Taking Flight

Annabel Blake grew up with a mother who, as a young athlete, had hoped to represent Australia in the 1988 Winter Olympics. Janine Shepherd's nickname, 'Janine the Machine' reflected the grit and dedication she brought to the ski slopes and it was these traits that helped her recover when a training accident left her permanently disabled. Despite these setbacks, Janine raised her three children to follow their passions and demonstrated through her own challenging life that nothing is impossible. Now, in a surprising twist, her daughter Annabel is hoping to capture a place in the Australian team to compete in next year's Winter Olympics in the new – and dangerous – sport of slopestyle skiing.