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Silver Mining
By Amy Donaldson
Deseret News Olympic specialist
PARK CITY — In fifth place after the first of two jumps in the aerial competition Tuesday, Ales Valenta had nothing to lose.
So he took a monstrous chance.
He did a trick that's never been done in the Olympics and only once before in World Cup competition — a triple back flip with five twists. His gamble won him the jackpot — or in this case, the gold medal.
"I was very happy I landed it," said the 28-year-old from the Czech Republic, who collapsed with his face covered at the bottom of the hill. "The five twists is still a lucky shot for me."
It's a lucky shot for anyone in aerials right now. He is the only athlete to land five twists on snow, and only a handful can execute them into a splash pool. Valenta, who missed the 1994 Lillehammer Games to serve a year in the Czech Army and finished fourth in Nagano, landed it in a World Cup in January and several times in practice before Tuesday's final at Deer Valley.
"I decided before the training (to do the trick)," he said. "The weather was good — not much wind. I'd practiced it all summer; I knew I could do it. It was a good day."
It was also a good day for Park City's own Joe Pack. After a year of mediocre performances, he earned the silver medal in front of what looked like every friend and relative he has. Belarus' Alexei Grichin, the reigning aerials world champion, won the bronze after finishing first in the qualification rounds.
"Park City High School football rules," Pack said when asked for a statement afterward. "I can't describe how it felt, the crowd, feeling their energy knowing I know half of them. Aerials as a whole has just been embraced by Park City."
The big disappointment of the competition was defending gold-medalist Eric Bergoust's finish. He was in first place after the first jump and on track to break his own world record when he fell backward on the landing of his second jump. He finished in 12th place.
"My heart sunk when I saw him slap back," Pack said. "He's a dear friend, and he's showed me the ropes. His hard work, his ethics, he's just taught everybody a lot. . . . He's still going to be around helping people, improving and kicking (butt) himself."
Pack promised to celebrate his silver medal by walking the streets of Park City thanking all of the residents for supporting him.
"I just want to say hi and thanks," he said.
As for the future of the sport, the increased number of twists was the only more-difficult aspect athletes could do this winter, since four-flip jumps were banned two years ago by the International Federation of Skiing.
All three competitors see aerials continuing to get more difficult as the premise of the sport is all about taking chances.
When asked about the chance Valenta took Tuesday, Pack said with a laugh, "He's psycho! Just like what Eric Bergoust did in 1998 in Nagano, he's raised the bar. Ales is definitely ahead of his time."
The most difficult thing about doing five twists is that athletes can't see the ground until the final flip, so they must rely on a coach's yells and their own sense of direction in the air.
"It's a level of difficulty that isn't seen by the common eye," Pack said. "Imagine getting shot out of a cannon, 50 feet in the air, and doing three back flips and five twists."
When the athletes were asked to liken the feeling they get from their sport to something ordinary they all struggled. Pack said riding a motorcycle 100 miles an hour, and Valenta suggested sky diving.
But Grichin, who spoke most of the time through an interpreter hit the nail on the head when he put his hand on his chest and said, "I feel something here."
E-mail: adonaldson@desnews.com
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February 20, 2002
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