All three Park City mogulists shone bright on Saturday, in what was the final moguls event of the year in Bakuriani, Georgia. Nick Page and Alli Macuga were the best of the bunch, finishing in third and fourth, respectively, in the dual moguls competitions.
Their results on Saturday appeared to be a direct translation in momentum from their solo moguls results on Friday, where they each finished in fourth place. Those competitions were also held in Bakuriani, which reportedly featured both tough conditions and a very challenging course over the weekend.
Page and Macuga’s results also helped cement their current places in the overall moguls Cup standings. In his fifth season on the U.S. team, Page currently sits sixth overall, while in her third season on the loaded women’s team, Macuga currently sits ninth.
Both Page and Macuga took a moment on Tuesday to discuss what their strong showings throughout last weekend meant to them, as well as their hopes for their lengthy holiday break and the rest of the season. The two of them, along with the rest of the U.S. team and the field, will next strap on their skis on Jan. 19 for the Cup in Val St. Come, Canada.
Page expressed his thorough excitement to just get out and ski when back in Park City over the break. However, both he and Macuga did say that now is the time to get in the gym and put in the hard yards that they couldn’t during the busy month of December.
“It’s really nice to be back home in Park City and spending time with my family,” said Page in a prepared statement. “We have a few weeks off competition now, so I’m eager to get back into the gym, as well as start making a few tweaks in my skiing. I was (even) able to get out and make a few turns at Deer Valley on Christmas with my family.”
Macuga echoed these sentiments, also touching upon how small improvements now will allow her to better enjoy the remaining four Cups of the season, including Val St. Come. Finishing in 13th in the overall standings at the end of last season, 9th or anything better would be a massive improvement she said she would be happy with.
“With this (holiday break), I hope to fine tune my skiing and airs for the next half of the tour,” said Macuga in a prepared statement. “Standing wise, I’m always looking to push to get higher, however I mostly look forward to enjoying more skiing and experiences with my team and other teams.”
The Val St. Come Cup and the other three this season that follow, including the Deer Valley Cup, will all include both solo and dual moguls events. After that Cup wraps up on Jan. 20, Page, Macuga and the rest of the field will have a quick turnaround before the Waterville Cup begins on Jan. 26. This is not the same case between the Deer Valley Cup and the season-ending Almaty Cup, which have over a month in between them from Feb. 3 to March 8.
To keep track of Page, Macuga, and the rest of the U.S. team’s results in Val St. Come or during the rest of the season, see the FIS’ website. The Cups will also be live-streamed on Ski and Snowboard Live’s site.