What it takes to compete in Freestyle Aerials

In our previous posting, we discussed the technique used by Freestyle Aerialist Anton Kushnir. In such a challenging and potentially dangerous event, it takes a variety of skills for an athlete to be successful.

One of Team USA's hopefuls this year is Olympic veteran Emily Cook. Growing up, Emily participated in gymnastics and skiing events; when she learned about the Freestyle Aerial event, she recognized her chance to combine her passion for both sports. There's a nice interview with her at: http://www.teamusa.org/video (search for Emily Cook).

We've also found a really nice compilation of videos that shows Emily's progression over the years. While Emily's gymnastics background undoubtedly helped her succeed in this sport, the video shows it's taken her almost an entire lifetime of hard work and practice to make it to the Olympic level.



We wish Emily and the rest of this year's winter Olympians the best of luck in Vancouver, and look forward to watching all of the events! Go Team USA!