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Cook Second in World Cup Aerials Opener

By U.S. Ski & Snowboard
January, 15 2012

MONT GABRIEL, PQ (Jan. 15) – In only her fourth day on snow this season, two-time Olympian Emily Cook (Belmont, MA) stood second on the podium Sunday at Mont Gabriel in the FIS Freestyle World Cup aerials opener. Olga Volkova  of the Ukraine finished first edging out Cook, while Russia's Pavel Krotov took the men’s top spot. Cook showcased her jumping prowess in the debut of the new World Cup aerials format – where athletes compete in up to three individually scored rounds, culminating with the top four jumping in a Superfinal for podium placement.  The World Cup now heads to Lake Placid for the USANA Freestyle Cup.

HIGHLIGHTS

  • Emily Cook finished second, showcasing a new World Cup aerials competition format.
  • It was only Cook’s fourth day on snow this season, after being out all fall nursing a  knee injury.
  • Cook landed a Full-Double-Full (two flips, three twists) in the Superfinals.
  • Four other U.S. Ski Team athletes had career best finishes.
  • Jonathan Lillis (Rochester, NY) finished a career best eighth  throwing a Full-Full-Full for the first time in competition (three flips, three twists).
  • Allison Lee (Manchester, CT) also scored a career best ninth.
  • Nevin Brown (Streetsboro, OH) was 11th and Hans Gardner (Orchard Park, NY) 13th - both personal bests.
  • The finals podium was comprised of athletes from six different counties.
  • Russia had its first aerials podium in aerials in nine years, with Japan getting its first in more than a decade.
  • New competition format consists of a qualifying jump to cut to top 12 with a second jump to make the top four known as the Superfinals. A third jump determines the podium placement.


QUOTES
Emily Cook

The old format really rewarded consistency, but I love how this is a new start on every jump.  It’s a cool opportunity and it really fits my style. My success today was really due to my experience and being able to put it down when it matters.

I’ve been recovering from sore knees, so was pretty excited to get a lot of jumps off today. I hadn't gotten to my full degree of difficulty until today.

Todd Ossian, Aerials Head Coach
The new format is exciting - it’s really good for the sport and for our team.

We had a lot of personal bests today.  I’m really happy with how we performed.

RESULTS
Official Results