AVSC Freestyle Skiers Bump it Up in Winter Park
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| by Alan Cole |
February 15, 2009
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AVSC's freestyle mogul skiers are coming into their own and Freestyle Program Director Eric "Doughboy" Knight likes what he sees. According to Knight, the team "had some excellent results that we can build on" at the Rocky Mountain Division Open Moguls and Junior Moguls at Winter Park on February 7-8.
Simone Augspurger staged her first comeback from a shoulder injury and show real improvement. "She had a solid run going on Saturday but ran into trouble on the bottom section of the course," said Knight. Augspurger finished 21st but bounced back on Sunday. "She stomped a 360 on the first run and a double-twist on the second run for 15th place on Sunday," said Knight. "We were impressed with how strong she skied."
Caine Albrecht-Hildebrand was the big story of the weekend for AVSC on the men's side. Albrecht-Hildebrand went up against 53 skiers and finished 12th place on Saturday and 18th on Sunday in a field of 50 skiers. "His best finish prior to this comp was 25th," said Knight. "It was the biggest breakthrough that we've ever seen. He was twice as fast and aggressive as before and holding it together for full runs." Knight reveled in Albrecht-Hildebrand's transformation. "he went from being a middle of the pack skier to being a big gun out there." Although the list of competitors has not been finalized, Albrecht-Hildebrand's results for could qualify him for Junior Olympics in moguls.
Kyle Lusk continued to post top-20 results with a 15th on Saturday and a 10th on Sunday. "Kyle's round, carving turns set him apart from the other skiers," said Knight. "His turn scores were among the highest out there and the announcer singled him out to talk about his turning ability. He really grabbed the attention of the crowd." Lusk's season was cut short due to injury last year but recent finishes have him back in contention to qualify for U.S. Nationals in Freestyle.
Teammate Colby Lee also returned from injury and finished 38th on Saturday. Not content with his result, Lee vaulted up to 28th on Sunday and according to Knight, "Colby's starting show glimpses of his talent."
12 year-old Mikey Schumacher was unfazed by the older competition but struggled to a disappointing 48th place result on Saturday. According to Knight, he recalibrated his approach for Sunday's meet. "He changed his air plan and executed two solid jumps, a 360 and a "Screamin' Seaman" (Daffy leg-cross)." It proved to a crowd-pleasing combo and Schumacher won his J4 age class and finished 33rd overall. "Mikey's having fun with it and it shows," said Knight.
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For details, contact
Alan Cole
AVSC
(970) 205-5104
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