 |
 |
Date of Birth: 14/09/81 |
Place of Birth: Thunder Bay, ON |
Residence: Coquitlam, BC |
Height: 6'3" |
Weight: 235 lbs |
Years on National Team: 4 |
The 2001-2002 season has been a struggle so far for Ryan Wedding but thanks to strong performances last year he was able to hang on for a spot on the Canadian snowboard team. The parallel giant slalom racer recorded a fifth at a World Cup in Japan last season and another top-16 result as well.
"I've had a lot of changes in the off-season including coaching and equipment changes," said Wedding, a two-time world junior championship medallist. "So it's been a struggle to make it all gel this year. But all the pieces are there. I just need a few weeks to put it all together again."
Wedding started snowboarding 10 years ago. His grandparents owned a ski hill near Thunder Bay and he was already on skis at age two. He moved to Vancouver with his parents at age 10 and that's where he discovered snowboarding.
He missed most of the 1999-2000 season after suffering a knee injury at a World Cup event in Mont-Ste-Anne, Que.
Most of the giant slalom snowboarders have had to readjust their focus to the parallel event, which is raced in dual format. At the previous Olympics, the racers went individually in the giant slalom.
"In the parallel the courses are a lot tighter," said Wedding. "I was a lot better racing on my own. "
What Canada Did
Feb. 14 - Men's parallel giant slalom: Ryan Wedding, Coquitlam, B.C., placed 24th, eliminated
2002 Games Snowboarding Coverage
