Nordic Blog
Denver Post on Aidan Sheahan: Young Freeskiers
March 10, 2011
WINTER PARK — They came from everywhere snowy, hoping their countless hours honing soaring spins and technical grabs would propel them to the big leagues.
Saturday's third annual slopestyle Winter Park Freeskiing Open in the area aptly named Dark Territory terrain park saw 67 skiers, most in their teens, battling for their shot at glory.
The purse was relatively modest, the jumps and rails seriously daunting. And still the young athletes, who dream of X Games and Dew Tour glory, went big.
"It's such a good way to get your head in the game and compete at a higher level," said Kristi Johns, 24, a coach with the Winter Park Free-ski Team whose buttery right-and-left spins and grabs led her to third place.
Johns was the veteran on the scene. This was a youngster's show. Emilia Wint, 16, a Denver-born Breckenridge skier who last year harvested national and regional titles, won the women's division.
"Slopestyle in 2014? Wouldn't that be great?" Wint said, referring to increasing chatter about wildly popular slopestyle skiing and snowboarding becoming an Olympic sport. And should that happen, even at the yet-undisclosed location for 2018, Wint would be on track to be an Olympic champion.
"I've got a bit of time," she said.
The Winter Park event matched professionals and amateurs on a level playing field with no invitations and no prequalified heavyweights who don't have to ski through early rounds of competition. Making the contest even more different is a four-run format that credits the best judged single performance, not just the finals run or total points. That means a fall doesn't dash chances for a podium, as it does in most cumulative-scored competitions.
"You get four runs, and you can win it in the first run. There's no reason to hold back," said Bob Holme, a former Olympic nordic jumper who manages Winter Park's burly, certification-required terrain park. "We are really rewarding the best run
Blog: Mountain Peek
The Post's Jason Blevins delivers high country happenings, gear reviews and snowy news, along with updates on Colorado's tourism industry.
of the day."
Heading into the final two runs, that best run belonged to a 17-year-old Indiana ripper — that's right, from the Hoosier State's 75-acre, 400-foot vertical Perfect North Slopes — Chris Laker. His tightly wound corked 720, rodeo 900, switch-double 900 and a 98-point, near-perfect double-corked 1080 on the final booter Saturday earned him 290 points and $2,000.
The lanky Laker could use the money to fix the dental plate he broke in Friday's early competition in nearly the same fashion that shattered his original two front teeth.
"Knees to jaw," he said with a jagged, gap-toothed grin.
Last year Laker was seventh at the open. Since then he has won several competitions and garnered sponsorship contracts, including ski maker Elan and energy drink Monster. The ever-swelling army of spinning and flipping kids in Laker's wake is fueled by dreams of similar sponsorship deals.
"I know they're there. You get used to it," Laker said. "You've just got to focus on yourself."
Colter Hale of Winter Park is keenly aware that his home-hill competition is a potential gateway. The 14-year-old who makes and sells his own long-shirted skiwear is top-ranked regionally. He's ready to go national. Global, even.
"I need to get my name out there and get some shots, get some sponsors," said Hale, who finished 25th among 60 competitors. "This is a great opportunity."
Aidan Sheahan of Carbondale took second in the men's division with flawless grabs in his gymnastic 540 and 720 spins. The 17-year-old's locked-in switch 1080 on the final of four monster jumps contributed to his pocketing of $1,250.
"He's worked hard for this," said Aaron Anderson, freestyle coach for Sheahan's Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club. "We want to get into X. That's why we're here."
Read more: Young freeskiers show their stuff at Winter Park meet - The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/extremes/ci_17560865#ixzz26qMWOPFa
Read The Denver Post's Terms of Use of its content: http://www.denverpost.com/termsofuse
Saturday's third annual slopestyle Winter Park Freeskiing Open in the area aptly named Dark Territory terrain park saw 67 skiers, most in their teens, battling for their shot at glory.
The purse was relatively modest, the jumps and rails seriously daunting. And still the young athletes, who dream of X Games and Dew Tour glory, went big.
"It's such a good way to get your head in the game and compete at a higher level," said Kristi Johns, 24, a coach with the Winter Park Free-ski Team whose buttery right-and-left spins and grabs led her to third place.
Johns was the veteran on the scene. This was a youngster's show. Emilia Wint, 16, a Denver-born Breckenridge skier who last year harvested national and regional titles, won the women's division.
"Slopestyle in 2014? Wouldn't that be great?" Wint said, referring to increasing chatter about wildly popular slopestyle skiing and snowboarding becoming an Olympic sport. And should that happen, even at the yet-undisclosed location for 2018, Wint would be on track to be an Olympic champion.
"I've got a bit of time," she said.
The Winter Park event matched professionals and amateurs on a level playing field with no invitations and no prequalified heavyweights who don't have to ski through early rounds of competition. Making the contest even more different is a four-run format that credits the best judged single performance, not just the finals run or total points. That means a fall doesn't dash chances for a podium, as it does in most cumulative-scored competitions.
"You get four runs, and you can win it in the first run. There's no reason to hold back," said Bob Holme, a former Olympic nordic jumper who manages Winter Park's burly, certification-required terrain park. "We are really rewarding the best run
Blog: Mountain Peek
The Post's Jason Blevins delivers high country happenings, gear reviews and snowy news, along with updates on Colorado's tourism industry.
of the day."
Heading into the final two runs, that best run belonged to a 17-year-old Indiana ripper — that's right, from the Hoosier State's 75-acre, 400-foot vertical Perfect North Slopes — Chris Laker. His tightly wound corked 720, rodeo 900, switch-double 900 and a 98-point, near-perfect double-corked 1080 on the final booter Saturday earned him 290 points and $2,000.
The lanky Laker could use the money to fix the dental plate he broke in Friday's early competition in nearly the same fashion that shattered his original two front teeth.
"Knees to jaw," he said with a jagged, gap-toothed grin.
Last year Laker was seventh at the open. Since then he has won several competitions and garnered sponsorship contracts, including ski maker Elan and energy drink Monster. The ever-swelling army of spinning and flipping kids in Laker's wake is fueled by dreams of similar sponsorship deals.
"I know they're there. You get used to it," Laker said. "You've just got to focus on yourself."
Colter Hale of Winter Park is keenly aware that his home-hill competition is a potential gateway. The 14-year-old who makes and sells his own long-shirted skiwear is top-ranked regionally. He's ready to go national. Global, even.
"I need to get my name out there and get some shots, get some sponsors," said Hale, who finished 25th among 60 competitors. "This is a great opportunity."
Aidan Sheahan of Carbondale took second in the men's division with flawless grabs in his gymnastic 540 and 720 spins. The 17-year-old's locked-in switch 1080 on the final of four monster jumps contributed to his pocketing of $1,250.
"He's worked hard for this," said Aaron Anderson, freestyle coach for Sheahan's Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club. "We want to get into X. That's why we're here."
Read more: Young freeskiers show their stuff at Winter Park meet - The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/extremes/ci_17560865#ixzz26qMWOPFa
Read The Denver Post's Terms of Use of its content: http://www.denverpost.com/termsofuse
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