by Chris Alexion, Copyright February 24, 2006, all rights reserved. 211 views
Last night I watched NBC's coverage of the medal round for Men's Aerials, my favorite event of the Winter Games. For those unfamiliar with the sport, the competitors, wearing skis but without poles, hit a jump that shoots them five stories into the air, where they execute a series of twists and flips before landing on the slope below and cruising to a stop. The medal round is judged based on a combined score of two jumps.
I was disappointed that Jaret "Speedy" Peterson didn't get a medal, especially since he was the only American to qualify for the medal round. (Both 2002 silver medalist Joe Pack and 1998 gold winner Eric Bergoust failed to qualify.) Speedy did well on his first jump, and promised his signature "Hurricane" jump for his follow-up. No one else even attempted the jump, which adds another full twist to the quad-twisting triple most jumpers were already scheduling. Peterson pulled off the jump perfectly, but compressed enough on his landing to lose the points needed for a medal. But wait til Vancouver.
Speed skating is almost as cool and has been more lucrative for the US men. Tomorrow's coverage of the final short-track events will be a must-see.
1 • Jenn • February 25, 2006 • 1:18 PM
I thought Jerett was a little proud. Not as proud as Bode Miller, but still a little puffed up.