St. Onge wins third aerials title; Schnoor wins first

By Published On: March 26th, 2005Comments Off on St. Onge wins third aerials title; Schnoor wins first

St. Onge wins third aerials title; Schnoor wins first{mosimage}PARK CITY, Utah (March 25) – Ryan St. Onge (Steamboat Springs, CO) overcame a snowstorm and erratic winds to win his third U.S. aerials ski title in four seasons Friday while Lacy Schnoor (Draper, UT) collected her first at the Sprint U.S. Freestyle Championships at Utah Olympic Park.

OLN will broadcast coverage from the Championships April 4 at 9 p.m. ET.

“This was probably the most difficult day I’ve ever jumped because of the changing conditions,” he said. “It was kind of like last man standing…but we got everyone down healthy, so that’s the most important thing.”

St. Onge had 195.87 points for his full, double-full, full (four twists, three flips) and full, full, gull (three twists, three flips). He conceded he cutback on his final jump “so I made sure I landed my last jump of the season, and didn’t crash and get hurt. I decided to back down and I’m happy to be down alive. I just got my feet under me on that full, full, full.”

St. Onge, who missed last season’s Championships with injury after winning in 2002 and ’03, won his first two World Cup aerials contests this season as he enjoyed his best winter on the World Cup.

The continual snow, which gained intensity during the men’s final round, “made it difficult to get the speed we need for the jumps,” he said.

In second place was Olympic medalist Joe Pack (Park City, UT) with 162.65 points while Dylan Ferguson (Amesbury, MA), coming out of the Waterville Valley (NH) program, was third.

Aerials Head Coach Matt Christensen echoed St. Onge, calling it “one of the worst comp days. The weather was coming in really bad. Everything was bad and there were a lot of crashes. Fortunately, nobody was seriously hurt, but this was a very tough day for the athletes to get the speed that’s required to do their jumps.”

“It’s a great way to end the season,” said Schnoor, who turned to aerials after starting as a gymnast. She rebounded this season after two years of recuperating from a torn knee ligament. “It was pretty weird with the snow; the conditions obviously were not the best. We had tail wind, head wind, all over the place.”

Schnoor was followed by Kate Reed (Montrose, CO) as silver medalist with Emily Cook (Belmont, MA) third after being penalized when she balked at one jump in the final round, requiring a restart, because she was concerned about her speed in the falling snow.

“The women’s event was really close…pretty exciting. I’m so pleased with the progress they’ve made this season, and now we want to keep pushing forward. Next year {2006 Olympics] is a big one,” Christensen said.

Under old aerials rules, a skier was allowed to balk once in the interest of safety “but that was changed a few years ago,” he said, “because the athletes were using it for tactical reasons – balk, have someone else jump, and then re-think your situation. Emily felt her speed wasn’t fast enough to do her jump, which is certainly her call – an athlete always has the final say for safety, but there’s also a penalty that comes with it nowadays.”

The Sprint U.S. championships conclude Saturday on the Sampson run at Park City Mountain Resort with dual moguls.

SPRINT U.S. FREESTYLE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Utah Olympic Park
Park City, UT – March 25, 2005

Men’s Aerials
1. Ryan St. Onge, Steamboat Springs, Colo., 195.87
2. Joe Pack, Park City, Utah, 162.65
3. Dylan Ferguson, Amesbury, Mass., 158.57
4. John Riopel, Salt Lake City, 156.05
5. Scott Bahrke, Tahoe City, Calif., 154.75
6. Jeret Peterson, Boise, Idaho, 151.42
7. Tyler Decol, Park City, Utah, 148.13
8. David Wise, Reno, Nev., 141.59
9. Zac Amidan, Ogden, Utah, 138.01
10. Tucker Volk, Tahoe City, Calif., 134.71

Women’s Aerials
1. Lacy Schnoor, Draper, Utah, 154.57
2. Kate Reed, Montrose, Colo., 151.77
3. Emily Cook, Belmont, Mass., 151.04
4. Jill Priest, Park City, Utah, 141.97
5. Jana Lindsey, Black Hawk, S.D., 137.28
6. Jaime Myers, Boise, Idaho, 134.26
7. Sharlee Strebel, Layton, Utah, 130.46
8. Rachael Pack, Park City, Utah, 119.83
9. Allison Treleaven, Fort Wayne, Ind., 108.29
10. Katie Sciuto, Park City, Utah, 103.19

For aerials photos:click here.

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About the Author: Pete Rugh