Jacqui Cooper has become a name synonymous with Mt Buller and its history in world champions on the ski fields around the globe.
Jacqui stands out as one pf the best among the best-of-the-best champions having now won three major World Cup Crystal Globes and a score of other globes and championships.
She recently presented her crystal globes (for loan) – all three major and five minor globes to the National Alpine Museum of Australia – housed in Mt Buller’s Alpine Central Level 1 to go on exhibition for this season.
The exhibition at the museum holds a special place, especially for those young up-and-coming athletes striving to make world cup competitions themselves.
Jacqui’s ski suit and bib, worn a the Mt Buller World Cup competition (2000) is part of this special display and has the words by Jacqui herself noting: “For me to be able to win there [Mt Buller], and do it in front of people that saw a kid that couldn’t even snowplow, and was basically ‘stealing’ groceries to live at Mt Buller in the early days, to come out and win in front of a home crowd, it was like a massive thank you to the community, and it was awesome’ – 2020.
From early pioneers like Kirstie Marshall and Jacqui Cooper, to Olympic champions Alisa Camplin and Lydia Lassila, to the current ‘Flying Kangaroos’ Danielle Scott and Laura Peel, Jacqui still stands out.
Most of Australia’s World Cup and Winter Olympic success has been in Freestyle Skiing.
A big part of this success has come from the Flying Kangaroos – Australia’s women’s aerial ski team.
Australia has pioneered the approach of teaching gymnastics and trampolinists to ski, rather than teaching skiers to jump and flip.
The result has seen multiple World Cup, World Championship and Olympic champions.
Also, on display at this corner of the museum are Jacqui’s Aerial skis, boots and helmet from the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, a competition bib from Mt Buller – Dated around 2004 and of course the crystal globes.
This display of memorabilia is kindly on loan from Jacqui Cooper herself.