BIOGRAPHY
Moguls skier Patrick Deneen got a break growing up in Washington - his father was part owner and general manager of a ski resort, so young Deneen was on skis before he was a year old. He started with alpine racers, but kept watching freestyle skiers, and eventually made the change to running bumps.
UPDATE
Just off his first year on the World Cup circuit as the 2008 FIS World Cup Rookie of the Year, Deneen took the 2009 season by the horns and was on top of the world by the time he let go with a World championship gold medal. Deneen started the World Cup season out solidly in December with a duals sixth in France. Next up Deneen hit the famed moguls course at Deer Valley resort in Park City where he picked up a podium finish in singles at the VISA Freestyle International. In early February he missed the podium at the 2010 Olympic venue in Vancouver as he finished fourth. Two competitions later and Deneen had landed in Japan where he stunned the world by winning the gold in moguls. "Just to know that I have that now is a great feeling. I don't even know how to put it into words. I just can't believe it's mine," Deneen said of his gold. "To have this win feels really good. To come out with a World Championship win is the most incredible thing." After proving to the world that he's capable of being the best, Deneen now looks ahead to his goals for 2010.
FIRST TRACKS
Deneen, who was walking at nine months, was 11 months and two days old when his dad - co-owner and GM at Hayak Ski Area (now Snoqualmie) - put him on skis for the first time. He started alpine racing and was a top J4 and J5 "but then he started staring at freestylers, and he liked that idea," he father said. "One weekend, he won both a downhill race and a moguls contest." Home-schooled, Deneen had plenty of opportunity to ski - up to 190 days a year; he also was a competitive horseback rider, but gave up that activity when he was 15 so he could focus on skiing. He was 16 in December 2004 when he did well enough at U.S. Team selections to earn a World Cup starting spot.
FIRST WORLD CUP
Jan. 15, 2005 at Lake Placid, NY (48th in moguls)
OLYMPICS/WORLDS
2009 Worlds: Gold in moguls, 5th in dual mogul
I AM
Into riding horses, but no longer competitively...Two older sisters - Desiree and Amy, a former junior national combined champion and a freestyle coach at Silver Mountain in Idaho...Mother raises quarterhorses and also border collies...Father is a land developer and marketing director of Silver Mountain...
* - 2009 World Championship gold medalist (moguls)
* - 2008 FIS World Cup Rookie of the Year
* - 2007 NorAm dual moguls champion (1 win)
* - 2006 Bronze medalist in duals at Junior Worlds
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