LAKE PLACID, NY (Jan. 15) – Olympic freestyle skiing stars in moguls and aerials will come together for the first time this season returning to the 1980 Olympic slopes of Lake Placid, N.Y. for the USANA Freestyle Cup this Thursday through Saturday. The USANA Cup will mark Olympic champion Hannah Kearney’s (Norwich, Vt.) return to competition after a training crash took her off the slopes in October. Heather McPhie (Bozeman, Mont.) will be looking to continue her winning streak after sweeping the first two international competitions. The event will be televised by NBC, Sunday, Jan. 20 at 3 p.m. EST along with additional coverage on NBC Sports Network, Sunday, Jan 20, and Sunday, Jan. 27, at 2 p.m. EST. The moguls event on Thursday will be broadcast live on the USSA Network at www.usskiteam.com from 1:45-3:15 p.m. EST with aerials streaming Friday from 8:15-9:10 p.m. EST.

HIGHLIGHTS

The USANA Lake Placid Freestyle Cup will take place Jan 17-19 featuring one moguls event and two days of aerials
It will be Olympic champion Hannah Kearney’s (Norwich, Vt.) return to competition after a training crash took her off the circuit in October
Heather McPhie (Bozeman, Mont.) will be on the hunt for win number three after two international dual moguls wins
Dylan Ferguson (Amesbury, Mass.) and Emily Cook (Belmont, Mass.) will lead a team of young aerials athletes against fierce international competition
The moguls course will take place on the Wilderness trail at Whiteface Mountain and the high flying aerials competition will be at the Olympic Jumping Complex.
Lake Placid will be the first of two World Cups taking place in the U.S. along with the Visa Freestyle International at Deer Valley Resort Jan 31- Feb 2
The event will be broadcast Sunday, Jan 20, at 3 p.m. ET on NBC, with additional coverage on the NBC Sports Network
The moguls event on Thursday will be broadcast live on the USSA Network at www.usskiteam.com from 1:45-3:15 p.m. EST with aerials streaming Friday from 8:15-9:10 p.m. EST.
QUOTES
Hannah Kearney
I spend my summers at the Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid, so the town feels like a second home to me. As a result, the Lake Placid World Cup is one of my favorite competitions of the year. I can drive to the event, my family is able to attend, and the OTC facilities and staff provide a productive and comfortable environment for the U.S. athletes. I am especially excited to compete at Whiteface this year because it is my first event of the season and I couldn’t think of a better place to rejoin the World Cup circuit.

Scott Rawles, Head Coach
It is always great to return to a place with so much Olympic tradition and a place where the mogul team has had a lot of success. With two wins from World Cup leader Heather McPhie and a win from Bryon Wilson included in the 5 podiums in the first two events we have a lot of momentum coming in to the North American leg of the World Cup Tour. Hannah Kearney will also be returning to the World Cup, which is also very exciting considering her past success at Lake Placid.

Event Schedule

Thursday, Jan. 17 (Moguls)

9:15 – 10:15 Ladies’ Qualifications

11:35 – 1:00 Men’s Qualifications

1:45 – 2:00 Ladies’ Semi Finals

2:20 – 2:35 Men’s Semi Finals

2:40 – 2:50 Ladies’ Finals

2:50 – 3:00 Men’s Finals

Friday, Jan. 18 (Aerials)

3:15 – 4:00 Ladies’ Qualifications

5:55 – 6:55 Men’s Qualifications

8:15 – 8:30 Ladies’ Semi Finals

8:35 – 8:50 Men’s Semi Finals

8:55 – 9:02 Ladies’ Finals

9:02 – 9:10 Men’s Finals

Saturday, Jan. 19 (Aerials)

3:15 – 4:00 Ladies’ Qualifications

5:55 – 6:55 Men’s Qualifications

8:15 – 8:30 Ladies’ Semi Finals

8:35 – 8:50 Men’s Semi Finals

8:55 – 9:02 Ladies’ Finals

9:02 – 9:10 Men’s Finals

Broadcast Schedule (ET)

Sun., Jan 20, NBC, 3 p.m.

Sun., Jan 20, NBC Sports Network, 2 p.m.

Sun., Jan 27, NBC Sports Network, 2 p.m.