Parisien, Moseley, Worthington elected to national ski hall of fame

Freestyle skiing pioneers Trace Worthington and Jonny Moseley, along with alpine standout Julie Parisien, have been elected to the U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame

Former Olympic and World Cup moguls champion Jonny Moseley, ex-aerials and combined world and World Cup champion Trace Worthington and World Championships medalist Julie Parisien have been elected to the U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2006.
    Moseley electrified the sports world at the 1998 Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan, with his high-flying "heli-mute grab" during his final run to secure the gold medal. The 360-degree spin while grabbing one of his skis — followed by his innovative "dinner roll" jump (with his body parallel to the ground, he rotated before landing) at the 2002 Olympics — kicked open the door to what has been a revolution in moguls skiing with athletes doing previously banned backflips. His high-voltage smile and engaging personality helped him transcend his sport and become one of skiing's — not just freestyle's — superstars.
    The bronze medalist in combined at the 1995 World Championships and the freestyle overall champion, Moseley also was the World Cup combined and overall champion in 1996 before capturing five contests and the '98 moguls World Cup title. He retired in 2002 with 18 World Cup victories and also was a two-time U.S. champion. 
    Worthington grew up in the Twin Cities and then Winter Park, Colo., but was one of the first athletes to move to Park City, Utah, for optimal training opportunities in the early 1990s. He once explained he sometimes couldn't make up his mind, so he played hockey and skied in winter. When he decided to concentrate on skiing, he couldn't decide which freestyle event to focus on — acro (then known as ballet), aerials or moguls, "so I did everything." He was the 1986 Junior World Championships gold medalist in aerials but skied in all three events on the World Cup, winning 37 times, including 27 combined wins (blending scores from the three events) and 10 aerials triumphs.
    He was forced to retire on the eve of the 1997 season by a vertigo-like ailment which — so treacherous for someone who routinely jumped 50 feet or more into the air on his aerials — struck shortly after the '95 season when he became (and remains) the only person to win two gold medals at the same Worlds (aerials, combined). In addition to his World Cup wins, Worthington had six World Cup titles and 11 U.S. championships.
    Julie Parisien started skiing at age 4, following her two older brothers to Lost Valley Ski Area, not far from the family home in Auburn, Maine. "I got tired of going to the babysitter when the family went skiing," she explained, "so I learned to ski." She went through Vermont's Burke Mountain Academy and won the first of three World Cup races when she took the giant slalom during 1991 World Cup Finals at Waterville, New Hampshire; she was 19.
    A year later, she started the '93 World Cup season as the No. 1-ranked slalom skier in the world. That winter, she overcame the death of brother J.P. in a hit-and-run auto accident and collected the slalom silver medal at the World Championships in Japan. Parisien retired after the 1994 season, returned to make the 1998 Olympic Team — her third visit to the Winter Games — and re-retired following the '99 season. In addition to her World Championships and World Cup success, Parisien won four U.S. titles plus the bronze medal in super G at the 1989 Junior Worlds.
    Tom West, president and CEO of the Ski Hall, announced the selections — which were made by a nationwide panel — and said the newest group of inductees brings the number of honored athletes to 349, including ski industry pioneers and other members. The formal induction will be held during the Snowsports Industries America trade show in Las Vegas Jan. 22-24, 2007.