. However, after crashing in the 2011 Alpe d'Huez World Cup, and continuing to compete on her injuries, hiding her tears from her competitors through fogged goggles, she eventually was diagnosed with 3 ruptured ligaments in her right ankle. Sarah underwent surgery for a full ankle reconstruction and officially retired from professional skiing in late February 2011.
Sarah's academic qualifications
In 2010, not only did Sarah compete in the Olympics, she also graduated from Swinburne University of Technology with a Bachelor of Multimedia (Business Marketing).
In 2011, whilst recovering from her ankle reconstruction, Sarah also successfully completed a Diploma of Management. She entered the work force full-time in 2011, once she had made a recovery from her ankle reconstruction surgery. > read more about Sarah’s post skiing career here

SOME fAV0URITE QUOTES

  • "Pain is temporary, victory is forever."
  • "With struggle comes strength. The reward is not so great without the struggle."
  • "Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain."
  • “You don't learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing, and by falling over.”
  • "You can't stop the waves, but you can learn to surf."
  • “Manners and politeness will never become old-fashioned.”
  • “There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humor.”
What's saraH UP TO NOW SHE'S RETIRED FROM SKIING?
Copyright © www.sarahsauvey.com.