Freshman Finishes at the Top of the Moguls


Freshman Emily Szabo finished a fantastic year on the ski slopes, competing in freestyle mogul skiing across the United States and abroad.

At 14 years old, Emily is the nineteenth ranked female mogul skier in the United States! She is the only weekend skier of her competitors, meaning she goes up against national team, Olympic team, and full-time ski academy athletes. “Although being ranked 19th is pretty awesome, it doesn’t make me absolutely ecstatic because I know that I could have done better this year,” Emily said, humbly.   

This was a transitional year for Emily, skiing for the first time in international events on the NorAm Tour and Junior Freestyle World Championships. The NorAm Tour is one level below the World Cup, the highest level of competitive freestyle skiing. She also added a new jump in her competition run, competing the most difficult jumps for any female skier in world. And, in international events, she was the youngest eligible athlete to compete.
 
This year, she competed in the U.S. Selections in Winter Park, Colorado; the Eastern Regional Event in Bristol, New York; NorAm Events in Val Saint-Côme, Quebec, Canada, Killington, Vermont, and Park City, Utah; Junior Nationals in Park City; U.S. Nationals in Waterville Valley, New Hampshire; and the Junior World Championships in Are, Sweden. Emily placed seventh in singles at Junior Nationals and finished in the top 16 in duals. She placed nineteenth in singles in the U.S. Nationals, finishing in the top 32 in duals, and sixteenth in singles and eleventh in duals at the Junior World Championship. She was also named the United States Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) MVP Skier in the Eastern Division.
 
In order to make the finals for the International Ski Federation (FIS) level events, athletes need to finish in the top 16 on their first run in order to qualify for a second run. After qualifying for the finals, athletes must then attempt to qualify for the superfinals, where only the top six competitors are chosen to ski a third run. “In the past, I have made superfinals, and even though I strive for that, I will not set it as one of my goals. I want to focus more on the things I have within my grasp instead of possibly things that are too far away,” Emily shared. “Aside from making finals, I would like to qualify a new trick for snow, a back-full, and improve upon my turns.”
 
The season is long and challenging, but Emily prevails by staying focused and determined. “I find the motivation to compete so much from the rush of being in the starting gate and the hunger to do well,” she said. “This past season I started competing at a much higher level, my motivation was not to win, but to do my best. Doing my best and setting new personal records are the true reward.”
 
Emily’s competition ski season ended as of April and she has already began dryland training. She’ll be back on snow mid-June in Whistler, British Colombia, Canada, and after that she will spend time at Lake Placid, New York, and Park City, Utah, jumping at water ramp sites. During this ramp training, she’ll learn and master new jumps safely and participate in an invitational water ramp camp with the U.S. Ski Team. In July, she will be back on the snow in Mt. Hood, Oregon, and in August she’ll travel to Chile, South America, to train. Next year’s competition season starts again in mid-December which includes on-snow training at Apex, British Columbia, Canada.
 
Congratulations on an amazing season, Emily!

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