Vinecki Wins Aerials World Cup in Lac-Beauport; Regains World Cup Leader Bib
On the second day of competition in Lac-Beauport, Québec, Canada, Winter Vinecki led the way for the Stifel U.S. Freestyle Ski Team aerials athletes, earning her third individual win of the season.
It was another moody weather day on course with intermittent rain and persistent clouds, leading many athletes to adjust their typical game plans. The weather didn’t appear to significantly impact the U.S. team, however, as they put on a show in the qualification round, advancing five women and two men into the finals. Included in this group was Winter Vinecki, who missed out on yesterday’s finals but qualified in the second position today. She was looking to regain the yellow bib, signifying the overall World Cup leader. Karenna Elliott, yesterday’s winner, ran into trouble in qualification, finishing in 13th place just outside of finals. Derek Krueger also finished outside of finals, landing in 17th, followed by Ashton Salwan in 22nd and Ian Schoenwald in 31st.
In finals, Vinecki almost lost her balance on her landing, but her score of 76.05 was just enough to put her in the sixth position to advance into the super finals. Chris Lillis fell hard in finals, landing on the knoll, but he skied away unharmed. Just outside super finals was Megan Smallhouse, finishing eighth along with Tasia Tanner in 10th and Kyra Dossa in 11th. It was a close fight in finals for the men, with Connor Curran narrowly missing super finals, finishing in seventh place. Chris Lillis finished 12th.
Ultimately, Kaila Kuhn and Winter Vinecki represented the United States in the final round of six. Here, Vinecki pulled out all the stops to get in the top spot by competing a back lay-full-full as the only woman attempting a triple in today’s competition. Her efforts paid off, as she earned her third individual and fourth overall win of the season, completed by regaining the well-earned yellow leader's bib. Kuhn toned down her difficulty in super finals but was technically perfect in her back lay-full. Kuhn sat in podium position in third place until the final competitor, current World Cup leader Danielle Scott, bumped her into fourth place.
The team is headed into a well-deserved rest and training period before they travel to Almaty, Kazakhstan, for their final World Cup of the season on Mar. 10.
