BIOGRAPHY
Determination is an aerialist, former U.S. champion and ex-gymnast named Emily Cook, who grew up in suburban Boston and never let go of a dream to compete in the Olympics. Sidelined by injury after making the 2002 Olympics Team, Cook missed two World Cup seasons while rehabilitating her badly injured feet but returned in the summer of 2004, competed in the winter of 2005 (making the World Championships Team)...and reached her Olympics in '06 in Italy. And, Cook says, she's not done yet.
UPDATE
This is Emily's 12th year as a member of the U.S. Freestyle Ski Team and it was her most successful season to date. Although she won her first World Cup in 2008, her jumping quality improved drastically throughout the 2009 season. Emily added a new maneuver to her competition program that enables her to be competitive against the world's best. Being on the podium at the two biggest World Cups of the 2009 season, with thirds in both Lake Placid and Deer Valley, along with a fourth-place finish at the World Championships, assures Emily that she is more than capable of reaching her dreams come February 2010. Emily's focus leading up to Vancouver will be maintaining a strong mental plan. She is like a bottle of wine...she's getting better with age!
FIRST TRACKS
Cook, whose mother died when she was 2, skied at 4 and moved into freestyle at 14 as a member of the heralded Carrabassett Valley Academy program in Maine. A gymnast and diver as a youngster, she was a combined skier to start, as were most new freestylers at that time; her first World Cup action came as an acro skier before she honed-in on aerials. By 17, she had made the U.S. Ski Team and moved to Park City fulltime to train. She was on two Junior World Championships teams and earned her first World Championships berth in 1999. That same year, Cook was the aerials bronze medalist at the Junior Worlds in Finland.
FIRST WORLD CUP
Jan. 13, 1997 in Lake Placid, NY (21st in acro)
OLYMPICS/WORLDS
2009 Worlds - 4th in aerials. 2007 Worlds - 6th in aerials. 2006 Olympics: 19th in aerials. 2005 Worlds - 7th in aerials. 2001 Worlds - 13th in aerials. 1999 Worlds - 18th in aerials.
CHALLENGES
2002 - Cook tore ligaments in both feet and crunched bones in her left foot when she landed hard on the knoll during training in Lake Placid three weeks before the Olympics in Salt Lake. She gave up her Olympics berth and began rehabbing; she returned to skiing in Summer '04, returned to the World Cup that winter.
I AM
Unstoppable...More confident than ever...reading, SCUBA and snorkeling, rock climbing and yoga...Always glad to see Dad, and now that he's retired from the insurance business, I see him even more...My "Visa Champions Creating Champions” mentoring program, bringing winter Olympians from many sports to work with youngster who otherwise might not see their sport, and founded while I was recovering from that 2002 injury to both feet...And I'm a big supporter of Right to Play (www.rightotplay.com), "giving kids a chance to be kids” as it tries to bring sport and play to disadvantaged children around the world...
* - Olympics: 2006; Worlds - 1999, '01, '05, '07
* - 2008: First World Cup win (Moscow, Russia)
* - 2008: U.S. aerials champion
* - 2007: 6th in aerials at World Championships
* - 2006: Second World Cup podium (Apex, BC)
* - 2005: 7th in aerials at World Championships
* - 2006: Eight World Cup top-10s (four in '05)
* - 2002: Three World Cup top-10s before injury
* - 2001: U.S. aerials champion
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02/20/2010
U.S. Qualifies 3 in Women's Aerials
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02/16/2010
Aerials Women Open Training
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02/12/2010
Cook, Peterson Appear on "Today"
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02/11/2010
Aerials Athletes Ready to Fly
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02/08/2010
Aerialists 'Phenomenal' at U.S. Camp
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01/26/2010
World Champs Highlight Olympic Freestyle Team
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01/15/2010
Cook Sits Out Deer Valley Comp
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01/15/2010
Final Olympic Chance at Lake Placid
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01/10/2010
Tough Aerials Results in Weather
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01/10/2010
Soft Snow Challenges in Calgary
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12/20/2009
Jana Lindsey Just Misses Podium
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12/18/2009
Cook Leads USA in Frigid Opener
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08/19/2009
2010 Freestyle Roster Announced
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05/12/2009
Cook Promotes Playing In Jordan
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03/05/2009
Aerials Champs Kick Off in Park City
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02/06/2009
U.S. Misses Podium in Cypress
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02/06/2009
Finals Set for Cypress pre-Olympics
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01/30/2009
St. Onge Wins Deer Valley Aerials
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01/28/2009
Visa Freestyle Kicks Off Thursday
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