After a month-long break from skiing, Kearney found herself in a similar situation to the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver. Like the Olympics, Kearney sat in the number one spot after qualifying on Thursday. Standing at the top of the course, Kearney knew that Heil had laid down a great run, holding on to the first place position as competitor after competitor went down.
"I was in first place after qualifying, but Jenn Heil had a much better second run. She stayed in first place as my other teammates, Heather and Shannon, went down," explained Kearney. "I knew I needed to ski a good run, a similar situation to the Olympics."
Kearney's break proved to be a smart move. She threw a back lay out off the first jump and a helicopter off the second along with the fastest time for the women. Kearney's near perfect run bumped Heil into second and Bahrke to third, identical to the Olympics.
"I have been training this sport for so long that it comes back pretty quickly. It's just like riding a bike," said Kearney. "Maybe the time off was actually really helpful and beneficial."
Runner-up Heil was complimentary of Kearney's performance.
“She skied a great run and I had major errors on both my jumps,” said Heil, alluding to her own lack of crispness and height of her jumps.
Heil's silver-medal showing nonetheless leaves her atop the women’s World Cup standings after 10 of 12 events. She has 665 points to 516 for runner-up Heather McPhie of Bozeman, Mont., and 466 for Kearney.
“Every season I’m definitely skiing for the Crystal Globe,” said Heil, suggesting the globe indicates the winner is a consistently high-level performer. Retired 1992 Olympic champion Donna Weinbrecht of the U.S. currently tops the historical rankings with five moguls crystal globes to her name. Heil would tie that record with a season win this year.
Bahrke added another podium to her stellar career, grabbing third. She is ending her last season on a high note, posting two podium finishes since her bronze medal at the Olympics. McPhie has been exceptional all season, becoming a consistent podium threat. McPhie finished just shy of the top three in fourth.
"I skied really well, half way down my run. I was like yeah, you're ripping!" said Bahrke. "I was really proud of myself to push through the bad conditions and how I felt and to come up with a good result. It really meant a lot to me today."
In the men's competition, Deneen was the USA's top gun, finishing in second behind Bjoernlund, with Gingras rounding out the podium in third. Close behind, in fourth, was World Cup rookie Cédric Rochon of St-Sauveur, Quebec, Canada.
Friday's result marked Deneen's first podium of the year, regaining confidence after a somewhat disappointing Olympics.
"I was able to go up here today and really just ski my run and show that I do belong on the podium," said Deneen.
"Patrick skied a fast aggressive run for his first podium of the year," said U.S. Ski Team Moguls Coach Todd Schirman. "We were excited to see him ski to his potential."
It was Gingras’s third career World Cup medal, as Olympic gold-medal teammate Alex Bilodeau of Rosemère, Quebec, watched from the sidelines with a badly sprained ankle suffered in training Thursday. Pierre-Alexandre Rousseau of Drummondville, Quebec, Canada, was also sidelined with an injury at Friday’s event.
Gingras said the skiing conditions were to his liking on Friday. He wasn’t skiing as well in the slower snow Thursday, but then the conditions got icier and faster for Friday.
“I have three World Cup podiums now, and all are third,” he said. “I was hoping maybe for second. I’m a little disappointed, but it’s still a really, really good performance,”
The U.S. Freestyle Ski Team placed 11 athletes in the finals and six women in the top 10. The Canadian Freestyle Ski Team placed six women four men in the finals.
The U.S. Team hopes to carry the momentum into Saturday's dual moguls competition.
"We are very proud of the U.S. Team today having 11 athletes in the finals," said Schirman. "Today our women showed their dominance of the World Cup field with five women finishing in the top 10."
Bilodeau will remain on the sidelines for Saturday’s dual moguls, and remains a very outside chance of competing in the World Cup season finale in Spain March 18. He tried skiing Friday morning, with a taped left ankle, but skied just two moguls.
“It was really hard to let go of the Grand Prix (overall standings). I feel I’m on top of my game,” said Bilodeau, who sits fourth in the overall standings. “It’s hard to swallow, but I just have to let it go.”
OFFICIAL RESULTS
World Cup
Are, Sweden
March 12, 2010
Moguls
Men
1. Jesper Bjoernlund, Sweden, 25.91
2. Patrick Deneen, Cle Elum, WA, 25.72
3. Maxime Gingras, Canada, 25.57
4. Cedric Rochon, Canada, 25.39
5. Guilbaut Colas, France, 25.38
Women
1. Hannah Kearney, Norwich, VT, 26.06
2. Jennifer Heil, Canada, 25.31
3. Shannon Bahrke, Tahoe City, CA, 25.00
4. Heather McPhie, Bozeman, MT, 24.22
5. Chloe Dufour-Lapointe, Canada, 24.01
