SSCV freestylers start well on Nor-Am circuit

VAIL — Ski & Snowboard Club Vail freestyle skiers have been competing in the 2015 FIS North America Cup Tour in Deer Valley, Utah, and Apex, British Columbia.

The Nor-Am Tour features athletes competing just below the World Cup level who have qualified to compete. If the winner of the tour is a U.S. athlete, then it’s an invitation for him or her to join the U.S. Freestyle Team. SSCV’s Morgan Schild and Dylan Walczyk did just that in 2014.

Tess Johnson, 14, placed third in the moguls event at Deer Valley, Utah. Two of her SSCV teammates placed in the top five with her at Deer Valley in singles, while Schild took third and Johnson fifth in duals. On the men’s side, SSCV’s Hunter Bailey took third in duals.

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A week later, in the Nor-Am competition in Apex, British Columbia, Schild was first in both single and dual moguls with Johnson fifth in duals. For the men, Bailey took second in duals.

Schild, Johnson and Kealey Zaumseil, respectively, are in second, third, and seventh overall among Nor-Am women and Hunter Bailey is in third for the men. Schild also finished eighth in a World Cup event in Deer Valley in December. She is competing next in Lake Placid, New York, along with Walczyk.

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SSCV coaches Riley Campbell (moguls) and Hans Gardner (aerials) have been propelling this large group of freestyle athletes forward in this competitive international field.

Top SSCV Performances

Nor-Am Tour

Deer Valley, Utah

Women’s moguls

3. Tess Johnson

4. Morgan Schild

5. Kealey Zaumseil

17. Taryn Baker

Men’s moguls

10. Emerson Smith

Women’s dual moguls

3. Morgan Schild

5. Tess Johnson

Men’s dual moguls

3. Hunter Bailey

15. Emerson Smith

Apex, British Columbia

1. Morgan Schild

15. Lindsey Eckoff

Women’s dual moguls

1. Morgan Schild

5. Tess Johnson

6. Kealey Zaumseil

22. Olivia Giaccio

24. Lindsey Eckoff

Men’s dual moguls

2. Hunter Bailey

8. Casey Andringa

12. Emerson Smith

22. Matt Leseur

23. Jesse Andringa

24. Jack Harty