Michael Lambert (Toronto, ON) Alpine Team

Riding since he was 12, no athlete wants Olympic gold more than Michael Lambert.  He's confident...talented...and driven.  But the constant battle between his head and his heart makes him his own worst enemy. 

Residence: Same
Home Mountain: Caledon Ski Club
Years on National Team: 2 Sponsors: Asics, POC, My Mother
I snowboard because: I love the lifestyle it allows me to live.
I started racing/riding because: I love winning
Best moment in career & why: Qualifying 1st at the 2007 Russian World Cup. It was when I finally proved I was as good as I thought I was.
Worst moment in career & why: Dislocating my shoulder on November 20th, 2006 at a Nor-Am Cup in Colorado. I wasn't able to snowboard for 6 weeks.
When I was a kid I wanted to be: A Lawyer
Favourite food: Gold Box
Favourite reading material: The Economist
Favourite music: Electronic
Favourite place to travel to: Georgeville
Most respected snowboarders: Siegfried Grabner
Other most respected athletes: Roger Federer
My advice to beginners: Be confident
Other sports I do: Sailing, Wakeboarding, Squash, Longboarding, Golf, Tennis.
Other interests: Learning anything I can.
Before I finish my snowboarding career I want to: Win
Coaches (past and present): Derek N, Brandon Hune, Mark Ballard, Mark Facwett, Sven Pouliot, John Dormer, Sylvain Jean
Mentors: Cameron Tudhope, Anne Lambert, Jasey-Jay Anderson
Typical week: Every week is different.
Career Highlights: 2006 Austrian National Champion; 2006 Junior World Championships silver medalist; 2007 Russian World Cup 5th place.
2006-07 Highlights: 4th place 2007 North American Championships; 5th place 2007 Russian World Cup

Kimiko Zakreski (Calgary, AB) Alpine Team

Kimi Zakreski is everyone's best friend. She's the heart and soul of her team and Lambert's closest ally. Kimi has been on the National Team for only 2 years & is ranked 14th in the world.

Residence: Calgary, AB
Home Mountain: Nakiska Nickname: Kimi
Marital Status: Single
Years on National Team: 2 years
Sponsors: Lululemon, POC, Trane, Dr. Chau
I snowboard because: I Love it!
I started racing/riding because: My friend Sherry Lawrence on the National Ski Team got me into it.
Best moment in career & why: Qualifying 1st at the Korea World Cup because at that moment I finally realized winning was within reach.
Worst moment in career & why: Every moment is a learning experience and gets me closer to my goal. There are no worst moments.
When I was a kid I wanted to be: a Naturalist
Favorite food: Sushi
Favorite reading material: trash mags
Favorite place to travel to: Maui!
Most respected snowboarders: Mark Fawcett, Lisa Kosglow, Daniella Meuli
Other most respected athletes: Tiger Woods, Wayne Gretzky, Serena Williams.
Other sports I do: Yoga, Road Biking, wake boarding.
Before I finish my snowboarding career I want to: Be a role model and make an impact on other young aspiring athletes
Coaches (past and present): Craig Smith, Dave Hugill, Hansjorg Berger, Sylvain Jean and Mark Fawcett.
Mentors: My mom, My best friends Tiffany Schick and Mark Calvelo.
Career Highlights: Sungwoo, Korea WC 5th; Bardonecchia, Italy WC 7th ; Landgraff, Holland WC 10th ; Japan WC 11th; Arosa, Switzerland World Championships 16th (all 06/07)

Dominique Vallee (Montreal, QC) Halfpipe Team

Olympic freestyle veteran & YouTube dancing sensation, Dominique Vallee, thrives on pressure, but she's only human. Over this next year, Dom will struggle to find and maintain a balance between her two greatest loves. The Sport and her Family.

Residence: Montreal/Squamish
Home Mountain: Whistler Mountain
Nickname: Dom, Doudou, Domi, and Dominator
Marital Status: Single
Years on National Team: 8
Sponsors: Powder Room, Elan Snowboards, Eesa, Ogio, Whistler Mountain
I snowboard because: It's the best thing to do during our long winters.
I started racing/riding because: I thought it was way better then skiing.
Best moment in career & why: When I looked around and realized where I lived and what I was doing everyday.
Worst moment in career & why: When I get injured.
Favorite food: Thai, Japanese and home cooking
Favorite reading material: L'Actualite magazine.
Favorite music: Everything but Country. There's always a moment for every music style.
Favorite place to travel to: For snowboarding it's Italy and for traveling it's anywhere new and hot that has amazing surf.
Most respected snowboarders: Gigi Ruff, Roman Demarchi, DCP, Christophe Schmitt, and Etienne Gilbert.
Other most respected athletes: Michel Jordan, Mark Tewksbury, Lance Armstrong, Kelly Slater, Cindy Klassen and Wayne Gretzky
My advice to beginners: Always ride with people that are better then you and that will push you to do new things.
Other sports I do: YOGA, Surf, run, bike, golf, tennis, swim.
Other interests: Yoga and lots of it, playing piano, Reiki and cooking
Coaches (past and present): Tom Hutchinson and Dennis Bannock
Mentors: My parents
Typical week: Hopefully I'm at home. Wake-up early, have breakfast and do some emails. Go riding up Whistler if there's a powder day or Blackcomb if it's a park or pipe day with friends. Drive home and go to my favorite yoga class. Cook-up some food with my roommate and watch a sweet movie. That's a pretty typical day for me. I sometimes carpool down with Dennis, Justin or Sarah to go ride the new pipe in Cypress Mountain. Usually, I'm traveling to a contest somewhere with people on the Team or on a photo trip.

Career Highlights:
-Going to the 2006 Olympics and competing in both HP and BX.
-Going to work everyday to the best scenery in the World.
-Every contest that you step on that podium is the best feeling ever.
-Realizing what I want to do and where I want to live.

2007-08 Highlights:
- 2nd Grand-Prix, Expression Session , Breckenridge, Colorado, December 20th, 2007.
- Best Trick, Roxy Chicken Jam, Mammoth, California, March 29th, 2008.
- 2nd If Ullr Was A Girl Contest, Whistler, BC, April 2008.
- Winner of the pipe and Art Night event.

Jeff Batchelor (Oakville, ON) Halfpipe Team

Don't let the smooth riding and the laid back attitude fool you, Jeff Batchelor is a fierce competitor and expects to win every time he hits the halfpipe. He's ranked 4th in the world & a strong contender for gold in 2010.

Hometown: Oakville, ON
Birthdate: April 29th, 1988
Sponsors: ISwarm, Oakley, Burton, Icarus Skate and Snow, Shreducation, Nike 6.0, Bench
Languages: English
Training Centres: Blue Mountain
General Interest: Wakeboarding, wake skating, wake surfing, tennis, sailing, shooting and editing video - specializing in extreme sports

"The space between the tears we cry is the laughter that keeps us coming back for more."

Jeff embraces happiness as he lives his life on the go - ensuring that there is never a dull moment. No matter what the situation Jeff looks to better himself. Being organized, concise and task oriented has already helped him gain 90% scholarship entry into Queens University, start his own wakeboard instruction business, and become a formidable contender in competitive snowboarding.

Jeff began to ski when he was three years old, took up skateboarding at age six inspired by the older kids in his neighbourhood, and began to pursue snowboarding by age eight. He washed windows for $2 an hour to buy his first snowboard with help from Hustler Snowboards in Oakville, Ont.

Jeff's style when he rides is smooth and relaxed; he likes to create a floaty feeling when he is in the pipe. He lives for the thrill and adrenaline from competition. The excitement he feels on a contest day drives him to do well. But it isn't all seriousness for Jeff. One of his favourite parts about being a competitive snowboarder comes after a hard day of training when he gets to chill out with his buddies and make up new tricks like the V. Cran and the Linguiny!

Aside from his plans to rule the world and have interstellar domination, Jeff aims to take over his father's company, Algario Communications, in the future. He is currently a full-time student in Commerce at Queens University with plans to complete his MBA once he has finished his undergrad degree. Jeff's family has been very supportive in all of his pursuits; his plan - to one day support them.

Mercedes Nicoll (Whistler, BC) Halfpipe Team

A veteran of the 2006 Olympic team, Mercedes Nicoll is still Canada's queen of the freestyle, throwing down back-to-back 540's since she was 14. And now with the 2010 Games set to play out in her own BC backyard, she has one epic last shot at the ultimate prize.

Hometown: Whistler, BC
Birthdate: December 5,1983
Sponsors: Mammoth Mountain, 32, etnies, is design, powderroom, drake
Languages: French / English
Coach: Tom Hutchinson
Training Mountain(s): Mammoth Mountain

Attention all freestyle snowboard riders - "Watch out - Mercedes Nicoll is comin' in hot!" With a second-place finish at the Lake Placid World Cup and a third-place finish at the Korea World Cup last year, Mercedes is lighting the pipe on fire.

Mercedes is a modest, caring and dedicated athlete who is constantly pushing herself to learn new things. She has always been a competitor, initially in figure skating and then in skiing, influenced by her father. Her family moved to Whistler when she was in 11 years old, and, most of her friends were into snowboarding, so she switched and has been riding hard ever since.

Mercedes finds competing in snowboarding unique because, "in other sports, your competitors are not there to help you; they are just interested in helping themselves. But snowboarding is way more laid back and if someone is having trouble we all help each other out."

Mercedes loves the mountains and spends her time training between Whistler and Mammoth Lakes. In addition to shredding, she enjoys listening to almost every type of music and her favourite city is London, England. Over the next five years, we will continue to see Mercedes showcase her freestyle talents as she rips it up on her board.

Mark Fawcett (Saint John, NB) Alpine Team Coach

Home:
Born: Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada
Winter:  Nelson, BC
Summer:  Hood River, OR.

History:
I began snowboarding in 1985 on an old plastic Sims board that had a Skateboard mounted on top. After using the board during the winter on the local golf courses and back hills, I pulled the skate deck off the yellow plastic board and began skateboarding. The following year I bought a Burton 140 Elite, In 1987 I found myself on a Sims 1700 blade. I started competing on the New England Cup in 1988 against the likes of then "unknowns" Jason Ford, Jeff Brushie, Noah Brandon, Todd Richards and countless others. My early successes were in freestyle, but it did not take long for my ski racing past to leak through to my boarding.  

In the summer of 1989 I convinced Carrabassett Valley Academy, traditionally a ski racing school located at Sugarloaf ME., to allow snowboarders in the door. That first winter it was just Jeremy Jones and I on snowboards at the school.  Being able to ride and train every day made all the difference in the world. The school now has a snowboard program with over twenty athletes.  

After graduation from Carrabassett, I moved to Hood River, Oregon in order to train on Mount Hood and Windsurf in the Gorge. My old time snowboard friend Noah Brandon introduced me to Jerry Masterpool and the Cross M training team. At first Masterpool figured me as "too wound-up" to be on the team.  I would make 4 or 5  super aggressive turns and then stack.  After a week I calmed down and began to ride with some smoothness.  I trained with Jerry throughout my competitive career spanning 14 years.

My accomplishments in snowboarding competition include...

14 Snowboarding World Cup Titles

3 US Open Championships

2 time Olympian.