Canada's Sharpe, Fraser amp up Olympic halfpipe preparation after Calgary World Cup

Cassie Sharpe wanted more. The Canadian freestyle ski star was frustrated after finishing off the podium Saturday in a halfpipe she considers her home.

The reigning women's X Games Aspen champion and two-time Olympic medallist ranked third after her opening run, which she finished with a 1080 (three aerial rotations) and a fist pump.

But the 2018 Olympic women's champ fell and didn't complete her second run in WinSport's pipe that was slower than in qualifying because of falling snow. The Canadian was bumped out of podium position to fifth.

"Tough weather conditions. It was just slowing down, slowing down," Sharpe said.

"A podium would have been awesome but just having those contest nerves and running through the process of dropping in for a contest and making sure that you can use that energy is important."

FIS Freestyle Ski World Cup Calgary: halfpipe

Helping ease Sharpe's transition from disappointment to philosophical was her two-year-old daughter Louella in the finish area.

"Having her is a realization that, 'Yeah, this matters a lot to me but I also have bigger, bigger fish to fry,"' said the 33-year-old Sharpe.

"She's my little cheerleader. When I come down and I'm pissed off or I have a crash, it's super-nice to have her at the bottom smiling big at me and saying, 'You did good, mama."'

Canada will send up to four men and four women to compete in halfpipe next month at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.

Sharpe, from Comox, B.C., and Calgary's Amy Fraser had already met the criteria to make Canada's Olympic team before Calgary's World Cup.

Fraser, who was sixth Saturday, was working on a big score on her second pass through the pipe when she bobbled her final move, which was a two-and-a-half rotation 900.

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