Athlete Bios
Freestyle Skiing- Moguls
U.S. moguls star Deneen on the slopes from day 1
Last Updated: Monday, February 8, 2010 | 12:50 PM ET
New York Times for CBC Sports
American Patrick Deneen celebrates after winning the Freestyle Mogul US Olympic Trials on December 23, 2009 in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. (Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)It makes complete sense that United States moguls skier Patrick Deneen would become one of the best on snow. At 22, he has been on skies for 21 years.
His father, also named Pat, co-owned a ski resort in Cle Elum, Wash., on the eastern edge of the Cascade Range.
Pat put Patrick on skis a month shy of his first birthday, and has watched his son’s talent grow ever since. Deneen predicted at age 11 that he would be in the Olympics.
“I always thought I would ski in the Olympics, so it’s pretty cool it’s about to come true,” Deneen told USA Today.
Deneen is a rising star in moguls, thanks to his unexpected win at his first world freestyle championships at Inawashiro, Japan, in 2009. He won gold in the moguls and finished fifth in the dual moguls.
The winning element was a trick, called a “back X,” that he learned only days before leaving for Japan. Working with his father at home in Washington, he had concentrated on perfecting the back flip, punctuated by an iron cross. Sometimes he nailed it. Other times, it didn’t go as well. But Deneen completed it when it counted, during competition, and won his first world title.
He has been on the World Cup circuit for nearly three seasons. But given his experience, it is not surprising that he could be a medal contender at Vancouver.
Deneen started Alpine racing when he was seven, under the coaching guidance of his father. His parents also decided to home-school him, along with his two older sisters, to allow more time for ski training. Deneen transitioned to moguls in 1999. He joined the United States ski team in 2004, when he was 16.
His breakout year was 2008, when he was the World Cup freestyle rookie of the year and United States freestyle skier of the year. Deneen had three podium finishes, good for fifth in the final overall moguls standings. He has been ranked as the top American moguls skier the last two seasons.
Deneen has a trademark style. He is known for barreling through moguls at breakneck speed. He stands five foot seven inches, allowing him to stay lower to the snow and fly faster through the moguls. The Lillehammer Olympic moguls gold medallist Jean-Luc Brassard, one of the pioneers of the sport, nicknamed Deneen “the Rocket.”
The Deneen family loves to ski. But they also love to ride. His mother, Nancy, raises quarter-horses and has turned her children into accomplished skiers and equestrians.
“First and last I am a skier,” Deneen said on his Web site, patrickdeneen.com. “Powder, bumps, gates, park, and pipe, I love it all. I am a horseman. I love to ride my horse through the fields at a lope feeling the strength and agility of my horse Spud.”
He added: “I get my horse sense and love for animals from my mom (she is a real horse whisperer). I am my dad’s son. He taught me how to make my first turn on skis and he is still there watching every turn I make. A coach for my life.”
