National ski team member Sarah Jarvis, of Hamilton. Photo
by Tracey Roxburgh.
Sarah Jarvis is a woman on a mission. Today, the
23-year-old from Hamilton will line up for the giant slalom.
When she is asked how she rates her chances, the sparkle in
her eye says it all.
"I want to be in the top five . . . but I want to win more
than that."
Also on the line for Jarvis after her strong performances in
Australia this month is the coveted Australia-New Zealand
(ANC) Cup title, in both the slalom and giant slalom.
Currently ranked 500 in the world, Jarvis, a New Zealand
national team member, has another aim - to improve her
ranking by more than 300 in the next four months, and qualify
for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
"I know I can do way better than [500].
"I want to be in the top 200 in the next four months."
Fresh from a strong run in Wednesday's super G, finishing
tied for 17th place with Queenstown's Harriet Miller-Brown in
a time of 1.09:19, Jarvis said she was pleased with her time,
particularly given super G is not her forte.
"I don't do speed . . .
"I do to complement [slalom and giant slalom] . . .
"[But] I loved it.
"I wanted to go faster."
The tie with Miller-Brown was also a special moment for both
the women's fathers.
Jarvis' father, John, and Miller-Brown's father, Nigel, were
in the national ski team together.
They were at Coronet Peak on Wednesday watching the race.
Jarvis describes ski racing as "a family sport".
Her father, her mother Libby and sister Fran skied at Ruapehu
as youngsters.
Jarvis' skiing really took off when she was 6 and the family
went to the United States.
Four years later she began competing in ski racing.
Her promising career was put on hold briefly, when Jarvis was
13, after she broke both her legs in a skiing accident.
"I was skiing at Ruapehu when I was 13 and it was a whiteout.
"I went off an unmarked wee cliff.
"I reckon that's why I've got long legs now, because they got
stretched out . . . see, there's always something good that
comes out of it."
In terms of the inaugural Winter Games, Jarvis rates them as
"very important", with the opportunity to improve at an
international level "right here on your doorstep".
"One race can make a massive difference," she said.
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