A Comox Valley skier is off to a great start in her pursuit of an Olympic medal.

Cassie Sharpe had the run to beat in the womenB次元官网网址檚 halfpipe, taking the top spot in qualifying Sunday afternoon (Pacific time) in PyeongchangB次元官网网址檚 Phoenix Park.

Sharpe, who honed her skills on Mount Washington, scored 93.40 on her second run after a 93.00 on her first time down the halfpipe. In halfpipe, the best score from two runs counts.

B次元官网网址淥n my first run I just really wanted to land, thatB次元官网网址檚 like my biggest thing for my confidence,B次元官网网址� said Sharpe. B次元官网网址淚f I donB次元官网网址檛 land my first run, I have a hard time coming back from that, so I just really wanted to land my run, and then after that I was like B次元官网网址極K, I want to qualify first because I want to drop last in the finalB次元官网网址�.

B次元官网网址淏ecause if you do well through that, you can drop last, and itB次元官网网址檚 your victory lap. ItB次元官网网址檚 the best feeling in the world. So if I can get another one of those, I mean, IB次元官网网址檓 so excited.B次元官网网址�

CalgaryB次元官网网址檚 Rosalind Groenewoud qualified 11th with a score of 73.20. The top 12 competitors move on to the finals, set for 5:30 p.m. Monday, Pacific time.

FranceB次元官网网址檚 Marie Martinod was second with 92.00 points and Brita Sigourney of the United States was third with 90.60 points.

Meanwhile, another Islander has qualified for the final in womenB次元官网网址檚 big air snowboarding.

Spencer OB次元官网网址橞rien of Courtenay and Alert Bay, was 11th after earning 76.75 points in her second run. The top 12 competitors advance to the finals, beginning at 5 p.m. Thursday, Pacific time.

Laurie Blouin of Stoneham, Que., was fourth after the qualifying round. She scored 92.25 in her second qualifying run for the big air competition, landing a cab double underflip, the same trick she tried in her first run. In big air, the best score from two runs counts.

B次元官网网址淚 did one of my biggest tricks that I have 100 per cent on lock to make sure I make it through to final,B次元官网网址� said Blouin. B次元官网网址淔or the final I have another big trick, so IB次元官网网址檓 going to have to work hard in practice.B次元官网网址�

Blouin suffered a head injury when she fell during training for the womenB次元官网网址檚 slopestyle on Feb. 9, but went on to win a silver medal in that event.

AustriaB次元官网网址檚 Anna Gasser was first in qualifying with 98.00 points in her second run, followed up by JapanB次元官网网址檚 Yuka Fujimori (94.25) and Reira Iwabuchi (92.75).

Earlier this weekend, Campbell RiverB次元官网网址檚 Teal Harle in menB次元官网网址檚 slopestyle skiing and snowboard cross racer Carle Brenneman of Comox was of her event.