YSA teams send 69 to Junior Nationals

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.