Tuesday, December 11, 2001
Kyle's silver lining
Second-place finish gives local aerialist renewed Olympic hope
By RON MANZ -- Calgary Sun
Confidence and determination are the two best words to describe Kyle Nissen's approach to freestyle skiing these days.
The 22-year-old Calgarian still has not qualified for the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics in February but he is determined to earn a spot on Canada's Olympic team. The second-year national team aerialist has two more World Cup events in Mont Tremblant, Que., Jan. 12 and 13 to accomplish his goal.
Nissen's confidence is riding high following a silver-medal performance at the opening World Cup competition this year in Australia. He nailed a triple twisting double backflip to finish in second place. It was his first podium finish in two years.
"After winning gold in World Cup in 2000, I struggled last season with my best finish being a 14th," said Nissen from Fortress, where he is preparing for this weekend's FIS NorAm Competition.
"I dropped from a 10th place world ranking to 15th last year. I also had a bad summer of off-season training, so I wasn't sure what to expect when the competitive season came around. Hitting the podium in Australia has made a world of difference for me confidence-wise, knowing I am capable of being up there with the best."
Nissen is working on a new trick to perform this winter. It's one he knows will put him in a position to medal each time he attempts it if he lands cleanly. It is a quadruple twisting triple flip.
"Last year I did the quad but had just one full twist on the first flip and two twists on the second with another twist on the third. This year, I do a double twist on the first flip and then singles on the next two. It is much more difficult to attempt the double twist after takeoff and requires more timing.
"The degree of difficulty on this jump is among the highest there is. It really is the hardest trick out there and most of the top guys on the World Cup are doing it, so this puts me right up there."
Nissen will need to finish in the top 12 in both World Cup events in Quebec in January to have a shot at an Olympic spot.
He must also finish higher in the competition than teammates Jeff Bean of Ottawa and David Belhumeur of Montreal.
"There is plenty of purpose for me at the moment," Nissen said.
2002 Games Freestyle Skiing Coverage
