Eric Bergoust won his second gold medal in as many years, Joe Pack stepped completely out of recovery, and Nikki Stone bowed out of world competition with a bronze.
In one of the most successful days yet for the U.S. Ski Team, three current and past residents of Park City stepped off the podium with three medals Saturday in the World Freestyle Championships in Meiringen, Switzerland.The three Americans are headed back to Utah this week to compete in the U.S. Alpine and Freestyle Championships.
Bergoust, who won a gold in the freestyle aerials in Nagano last year, added a second gold by winning the men's aerials in Switzerland. Pack, who had his entire '98 season wiped out by a knee injury, won the bronze in the men's aerials.
And Stone, who was also a gold medalist in Nagano, completed her tour in international competition the same way she began it.
Bergoust and Pack currently live in Park City, while Stone only recently changed addresses.
In telephone interviews from Switzerland, Bergoust said he knew during early week practices with Pack that good things would come of this event.
"We were the only ones out there practicing, and we were on fire. We were crashing, you know, like slapping your back or hitting your hand on a landing, but we were getting our timing. But we felt good, and towards the end we were hitting everything," he said.
"Also, I've competed in three major events in Meiringen, and I've won all three. I love this place. It's my favorite."
He said he was a little nervous up until his second jump, a lay-double-full-full-full, which involves getting up 50 to 60 feet, then making three quick rotations and flips before landing.
Although he'd practice the maneuver, he didn't expect to do well by it. "It was the first time I tried it in international competition, but I hit it. I got the highest score possible (126 points) on that jump," he said. "There were six or more men who could have won this event, so the competition was tough. This is a huge win for me."
Pack was doing well in 1997, but he then injured his knee early into the 1998 season.
The bronze was all the proof he needed to prove to himself he's recovered.
"I still realize I've got work to do. Watching Eric proved that to me. But this was a huge win for me, a huge win," he said.
Because of a year he called "full of peaks and valleys," he was nervous up to that point where he made the finals.
"Once I made the finals, I told myself I had nothing to lose. I went for broke. My last jump (a full-double-full-full) was not my best, and I had to wait and watch to see if my score held up. There were six men ahead of me, anyone of them capable of winning. I'm way too excited right now."
His score of 238 is a high mark in his career.
Stone announced Friday that she would be leaving competitive freestyle skiing.
She said he wasn't nervous, even though she knew this would be her last jumps for the U.S. team.
"After winning the medal in the Olympics, I haven't been under a lot of pressure. I proved everything I needed to. I'll miss all the people, but it's time I got on with my life," she said.
Stone started out her international skiing career with a bronze in 1992, and now "I'm leaving with a bronze," she said. "It's a good way to finish."
Winning the silver medal in the men's was Austrian Christian Rejavec.
In the women's aerials, Jacqui Cooper of Australia won the gold and Hilde Lid of Norway won the silver.
The preliminary event in the U.S. Championships will be the acro ski (formerly ballet) at Park City. Mogul competition will be at Deer Valley and the aerials at the Winter Sports Park.