They were asked whether it’s difficult to find motivation following an Olympic year and if competing on home soil makes any difference. Packed in a press conference at Deer Valley Resort, members of the 2011 FIS Freestyle World Championship team awaited introduction and fielded questions.
Hannah Kearney seemed to have her answer in her back pocket.
“Regardless of whether one person’s watching or thousands, we’re going to try our best because we’re natural competitors,” said the gold-medal-winning mogul skier at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver.
With the world’s best competition making a globetrot to Park City for this week’s FIS Freestyle World Ski Championships, members of Team USA talked about preparation for this week’s events and what it will take to succeed against the best competition in the world.
Patrick Deneen, the defending world champion mogul skier, wasn’t shy when saying that no matter what the event is, no matter what may be on the line, he wants to win.
“I’m in this sport for more than just the Olympics,” he said.
Freestyle program director Todd Schirman applauded his new team amid high expectations. The team is packed with talent and Schirman knows that putting on a show for the home spectators is important.
“Deer Valley is always one of the best stops on the tour,” he said. “And as far as World Championships go, this is probably the best stop ever. This is our home soil and we’re really looking forward to it.”
The team consists of 37 athletes in moguls, aerials, halfpipe, skicross, slopestyle and dual moguls.
According to Tom Kelly, vice president of communications for the United States Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA), the event has grown tremendously since the last time the World Championships were held at Deer Valley in 2003.
In that year, there were 127 athletes representing 23 nations. This year, there are 313 athletes representing 36 nations.
“Legacy is written all over this event and all over this town and that’s a real credit to Bob Wheaton and the folks at Deer Valley,” said USSA President Bill Marolt. “They’ve just done an outstanding job of making this a cornerstone of the World Cup and now the World Championships.”
Deer Valley has formed a special partnership with Park City Mountain Resort to accommodate the event’s two new events: ski halfpipe and slopestyle.
“Without the partnership with PCMR and the town as a whole, it would be not nearly the event we’re going to see over the next couple days,” said Deer Valley President Bob Wheaton. “We’ll be shutting down Main Street, opening ceremonies, the great competitions between the two resorts. It’s going to be an absolutely awesome deal.”
The opening events start today with the ladies’ moguls qualifications commencing at 9:15 a.m. on the Champion run at Deer Valley. At 9:30 a.m., the ladies’ and men’s slopestyle qualifications start at 9:30 a.m. on King’s Crown run at Park City Mountain Resort.
The men’s mogul qualifications start at 11:35 a.m., also at the Champion run, with both the ladies’ and men’s mogul finals from 1:45 p.m. to 2:50 p.m.
Opening ceremonies start at 7 p.m. on Lower Main Street.
The buzz from the Sundance Film Festival is gone, but it has been replaced with some of the world’s best athletes.
“It’s a truly special time in the whole ski season for us,” Wheaton said. “We’re on the world stage, no doubt about that.”