Warm weather hampered World Cup course builders and canceled training Tuesday and Wednesday for the aerials competitors, but below-freezing temps overnight brought much needed stability and shape to the freestyle runs Thursday morning. The teams were able to train for their first and only day at Deer Valley Resort before the competition on Friday.
Given the continued challenges from weather in the latter half of the week, aerials qualifications were canceled Friday, leading athletes straight to the finals fighting for a spot in the top-six super finals.
With the aerials course in particular, the 14-foot jumps were nearly impossible to maintain with the slushy snowpack, along with the fragile run-in and landing zones.
“It’s definitely frustrating because this is such an important event for all of us, and we’re in a World Championship season, so all of the jumping days we get are really important,” said Kaila Kuhn, an aerialist on the U.S. Ski Team since 2020. “Not getting training here at our home event is a big bummer for all of us because our families are here, they’re going to watch, and coming into this event slightly more unprepared is definitely frustrating.”
Kuhn is based full time in Park City. With these extra days, she said she was grateful to spend time with family and friends in town for the event, as well as prepare the best she can mentally.
At least she wasn’t alone.
“At the end of the day, we’re all in the same boat. No one is getting more training than the other,” said Kuhn. “These last couple days I’ve really just been trying to prepare as much as I can and get my body ready for the next couple days.”
Karenna Elliot, an aerialist on the team since 2022, found some light in missing the training days during a busy season.
“I felt OK about the first day being canceled because we kind of needed a break after we trained at the Olympic Park, trying new tricks and things. We’re a bit beat up after that. So the first day off, it was all fine and we could all recover,” said Elliot.
Elliot and Kuhn said the site at Deer Valley is tricky because of a tight transition running into the jumps.
“We would like all the training we can get to be able to train on that really quick transition, so that second day being canceled, that was definitely sad,” said Elliot.
U.S. Freestyle Director Matthew Gnoza said that with the freeze in temperatures overnight between Wednesday and Thursday, the well-shaped jumps would be perfectly solidified for practice Thursday morning.
“It will shorten the training opportunities for the athletes, but I’m not overly concerned from a U.S. standpoint,” said Gnoza. “They’re a well-prepared team. They just need a bit of a warmup. They know what they’re doing.”
The aerials team is focusing on the future of their season, said Kuhn and Gnoza. The team has never competed so late in the calendar year with World Championships on March 30 and 31.
“It’s super important we do everything we can to maintain that team with that end goal and vision of a World Championship medal. We have to give them reminders to tell them. We might be bored now, but hopefully this will pay off down the road,” said Gnoza.
Despite the weather conditions, Deer Valley is well prepared with grooming equipment, winch cats and all the manpower and tools needed to maintain the courses, said Gnoza.
“Deer Valley is committed to doing everything they can to help these athletes have a quality venue and put on one hell of a show on Friday night,” he said.
As the athletes returned to training Thursday in preparation for competition on Friday, Kuhn said the camaraderie and togetherness of the team has been a big resource. Kuhn actually was first recruited as a 12-year-old gymnast by fellow U.S. Ski Team aerialist Winter Vinecki. When Kuhn made the U.S. team three years later, she moved in with Vinecki as she adjusted to life in Park City.
“I think having that camaraderie is really important and she taught me a lot of fundamentals that are really important as an athlete. She sets a really good example and works incredibly hard,” said Kuhn. “Having entered into a very independent situation so young was quite hard, … that’s a bond that we’ll have forever going through our careers.”
In the meantime, the athletes have gotten a little break from training. For Elliot that meant some fishing and spending time with her boyfriend. For Kuhn, visualization and consulting with her sports psychologist and physical therapists have helped her prepare without being on the snow.
“I’m just really excited because Deer Valley is always super fun and I just want to make the most out of it,” said Elliot. “Moving into training Thursday, I’m not too nervous, except for I’ll be trying a new trick I attempted a few days ago. In the end, we all have a lot of friends at the competition, and it’s just going to be a great, fun time.”