One to Watch: Freestyle Aerialist Emily Cook
Photography: Courtesy of the U.S. Ski Team
Former gymnast and 2001 U.S. aerials champion, Emily Cook, missed the last two and a half winter seasons after a fluke injury on January 17, 2002. She landed wrong on a training jump, dislocating and tearing ligaments in her left foot and causing small fractures and more torn ligaments in her right. She was forced to give up her Olympic spot in 2002, but she holds onto her Olympic dream for 2006. Cook moved from Massachusetts to Park City when she was 17 to train, and is currently enrolled at the University of Utah. Now 25, Cook was back on skis June 11th for five low-key jumps into the splash pool at Utah Olympic Park – thrilled to finally be jumping again and determined to be walking into Opening Ceremonies with her Olympic teammates in 2006. “The entire time I was sidelined, I knew I’d come back some day,” she said, calling this season “the start of the rest of my career.”
Q: Emily, you started off as a gymnast, not as a skier. How did the transition come about?
Emily Cook: I was a pretty crazy kid. I had tons of energy so my dad put me into gymnastics classes when I was 4 years old to give me an outlet for that. I loved flipping around and playing – it was so much fun – and I continued it for quite a while, competing for many years. Dad also taught me to ski when I was 4 and shortly after put me in lessons for that as well. When I was about 12, I decided to combine the sports and try freestyle because I still loved jumping and flipping. I tried aerials into the water at a camp in Lake Placid, New York, and just loved it. It was the perfect combination of gymnastics and skiing. I also competed in diving for a while, which helped me as an aerialist.
Q: What was your parents’ reaction to your desire to participate in this sport? How did they support you?
EC: My dad’s support was endless. My mom passed away in a car accident when I was 2 years old, so Dad has been my partner this whole time. He’s the best. He used to drive me hours in snowstorms so that I could get to a competition. We had a lot of nice talks on those drives, and I think we both secretly liked them. He also drove me every weekend four hours from Boston to Sugarloaf ski area when there was no competition so that I could train (and this was after gymnastics ended at 8:30 p.m. or so). Sometimes he was nervous when I jumped. In fact, I bet he still is. One time my first year I looked for him at the bottom of the hill and he had left because I crashed a jump. He just didn’t want to watch anymore ... but he always comes back. Like I said, his support is endless.
Q: What do you love most about aerials?
EC: I love the feeling of knowing you are going to land that perfect jump — looking down from the sky at the landing hill, landing on your feet and skiing away. The adrenaline and the excitement are like nothing else. I also love being able to travel the world, meet amazing people and do what I love everyday. It is an incredible life.
Q: What has been your most satisfying accomplishment?
EC: My biggest accomplishment, and really one of the most amazing days of my life, was the Gold Cup competition on New Year’s Eve of the Olympic season. Almost 10 years after I had said I would compete in the 2002 Olympics, I had the chance to go for my spot. We were jumping at night and there were about 15,000 people in the stands cheering us on. It was amazing. I completed two of the best jumps of my life that night and rang in the New Year with my friends, family and teammates as an Olympian.
Q. During the downtime after your injury, what did you do?
EC: I spent this past winter coaching the FLY team (USSA’s program to attract new athletes to the sport) at the Utah Olympic Park while rehabbing from surgery that I had in June, 2003. It was an amazing experience and I had a great time. The highlight was being on the hill at U.S. Freestyle Championships as a coach rather than an athlete. It is a very different perspective and I learned so much about myself as an athlete and a person. The real highlight in 2004, though, was my first camp back with the team. Our conditioning camp in San Diego this spring was amazing. We pushed the limits further than I thought possible, and it was a great way to be a part of the team again.
Q: What kept you motivated to return to World Cup competition?
EC: My motivation is truly my love for the sport. I can’t wait to be back out there with my teammates jumping again. I also can’t wait to walk into the Opening Ceremonies in Italy in 2006 with them and reach my dream of actually competing in the Games. I keep that picture in my head, and with my dad’s, friends’, teammates’ and coaches’ support, I keep working toward it everyday. The kids I coach also keep that dream alive for me. Looking at them and seeing that dream in them keeps it real for me as well.
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