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Aerials 101
One of the first tickets to sell out in the 2002 Olympic Winter Games was for the freestyle aerial event. If you've ever seen this awe-inspiring sport performed, you know why.
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(Nov. 3, 2001)------But supposing you know nothing about the sport.
Well, listen up class. "Freestyle Aerials 101" has just begun.
Tom Kelly/V.P., USSA: "THE TWO AND ¼, TO TWO AND HALF SECONDS OF HANG TIME THAT THEY HAVE IS MORE THAN ANY SPORT IN THE OLYMPICS. AND WITHIN THAT TIME PERIOD IT IS UNBELIEVABLE THE NUMBER OF MANEUVERS THAT THEY CAN ACCOMPLISH."
TOM: "JUST THINK ABOUT THIS. THREE SOMERSAULTS, FOUR TWISTS OF THE BODY IN TWO AND A QUARTER SECONDS, 70 FEET IN THE AIR. YOU COULDN'T ASK FOR A MORE EXCITING OLYMPIC EVENT."
It IS one of the most astonishing sights you'll ever see in skiing--freestyle aerials.
These athletes hurl themselves 70- to 80-feet into the air! Spinning. Twisting, and flipping. And if only for a few amazing seconds, they seemingly escape the bonds of gravity we mortals have become so accustomed to.
So what exactly is it they're doing up there?
Joe Pack/Freestyle Aerialist: "WELL, UH, I'LL BREAK IT DOWN A LITTLE BIT. A BACK FLIP IS CALLED A BACK LAYOUT. A BACK FLIP WITH A 360 REVOLUTION IS CALLED A BACK FULL. YOU LINK THOSE TOGETHER YOU GET FULL, FULL, FULL IS A TRIPLE TWISTING TRIPLE BACK FLIP. AND THEN A DOUBLE FULL IS A 720 IN ONE FLIP AND THAT'S WHAT WE DO IS QUAD TWISTING TRIPLE BACK FLIPS. SO IT'S A FULL, DOUBLE FULL, FULL, SO THAT'S 360, 720, 360 WITHIN THREE FLIPS."
Got it? Good.
Now here's how one of these maneuvers is scored. What an athlete like Joe does IN the air makes up only 20-percent of the score.
Form, or body position while they're up there, makes up a whopping 50-percent.
Finally, like gymnastics, that pesky landing is critical. It makes up 30 percent of the score. Anything other than the feet touching--even if briefly--and they get "dinged" crucial points.
The sum of the scores is then multiplied by the degree of difficulty of the routine, and you have it--A total score.
Add the two scores and you've got a winner. Those are the basics of freestyle aerials.
Incidently, mark this date on your calendar NOW! On December 31st, Deer Valley will host the Gold Cup. That's where the U.S. Freestyle team will compete in moguls and aerials and whoever wins, gets an automatic spot on the U.S Olympic Team. To watch-- it's free!
