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Freestyle skiers were once regarded as the "hot-doggers" of the sport,
high-flying acrobatics with little regard for the more traditional forms
and disciplines. But the increasing popularity of freestylers prompted
the Olympics to add moguls skiing at the 1992 Albertville Games and add
aerials two years later at Lillehammer.
Unlike Alpine skiing, moguls -- literally skiing over bumps -- is about
style, not speed. Seven judges determine competitors' scores: Five judge
turns and the other two judge how competitors handle themselves in the air.
Turns account for 50 percent of the score in moguls. The athlete's legs
should be together and skis parallel at all times. A perfect run is worth
5.0 points. The high and low scores don't count.
Air is worth 25 percent of the score. Judges look for form -- execution,
height, distance and landing -- and a degree of difficulty of each jump.
Double and triple spins are routine, while some men even attempt quadruples.
Speed is the other 25 percent of the score.
Aerials are the truly acrobatic part of the sport. Skiers can get up to
60 feet in the air -- that's three times higher than a good pole vaulter
-- while twisting, flipping and turning. The idea, of course, is to come
down on your skis, not your head.
In the aerials, each jumper has two jumps per round. Seven judges watch,
scoring on form (defined as style, execution and precision), air
(takeoff, height and distance) and landing. Form is worth 50 percent of
the total score, air 20 and the landing 30. Five of the judges watch form
and air, the other two concentrate on the landing.
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