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**truebluefan** · 02-15-2008, 07:46 PM

VANCOUVER (Feb. 7) - U.S. freestyle skiers get their first look at the 2010 Olympic venue this weekend with World Cup moguls and aerials at Cypress Mountain in West Vancouver. U.S. skiers have won three times and added four other podiums during the tour's annual North American swing.

The schedule calls for moguls Saturday and aerials Sunday as the World Cup returns to British Columbia. For years, events were held at Whistler-Blackcomb, which was also the site of the 2001 FIS Freestyle World Championships.

The Olympic venue, however, is about 20 miles northwest of downtown Vancouver and this will be the first time the tour will compete in the Vancouver area.

"We've gotten rain downtown where we're staying, but it's snow - wet snow, to be sure - on the mountain where the elevation is a little higher," said Head Coach Jeff Wintersteen. "They're scraping away the new snow, but it looks as though it'll glaze because it's soft and ices over."

The U.S. Ski Team has 20 athletes at Cypress - 12 moguls skiers, eight aerialists - in this last stop in North America this season.

The schedule has included two stops in the United States - the Nature Valley Freestyle Cup at Lake Placid, NY, last month and the Visa Freestyle International last weekend at Utah's Deer Valley Resort. Those stops sandwiched a visit to Mont Gabriel, outside Montreal.

Michelle Roark and Emiko Torito (both Denver) won moguls events at Whiteface Mountain, just outside Lake Placid, and Shelly Rovertson won a dual moguls contest last Saturday at Deer Valley. Pat Deneen (Cle Elum, WA) has had two top-3s while Kayle Snyderman (Winchester, MA) and Landon Gardner (Missoula, MT) have one apiece.

After Cypress Mountain, the tour moves on to Inawashiro, Japan, for three events Feb. 15-17, including ski halfpipe, moguls and aerials.

**truebluefan** · 02-15-2008, 07:47 PM

VANCOUVER (Feb. 9) - A nasty weather stew of rain, sleet and fog forced organizers Saturday to cancel the men's World Cup moguls contest on the 2010 Olympic venue at Cypress Mountain in West Vancouver. Officials hope to hold the women's competition Sunday after aerials.

"We were down to eight guys left, and we had a couple of guys qualifying for finals - and still had Nate [Roberts - Park City, UT, the 2005 moguls world champion] to go," Head Coach Jeff Wintersteen said. "I was thinking, 'Hey, this could wind up being a one-run contest, and Nate might win it' with a good run. But, the fog was too bad and they canceled it. It was a safety issue."

The men's event is "definitely" scrubbed for Cypress Mountain but, if the weather cooperates, they might be able to stage the women's moguls after aerials. "That's a long shot, though, because the call is for more rain and wind tomorrow," Wintersteen said. "It's too bad, but there's nothing the organizers could have done. It was out of their hands. They gave it a good try."

**truebluefan** · 02-15-2008, 07:49 PM

VANCOUVER (Feb. 10) - Scotty Bahrke (Park City, UT) and Jaime Myers (Boise, ID) overcame fog and poor weather Sunday for the best results of their World Cup careers in leading U.S. aerialists at the 2010 Olympic freestyle venue. In a one-jump contest, Bahrke was sixth in the men's event while Myers finished ninth for the women at Cypress Mountain.

"We had some great training this week, but today was miserable. I've never seen so many different kinds of weather in such a short time," U.S. Aerials Head Coach Matt Christensen, a native Canadian, said after the conclusion of the meet. "There wasn't anything the organizers could do, but once they finished the women's qualifying round, Joe Fitzgerald [International Ski Federation competition director for freestyle] said, 'That's it. No more.' So, the qualis turned out to be finals."

World Cup leader Steve Omischl of Canada won the men's one-jump event with 120.13 points. Bahrke, the Aerials Rookie of the Year for the 2007 season in a vote of all national teams' coaches, connected on a full, double-full, full - quad-twisting triple (four twists, three flips). He received 111.73 points with Dylan Ferguson (Amesbury, MA) 15th.

In the women's contest, World Cup leader Jacqui Cooper of Australia stuck her full, full, full (three twists, three flips) for 101.85 points. Teammate Lydia Lassila was runner-up at 95.17.

Myers was ninth with 81.58 from a full, full (two twists, two flips) and Jana Lindsey (Black Hawk, SD) was 10th with 75.25. Emily Cook (Belmont, MA) finished 17th.

"The weather wasn't as bad for the men as it was for the women," Christensen said. "But, it just wasn't a nice day. The fog was so tough, and the rain and some snow...just so sloppy. Good results for Scotty and Jaime, but not a lot of other good stuff."

The World Cup tour heads next to Inawashiro, Japan, for three days of competition at the 2009 FIS Freestyle World Championships site. Friday will be ski halfpipe action with moguls Saturday and aerials Sunday.

OFFICIAL RESULTS
2008 FIS FREESTYLE WORLD CUP
Canada Post Freestyle Grand Prix
Cypress Mountain
Vancouver, BC - Feb. 10, 2008
Aerials (One round because of bad weather)
Men
1. Steve Omischl, Canada, 120.13
2. Dmitri Dashinski, Belarus, 117.92 (won tiebreaker)
3. Warren Shouldice, Canada, 117.92
4. Stanislav Kravchuk, Ukraine, 115.05
5. Anton Kushnir, Belarus, 113.72
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6. Scotty Bahrke, Park City, UT, 111.73
15. Dylan Ferguson, Amesbury, MA, 90.11
24. Zac Amidan, Ogden, UT, 71.28
29. Ryan St. Onge, Winter Park, CO, 36.72
--
Women
1. Jacqui Cooper, Australia, 101.85
2. Lydia Lassila, Australia, 95.17
3. Shuangfei Dai, China, 93.67
4. Shuang Cheng, China, 93.41
5. Nina Li, China, 88.83
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9. Jaime Myers, Boise, ID, 81.58
10. Jana Lindsey, Black Hawk, SD, 75.25
17. Emily Cook, Belmont, MA, 63.27

**truebluefan** · 02-15-2008, 07:50 PM

INAWASHIRO, Japan (Feb. 15) - Reigning two-time U.S. champion Jen Hudak (Aspen, CO) collected her second podium of the season Friday when she shrugged off light snow to finish second in a World Cup ski halfpipe contest on the 2009 FIS Freestyle World Championships venue. Jessica Cumming (Wilton, CT) was fifth while Walter Wood (Evergreen, CO) had the top U.S. men's result, finishing eighth.

World Cup leader Sarah Burke of Canada won 40.6 in the better-of-two runs format. Hudak, who grew up in Connecticut and began skiing at Okemo Mountain in Vermont before moving to the West, was second to Burke with 37.3. She also was second to Burke in the opening pipe event last month at Les Contamines, France. Cumming had 32.5.

The men's winner was Matthew Hayward, another Canadian, who scored 46.4. Wood, the lone American among the 12 men in finals, had 40.3.

"It's been snowing pretty steadily since we got here, so the snow is soft although it's got ice underneath," U.S. Freestyle Director Polly-Jo Clark said. "Jen did a fine job in tough conditions."

Inawashiro will host the 2009 World Championships. This week's schedule calls for moguls Saturday and aerials Sunday.

OFFICIAL RESULTS
2008 FIS FREESTYLE WORLD CUP
Inawashiro, JPN - Feb. 15, 2008
(Better of two runs)
Men's Ski Halfpipe (12 made finals)
1. Matthew Hayward, Canada, 46.4 points
2. Kalle leionen, Finland, 45.3
3. Michael Riddle, Canada, 45.2
4. Justin Dorey, Canada, 44.5
5. Xavier Bertoni, France, 43.4
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8. Walter Wood, Evergreen, CO, 40.3
18. Brent Abrams, South Lake Tahoe, CA
21. Jack Sullvan, Snowmass, CO
23. Taylor Seaton, Avon, CO
--
Women's Ski Halfpipe (6 made finals)
1. Sarah Burke, Canada, 40.6
2. Jen Hudak, Aspen, CO, 37.3
3. Davina Williams, Australia, 36.0
4. Rosalind Groenewoud, Canada, 34.2
5. Jessica Cumming, Wilton, CT, 32.5
6. Manami Mitsuboshi, Japan, 23.8

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