Canada's moguls team riding momentum as 2nd half of World Cup season kicks off on home snow
CBC Sports' live coverage from Val Saint-Côme, Que., begins Friday at 7 p.m. ET
At 2 a.m. on Christmas Day at Saskatoon's John G. Diefenbaker International Airport, Canadian moguls skier Maïa Schwinghammer couldn't wipe the smile off her face.
Exhausted from nearly two days of travel from Bakuriani, Georgia, as well as a gruelling first half of the World Cup freestyle season, she was finally back on home soil able to celebrate a career-first with her family.
Thirty-six hours earlier, Schwinghammer skied to the first World Cup podium of her young career, taking second place in a dual moguls battle against Olympic moguls champion Jakara Anthony of Australia.
"It was one of my craziest days of competition ever," Schwinghammer said by phone this week from Val Saint-Côme, Que.
She had a nightmare of a morning. She forgot her competition bib, had to go back to the team hotel twice and nearly missed the course inspection, but things turned around.
"I was so stressed about being late and not being ready at go-time that I had no more stress left and I was just able to ski totally relaxed. I was happy with how I was able to bring together some of the aspects we've been working on that prior to Georgia I wasn't quite able to connect the dots."
WATCH l Schwinghammer captures 1st World Cup medal:
But the best part was being able to share the moment with her Canadian teammates.
"Everyone was so excited. It's so cool to see that kind of support," she said. "Cross the finish line and there's a lineup of fist bumps waiting for you before you go up for your next run.
"It was really special. I'll remember that one."
That podium, in her 46th World Cup start, was just the way the Canadian team wanted to go into the holiday break, and just the way it hopes to kick off the 2024 stretch of the season beginning this weekend in Val Saint-Côme: full of momentum.
It'll be hard to top the first half of the season.
They weren't alone with personal bests.
Louis-David Chalifoux, 21, had a career-best result (fourth in dual moguls in Alpe d'Huez, France) and Julien Viel, 22, who won his first World Cup medal last season (bronze in dual moguls in Chiesa in Valmalenco, Italy), made the first Super Final (top 6) of his career in Georgia.
WATCH | Kingsbury claims dual moguls gold in Georgia:
Kingsbury leads the World Cup standings, while the other three are in the top 10. Schwinghammer is top 10 on the women's side.
"It's pretty exciting for sure. We've always had Mik and Mik would perform and the rest of us were kind of that middle ground with some spot results here and there," said Canadian moguls coach Jim Schiman. "Overall the athletes are excited for one another, very supportive of one another.
"You can just see the happiness on their faces. There's no rivalry. It's all friendly. It's a good vibe right now."
Competitive environment
Vaillancourt believes part of the reason is due to their competitive training environment.
"You can't just chill and take a day off in training. Seven of us on the men's side are World Cup finalists (including two NextGen athletes) and we're all trying to push each other. 'What's his approach, what's he doing, how fast is he going.' It's competitive, but we're all in good spirits," he said. "We've got a very good team, a healthy team and I feel like everyone is just happy for the others when we perform well.
Perhaps another reason for the recent overall team success is a newfound camaraderie within the group. Many of the younger skiers have grown up together or spent time travelling on the NorAm development circuit.
Whether it's playing Monopoly Deal, Uno or Rummikub, watching the latest Hunger Games film together or an impromptu home-cooked team brunch on a day off, it's translated into a team that has more chemistry than the coaching staff has seen in many years.
Vaillancourt's breakthrough performance came on Dec. 15 when he finished second behind Kingsbury in Alpe d'Huez. He said he learned a lot from making his only other Super Final last year in Deer Valley, Utah.
"When I made that Super Final I was ecstatic, but I was a little too over excited and lost my focus. This year I came into the [Alpe d'Huez] Super Final like any other run. I'm not going to lie. I was pretty excited and happy to be there, but I was focused, I knew what I had to do and was aware of the situation."
WATCH | Canadians Kingsbury, Vaillancourt go 1-2 in the French Alps:
One thing's for sure, Vaillancourt is gunning for another podium — and soon.
"I was very happy to be on the podium with Mik, who I've looked up to for a long time. It was a little surreal, but I'm going to try and get used to it because I want to do that again.
"Once you've tasted the rainbow, you don't want to let it go."
Watch live coverage of the World Cup in Val Saint-Côme on CBCSports.ca, the CBC Sports app and CBC Gem, beginning Friday at 7 p.m. ET.
