Amy Sheehan had a white hot season in the lead up to the Olympics and, after seemingly coming out of nowhere, she won back to back bronze medals for Australia at the Calgary and Breckenridge World Cup events. They were both Olympic qualifying events so those results ensured her spot on the team. She’s still pinching herself a little and when we spoke to her she had just been invited to the XGames invitational event in Aspen (where she eventually made it through to the finals). This is the first year that ski half pipe makes an Olympic debut (halfpipe has been made famous by Shaun White and snowboarding events)
Congratulations! You obviously have been working towards this for a while but for most of us you came out of the blue and ended up on the podium representing Australia. Tell us a little about your journey.
My family are Australian and I grew up on the beach watching my dad surf and playing around in the white wash. It wasn’t until we took a trip to New Zealand when I was 9 that I saw snow for the first time. The following year my parents decided to move to Wanaka, in New Zealand, where they had their honeymoon. It was from there that my brother and I learnt to ski and fell in love with the mountains. The freedom that skiing gave me has seen me travel the world doing what I love most. It definitely requires a lot of hard work and dedication to compete internationally, but it’s all worth it when you receive a podium result on the world stage.
Your brother skis for NZ in the half pipe team, so were are pretty lucky to claim you as one of ours. How did that happen?
My brother and I both decided to pursue a career in competitive skiing. Naturally Wanaka NZ was the best place for us to reside as we have some of the best training facilities in the world. It wasn’t until halfpipe skiing was announced into the Olympics that we needed to choose what country to represent. My brother decided to get his citzenship for NZ to represent the country he learnt to ski in. I chose to keep my Australian citizenship and represent the country I was born in. I’m really happy with how well it is working out for the both of us and am proud of my decision to call Australia home.
Why did you focus on pipe?
I love both the pipe and slope-style events but as the sport has progressed I realized I couldn’t keep up with the pace of competing in both disciplines. I chose pipe because I have less nerves and more smiles whilst competing.
I’m sure the Olympics has been a dream of yours for some time?
Yes, like most athletes, the Olympics have always been a dream! It’s exciting to think that this dream could be realised now.
Are you keen to be a professional skier for a while?
I have been blessed to pursue the life of a professional skier for almost 10 years now. After the Olympics I am looking forward to some time to relax before the next season and next adventure begins.
What is on the cards for you after skiing?
I love inspiring up and coming shredders, so I definitely plan to dabble in coaching the next generation of skiers. I also plan to get some beach time in Australia with my family before I begin studying.
I see you have been writing books?
Two things that make my heart smile most are skiing and art. I have always loved to draw and at age 16 my artwork was published in a children’s book in Australia. Since then I have been published in 4 different books and projects throughout Australia and New Zealand. At present I am working on my own children’s book series called Skier Amy, which I hope to publish over the next year.
What do you do in your down time?
I love anything outdoors: camping, swimming, mountain biking, it’s all fun. I just got a motocross bike so I am looking forward to riding it. I also love to read, mostly adventure stories that get my imagination going and of course getting creative with my art.
What else we should know about Skier Amy?
I will be marrying my sweetheart and ski coach, Chris, in September this year which is really exciting. We met in Aspen 9 years ago now; he was building the pipe and parks that I was shredding on!