DEER VALLEY, Utah — Welcome to The Big Show, kid.Yet Vail's Heidi Kloser, 17, didn't exactly seemed fazed by her first World Cup start. The moguls skier made the finals in her debut, finishing 16th out of 44 of the world's best, and earning her first World Cup points in Deer Valley, Utah, on Thursday.
“It was really super exciting. I was super happy because not that many people do that (their first time),” Kloser said. “I just tried to stay focused and keep doing what I know how to do.”
Skiing 28th in the preliminaries, she pulled a back full, which is back flip with a twist on the end. She said she had good speed during the middle portion of the course and finished with her traditional backwards iron cross.
Surprisingly, Kloser said she didn't feel too nervous. She knew her new teammates on the U.S. Team and wasn't overly-awed to see other skiers from around the world. Her focus before the race was to go through her normal routine “to get my muscles working.”
Kloser performed the same routine in the finals and she felt that she was going with more air and speed, but she was a little behind on her skis coming out of the back full and fell on the mogul in the middle of the course. Nevertheless, it was not only a great experience, but she picked 15 points and now has a world ranking (No. 34) in moguls.
American Heather McPhee won the women's event, while Australia's Dale Begg-Smith was tops for the men.
Kloser competes again in Deer Valley on Saturday and then head to Lake Placid, N.Y., as her young World Cup Career continues.
Sports Editor Chris Freud can be reached at 970-748-2934 or cfreud@vaildaily.com. Photo by Dan Campbell http://www.dancampbellphotography.com/.
