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FLATHEADBEACON.COM NEWS JANUARY 29, 2014 | 7

Voisin Earns Silver at X Games;

SAFETY

Next Stop Sochi

Find and
Whiteish skier builds

momentum for Winter

Olympics where she will
YOUR
SECURITY
be considered a top

contender

By DILLON TABISH of the Beacon

Before making Olympic history,
Maggie Voisin made X Games history.
in banking with
The pint-sized 15-year-old from
Whiteish seized the moment last week-

a local bank end and unleashed an extraordinary
performance in Aspen, Colo., proving
that knos you.
SAFETY
she deserves consideration as a strong
contender at the upcoming Winter
Olympics in Sochi.
Touted as the youngest skier ever
at Winter X Games, Voisin claimed the Maggie Voisin competes in the inal U.S. Freeskiing Olympic qualifying event in Park City, Utah.
SHAY WILLIAMS PHOTO | COURTESY MONSTER ENERGY
silver medal Jan. 26 in the women’s
slopestyle competition. She narrowly
missed winning gold after pulling of an “IT’S BEEN CRAZY, BUT I’M TRYING TO JUST STAY CALM AND
eye-opening second run that included a
switch 1080, a spinning aerial with three TAKE IT DAY BY DAY, COMPETITION BY COMPETITION. I’M
full rotations that begins and ends back-
wards. The challenging trick has only TRYING NOT TO WORRY ABOUT WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT
been successfully landed a few times in
AND JUST FOCUS ON WHAT’S HAPPENING NOW.” Maggie Voisin
competition. Canadian Kaya Turski was
the irst female to land a “switch 10” two
years ago when she won the Winter X
Games slopestyle competition.
“It’s been crazy, but I’m trying to just qualiication round at 10 a.m., Feb. 11. If
Voisin’s switch 10 earned her a judg- stay calm and take it day by day, compe- she advances, she will compete in the i-
es’ score of 90, putting her well atop the tition by competition,” Voisin told the nal immediately afterward, slated for 1
standings. But as fate would have it, Tur- Beacon last week. “I’m trying not to wor- p.m. For a complete schedule of events,
ski followed up Voisin’s performance ry about what’s going to happen next and visit www.sochi2014.com/en/freestyle-

with an impressive run of her own that just focus on what’s happening now.”
skiing-schedule-and-results.
the scorekeepers deemed slightly better. Voisin is ranked fourth in the world Voisin is among three athletes from
Turski’s 91.33 held up as the winning in the latest Association of Freeskiing Montana competing in Sochi.
mark and the 25-year-old Canadian Professionals standings. Norway’s Heather McPhie of Bozeman made
claimed her fourth X Games gold medal Tiril Sjastad Christiansen is ranked the list of female mogul skiers selected
only ive months after ACL surgery. Mis- irst, Canadian Dara Howell is second for Team USA. The 29-year-old will be
soula’s Darian Stevens placed seventh and American Keri Herman sits third, competing in her second Olympics; she

among the eight slopestyle competitors barely ahead of Voisin. Devin Logan, a raced at the 2010 Vancouver Games. Mc-
at the premier winter sports event.
member of Team USA with Herman and Phie achieved three World Cup victories
Voisin’s performance in her irst X Voisin, is ifth.
this past season leading up to Sochi, and
Games proved what many have been All ive women are considered the ranks third in the world standings.
saying leading up to the Olympics, that top contenders vying for medals at the Bradley Wilson of Butte will com-
the youngster from Montana is one of Sochi Games.
pete in the men’s moguls. Wilson, 21, is
the best in the world and can hold her “I’m just trying to go into every the younger brother of Bryon Wilson,
own against the sport’s elite, and elder, event, especially Sochi, like I have these who earned bronze in the moguls at the

competitors.
last events, just having fun and loving 2010 Winter Olympics. Bryon barely
“It was amazing. She gave Kaya Tur- what I’m doing. That’s when I ski the missed qualifying for Sochi, while his
ski a run for her money and there was best, when I focus on the good parts of sibling put together an impressive sea-
a lot of debate afterward over whether skiing,” said Voisin, the daughter of Tru- son that included his irst U.S. crown at
Maggie should’ve won,” said Mike Doug- by Voisin and Kristin Voisin. “Hopefully the Freestyle Championships, securing
las, the “Godfather of Freeskiing” who when I get to Russia that’s what it will be him his irst spot on Team USA.
provided commentary on the event for like.”
A record 94 athletes were nominated

ESPN. “I was very, very impressed.”
She added, “I’m deinitely trying to Jan. 27 to the 2014 U.S. Olympic Team
Last week, in the days leading up to live it up. This year has been way more for Sochi thanks to the addition of new
the X Games, Voisin was added to the than I ever expected. My irst X Games. Olympic events in freeskiing, snow-
U.S. Olympic Team. Voisin, who turned My irst Olympics. It’s crazy.”
boarding and women’s ski jumping.
15 in mid December, will be the youngest The Winter Olympics begin Feb. 6 Todd Lodwick was named to his
American Olympian to compete at the with women’s moguls and men’s slope- sixth Olympic Team, matching the most
Winter Games since 1972, when 14-year- style snowboarding qualiications. The ever. The list of other well-known U.S.
old speedskaters Kay Lunda and Connie opening ceremony is Feb. 7 and will be athletes includes Shaun White, Bode

www.ThreeRiversBankMontana.com
Carpenter-Phinney traveled to Japan televised on NBC.
Miller and Julia Mancuso.
with Team USA.
Voisin will compete in the slopestyle
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