Freestyle Worlds Team Named

By Pete RughPublished On: February 23rd, 2009Comments Off

PARK CITY, UT (Feb. 23) – Ten Olympians, including World Champion Hannah Kearney (Norwich, VT), World Cup winner Ryan St. Onge (Winter Park, CO), Olympic silver medalist Shannon Bahrke (Tahoe City, CA) and seven-time World Cup winner Jeret “Speedy” Peterson (Boise, ID) will comprise the 17–person U.S. Team for the 2009 FIS Freestyle World Championships U.S. Freestyle Head Coach Jeff Wintersteen announced.

“It is a great team selected for Worlds with World Cup podiums in every event in which we are fielding a team,” U.S. Freestyle Head Coach Jeff Wintersteen said. “We are in a great position, and I am hopeful we can compete to the best of our abilities. If we can do that, I think this could be a great World Championships for us.”

Fresh off of World Cup wins in Deer Valley and Moscow, St. Onge leads the way for the aerials squad.

“We jumped on the same hill last year and it was a great venue. They put on a great event and I’m really excited to go back,” St. Onge said. “I think my plan is to go out and just do two really nice jumps and not worry too much about the results. I’m trying not to let any past success interfere with any future potential.”

Also adding to the strength of the aerials squad is Peterson who flipped to a World Cup win in Lake Placid, along with Emily Cook (Belmont, MA) who took third in Placid as well as Deer Valley.

“We’re really excited with our Worlds team. We’re a tight group right now,” Aerials Head Coach Matt Christensen said. “We’re just looking at having quality jumps and those results will come. Obviously if our athletes do the best they can the results will come.”

In the hunt for another World Championship gold is Kearney who, after a two season hiatus to recuperate from some injuries, has taken in three World Cup wins and three podiums.

“My hopes are to defend my gold, preferably by skiing my best,” Kearney said. I haven’t been to Japan in two years, so I am looking forward to going back there. I think they have the best fans and it’s a really good event.”

Also in the hunt for the podium will be Bahrke, who will be looking to upgrade her 2007 silver, as well as U.S. Champions Emiko Torito (Denver) and Michael Morse (Duxbury, MA).

“It’s going to be nice for everyone to go home, regroup and come out for Worlds fresh,” Moguls Head Coach Scott Rawles said. “It’s going to be a good challenge over there in Inwashiro. It will be one of the toughest courses we ski all year. Hopefully we’ll keep rolling and have a couple more people step up.”

While they’ve all had experience competing in World Championships as alpine skiers, X Games gold medalist Daron Rahlves (Sugar Bowl, CA) World Cup winner Casey Puckett (Aspen, CO) and Jake Fiala (Frisco, CO) are ready to take on the World Championships in a new sport – ski cross. It will mark the third appearance of ski cross in the World Championships.

“Going into Worlds next week, we have a strong team that should be contending for a medal,” said U.S. Ski Cross Head Coach Tyler Shepherd. “We are all very excited to race in Inawashiro and look forward to a great event.”

Rounding out the freestyle World Championships will be skier halfpipe, which features U.S. champs Jen Hudak (Park City, UT) and David Wise (Reno, NV), World Cup winner Jessica Cumming (Wilton, CO), and Walter Wood (Evergreen, CO), who led the U.S. results at the skier halfpipe at Park City Mountain Resort. It will mark the third time halfpipe has been scheduled in the World Championships, although it was canceled in 2007.

The 2009 FIS Freestyle World Championships begins March 2 with ski cross and continues through March 8.

2009 FIS Freestyle Ski World Championships
Inawashiro, Japan

Monday, March 2 – Men’s and women’s ski cross
Wednesday, March 4 – Men’s and women’s aerials
Thursday, March 5 – Men’s and women’s skier halfpipe
Saturday, March 7 – Men’s and women’s moguls
Sunday, March 8 – Men’s and women’s dual moguls

2009 U.S. Freestyle World Championship Team

Aerials
Men
Jeret Peterson (12/12/81; Boise, ID) * **
Ryan St. Onge (2/7/83; Winter Park, CO) * **
Scotty Barhke (7/19/85; Tahoe City, CA) *
Dylan Ferguson (8/10/88; Amesbury, MA)

Women
Emily Cook (7/1/79; Belmont, MA) * **
Jana Lindsey (9/18/84; Black Hawk, SD) * **
Lacy Schnoor (6/12/85; Draper, UT) *

Moguls
Men
Patrick Deneen (12/25/87; Cle Elum, WA)
Sho Kashima (11/1/86; South Lake Tahoe, CA) *
Micheal Morse (4/2/81; Duxbury, MA)
Landon Gardner (8/2/85; Missoula, MT)

Women
Hannah Kearney (2/26/86; Norwich, VT) * **
Michelle Roark (11/16/74; Denver) * **
Shannon Bahrke (11/7/80; Tahoe City, CA) * **
Eliza Outtrim (7/18/85; Steamboat Springs, CO)

Dual Moguls
Men
David Babic (6/13/79; Washington, VT) *
Sho Kashima (11/1/86; South Lake Tahoe, CA)
Patrick Deneen (12/25/87; Cle Elum, WA)
Micheal Morse (4/2/81; Duxbury, MA)

Women
Hannah Kearney (2/26/86; Norwich, VT) * **
Emiko Torito (7/2/82; Denver) *
Eliza Outtrim (7/18/85; Steamboat Springs, CO)
Shannon Barhke (11/7/80; Tahoe City, CA) * **

Ski Cross
Men
Casey Puckett (9/22/72; Aspen, CO)
Daron Rahlves (6/12/73; Sugar Bowl, CA)
Jake Fiala (5/24/75; Frisco, CO)

Skier Halfpipe
Men
Walter Wood (3/5/92; Evergreen, CO)
Clayton Vila (3/5/91; Block Island, RI)
David Wise (6/30/90; Reno, NV)
Taylor Seaton (7/16/90; Avon, CO)

Women
Jen Hudak (9/7/86; Park City, UT)
Jessica Cumming (6/4/83; Wilton, CT)
Brita Sigourney (1/17/90; Carmel, CA)
Tiffany Davenport (3/15/91; Kingston, MA)

* Past World Championship Team
** Past OlympianPARK CITY, UT (Feb. 23) – Ten Olympians, including World Champion Hannah Kearney (Norwich, VT), World Cup winner Ryan St. Onge (Winter Park, CO), Olympic silver medalist Shannon Bahrke (Tahoe City, CA) and seven-time World Cup winner Jeret “Speedy” Peterson (Boise, ID) will comprise the 17–person U.S. Team for the 2009 FIS Freestyle World Championships U.S. Freestyle Head Coach Jeff Wintersteen announced.