YSA teams send 69 to Junior Nationals
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Youth Sports Alliance teams are sending a record 69 athletes to the 2016 USSA Freestyle Junior Nationals scheduled to be held March 10-13 in Sun Valley, Idaho. The athletes train with FLY Freestyle (FLY), Team Park City United (TPCU) and Wasatch Freestyle Foundation (WFF). All three teams are members of and financially supported by the Youth Sports Alliance.
The USSA Freestyle Junior Nationals includes the top junior competitors from across the country in six disciplines. Athletes will compete in aerials, big air, dual moguls, moguls, halfpipe and slopestyle, with overall awards given in each of these events as well as for combined results from complimentary disciplines and the best competitor in each age class.
Alli Macuga, a 12-year-old competing for TPCU, was "super psyched" to receive invitations to compete in all six disciplines. Alli said, "I am really, really happy that I reached my goal this year to get invited to Junior Nationals. I don’t quite know what will happen but as long as I have fun, what is there to complain about? I am there to try my hardest."
Her coach, Chris ‘Hatch’ Haslock, director of competitive freeskiing and skiing development for TPCU and a 1988 Olympic Aerialist, noted, "Sending the number of kids that we are to USSA Junior Nationals reflects the depth of TPCU’s programs. Our development athletes are the heart and soul of TPCU’s program and I am proud to see so many young athletes recognized for their efforts."
USSA Junior Nationals is the first competition that athletes qualify for in their ‘graduation’ from local and regional competitions to national and international competitions in skiing. All three teams are sending record numbers of athletes to the event. Park City’s teams are noted training grounds for freestyle and freeskiing disciplines. Local teams sent six athletes to the 2014 Olympics held in Sochi, Russia. Haslock observed, "In slopestyle, TPCU produced more than 25 percent of the entire field this year for Junior Nationals."
Jon O’Brien, Director of Wasatch Freestyle, said, "We are very proud of the hard work that our young mogul skiers put forth to be selected to compete at Junior Nationals. They have worked for months at the Utah Olympic Park on the water ramps and on the snow at Deer Valley and Snowbird to get to this level."
Ryan Devine, head coach of FLY Freestyle, echoed O’Brien’s sentiments by noting, "I’ve enjoyed watching these athletes progress from learning new flips on the water ramps at Utah Olympic Park over the summer to landing them on snow this winter. It’s great to see their hard work paying off."
Local athletes invited to participate in USSA Freestyle Junior Nationals include:
Chandler Airth, WFF, Dual Moguls (alternate)
Max Anthes, TPCU, Slopestyle
Zoe Atkin, Moguls (WFF), Dual Moguls (WFF), Aerials (TPCU), Big Air (TPCU), Halfpipe (TPCU), Slopestyle (TPCU)
Lizzie Beck, TPCU, Slopestyle
Logan Bingaman, TPCU, Slopestyle
Tec Calcagni, TPCU, Slopestyle
Cal Carson, TPCU, Halfpipe, Slopestyle
Dakota Connole, TPCU, Big Air, Slopestyle
Randy Crabb, WFF, Moguls
Kyle Cummins, FLY, Aerials/ Big Air
Mckenzie Davies, TPCU, Dual Moguls
Christine Fischer, WFF, Moguls, Dual Moguls
Madeline Eatchel, FLY, Aerials, Big Air, Slopestyle
Max Eatchel, FLY, Aerials, Big Air
Joseph Eldridge, TPCU, Aerials, Big Air, Halfpipe, Slopestyle
Jack Evans, FLY, Aerials, Big Air
Ben Garces, TPCU, Big Air, Slopestyle
Ashton Glass, TPCU, Aerials, Big Air, Halfpipe, Slopestyle
Jack Harper, TPCU, Aerials, Big Air, Halfpipe
Rell Harwood, TPCU, Slopestyle
Marin Hamill, TPCU, Halfpipe, Slopestyle
Adelaide Herman, FLY, Slopestyle, Aerials, Big Air
Lynn Hickman, TPCU, Dual Moguls, Moguls
Kasey Hogg, WFF, Moguls, Dual Moguls
Madison Hogg, WFF, Moguls, Dual Moguls
Elias Huber, FLY, Halfpipe
Paxton Juhlin, FLY, Aerials, Big Air
James Kanzler, TPCU, Aerials, Big Air, Slopestyle
Jack Kariotis, TPCU, Moguls
Alex Koford, TPCU, Big Air, Slopestyle
Madison Kozak, WFF, Dual Moguls
Jack Lam, TPCU, Slopestyle
Joe Lauer, TPCU, Big Air, Slopestyle
Harry Lawson, TPCU, Slopestyle
Brook Leigh, WFF, Moguls, Dual Moguls
Alli Macuga, TPCU, Aerials, Big Air, Halfpipe, Slopestyle, Dual Moguls, Moguls
Dylan Marcellini, WFF, Moguls, Dual Moguls
Sophia Marseilles, TPCU, Dual Moguls, Moguls
Cole McDonald, WFF, Moguls, Dual Moguls
Payton McElhiney, TPCU, Halfpipe, Slopestyle
Ryan McElmon, TPCU, Big Air, Slopestyle
Nate Miceli, TPCU, Big Air, Slopestyle
Brendan Mooney, WFF, Moguls, Dual Moguls
Nick Page, WFF, Moguls, Dual Moguls
Milan Peyrin, TPCU, Slopestyle
Troy Podmilsak, TPCU, Aerials, Big Air, Halfpipe (alternate)
Samantha Regan, WFF, Moguls
Sydney Regan, WFF, Dual Moguls
Henry Robarge, TPCU, Halfpipe, Slopestyle
Blake Rolfing, TPCU, Slopestyle
Owen Ruelle, TPCU, Big Air, Halfpipe
Nikita Rubocki, TPCU, Aerials, Big Air, Halfpipe, Slopestyle
Taylor Schilly, TPCU, Dual Moguls, Moguls
Dylan Schneider, TPCU, Aerials, Big Air, Halfpipe, Slopestyle
Jack Severson, TPCU, Slopestyle
Zane Severson, TPCU, Aerials, Big Air, Slopestyle
Carter Sears, FLY, Aerials
Nick Shearer, TPCU, Slopestyle
Ben Shuckra, FLY, Aerials, Big Air, Slopestyle, Halfpipe, Moguls
Colby Smith, TPCU, Slopestyle
Erin Stotts, TPCU, Dual Moguls
Richard Thomas, TPCU, Aerials, Big Air, Slopestyle
Cameron Thuman, TPCU, Halfpipe
Henry Townshend, TPCU, Halfpipe
Drew Waddle WFF, Moguls (alternate)
Sam Ward, TPCU, Halfpipe, Slopestyle
Quinn Wolferman, TPCU, Big Air, Slopestyle
Camron Zavell, TPCU, Big Air, Slopestyle
Mitch Zyzelewski, TPCU, Slopestyle
The Youth Sports Alliance supports winter sport activities for youth in Summit and Wasatch counties, promoting good sportsmanship and healthy lifestyles through participation, education and competition. The Alliance raises funds for its nine affiliated sports teams, provides scholarships for junior athletes through the Stein Eriksen YSA Opportunity Endowment and organized the Get Out & Play after-school "learn-to" program.
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