2010 WINTER OLYMPICS PREVIEWS: FREESTYLE SKIING

Aussie Aerialist Lydia Lassila in Action

The Freestyle Skiing competition at the 2010 Winter Olympics will be held at Cypress Mountain, a particularly appealing spot for skiers and fans alike with fantastic views of the city and harbor. Freestyle Skiing is relatively new to the Olympics, consisting of three events: moguls, introduced as an Olympic event in 1992; aerials, introduced in 1994; and ski cross, which is brand new this year. Moguls skiers speed down the hill while navigating a series of bumps and jumps. Outcomes are tabulated based on a combination of the skier’s time and judges’ scores on turns and jumps. Dale Begg-Smith of Australia is the returning gold medalist and strong favorite for the men. Born and raised in Canada, Begg-Smith formerly skied for their national team. After turning into something of a teenage computer whiz, he was told by his Canadian coaches that his Internet business pursuits were becoming a distraction. Begg-Smith responded by quitting and moving to Australia where he proceeded to strike it rich selling invasive computer spyware. Now he drives a Lamborghini and skis for Australia against Canadian rivals like Alexandre Bilodeau. On the women’s side, Americans Heather McPhie, Hannah Kearney, and Shannon Bahrke all have strong shots, though Canada’s Jennifer Heil is the favorite. Unlike moguls the aerials event consists strictly of jumping, with judges scoring competitors based on degree of difficulty, execution, style, and landing. Anton Kushnir of Belarus is the favorite for the men while Lydia Lassila of Australia will seek a spot on the women’s podium after the disappointment of tearing her ACL and withdrawing from the 2006 Games. Finally, the ski cross event places four skiers on the course at the same time with all four navigating through turns in a race to the finish line. Switzerland’s Michael Schmid and Canada’s Ashleigh McIvor are the favorites for the men and women respectively.