That should change in Albertville. Weinbrecht skis moguls, which is a medal event for the first time. It combings downhill speed with flashy aerial maneuvers as skiers propel themselves over a succession of bumps. Weinbrecht knows that winning the gold could put freestyle on the U.S. ski map. “Someday,” she says, “they may look back at me as the grandma of freestyle.”
Weinbrecht is an unlikely candidate to become the sport’s first star. She grew up in New Jersey and hadn’t heard of freestyle until, as a teenager, she went to Killington, Vt., where the national team was practicing. Her style is aggressive, even breakneck, featuring a succession of combinations known as double twisters and twister spreads. She flies from mogul to mogul without spending time in the troughs and hopes to the first woman to master three separate moves while airborne. Weinbrecht believes her biggest challenge may be trying to stay calm when she hits the Alpine slopes. “The Olympics, the opening ceremonies, everything can just blow you away,” she says. I can’t be worrying about the whole world. When it’s time to ski, I’ve got to be there for me first.
