U.S. Freestyle Wins Junior Worlds

VALMALENCO, Italy (April 4) – At the FIS Freestyle Junior World Championships last week, U.S. junior freestyle and freeskiing athletes won the overall medal count for the USA with nine medals. Topping the list was 17-year-old Keaton McCargo (Telluride, CO) with two gold medals in single and dual moguls. The tremendous performance by all the U.S. junior athletes earned them the Marc Hodler Trophy. They won the prestigious award with 119 points over Russia and France, who finished with only 65 and 64 points.

HIGHLIGHTS

• At the FIS Junior World Freestyle Skiing Championships in Valmalenco, Italy on March 26-31, U.S. junior freeskiing and freestyle athletes won the overall medal count for the USA with nine medals.
• The tremendous performance by all the juniors from the USA won them the Marc Hodler Trophy, a much sought-after reward named for former long-time FIS President Marc Hodler.
• They won the nationally awarded trophy with 119 points over Russia and France, who finished with only 65 and 64 points.
• The Junior World Champs wrapped up the 2012-13 FIS Freestyle season.

Freestyle:

• Seventeen-year-old Keaton McCargo (Telluride, CO) took home two gold medals in single and dual moguls.
• McCargo had 2 World Cup starts this season, which helped her prepare for this international competition.
• She has been known for her solid technical skiing, which helped her on the steep course and with the difficult conditions.
• She threw a 360 on top air and back layout on bottom air during both medal runs.
• McCargo was third last year in duals at U.S. Champs.
• Her club, the Telluride Ski and Snowboard Club, just won Freestyle Club of the Year.
• Kaitlyn Harrell (Westminster, CO) also took home two medals, a bronze in singles and silver in dual moguls.
• Thomas Rowley (Telluride, CO), also of the Telluride Ski and Snowboard Club, won gold in men’s dual moguls. 
• The medals were the first Junior Worlds medals for all three athletes. 

Freeskiing:

• U.S. Freeskiing Rookie Team and USSA Team Academy member Alexi Micinski (Meridian, ID), a high school senior, took her second career podium with silver in the woman's slopestyle comp.
• Micinski was fresh off her World Cup finals win in Sierra Nevada, Spain. 
• Brent Whipple (Stateline, NV), a member of Waterville Valley's BBTS, took second in the men's slopestyle competition. It was his best finish to date. 
• Zyre Austin (Glenwood Springs, CO) took home her first career FIS podium with a second in the women’s halfpipe competition.
• Broby Leeds (Vail, CO) of Ski and Snowboard Club Vail, took second in the men's halfpipe competition, also his career best result.
• Leeds’ silver medal comes after an impressive winning streak at the U.S. Revolution Tour in Sun Valley and at the USSA Junior Nationals at Park City.
• It was the first time these athletes had ever competed at Jr. World Champs and they won four of the first ever Jr. Worlds freeskiing medals for the USA.

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