The New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority (Olympic Authority) announces the return of International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) NorAm Cup Freestyle Aerials to the Olympic Jumping Complex on March 1 and March 2. The public is welcome to attend this high-flying, spectator-friendly event free of charge.
Lake Placid was a frequent stop on the FIS NorAm Cup freestyle tour between 1994 and 2018, and hosted World Cup freestyle events regularly between 1985 and 2019. The NorAm Tour is designed to prepare athletes to compete on the World Cup circuit. Stops include venues in the U.S. and Canada, with overall winners of the NorAm Tour earning spots on the U.S. Ski Team for the following season.
The NorAm Cup aerials event in Lake Placid is the final NorAm of the season and will take place concurrently with the NorAm freestyle moguls competition in Vermont.
COMPETITION SCHEDULE
Friday, March 1 | COMPETITION 1
11-11:30 a.m. – Men’s Aerials Qualifications
11:30 a.m.-Noon – Men’s Aerials Qualifications
12:10-12:20 p.m. – Men’s Aerials Finals
2:10-2:35 p.m. – Women’s Aerials Qualifications
2:35-3 p.m. – Women’s Aerials Qualifications
3-3:20 p.m. – Women’s Aerials Finals
Saturday, March 2 | COMPETITION 2
11-11:30 a.m. – Men’s Aerials Qualifications
11:30 a.m.-Noon – Men’s Aerials Qualifications
12:10-12:20 p.m. – Men’s Aerials Finals
2:10-2:35 p.m. – Women’s Aerials Qualifications
2:35-3 p.m. – Women’s Aerials Qualifications
3:10-3:20 p.m. – Women’s Aerials Finals
3:25-3:40 p.m. – Awards for Both Competitions 1 and 2
FREESTYLE SKIING
Freestyle skiing includes aerials and moguls competitions and consists of a skier performing flips, spins and other acrobatics while jumping or skiing down a mogul-covered trail. Aerial skiing was popularized in the 1950s by Olympic alpine gold medalist Stein Eriksen.
The International Ski Federation officially recognized freestyle as a sport in 1979. The first FIS Freestyle Skiing World Cup was staged in 1980, followed by the first FIS Freestyle World Ski Championships in 1986 in Tignes, France. Freestyle skiing was a demonstration sport at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary. Mogul skiing was added as an official medal event at the 1992 Albertville Winter Games, with American Donna Weinbrecht winning the first freestyle skiing gold medal in women’s moguls. Aerials made its Olympic debut at the 1994 Lillehammer Games.
During Lake Placid’s run of FIS Freestyle World Cups between 1985 and 2019, the aerials competition would take place at the Olympic Jumping Complex with the moguls at Whiteface Mountain on consecutive days.
SCORING
Aerials jumps are evaluated by a panel of five judges. Each judge gives a score for three components: air (out of 2.0), form (out of 5.0) and landing (out of 3.0). The high and low scores for each component are then discarded and the three scores in each component are summed to give the total judge’s score out of 30. The total judge’s score is then multiplied by the jump’s degree of difficulty (ranging from 2.050 to 5.300) to determine the final score. Final scores are truncated to two decimal places.
FIS WORLD CUP TOUR
With one event remaining on the 2023-2024 FIS Freestyle World Cup calendar in Almaty, Kazakhstan, the U.S. aerials team has had a successful season. Winter Vinecki is currently leading the overall women’s points standings with American teammates Kaila Kuhn, Karenna Elliott, Tasia Tanner and Megan Smallhouse all in the top 10. Christopher Lillis is fourth in the overall men’s standings and Connor Curran is seventh.
MORE INFORMATION
Further details can be found at the NorAm Aerials event page on Olympic Jumping Complex website. Schedule subject to change, please check the website for updates.