Parkites Colby Stevenson, Winter Vinecki and Paige Jones take home U.S. Ski & Snowboard season-end awards
Stevenson topped the freeski World Cup slopestyle and overall standings
It was a banner winter season for a handful of Park City’s winter sports stars — and now they have a little more hardware to show for their efforts.
Parkites Colby Stevenson, Winter Vinecki and Paige Jones were all honored by U.S. Ski and Snowboard with year-end awards earlier this month.
Stevenson was named Freeski Athlete of the Year, his first time winning the honor, after taking home a pair of crystal globes for topping the FIS freeski slopestyle and overall standings. Stevenson finished in first place at a World Cup stop in Aspen, Colorado, before clinching first place in the overall World Cup standings with a victory at the last competition of the season in Silvaplana, Switzerland. Additionally, Stevenson won a silver medal in slopestyle at the 2021 FIS World Ski Championships and finished in seventh in slopestyle at the Winter X Games.
It was the second consecutive season in which Stevenson left his mark on the global stage after establishing himself as a top challenger during the 2019-2020 winter season with two X Games gold medals.
After capping his winter in Switzerland, Stevenson said he was elated to finish on top of the season standings.
“It all happened pretty fast,” Stevenson said in a March U.S. Ski and Snowboard news release. “We didn’t have many events this year and it was a little weird coming into the season just not knowing if competitions were going to happen. It’s a dream come true to win a globe after coming in second last season, especially with the last World Cup being canceled. I’m just on top of the world right now to have closed out the season with two wins and land a run today and take the globe.”
Vinecki was given Freestyle Athlete of the Year honors. The 22-year-old was victorious at a World Cup event in Moscow, landing a double full-full (two flips with three spins) to finish with a score of 94.11. She also scored podium finishes at the World Cup in Deer Valley and Belarus.
For Vinecki, the victory in Moscow was a milestone moment.
“I just can’t believe it,” Vinecki said in a U.S. Ski and Snowboard news release following the January competition. “I am so excited! It’s been a long road coming back from injuries and being so close to podiums so many times. I don’t know how many top sixes I have had and so to finally have that podium moment, let alone that first place is incredible.”
Vinecki ended the season in second place in the World Cup standings overall, sitting 107 points behind leader Laura Peel of Australia, marking a breakout season for the 2022 Olympic hopeful.
Jones, one of the youngest ski jumpers on the World Cup circuit, brought home the Ski Jumping Athlete of the Year award. She finished this year’s world championships in 39th place.
U.S. Ski & Snowboard recognized cross-country skier Jessie Diggins as its overall athlete of the year with the Beck International Award.
The other honors went to Mikaela Shiffrin (Alpine Athlete of the Year), Tara Geraghty-Moats (Nordic Combined Athlete of the Year) and Chloe Kim (Snowboard Athlete of the Year).
Local wrestler achieves All-American status at Iowa competition
Hanssen is a freshman at Wasatch High School and finished an outstanding freshman year season.
Support Local Journalism
Support Local Journalism
Readers around Park City and Summit County make the Park Record's work possible. Your financial contribution supports our efforts to deliver quality, locally relevant journalism.
Now more than ever, your support is critical to help us keep our community informed about the evolving coronavirus pandemic and the impact it is having locally. Every contribution, however large or small, will make a difference.
Each donation will be used exclusively for the development and creation of increased news coverage.