Landings tough for skiers
February 2nd, 2008, 4:51 am Hobbies Ideas
DEER VALLEY The clear skies might have been a blessing to the hundreds of fans at the FIS Aerial World Cup at Deer Valley Friday night, but coupled with the frigid temperatures, it made landing on the hill much more complicated.
“You could really see the tracks icing up,” said U.S. aerial coach Matt Christensen. “We moved our skiers down about three meters. … You saw skiers struggling to land; those were all speed issues in the men’s event.”
Several of the U.S. skiers achieved personal milestones, but none of them managed to earn a spot on the podium.
“The women’s team jumped really well,” said Christensen. “They’re finally starting to push each other.”
Park City resident Emily Cook, 28, finished highest among the U.S. women, coming in fourth place with a score of 171.53. She was on the podium until the final three skiers of the night. Nina Li, China, finished first with a score of 199.16; Jacqui Cooper, Australia, was second with 194.87 points; Shuang Cheng, China, was third with 188.75 points.
“This is a work in progress,” said Cook after the competition. “My goal is just to make every jump better. It’s all training. I’m just trying to keep a similar mind-set.”
Story continues below
She’s doing the same tricks no matter what the weather or competition so she can find consistency this season after struggling with injuries the last few years.
“I’m just happy to be back up there in the mix,” she said with a grin. “For me it’s all about consistency. Every week I’m just one step closer, and I’m just enjoying being healthy. It’s so much fun because I can train now.”
Li finished second in the aerial competition last year, while Cooper’s second-place finish puts her first in the World Cup standings.
“My soul craves this,” said Cooper. “I absolutely love aerial skiing … It is an addiction.”
Even after 17 years and numerous injuries, several of which have kept her from her ultimate goal of an Olympic medal, she said she’s not even thinking about quitting.
“I’m not ready to let it go,” said the 35-year-old, who was one of the first women to use triple flips in competition.
Cook is competing with triple twists and said she’s happy with the degree of difficulty she’s able to compete with.
“The triples are amazing,” she said of those women doing triple flips. “But I feel more comfortable twisting. And if you look at the podium every week, it’s a mix.”
Stanislav Kravchuk, Ukraine, won the men’s competition with 226.85 points. He said he knew he’d won the minute he landed, and it is his first victory at Deer Valley and this season. He’s finished second and third in World Cup competitions thus far.
“It is always a dream of mine to win here,” he said. “When I’m flying, I’m just trying to land because it’s the hardest part. I’m happy when I landed.”
Kravchuk was especially happy because so few competitors were able to make clean landings. Vladimir Lebedev, Russia, was second with 223.21 points, while Renato Ulrich, Switzerland, was third with 222.23 points.
Landings were an issue for many of the male skiers, including the only U.S. skier to qualify for the men’s final, 19-year-old Dylan Ferguson.
“It was my first finals ever, but I didn’t jump the best in the finals,” he said. “I went big, and it was fun. My training has been going awesome, but I haven’t been jumping that well in competition. … The finals is big; it is a big step.”
Christensen said the men’s team is young and just needs more experience.
“They all need to be taking more jumps, with the exception of Ryan (St. Onge),” he said. “They’re starting to get it. They’re just young, very green … They need mileage training on the snow.”
The entire freestyle competition, including aerials, will be televised on NBC Sunday, Feb. 10, at noon (MST).
Tags: lace, switzerland, unday, vch, weather, work in progressRelated posts
