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Posted on Monday August 17th at 9:40 a.m.
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Juliane Bray has just finished training for the day and is settling back with a well-earned coffee.
Her cellphone rings, it's an interview request.
Another athlete in another sport might roll their eyes and promise to ring back, or mutter a few cliches before cutting the call short.
Bray, however, knows just how important media coverage is for sports such as snowboarding and realises the next few weeks could provide her and her fellow elite snow junkies with a rare chance to grab the nation's attention.
The Winter Games promises to be the biggest sporting event held on New Zealand slopes.
The Government has pumped $1 million into the event with its 100% Pure campaign and Sky Television will be providing live and delayed coverage.
Eight hundred athletes from 20 countries will be competing just months out from the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
It's a big deal the only question will be whether the general public cottons on.
"I'd love to get more exposure in New Zealand for (the sport). I think the public want it, personally that's the impression I get. People are tired of hearing about the traditional sports and want to hear about these new sports which are actually not that new," Bray says.
"The cool thing is we have some of the best mountains and we have the best halfpipe in the world at the moment at Cardrona. It's exciting."
There will also be some of the best athletes on show.
Bray is an athletes representative on the world body's athletes commission.
She rubs shoulders with some of the top names in the sport, including Swedish ski racer Anja Paerson.
A racing machine, Paerson has won five Olympic medals and will be competing in the Winter Games.
"She's total rock star in Europe," Bray says.
"Anja was saying that she parties with people like Angelina Jolie in Monaco, she gets invited to parties like that. You walk around with her and people are stopping her everywhere. It would be cool if New Zealand could understand that she's way bigger than any rugby player internationally, her profile on ESPN and that is huge."
It's not just the overseas visitors New Zealanders can get excited about.
In Wanaka freeskier Jossi Wells, we have one of our own capable of mixing it with the best in the world. "He also has a bigger profile in America than he does here," Bray says.
"He quite likes it, he likes coming home to be a bit quieter and low key here."
Bray herself hopes to make a few headlines in the near future.
The Burton-sponsored rider is ranked 13th in the world in her specialist halfpipe.
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She was 16th in the halfpipe at the previous Winter Olympics and 22nd in the boardcross, but feels better than ever after having knee surgery and missing eight months of the previous season.
The top 30 in her discipline qualify for the Olympics, with three other New Zealanders all vying for a place.
While Bray has earned New Zealand a spot, she still has to perform well during the Winter Games and an event in Colorado in December to get the selectors' nod.
"I don't find out definitely until January but I'm going, mate. I've got to plan to be there because I want to be there. Injury would be one of the biggest enemies."
"I'm definitely looking towards a medal, top three. Finals for me, if I can get into the finals anything can happen."
A second Olympics appearance is what will be driving Bray during the next six months as she chances a place in Vancouver.
"It definitely is a dream come true and the feeling afterwards when you have represented your country in front of the world that's a really special feeling."
BRAY FILE
Age: 33 Country: NZ Discipline: Snowboard halfpipe. What: Winter Games NZ has the only 22ft Olympic-standard halfpipe in the southern hemisphere. The halfpipe competition takes place in a half-cylinder-shaped course dug deep into the hill. Using speed gained on the slope, snowboarders come up over the rim of the pipe and perform acrobatic aerial tricks. The object of the halfpipe is to perform difficult tricks with perfect form. When and where: Cardrona, August 25 and 26.
New Zealand snowboarder Juliane Bray competes in Cardrona's Olympic halfpipe at last year's LG World Cup Halfpipe event.
Source: The Southland Times