COLUMN: Competitors’ passion keeps on going
The physical capabilities of humans never cease to amaze me.
Whoever designed the human body, an entity that can navigate between mounds of snow at extremely high speeds and then execute acrobatic maneuvers off of a jump, deserves to be commended for a great idea.
Anything and everything that a human is capable of doing with his body was seen at the 2003 Freestyle FIS World Championships at Deer Valley from Wednesday through Saturday.
Men and women alike competed in moguls and aerials competitions at a level comparable to that of Olympic competition.
There were thrills, spills and lots of chills during the four days of championship competition where athletes had to battle massive fatigue in a quest to stand on the podium at the end of the day and call themselves champions.
The entire event was nothing short of impressive. From the athletes who wowed the crowd with acrobatic moves to the volunteer staff and crew that put the event together, all involved in the championships deserve to be commended for their efforts.
Attending the FIS World Championships was an entertaining and worthwhile way to spend a Saturday, and in order to give the readers of The Statesman a taste of the weekend, I present to you a few highlights of the event.
Fashion Trends: Anytime an individual hits a ski resort he is sure to encounter a wide variety of fashions. Some people dive into their closet to dig out the circa 1970’s orange, yellow and black jumper to keep them warm during their day on the slopes. There certainly were a few people at the World Championships dressed like that. Aside from them however, and Stein Erickson’s fashionably hip baby-blue snowsuit there were plenty of trendy winter threads to go around.
In fact, world-renowned fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger’s brother was in attendance at the event, having performed in a concert Friday night. Hilfiger, a sponsor of the event and of the United States Freestyle Team, provided great looking attire for the U.S. team.
Hot Girls, Literally: Prior to the start of the aerial finals event, Pyrosutra, a group of fire-dancers from Seattle, performed for the crowd of about 2,000.
The four female dancers (in leather pants mind you) and two males danced around while playing with fire. To add to the visual spectacle, all of the performers were wearing fluffy red and black material, and many of them had dyed their hair red and black. It was visually stunning to say the least.
G’Day Mate: If one were to look up “class fans” in the dictionary they might find a picture of Australian sports fans.
There was a very large contingent of fans from down under at the aerial finals competition, and they made a lot of noise for the athletes from Australia. The Aussie fans however, cheered for every other competitor just as much as they did their own. If an athlete was having trouble with a run, the Australian fans were there to make their voice of support heard. Their support of every athlete embodied exactly what Olympic-type competition is all about: Peace.
The best part of the Aussie fans though, aside from their huge flags with a kangaroo wearing boxing gloves, was what they chanted whenever an Australian athlete finished.
“Aussie! OI! Aussie Aussie! OI! OI! Aussie Aussie Aussie! OI! OI! OI!”
Maybe you have to witness that in person to grasp the fun of it.
Overall, the entire event was a great experience and testament to just how much effort, training and passion that is invested in the sport for these athletes. For every amazing flip, twist or corkscrew that an athlete successfully executed during the competition, there were countless bruises and broken bones.
Yet no matter what would happen by way of injury, the athletes would always get back up and go right back to what they love.
That passion never ceases to amaze me.
Tyler Riggs is a freshman majoring in print journalism. Comments can be sent to str@cc.usu.edu.
Jillian Vogtli, of the U.S. Ski Team pulls a Kosak during the dual mogal women’s finals at the championships. (Photos by John Zsiray)