Freestyle

Kearney Sweeps Deer Valley

by
USSA
2013-02-02 19:06
 

PARK CITY, UT (Feb. 2) - Hannah Kearney (Norwich, VT) made it back-to-back wins at Deer Valley Resort taking dual moguls at the Visa Freestyle International. Patrick Deneen (Cle Elum, WA) battled Canadian Alex Bilodeau down to the wire taking second. Bradley Wilson (Butte, MT) scored a career first podium in third and managed to outski yellow bib holder, Mikael Kingsbury ending his 19 World Cup win streak.

HIGHLIGHTS

  • Hannah Kearney (Norwich, VT) won her third FIS Freestyle World Cup win of the season to sweep the weekend in the Visa Freestyle Interational at Deer Valley Resort.
  • The win vaulted Kearney past teammate Heather McPhie (Bozeman, MT) into second in the World Cup standings despite missing the first two events of the season after a training injury.
  • Patrick Deneen (Cle Elum, WA) was second in a hard fought battle with Canadian Alex Bilodeau. Bradley Wilson (Butte, MT) picked up a career first podium in third.
  • The Deer Valley course showcased extreme speeds in the head to head action.
  • The U.S. Freestyle Ski Team will now head to Steamboat Springs for a weeklong camp in preparation for the Olympic test event in Sochi Feb. 15.
  • The Visa Freestyle International will air on NBC Saturday, Feb. 9 at 2:00 p.m. EST. Coverage of dual moguls is set for Saturday, Feb. 9 at 4:00 p.m. on the NBC Sports Network.

 

Hannah Kearney
I did feel comfortable, sometimes too comfortable. That probably meant I should've been skiing faster, but there's a really fine line between skiing too and just right. I think I found the right balance tonight. I focused on my form which if you're skiing well, it's easier to ski fast.

Duals forces you to ski faster. That's about the only thing it helps because your technique gets far worse in duals. We're heading into a training camp now so I can make all those adjustments and the ultimate goal is to ski as fast as you do in duals in singles.

I feel fantastic physically. I think that's what maybe got it for me tonight is that I was the strongest. My legs feel good and being here in Deer Valley gives us all the opportunities we need to recover and be fully nourished, which isn't always the case at every event. So, between Deer Valley feeding us and having the Center of Excellence here along with all the U.S. Ski Team we really are setting ourselves up to succeed.

Patrick Deneen
It was a really tight duel tonight and I was really pleased with the way I skied. I'm a pretty fast skier, so I just ski the same way whether its duals or singles. Tonight it seemed like everybody was pushing their speed and I had some crashes against me. I actually thought after qualifying that Alexandr Smyshlyaev was going to win, especially because he won the qualifying round and was skiing so well all night. I was bummed to be in his bracket but happy to beat him and find a podium today.

I'm really happy for Brad. We almost had an American sweep in Sweden last year and he would've been the third, but he got bumped off and ended up fourth, so I'm really happy to be able to share the podium with him this time around. Brad's an awesome teammate and he's been skiing so well for so long so for him to finally get a podium is like, finally!

Bradley Wilson
Honestly, I can't even explain this feeling right now. It's a dream come true to podium here at Deer Valley, my home mountain. I came in here needing to get a podium to qualify for World Championships later this year. It's just one of those things that I just can't really explain. You're in the zone and I honestly can't really remember much. It's just a dream come true.

Nothing can push you more than the guy skiing next to you. The best results of my career have been in duals so far. Just having that guy next to you to push you to that limit is key to go as fast as you can, it pushes you just to the edge. If he's hanging on, you can hang on, too.

Two people go in it and one person comes out victorious. Mikael is one of the best skiers I've ever seen. Going into that dual, I just had nothing to lose and a bunch to gain. Luckily for me, I was able to hang on and come out with a victory.

RESULTS
Official Results

BROADCAST SCHEDULE (times EST)
Sun. Feb. 3 - 1 p.m. – Visa Freestyle International, Aerials, NBC Sports Network
Sat. Feb. 9 - 2 p.m. -  Visa Freestyle International, NBC
Sat. Feb. 9 - 4 p.m. - Visa Freestyle International, Dual Moguls, NBC Sports Network

LINKS
Facebook
Twitter
USSA Network

HELP THE TEAM
Athletes like Hannah Kearney and her U.S. Ski Team teammates rely on the support of the American public. Click here to support the team.

 


 


Preview the new U.S. Ski & Snowboard website.


Preview