Moguls Ready for World Cup Opener in Ruka
Shrouded in constant darkness characteristic of Finnish Lapland, the U.S. Moguls Team is gunning to get into the start gate and are primed to emerge victorious from the moguls Freestyle FIS World Cup Opening in Ruka set for Dec. 7. Despite being unable to work on their goggle tans (this crew hasn’t seen the sun in five weeks), the Team has been grinding it out in Scandinavia since early November in their last prep period before game day.
There is no better place to kick off the moguls World Cup season than Ruka, Finland. Athletes will compete on the famous Ruka Batter Run, and the course was freshly rebuilt Wednesday. “There are no distractions, only opportunities on the Ruka course,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard Head Moguls Coach Matt Gnoza. Cold temperatures have made for dry and fluffy snow, and paired with the fresh course, we can expect quick, athletic skiing and high flying tricks off of the newly cut jumps.
The Team has a huge prep period under their belts that started domestically at official training sites Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows, Utah Olympic Park and Timberline Resort & Ski Area, then moved on internationally to Chile, Switzerland, Sweden, and finally, Finland (but not before they navigated an airline strike that forced them to travel across the entire Finnish country from Helsinki to Ruka by bus).
Two new coaches joined this summer: Riley Campbell and Joe Discoe. Matt has worked hard to integrate the team together. “It’s not just pressure on the athletes but pressure on the staff to stay on top of everything.” Returning for another tour is Athletic Development Coach Josh Bullock and Physical Therapist Chuck Williams. “Chuck is the key to keeping the calm in the start, it’s where he’s been since Day one,” said Matt. “He’s the gear guy, cleaning boots, checking binds, making sure everyone’s set for that countdown.”
2019-20 is a whole new season and everything will get left on the snow this Saturday when the competition kicks off. Jaelin Kauf leads the Team as the second-ranked female in the world and the still-fastest-woman on the mountain. “I’m really excited to get back into the start gate and get the competition season rolling!” Jaelin said. “Our team has been putting in a lot of work and training this off season and I think we’ve all made some really great improvements. My biggest challenge is just remembering my competition routine and getting back into the swing of things. The first event is always the hardest in that aspect. It’s been a while but I’m ready! I love competing, pushing out of the gate and giving it my all on comp day. It’s been a long prep season and I’m ready to put it all together on Saturday!”
The American women of the U.S. Moguls Team have represented the best female team on tour two seasons in a row - a title they’re proud of and excited to defend. Together Jaelin, Tess Johnson, Olivia Giaccio and Hannah Soar make up the #PowHERhouse, a force we wouldn’t want to reckon with. The most technically sound skier of the group and the youngest American freestyle athlete to medal at World Champs, Tess will be one to watch for a lesson in fundamentals. Olivia has been hammer focused on her training and all that hard work is paying off - her jump-ability is unmatched and her run, a back full to cork 7, is the highest degree of difficulty for the women, making for an exciting show. She looked so good during Tuesday’s training that the French team stayed to video it. Hannah is a natural-born skier, has skied over 100 days a year for the past 18 years (and she’s only 20), and will call upon all of that experience no matter what course wherever in the world she’s competing.
The men’s team will look to re-establish themselves with new leaders emerging. Jesse Andringa is the top American man and hungry to prove himself as such to the world. “I am feeling stronger than ever going into this season and my goal is to show and prove that to the judges!” he said. “We have been doing a ton of training and prep for this season, including five weeks of training without seeing the sun up in Scandinavia at the top of the world. So we are all hoping these first couple comps shine some light on us!”
Making their World Cup debuts are new Team members Alex Lewis and Nick Page. Alex has a solid, technical ski base to draw from and isn’t afraid to push the limits. He’s focused and has the execution on snow to prove it. Nick has the tricks, the technique and the athleticism. He’s getting his first shot at the world stage and is going to put the international field on notice.
The key to success for this moguls World Cup season will be execution. “We’ve thought a lot about this as a team,” said Matt. “No matter what trick an athlete throws or how fast they ski, being able to execute turns and jumps at a really high level and minimize mistakes will be crucial to make it onto the podium. We need to see athletes stomp their landings of their airs and immediately return to high level skiing - that will make the biggest difference.”
U.S. Starters
Jaelin Kauf
Tess Johnson
Olivia Giaccio
Hannah Soar
Jesse Andringa
Alex Lewis
Nick Page
Dylan Walczyk*
George McQuinn*
*non Team athlete
HOW TO WATCH
All times EST
Saturday, Dec. 7
9:00 a.m. - Men and women’s moguls, Ruka, FIN - Olympic Channel, Olympic Channel.com, NBC Sports Gold
