Get clued up on the halfpipe ski event at Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games

Peter Adam Crook completing a Switch 7 Blunt during halfpipe practice run at Rosa Khutor Extreme Park, Sochi 2014

Peter Adam Crook completing a Switch 7 Blunt during halfpipe practice run at Rosa Khutor Extreme Park, Sochi 2014

BVI competitor, Adam Crook’s on-site practice for the freestyle halfpipe ski event at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games began on Friday, February 14. Adam took in several runs in the halfpipe at the Rosa Khutor Extreme Park and came away happy to have started the sessions in the run up to the competition on Tuesday, February 18.

The freestyle halfpipe ski event starts at 9.45am AST (BVI time) and will be shown live at Captain Mulligan’s, Nanny Cay. Highlights are expected to be broadcast in the evening on NBC and SportsMax channels and viewers are advised to contact their service providers for information on timing and channels.

The competition consists of two phases: the qualification phase and the final phase. Scores from one phase are not carried over to the next phase.
In the qualification, all skiers are randomly sorted on the start list.

Each competitor is allowed to take two runs and the result from the better run is used to rank each skier. Each run takes less than a minute to complete.

12 skiers will advance from the qualifications to the final. The competitors are run in reverse order for each of the 2 rounds in the final.

There are six scoring judges whose combined marks on overall impression result in a score out of 100 for each run that a skier makes.  The better of the skier’s two run scores is what counts.  A score of 85 or more is likely to be needed to get through to the final and a score of more than 90 to medal in the final.

If any phase cannot be completed, the results from the previous phase will be used to determine the final standings.

Adam was born in the BVI and attended Cedar International School. He trains in the USA and competes worldwide but returns to his family home in Tortola when his schedule allows.

Adam was the BVI flag bearer at the Sochi 2014 opening ceremony on February 7. Adam’s participation marks the 30th anniversary of the BVI’s debut in the Olympic Games when Errol “Canute” Fraser competed in speed skating at the Sarajevo 1984 Winter Olympic Games.

Errol is believed to be the first black, speed skater to have competed in the Winter Olympics.  The BVI has participated in every Summer Olympic games since 1984, but this will be only the second time in its history that it will have a competitor in the Winter games.

The BVI Olympic Committee is posting regular updates on its social media pages on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to include reports and photos from the Chef de Mission and the British Virgin Islands Ski Association.

Commemorative British Virgin Islands Sochi 2014 pins are also on sale at $5 each from the BVIOC office which is open Mondays through Fridays, 8.30am – 5.00pm.