Alysia Rissling
{{short description|Canadian bobsledder}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=February 2018}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2018}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
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| name = Alysia Rissling
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| image = Alysia Rissling-2019-01-05 2-woman Bobsleigh at the 2018-19 Bobsleigh World Cup Altenberg by Sandro Halank–173.jpg
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| caption = Alysia Rissling in Altenberg in 2019
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| national_team = Canada
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| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1988|11|16}}
| birth_place = Edmonton, Alberta
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| education = Kinesiology, B.S.
| alma_mater = University of Alberta
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| website = {{URL|www.risslingbobsleigh.com}}
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| sport = Bobsleigh
| position = Pilot
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| partner = Heather Moyse
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| olympics = 2018 Winter Olympics
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Alysia Rissling (born November 16, 1988) is a Canadian bobsledder. In 2015, she was the pilot for the first all-woman team in an official four-man bobsleigh race after the event became gender neutral. She competed in the two-woman bobsleigh event for Canada at the 2018 Winter Olympics with Heather Moyse; the pair finished in 6th place.
Biography
Rissling was born on November 16, 1988, in Edmonton, Alberta. She received a scholarship to the University of Alberta for track and field and basketball. Rissling graduated in 2011 with her Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology.{{cite web|title=Alysia Rissling|url=https://www.bobsleighcanadaskeleton.ca/en/team/bobsleigh/?id=2|website=Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton|accessdate=19 February 2018|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180219091011/https://www.bobsleighcanadaskeleton.ca/en/team/bobsleigh/?id=2|archivedate=19 February 2018}}
Rissling played basketball for the University of Alberta Pandas from 2006 until her graduation in 2011.{{cite web|title=The Prairie Grid Dinner Series supports Canadian winter athletes|url=http://eatnorth.com/eat-north/prairie-grid-dinner-series-supports-canadian-winter-athletes|website=Eat North|accessdate=18 February 2018|date=25 August 2017|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180219090552/http://eatnorth.com/eat-north/prairie-grid-dinner-series-supports-canadian-winter-athletes|archivedate=19 February 2018}} During her time with the Pandas, the team qualified four times to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) (now U Sports) national championships winning silver in 2007 and bronze in 2009.{{cite news|author1=J. Mackinnon|title=MacKinnon: Edmonton's Alysia Rissling chases her dream down the track|url=https://edmontonjournal.com/sports/mackinnon-edmontons-alysia-rissling-chases-her-dream-down-the-track|accessdate=18 February 2018|agency=The Edmonton Journal|date=14 February 2015|location=Edmonton|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180219092517/http://edmontonjournal.com/sports/mackinnon-edmontons-alysia-rissling-chases-her-dream-down-the-track|archivedate=19 February 2018}} In 2012, she moved to Calgary to take up bobsledding.
Prior to her first world cup event, Rissling had to raise {{currency|100,000|CAD}} in order to purchase a sled for competition, after the Canadian bobsleigh team decided to instead allocate the funds towards the men's team. She raised the money through sponsorships and a waitressing job in a Calgary diner.{{cite news|last1=Gillespie|first1=Kerry|title=Passion for bobsledding slippery slope for Canadian Rissling|url=https://www.thestar.com/sports/amateur/2017/01/08/passion-for-bobsledding-slippery-slope-for-canadian-rissling.html|accessdate=18 February 2018|agency=The Toronto Star|date=8 January 2017|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180219090444/https://www.thestar.com/sports/amateur/2017/01/08/passion-for-bobsledding-slippery-slope-for-canadian-rissling.html|archivedate=19 February 2018}}
Career
On February 7, 2015, in Park City, Utah, as part of the North American cup tour, Rissling piloted the first four-woman team in an official four-man bobsled race with Julia Corrente, Courtenay Farrington, and Josee Theoret.{{cite news|last1=Gillespie|first1=Kerry|title=Canadian bobsled pilot Alysia Rissling breaking new ground|url=https://www.thestar.com/sports/amateur/2015/02/06/canadian-bobsled-pilot-alysia-rissling-breaking-new-ground.html|accessdate=18 February 2018|agency=The Toronto Star|date=6 February 2015|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180219150521/https://www.thestar.com/sports/amateur/2015/02/06/canadian-bobsled-pilot-alysia-rissling-breaking-new-ground.html|archivedate=19 February 2018}} The team was the first female four-person team to compete following the decision to make the event gender neutral in late 2014. The four came in seventh with a time of 1:41.34.{{cite web|title=Park City 07/02/2015 – 4-man Bobsleigh|url=http://www.ibsf.org/en/component/events/event/164748|website=International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation|accessdate=18 February 2018|location=Park City, Utah|date=7 February 2015|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180301131848/http://www.ibsf.org/en/component/events/event/164748|archivedate=1 March 2018}}
Rissling participated in the 2017 Bobsleigh World Cup in Pyeongchang, South Korea, with brakeman Cynthia Appiah.{{cite news|author1=CBC Sports|authorlink1=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|title=umphries denied overall title as Rissling takes bobsleigh bronze|url=http://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/sliding/appiah-rissling-bobsleigh-bronze-pyeongchang-1.4031145|accessdate=16 February 2018|agency=CBC|date=18 March 2017|location=Pyeongchang|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180216162750/http://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/sliding/appiah-rissling-bobsleigh-bronze-pyeongchang-1.4031145|archivedate=16 February 2018}} The duo won bronze at the event with a time of 1:44.06.{{cite web|author1=Peter Fischer|author2=Jin Ho Song|title=IBSF World Cup Bob & Skeleton 2016/17 PyeongChang (KOR)|url=http://ibsf.sportresult.com/ResultListBackUp/168098.pdf|website=International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation|accessdate=16 February 2018|format=PDF|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180219150833/http://ibsf.sportresult.com/ResultListBackUp/168098.pdf|archivedate=19 February 2018}}
Rissling is overall ranked sixth for the 2017–18 Bobsleigh season. In November 2017, she came in seventh in both Lake Placid, New York,{{cite web|title=Bobsleigh: Humphries et Lotholz triomphent à Lake Placid|url=http://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/1066268/direct-coupe-monde-bobsleigh-skeleton-humphries-lotholz-lake-placid-etats-unis|website=Ici Radio Canada|publisher=CBC|accessdate=18 February 2018|language=French|date=9 November 2017|quote=Deux autres duos représentant l'unifolié étaient de la partie. Christine de Bruin et Cynthia Appiah (1:54,99) ont terminé 6es, tandis qu'Alysia Rissling et Kristen Bujnowski (1:55,17) ont inscrit leurs noms juste en dessous d'elles au classement final.|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180219090643/http://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/1066268/direct-coupe-monde-bobsleigh-skeleton-humphries-lotholz-lake-placid-etats-unis|archivedate=19 February 2018}} and Park City, Utah,{{cite web|title=Canada's Bobsleigh Teams Celebrate Historic Triple Medal Haul at World Cup in Park City|url=https://www.bobsleighcanadaskeleton.ca/en/news/?id=463|website=Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton|accessdate=18 February 2018|location=Park City, Utah|date=17 November 2017|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180219091004/https://www.bobsleighcanadaskeleton.ca/en/news/?id=463|archivedate=19 February 2018}} with Kristen Bujnowski. On November 24, 2017, Rissling, alongside Cynthia Appiah, finished in seventh in Whistler, British Columbia. In January 2018 with Heather Moyse, she placed fourth in St. Moritz, Switzerland,{{cite web|title=Canadians Rissling and Moyse finish one spot shy of podium|url=http://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1136499779538|website=CBC|publisher=CBC – Radio Canada|accessdate=18 February 2018|location=St. Moritz, Switzerland|format=video|date=13 January 2018|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180301131847/http://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1136499779538|archivedate=1 March 2018}} and fifth place in Königsee, Germany.{{cite news|title=Rissling, Moyse finish fifth|url=http://www.journalpioneer.com/sports/rissling-moyse-finish-fifth-179207/|accessdate=18 February 2018|agency=Journal Pioneer|publisher=Saltwire Network|date=21 January 2018|location=Konigssee, Germany|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180219090532/http://www.journalpioneer.com/sports/rissling-moyse-finish-fifth-179207/|archivedate=19 February 2018}}
2018 Winter Olympics
On January 24, 2018, Team Canada announced the 24 athletes that would be competing for Canada in the bobsleigh and skeleton events. Rissling qualified and made her Olympic debut.{{cite web|author1=Ellen McCann|title=Team Canada bobsleigh and skeleton athletes nominated for PyeongChang 2018|url=https://olympic.ca/2018/01/24/team-canada-bobsleigh-and-skeleton-athletes-nominated-for-pyoengchang-2018/|website=Canadian Olympic Team|accessdate=18 February 2018|date=24 January 2018|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180218083649/https://olympic.ca/2018/01/24/team-canada-bobsleigh-and-skeleton-athletes-nominated-for-pyoengchang-2018/|archivedate=18 February 2018}} She was the pilot for Heather Moyse in the two-woman bobsled.{{cite news|last1=Simmonds|first1=Jason|title=Almost time for Moyse, Rissling to compete at Winter Games|url=http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/sports/almost-time-for-moyse-rissling-to-compete-at-winter-games-186863/|accessdate=18 February 2018|agency=The Guardian|publisher=Saltwire Network|date=17 February 2018|location=Pyeongchang|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180219090920/http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/sports/almost-time-for-moyse-rissling-to-compete-at-winter-games-186863/|archivedate=19 February 2018}} The pair finished 6th after four runs in the bobsled event; their time was 1.18 seconds off that of the gold-medal winners.{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-moyse-bobsleigh-olympics-1.4544863|title=Moyse happy with 6th-place finish in Olympic bobsleigh|date=21 February 2018|accessdate=27 February 2018|work=CBC News|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180223031452/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-moyse-bobsleigh-olympics-1.4544863|archivedate=23 February 2018}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{IBSF}}
- {{Olympics.com profile}}
- {{Olympedia}}
- {{Team Canada}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rissling, Alysia}}
Category:Bobsledders at the 2018 Winter Olympics
Category:Canadian female bobsledders
Category:Olympic bobsledders for Canada
Category:Bobsledders from Calgary
Category:Sportspeople from Edmonton