Gold Cup Interview

1. What was your confidence level going into the Gold Cup?

EB
My confidence was high because the site was so nice. The conditions were perfect and I wasn't worried about losing. I was just really happy to be jumping on the Olympic site.

2. What did the Gold Cup mean to you before you competed.

EB
It was huge because I hadn't competed well on the Olympic site yet. I hurt my ankle during training for the first World Cup on that site and missed the event. Last year I crashed both jumps in semifinals and sat at the top of the course videotaping finals. I wasn't worried because I wasn't trying to win those events. I was only trying to get used to the site by doing as many jumps as possible but afterwards, it didn't feel right never having "owned the site." I jumped well there during our training camp last February but that's just training. The Gold Cup was my last chance to be king of the mountain before the games.

It was also my first chance to test the mental work I did last summer. My technical knowledge and skills have always been my strengths but I believe that the easiest way to make the most improvements in the shortest time is to work on your weakness. So, over the past couple of years, I have thought less about the technical side of my sport and tried to learn more about what other things make athletes perform well. There are athletes in all kinds of sports who lack the skills but somehow get the job done out of determination or just by feeling it, thinking less and just going for it. I felt like I learned a lot about that over the past year and I wanted to prove to myself that I was making progress in that area.

3. What are the main "technical" things that have been successful for you (what have you been working most on) and what are the things you feel you need to improve on?

EB
Towards the end of the last Olympic season, I noticed that I was skiing off the right side of the jump and leaning my upper body to the left on takeoff. I didn't think it was important so I didn't try to fix it. It gradually got worse until it was really effecting my jumping last season so I spent almost the entire summer fixing that alone.

4. Is the team of guys still tight or are you feeling you need to separate yourself a bit to move forward?

EB
We are still really tight but we are growing up so I think we spend less time together. Most of us have serious girlfriends when just a few years ago, most of us didn't. We are all a little busier with our own lives but I think we're tighter than ever. Every year that Dog, Pack, Mar, Jerry, Britt and I hang out and experience the same things, we get closer. I definitely don't want to or think I need to separate myself from them. In fact, I was just thinking about that at the Gold Cup when training was over and we were all waiting to take our first jump. I noticed that it was comforting for us to be around each other. Competing is tough, it's almost like we're all getting ready to go into battle but we won't be fighting each other, we will just be tested as individuals. It relaxes us and gives us courage to know that we're all in it together.

The Gold Cup Competition

DEER VALLEY, Utah (Dec. 31, 2001) -- Reigning U.S. champion Emily Cook (Belmont, MA) and current Olympic gold medalist Eric Bergoust (Missoula, MT) respectively claimed the men's and women's U.S. Ski Team Gold Cup aerials Monday night before a boisterous estimated crowd of 20,000 on the Olympic site at Deer Valley Resort earning them each a spot on the 2002 Olympic team. The rest of the team will battle for the remaining spots in the four World Cup events in January. 

ABC will televise coverage at 1 p.m. EST on Jan. 13.

Bergoust jumped to an overwhelming victory with 260.54 points, while runner up Joe Pack (Park City, UT) totaled 238.96 points. Jeret Peterson (Boise, ID) was third with 226.78 points.

An enthusiastic crowd, about twice the size organizers predicted, witnessed the New Year's Eve event and the turnout provided Deer Valley Resort with a glimpse into the future. The 2003 World Championships will be held on the same course.

For Bergoust, 32, who will be attending his third Winter Olympics, the competition provided an ideal preamble to the Winter Olympics.

"I was the last guy to jump and the crowd was pumped up and on its feet," said Bergoust. "It was an exact simulation of how the Olympics is going to be and I hope to jump exactly the same way. I reminded myself this is what we are up here to do (to perform) in front of a big crowd. The Olympics is going to be huge and we can't wait to show off our sport like we did tonight."