Emma Lonsdale (born 24 April 1984) is a freestyle skier who competes in the halfpipe. Her Olympics debut was at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, competing for Team GB.

Emma Lonsdale
Personal information
NicknameEm[1]
NationalityBritish
Born (1984-04-24) 24 April 1984 (age 40)
Langcliffe, North Yorkshire, England
EducationSettle High School
Height1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight69 kg (152 lb; 10.9 st)
Sport
CountryGreat Britain
SportFreestyle skiing
EventHalfpipe
ClubGB Freeski team
Coached byPat Sharples
Jamie Matthew
Updated on 19 February 2014.

Early life and education edit

Emma Lonsdale was born on 24 April 1984 in Langcliffe, Settle, North Yorkshire, England.[2] Lonsdale began skiing at the age of 2, and soon became amongst the members of the Kendal Snowsports club.[2] Her secondary school was Settle High School.[3] She (in addition to the majority of the GB skiing team) learned how to ski on Snowflex, which has led to the team being called the "fridge kids".[4][5]

Skiing career edit

Lonsdale competed in alpine skiing for 16 years.[2] However, she switched sports to freestyle skiing, where she trialled several disciplines:[2] mogul, aerial, and skiercross.[1] She eventually decided to participate in halfpipe skiing.[2] At the 2008 X Games, Lonsdale finished in ninth place in halfpipe, and at the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 2011 she finished in 11th place.[1] She has won the halfpipe at the British Championships every year from 2003 to 2011.[1]

She has also worked as a lifeguard.[6]

Olympics edit

Lonsdale's debut in the Olympics was the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, where she competed at the halfpipe for Team GB.[2] She was confirmed as in the squad in late January.[7] Her first action is in the qualifying round on 20 February 2014.[8] Her aim is to win a medal.[9] At the Olympics, she was due to compete with Rowan Cheshire, James Machon and Murray Buchan,[7] but Cheshire was forced to withdraw due to an accident in training at the Rosa Khutor Extreme Park, leaving Lonsdale as Britain's only competitor in the women's halfpipe.[4] Lonsdale is due to compete using Whitedot skis.[10]

Family edit

Lonsdale's brother Ben also skis, with the Royal Air Force.[3]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d "Emma Lonsdale". GB Freeski. Retrieved 19 February 2014.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Emma Lonsdale". Team GB. Retrieved 19 February 2014.
  3. ^ a b "Langcliffe skier Emma Lonsdale to compete in Winter Olympics". The Craven Herald & Pioneer. 23 January 2014. Retrieved 19 February 2014.
  4. ^ a b McLean, Ross (19 February 2014). "'Make Britain Proud': Settle-born halfpipe skier Emma Lonsdale talks exclusively from Sochi ahead of Winter Olympic spotlight". The Westmorland Gazette. Retrieved 19 February 2014.
  5. ^ Thorne, Patrick (4 February 2014). "Team GB Athletes Credit Dry Slopes For Olympic Team Places". In The Snow. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
  6. ^ "Emma Lonsdale". Sochi.ru. Archived from the original on 20 February 2014. Retrieved 19 February 2014.
  7. ^ a b McLean, Ross (30 January 2014). "Hectic seven days for Winter Olympian Emma Lonsdale as Sochi adventure draws near". The Westmorland Gazette. Retrieved 19 February 2014.
  8. ^ "Ladies' Ski Halfpipe Qualification". Sochi.ru. Archived from the original on 20 March 2014. Retrieved 19 February 2014.
  9. ^ McLean, Ross (5 February 2014). "Winter Olympian Emma Lonsdale talks up Great Britain's medal prospects as Games draw ever closer". The Westmorland Gazette. Retrieved 19 February 2014.
  10. ^ Campbell, Scott (6 February 2014). "British ski manufacturer Whitedot in spotlight at Winter Olympics". The Telegraph. Retrieved 19 February 2014.