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Christie Dowling Reports on... Matt O'Rourke  

A Point to Prove

Cross-Country skiing is a sport traditionally dominated by European super skiers. It is a sport that requires a particular type of determination as well as a superior level of physical fitness. Mathew O'Rourke, a current resident of Jindabyne, NSW, possesses such qualities and is out to prove that Australians can competitively take on the world.

Matt has been skiing for the last 12 years but it was only recently that his coach Nick Almoukov convinced him he should stop "being a bit of a bum" and started him on an intensive road to the 2000 World Junior Nordic Championships, held in Slovakia in January.

Matt traveled overseas as part of the Australian Junior Ski Team and raced in Canada and Europe, with the trip culminating in Slovakia. During this time, Matt raced consistently well but found his results at World Juniors to be slightly disheartening. However, this seems to only have motivated the young skier.

Hampered by a shoulder injury in the lead up to the 2000 Australian ski season, Matt saw the time of training he was forced to have as "Good … it made me re-focus on what I was doing here and what I want to do". This attitude seems to have paid off for Matt whose results this year has exceeded even his own expectations. Matt won both the NSW and ACT Championships however his most remarkable result was a third place at the Victorian Championships where he was a mere 3.2 % behind top ranked senior Ben Derrick. This is 12 % better than his foremost effort in 1999. He is now placed equal first in the 2000 junior rankings and gained a position on the senior B team, a fantastic result considering he is only just breaking into senior levels.

As a follow up to his remarkable season, Matt hopes to travel overseas at the end of this year in order to focus on his technique and his strength. Matt's long-term goals in this sport include racing at a World Cup level and ultimately competing for Australia in either the 2002 or the 2006 winter Olympics. If Matt can keep improving at these rapid rates, hopefully he will realize these goals, proving that young Australian skiers can compete amongst the best.

By Christie Dowling, September 2000

XC is the official website of the Skiing Australia Cross Country Committee. It is produced with the assistance of the Australian Sports Commission, and the Kangaroo Hoppet. The editor can be contacted via hoppet@netc.net.au.