Freestyle skiers vying for final 4 Olympic spots

In the end, it all comes down to Lake Placid.

Canadian freestyle skiers vying for the final spots on the Olympic team have one more chance to show their best this weekend—as all three disciplines hit the hill in Lake Placid, N.Y., for the final World Cup before the team is announced on Monday.

With skicross making its Olympic debut under the freestyle skiing umbrella in Vancouver, the number of spots on the Canadian team has been hotly contested.

There are 18 spots to split between aerialists, mogul skiers and skicross racers. Before skicross was added, the IOC allowed for 14 members on the freestyle team, determined by the best results from aerial and mogul athletes.

Peter Judge, CEO of the Canadian Freestyle Skiing Association, has openly criticized the small number of Olympic team positions — especially considering the strength of Canada in all three disciplines.

"It has put us in a position of probably leaving medal potential athletes at home because we're going to be over the cap," Judge told CBC Sports in an interview.

"I think one of the last things you want to do is be in the position where you are leaving some of your star players off the table. That doesn't do sport any good at all, and certainly doesn't act in the spirit of what the Olympic games are supposed to be."

Much of the freestyle team has already been determined, based on the skiers' results over the past two seasons (the top two finishes from last season are combined with at least two from this season to determine an athletes' position). 

During a conference call on Thursday, Judge listed the 14 athletes who have mathematically secured their spot at the Olympics:

• Skicross: Ashleigh McIvor (pre-selected last season), Julia Murray, Kelsey Serwa, Stanley Hayer, and Chris Del Bosco.
• Moguls: Jennifer Heil (pre-selected last season), Kristi Richards, Chloé Dufour-Lapointe, Pierre Alexandre-Rousseau, Vincent Marquis, Maxime Gingras and Alexandre Bilodeau (the 2009 FIS overall champion).
• Aerials: Steve Omischl (pre-selected last season), Warren Shouldice, and Kyle Nissen.

Six athletes remain on the bubble for the final four spots.

Dave Duncan and Aleisha Cline will be racing for their Olympic dreams in Lake Placid this weekend, as the team heads to their final World Cup before the freestyle team is announced on Monday.

They will be keeping a close eye on Canadian aerialists Veronika Bauer, Sabrina Guerin, Ryan Blais, and Olivier Rochon who are also on the cusp of getting the Olympic nod.

Jennifer Heil, who has won four straight World Cup medals, did not compete when moguls competition began today. With her spot in Vancouver secured the reigning Olympic gold-medallist opted to rest in preparation for the Winter Games.

The team will be officially announced on Monday, Jan. 25.