Outlook: “I was born in a ski area and raised
in a ski area and when I saw some of the older
guys ripping the bumps and they invited me to
ski with them, I became hooked from day one,”
says Deneen. “Nothing is better then skiing fast
through the moguls and flying through the air.
And that is what mogul skiing is all about.” Deneen followed up his 2008 FIS World Cup Rookie of the Year season with a World Championship
gold medal. “I had worked all season on increasing my speed, perfecting my turns, and landing
my airs and in Japan it all came together and allowed me to bring home the gold,” he says of his
Worlds win in Japan. Deneen finished fourth at
a World Cup competition at Vancouver’s Cypress
venue, a year before the Games.
Extracurricular: If Hollywood calls after the
Games, Deneen’s first stop would be the “Tonight
Show” with Conan O’Brien. “I’d try to teach him
a D-Spin,” says Deneen. “He seems like a great
guy and is willing to try anything.”
Last season saw the Texas-born bumper make
great strides in consistency and ranking. “I liked
how much more consistent I was with my skiing,” he says. “I would almost always give myself a
shot at getting in the top 5.” His goal this season?
“Keep my consistency but improve my results by
a few spots every event and put myself in the top
5 in the world.” The would-be first-time Olympian hopes to soak it all in at Vancouver. “It seems
like during the two weeks that the Olympics are
happening, that the people of the U.S. put aside
their differences and root for the same team. The
whole experience would be incredible.”
Extracurricular: If Olympic fame called,
Kashima would jump at the chance to get in the
“Hot Seat” opposite ESPN’s Stewart Scott. “They
are right in the middle of the sports world and
any exposure our sport could get on ESPN would
be key,” he says.
BRIAN W. ROBB (2); TODD SCHIRMAN (2); TODD SCHIRMAN/USSA 2
Sho Kashima
Age: 22
Hometown: Lake
Tahoe, Calif.
Equipment Sponsors: Hart, Giro,
Swans
Olympic Appearances: None
Trophy Room: Dual
moguls national champion 2009, 2006; 8th
overall in World Cup standings, 2009
Outlook: Kashima leans toward moguls because, as he says, “I love to ski, but a good day
of skiing isn’t complete without a little jumping.”
Michael Morse
Age: 28
Hometown: Dux-bury, Mass.
Equipment
Sponsors: Hart,
Bollé, Powerbar,
Tecnica, Opedix,
Bern
Olympic Appearances: None
Trophy Room: World Cup podium, 2009;
national champion in dual and singles moguls,
2008
Outlook: After five years on the U.S. Ski Team,
Morse grabbed his first World Cup podium last
season in Voss, Norway. He keeps his goals for
the 2010 season simple: “Ski my best runs in
