Olympic-level competition returns to Utah
The United States Freestyle Ski Team defended its home turf by claiming six medals during the 2003 Freestyle FIS (Freestyle International Skiing) World Championships at Deer Valley Ski Resort in Park City.
The American team took three medals in the single moguls competition on Friday and three more in the dual moguls on Saturday on the way to claiming the most medals of any team at the
competition.
The crowd was wowed throughout the two days of finals competition as athletes from all over the world looked to claim a world championship in either the moguls event or in aerials.
American moguls skiers Jeremy Bloom and Toby Dawson ended up with four of the six American medals as Bloom won gold in the dual moguls and silver in single moguls while Dawson won the bronze medals in both events.
Dawson’s bronze medal victory in the dual moguls event came over 2002 Olympic gold medalist Janne Lahtela, in a finish that electrified the crowd.
Lahtela gained a sizeable lead on Dawson after the first jump and through the middle portion of the course. On the second jump, Dawson attempted a very difficult
cork seven.
He hit the maneuver, an off-axis 720 where he dropped his chest so his feet were parallel with his head, perfectly.
“I decided right at the start gate [to go with the] 720 degree corkscrew,” Dawson said.
The move also received approval from the crowd and U.S. moguls coach Don St. Pierre.
“When I heard the crowd, I knew he made the right call,” St. Pierre said.
St. Pierre said he is happy with the performance from the American moguls skiers, as the team performed well throughout the entire moguls competition.
“If one athlete can’t do it, we’ll be in a position where a few others can,” the coach said.
St. James’ mantra of any athlete being able to step up on any given day was apparent in Jeremy Bloom’s performances over the two days. The 21-year-old skier who moonlights as a wide receiver for the University of Colorado football team finished ninth in the 2002 Olympics, but found his two medals in world championship moguls on a course he isn’t too fond of.
“I’ll never like it,” Bloom said of the Deer Valley course. “I feel like I might be evening the score a little bit.”
Bloom said the course wasn’t as bad as it had been in the past for him.
“After yesterday, I stopped thinking about what course it was,” he said. “You just need to go as fast as you can.”
In the semifinals of the dual moguls competition, Bloom and Dawson faced off against each other in battle between two team members. Would the teammates facing each other in the semifinals give the coach heartburn?
“Yeah, what do you say? Go at it boys,” St. Pierre said.
Bloom said it was unfortunate the United States could only send four athletes to the event, as there were many more who could compete for the medals.
“It’s a team environment,” Bloom said.
Dawson said the way he lost in the semifinals could have been worse.
“If you’re going to lose, you might as well lose to the winner,” he said.
The American female competitors also found success as Michelle Roark claimed the silver medal in singles competition and Shannon Bahrke won the silver in the dual moguls. Both American’s lost to Norway’s Kari Traa, who also won the 2002 Olympic gold medal. She has been dominant in the sport over the past five years.
“She needs to start going up against the guys,” Bahrke said jokingly.
Bahrke, nicknamed “Sparky” for her bright personality, glittery eyes and million-dollar smile, was happy with her performance.
“This was the best I’ve skied in a few weeks,” she said.
Bahrke said the conditions were optimal for moguls, with a little slushy snow helping for landings off of the jumps.
“It was really good spring skiing, in January,” she said.
While Traa won both events, she said it was very difficult to maintain her top performances, especially in duals competition.
“Today it was really important to be in shape for sure,” she said. “In duals, everyone knows that anything can happen.”
There was also exciting action late in the aerials competition on Saturday where Russia’s Dmitri Arkhipov claimed the men’s championship and Australia’s Alisa Camplin won the female title, setting a new world record in the process.
The event was scheduled to air last Saturday and Sunday on NBC, but due to programming changes, the dual moguls and aerials competitions will be aired on Feb. 22 from noon to 2 p.m.
–str@cc.usu.edu
(Photos by John Zsiray)