VANCOUVER—The Olympics is the time to shine for America’s elite athletes competing in sports that don’t usually get much attention.
In many of those sports, an athlete’s top competitors are fellow teammates out to earn their own place in history.
But despite dreams of glory and hopes to win, some things stand above gold, at least according to the U.S. freestyle team.
The Epoch Times asked the some of U.S. aerials team members how they dealt with competing not only against the world, but also against each other.
We got the kind of answers you would hope from national heroes that are role models to millions of Americans.
“I spend a good majority of my life with these people and I love every single one of them. Any time they achieve something, anytime they do something great, it’s a great feeling for me,” said Ryan St. Onge, the topped ranked American.
St. Onge is a medal favorite ranked second in the world with a first place finish at the Japan World Championship.
Matt Depeters, who is following in his father’s footsteps as a freestyle skier, said it was important to do well, but that took nothing away from his teammate’s accomplishments.
“I want to go out and do my best, but if at the end of the day one of these guys ends up on the podium, I will be the first person to shake their hand a say congratulations.”
Jeret Peterson, who has been making headlines for his “hurricane”—a trick of five spins and three somersaults—joked that he wanted St. Onge to do well, just not as well as him, before offering up a more serious answer.
“We go out there and try to be the best, and sometimes we don’t have the run that we want, but if a teammate goes out there and does really well, it definitely picks you up as well,” said Peterson.
“You carry together as a team. It definitely helps us truck along every single week, following each of our results and cheering on each other,” he added.
Emily Cook, a two-time U.S. national champ and former Olympian said that the team feeds off of each other’s success. She said the better her women’s teammates, Jana Lindsey and Ashley Caldwell, jumped, the better she jumped.
“We support each other. We are the first people to tell each other when something is a little different with the speed or the jump. We give each other feedback all day.”
She says her teammates push her to do better constantly and they all look to the guys to try to jump like they do.
“The better our team is doing the better all of us do. We’re always very excited when the rest of the team is jumping well.”
“At the end of the day, I think all of us are incredibly happy for each other,” said St Onge.
In many of those sports, an athlete’s top competitors are fellow teammates out to earn their own place in history.
But despite dreams of glory and hopes to win, some things stand above gold, at least according to the U.S. freestyle team.
The Epoch Times asked the some of U.S. aerials team members how they dealt with competing not only against the world, but also against each other.
We got the kind of answers you would hope from national heroes that are role models to millions of Americans.
“I spend a good majority of my life with these people and I love every single one of them. Any time they achieve something, anytime they do something great, it’s a great feeling for me,” said Ryan St. Onge, the topped ranked American.
St. Onge is a medal favorite ranked second in the world with a first place finish at the Japan World Championship.
Matt Depeters, who is following in his father’s footsteps as a freestyle skier, said it was important to do well, but that took nothing away from his teammate’s accomplishments.
“I want to go out and do my best, but if at the end of the day one of these guys ends up on the podium, I will be the first person to shake their hand a say congratulations.”
Jeret Peterson, who has been making headlines for his “hurricane”—a trick of five spins and three somersaults—joked that he wanted St. Onge to do well, just not as well as him, before offering up a more serious answer.
“We go out there and try to be the best, and sometimes we don’t have the run that we want, but if a teammate goes out there and does really well, it definitely picks you up as well,” said Peterson.
“You carry together as a team. It definitely helps us truck along every single week, following each of our results and cheering on each other,” he added.
Emily Cook, a two-time U.S. national champ and former Olympian said that the team feeds off of each other’s success. She said the better her women’s teammates, Jana Lindsey and Ashley Caldwell, jumped, the better she jumped.
“We support each other. We are the first people to tell each other when something is a little different with the speed or the jump. We give each other feedback all day.”
She says her teammates push her to do better constantly and they all look to the guys to try to jump like they do.
“The better our team is doing the better all of us do. We’re always very excited when the rest of the team is jumping well.”
“At the end of the day, I think all of us are incredibly happy for each other,” said St Onge.
