Mogul Skiers Back in Action at Val St. Come

VAL ST. COME, Quebec (Jan. 19, 2016) – The FIS Freestyle moguls World Cup will return for the first competition of 2016 this weekend on the Canadian team’s home turf in Val St. Come.

Due to holidays and the cancelation of the World Cup in Lake Placid, NY, all the teams had an unusual mid-season break in competition. The U.S. team spent that time training at Deer Valley Resort, dialing in their runs and integrating some new faces into the World Cup line up.                   

“The extended competition break was a blessing in disguise for us,” said head moguls coach Matt Gnoza. “The added training time allowed our staff to get familiar with the skiers who qualified for North American World Cup starts from U.S. Selections. It also gave our national team athletes the opportunity to clean up their runs and really get prepared for the next three weeks of World Cups. We cannot thank Deer Valley enough for preparing and maintaining the course for us.”

Val St. Come marks the return of two familiar faces on the men’s team, Troy Murphy (Bethel, ME) and Tom Rowley (Long Beach, NY). Both missed the World Cup opener in Ruka, Finland, due to injuries. The men’s team had three athletes in the top 10 at last year’s competition. On the women’s side, Jaelin Kauf (Steamboat Springs, CO), who podiumed twice at U.S. Selections, will make her World Cup debut alongside current World Cup leader Mikaela Matthews (Frisco, CO), who took home her first World Cup win in Ruka.

“I am definitely hoping to carry the same momentum from Ruka into Val St. Come,” stated Matthews. “Each day is a new one and every course is different, but I am hopeful and confident that my skills will carry over. We are all feeling a little stir crazy and ready to get back on the road for competitions, but it has been awesome getting in some great training at Deer Valley. It is a rare treat to have the time to tweak some skills and make changes in our skiing mid-season and I am happy we were able to take advantage of that opportunity.”

Competition is set to begin on Saturday, Jan. 23, with qualifications at 10:00 a.m. EST. Finals will begin at 2:15 p.m. EST with live streaming on NBC Sports Live Extra.

HIGHLIGHTS

• After an extended break, the FIS Freestyle moguls World Cup will kick off 2016 in Val St. Come.
• Competition will begin on Saturday, Jan. 23, at 10:00 a.m. EST.
• Live timing and a full event schedule are available via FIS Freestyle.
• Finals for both men’s and women’s competitions will be live streamed on NBC Sports Live Extra.

QUOTES

Matt Gnoza, Head Moguls Coach, USSAThe extended competition break was a blessing in disguise for us. The added training time allowed our staff to get familiar with the skiers who qualified for North American World Cup starts from U.S. Selections. It also gave our national team athletes the opportunity to clean up their runs and really get prepared for the next three weeks of World Cups. We cannot thank Deer Valley enough for preparing and maintaining the course for us.

Mikaela Matthews
I am definitely hoping to carry the same momentum from Ruka into Val St. Come. Each day is a new one and every course is different, but I am hopeful and confident that my skills will carry over. We are all feeling a little stir crazy and ready to get back on the road for competitions, but it has been awesome getting in some great training at Deer Valley. It is a rare treat to have the time to tweak some skills and make changes in our skiing mid-season and I am happy we were able to take advantage of that opportunity.

U.S. Freestyle Moguls Ski Team Starters – Val St. Come

 Men
Jeremy Cota (Carabassett Valley, ME; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club)
Troy Murphy (Bethel, ME; Park City Freestyle Ski Team)
Bruce Perry Jr. (Winter Park, CO; Winter Park Competition Center)
Tom Rowley (Long Beach, NY; Hunter Mountain Freestyle Team)
Dylan Walczyk (Rochester, NY; Ski and Snowboard Club Vail)
Bryon Wilson (Butte, MT; Wasatch Freestyle, Deer Valley Resort) 

Women
Nessa Dziemian (East Hampstead, NH; Carrabassett Valley Academy)
Ali Kariotis (Tiburon, CA; Squaw Valley Freestyle Team)
Jaelin Kauf (Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club)
Heidi Kloser (Vail, CO; Ski and Snowboard Club Vail)
Mikaela Matthews (Frisco, CO; Team Summit)
Keaton McCargo (Telluride, CO; Telluride Ski and Snowboard Club)