Squamish athlete Malica Malherbe was a whirlwind on the slopes, twisting through the air in spirals that astonished onlookers.
She had managed to accomplish a move that is seldom expected for someone so young.
Following the Junior National Slopestyle and Halfpipe in Whistler, 12-year-old Malherbe can now say that she has flown through the air on her skis in a 720-degree spin and landed it.
“Not only did she land the 720 perfectly, she landed it with steez,” coach Tami Bradley said.
The scene unfolded in a fashion fit for a movie script.
After having made an error in her previous jump because of an over-rotation on a 540-degree spin, Malherbe needed a way to make up for the points lost.
Her coaches convened and, after some thinking, they decided they would take what may be considered an unconventional, calculated risk.
Despite her never pulling off the move in competition or in practice, they decided to advise Malherbe to try landing a 720, knowing that it would be her best chance of landing a spot on the podium.
“Malica’s super shy, she’s super modest, she’s super not that crazy kid out there,” said Bradley. “She looks at me like, ‘I’m going for 720.’”
Malherbe spent the next 30 minutes doing visualization exercises and other preparations.
When she landed the trick, it was pure elation.
“For her age and nailing that 720, it was kind of the highlight of the weekend for us,” Bradley said.
Malherbe managed to get third place in the big air event.
But her performance was not the only highlight – other Squamish athletes managed to pull off a commanding show, also landing on the podium.
Cassidy Butterworth stood right there with Malherbe, soaring across the ski course to snag second place in the big air competition.
Twelve-year-old Chase Capicik won the half-pipe event, becoming junior national champion in that category with what Bradley called a “great rhythm,” topping off her performance dramatically, whirling for 360 degrees before landing her finish.
“She was super smooth, super fluid, hit some really good grabs,” Bradley said.
Capicik also snagged third place during the slopestyle event.
Lynette Conn, another 12-year-old athlete from Squamish, also put on a strong performance.
Weaving up and down the half-pipe, she landed tricks that garnered her second place in the half-pipe event, alongside Capicik.
Malherbe and Capicik race with Whistler Blackcomb Freestyle Development, while Conn races with the Whistler Blackcomb Freestyle Ski Club.
The Canadian Junior Freestyle Skiing Championships include three events for athletes under 14 years old – slopestyle, big air and halfpipe.
Slopestyle forces athletes to ski down a course that includes jumps and obstacles, such as rails.
Big air is a contest to see who can perform the most elaborate jumps.
Halfpipe requires athletes to speed up and down a halfpipe, performing jumps and tricks all the while.
