Australia unleashes Gen Next mogul aces in USA

The season of Australian winter sport debuts continues this week in the United States with a handful of young mogul athletes set to make their maiden World Cup appearances.

Following recent debuts in Park & Pipe and Aerials competition – including Reilly Flanagan who reached the podium in mixed team event in Lake Placid – five Moguls athletes will be making their first World Cup starts at Waterville in New Hampshire.

• Lottie Lodge, 18, (main picture) achieved the best result of her young career at last January’s Winter Youth Olympic Games in Korea where the NSW Institute of Sport (NSWIS) scholarship holder won a silver medal in dual moguls. She was beaten by the 2022 Junior World Champion who has since stood on the World Cup podium. Lottie is has competed extensively in Nor-Am Cups since her mid-teens.
• Edward Hill, 18, landed on his first Australia New Zealand Cup podium in August at Perisher and followed that up with his first FIS Moguls victory at Winter Park Resort, Utah in December. The NSWIS athlete has also competed in European and Nor-Am Cup competitions and represented Australia at the Junior World Championships as well as scoring a pair of top 10s at the Winter Youth Olympic Games.

• Lucy Pernice, 19, (pictured above), has fought hard to get to the biggest stage in the sport. After breaking her pelvis in early 2023 and being unable to walk, The NSWIS athlete rebuilt herself and finished 14th on the Moguls Nor-Am Cup standings last season. Almost a year since standing in the World Cup starting gate at Deer Valley as a forerunner, Lucy now gets to compete at the highest level.
• Emma Bosco, 22, is no stranger to competing in the US having skied her way to 12th on the Nor-Am Cup standings last year. She heads to Winterville on the back of a strong performance at the World University Games where she scored a top 10 finish in dual moguls.
• Xanthia Coote, 16, opened her northern winter with her first podium in FIS Moguls, a bronze Hintertux, Austria in November. Over the last three seasons she has competed in over a dozen Nor-Am Cup events.

Ben Wordsworth, Snow Australia General Manager of Sport says this week’s event provides an exciting opportunity for the athletes in an important season.

The FIS Freestyle World Cup in Waterville can be streamed live from 6am AEDT this Saturday (Moguls) and Sunday (Dual Moguls) via Snow Live.

Story and photos by Rudi Garmisch courtesy of Snow Australia