Sabrina Cass aiming for freeski history with Brazil at Beijing 2022 after winning junior world title for the USA
Born and raised in the United States, the 19-year-old moguls hopeful will start competing for the Brazilian National Olympic Committee at the freestyle skiing event ahead of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. Her goal? Entering the group of the 16 best athletes in the world.
Freestyle Skiing
On November 20th, 2021, the Brazilian flag will follow the name of 19-year-old skier Sabrina Cass for the first time in an official competition.
The 2019 moguls world junior champion will compete for the South American nation at the Idre Fjall Open, in Sweden, and the rest of the Olympic season. Born and raised in the United States, and daughter of a Brazilian mother, the freestyle skier was a member of the U.S. ski team until the 2020/2021 season.
Cass hopes to make her Olympic debut at the Winter Olympic Games Beijing 2022 in February. In order to do that, she needs to be among the 30 best moguls skiers until January 16.
"I already broke the top 30, but I want to enter the top 16 of the events, because those skiers are the ones who make the finals. Staying in this group means you are among the best in the world", said Cass to Olympics.com.
American snow, Brazilian sauce
Speaking in fluent Brazilian Portuguese with a slight American accent, Cass is really enthusiastic about her favorite part of Brazilian culture: the food, specially picanha [a local beef cut] and farofa [a savory corn flour mixture]. "I would eat this the whole day, every day". Her memories come from the yearly trips to Brazil to visit the family of her mother, Flavia.
Cass' father - American Steve Cass - was the parent who encouraged her to pursue skiing. "We would drive to the mountains every weekend. When I was 10, they suggested me to try freestyle. I really didn't want it, I was scared, but I ended up loving it. Every winter we would move from Connecticut to Park City for me to train. It was a big sacrifice, but they wanted the best for me."
At the beginning of 2021, Cass learned about the existence of the Brazilian Snow Sports Federation and reached out to them with the offer of competing for her maternal land, a dream that the family shared since her childhood.
"I think this [representing Brazil] will help me. Now I feel like I'm skiing more for myself", she shared. "It was a tough decision, but I'm very happy to have taken it."
Surprise junior world champion
Cass almost didn't compete in the tournament that would change her life. She was one spot out of the US team in the 2019 Junior World Ski Championships in Chiesa in Valmalenco, Italy, but entered the event after an injury tp a teammate.
"I wasn't hoping to get a medal, I just wanted to enjoy the opportunity and the competition. When I finished my run and they said I was first, I was shocked", she remembers. "It's a day I'll never forget. To this day, I get emotional when I talk about it."
A fan of the American Hannah Kearney - gold medalist in Vancouver 2010 and bronze in Sochi 2014 - Cass can become the first Brazilian to compete at the moguls event at the Winter Games, and the second in any event of freestyle skiing, following Josi Santos' participation in Sochi 2014 (aerials).
Cass' secret to succeed in moguls? "Confidence. It's such a challenging sport physically, but if you're not good mentally before competing as well, you can make a horrible mistake".
On January 16, Olympic Quota Allocation List will define the number of athletes to represent each country at Beijing 2022, according to the FIS rankings.
"The Olympic Games are something so big, that I cannot even imagine that I have the chance of attending it, I'm in shock", said Cass.
Given that Brazil doesn't have many winter elite athletes, the media attention on Cass has increased in the Latin American nation, longing for a breakthrough at the Winter Games.
"When I was in the US I didn't have a lot of attention, but now I want to train even harder. At the same time, I want to focus on this moment and on what I can do instead of thinking too much about the future."
Road to Beijing for Sabrina Cass - When to watch her compete in freestyle skiing
After the Idre Fjall Open, on November 20-21, Cass is scheduled to compete in the following FIS World Cup events:
- Ruka, Finland – December 4
- Idre Fjall, Sweden - November 11-12
- Alpe d’Huez, France – December 17-18
- Tremblant, Canada – January 7-8
- Deer Valley, USA – January 13-14
- Chiesa in Valmalenco, Italy – January 23