The Mountain Times

Waitsfield’s Nick Keating To Join Vermonter Hannah Kearney and Other U.S. Freestyle Team Members at World Cup Test Event in Sochi, Russia this Month

Former Freestyle Junior National Mogul Champion, 2-Time Junior World Team Member and Killington Mountain School (KMS) alumnus Nick Keating '10 has been named to the U.S. Freestyle Team roster for athletes to compete at the World Cup event in Sochi, Russia, this month. The event is an Olympic test event in preparation for the 2014 Games. Keating, from Waitsfield, earned the spot because of his solid, ninth place finish in his World Cup debut at Whiteface Mountain in Lake Placid, N.Y. last month. Keating will join the likes of A Team members Hannah Kearney, plus Patrick Deneen and Jeremy Cota. He is a member of the U.S. Development Group and currently trains out of Telluride. Colo.
 
"The U.S. Team coaches have been watching Nick train and he's been doing well," said Jerome Keating, Nick's father. "We're excited for him. He's worked really hard for this and to get where he is. He wants to have great runs."
 
During the 2012-2013 season, more than 20 international test events in all 15 Olympic disciplines and five Paralympic sports in the Sochi 2014 Sports Program will take place in Sochi. Some of the world's best athletes will take part in these test events which are on a scale comparable to the staging of two Olympic Games.
 
"I'm really excited to have another World Cup opportunity in Sochi to compete at my best again," said Keating.
 
Keating will compete in the World Cup mogul competition at the Snowboard and Freestyle FIS World Cup tour stop in Sochi from Feb. 7-20. The events will take place in accordance with the World Cup rules and guidelines of the International Ski Federation and the ICR.
 
In order to make the U.S. Ski Team's A Team during the season, Keating must win or have two top-three finishes in World Cup events.
 
"Nick has been working extremely hard both on and off snow to reach his goals, it is great to see things are moving in a positive direction," said KMS Action Sports Athletic Director Matt Gnoza, who was one of Nick's coaches during his tenure at KMS. "Nick has always remained focused on reaching his goal of being the best mogul skier in the world. There is no doubt that Nick will do everything he can to make sure he will be representing the United States in the 2014 Sochi Olympic Games."

At Lake Placid, Keating skied to a sixth-place position in qualifying with a 23.87 and finished ninth overall with a 24.05, missing sixth place and the cut for super-finals by less than four-tenths of a point.  

Photos are available:  Nick Keating

Killington Mountain School is a fully approved Vermont independent school whose mission is to inspire students to pursue excellence in academics and athletics in a culture that promotes integrity, leadership, responsibility, and respect. KMS freestyle alumni include: Bryan Zemba '10, 2013 U.S. Ski Team Member and Junior World Freestyle Champion; Michael Morse '99, 2010 Olympian and 2008 National Champion in moguls and dual moguls; Evan Dybvig '97 - Nagano and Salt Lake Olympics, Two-time National Champion; Luke Westerlund '98 - 2004 US National Mogul Champion; Evan Rapps '96 - (Rapps skied for the U.S. Freestyle Team, but is known for his musical interests and a successful career in the skiing community as one of the innovators in the freeride movement.) and Olympian and 4 Time World Pro Tour Champion Chuck Martin.

To learn more about alpine, snowboard, freestyle, and freeride training and opportunities, visit www.killingtonmountainschool.org or call 802.422.KMS1.