World
With World Championship berths on the line, Steamboat freestyle skiers take on U.S. Selections
The nation’s top moguls skiers congregated in Winter Park over the weekend for U.S. Freestyle Selections, with a lot on the line.
Performance at Selections can make or break an athlete’s season. Placing well allows skiers to qualify for the Junior World Championships and solidify starts for NorAm Cup events.
Only six boys and six girls qualify to represent the U.S. at Junior World Championships, making mental fortitude key in the gate.
“It’s incredibly nerve-wracking,” said Abby McLarnon, a moguls skier from Steamboat Springs who now competes with Ski and Snowboard Club Vail. “Knowing the amount of pressure that is on this comp, it’s scary when you’re standing up at the start. For me, as long as I remember to rely on all my training and what I’ve been doing for years to prepare for this comp really helps me make it down the course.”
McLarnon spent time in Chile for an early-season camp specifically to prepare for Selections. She worked hard on her turns and figuring out the optimal air package for her season, ultimately selecting a Back-X and Back-Mute as her two aerial tricks.
The practice paid off for McLarnon, who reached her goal of two top-8 finishes, taking fifth in moguls on Saturday and sixth in duals on Sunday.
Joining McLarnon at Selections were seven freestyle skiers from the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club — Anabel Ayad, Mia Satkiewicz, Reise Wilson, Liam Siefken, Peyton Billeisen, Shane Marino and Beck Ward.
Ayad led the charge for SSWSC, taking seventh in singles and earning a career-best FIS finish of second in duals.
Both Ayad’s and McLarnon’s results were strong enough to qualify them for the Junior World Championships where they will compete in Almaty, Kazakhstan at the beginning of January.
“I’m super-stoked on my results from this weekend,” McLarnon said. “I proved to myself that I did ski how I wanted to and I can continue to improve on that to hopefully podium in the coming competitions. It’s a chance to prove myself to myself.”
For the SSWSC girls, Satkiewicz was 28th in singles and 31st in duals. Wilson, in her first FIS event, was 24th in singles and 60th in duals. For the boys, Billeisen was 19th in singles and 50th in duals in his second competition back from injury. Mariano, in his first U.S. Selections event, ended up 39th in single moguls and 20th in duals. Ward, in his first event back from knee surgery, was fourth in singles and 24th in duals. Siefken crashed in his first run and opted to sit out the rest of the competition.
Steamboat will soon host the next Rocky Mountain Freestyle Comp Series event on the Voodoo run at Steamboat Resort from Jan. 3-5. Simultaneously, Ayad and McLarnon will be preparing to showcase their talents in front of the world.