Big Air Chronicles III - Lake Placid World Cup

By Emily Cook

Photo by Don Cook

The next morning was comp day and I felt the pre-comp jitters, but knew I was as prepared as I could possibly be to debut my new trick in front of friends, family and the hometown crowd.

I love competing in the US. Being home and having the support of friends and family makes being an athlete truly worthwhile. Regardless, I was a bit nervous about the added pressure that also comes with being expected to perform on home soil.

I had great early morning training and stomped my first jump, a full double full, successfully, landing me in third position going into the final. I was really excited, but was sure to remember not to celebrate too early. In aerials two jumps count, and doing well on the first one leaves no guarantees, other than the opportunity to continue on in the competition. The top 12 finishers for the men and women are granted a second jump and the total score from both jumps determines the results. I still had my new jump to compete in the final and my body was sore from landing backwards the day before. I had to keep my head together and prepare for the evening's finals.

I went back to the Olympic Training Center in between rounds, forced down some food, stretched and spent some time on the spin bike to keep myself moving while the men competed in their semi-final round. By the time the sun set, I was back in my ski boots and ready for my final jump of the night.

The key once again was to continue to control my emotions. I knew I had the opportunity to do well with my new trick and to debut it with style in front of the Lake Placid crowd. My desire to do that was overwhelming, which was also something I needed to control. In the gate it's all about the details. The technical thoughts and movements are more important than any adrenaline or crowd to me. Some athletes thrive on the excitement. I thrive on precision.

As usual, we had an "athlete showcase" where the finalists are announced; I kept my head down to maintain the calmness that I had created throughout training and afterwards, I immediately moved back to the top of the inrun to visualize my jump in my head. I was ready, I knew it, my mind was in the perfect space, my coaches had done a great job keeping my speeds consistent and while I listened to my pre-comp music in my ipod every ounce of attention was devoted to the next jump.

When it was my turn, I pushed down the inrun with intensity, my mind focused on the first move I needed to make. In the air I executed the new trick precisely the way I had envisioned it in my head, I listened to my coach, looked at the snow, and landed perfectly on my feet. I was ecstatic when I came into the finish area, heart racing, and adrenaline pumping making my entire body shake. I looked back up the hill toward my coaches celebrating, hands in the air. I could barely breathe. When the competition finished I stood on the podium for the first time this season, having competed my new jump and even more importantly debuting the tricks that I plan on doing at the Olympic just over a year from now. With that being my first attempt, I am so excited at what the future will hold after another year of training. The end of the night brought hugs from family and friends and the next morning a wonderful relaxing breakfast with the family before hitting the gym and traveling to the next stop to do it all again.

Olympian, World Cup winner and U.S. Champion, Emily Cook was born in Massachusetts where she first started skiing and became hooked on freestyle aerials. She has been on the U.S. Ski Team for 12 years and has lived in Park City, UT since 1999. Cook is often found training at the Utah Olympic Park.