PARK CITY, UT (Jan. 15) - With only one more aerials competition to go before naming the 2010 Olympic Team, young Dylan Ferguson (Amesbury, MA) notched his best World Cup finish to lead the U.S. in sixth at the Visa Freestyle International at Deer Valley Resort Friday.

A crowd of around 5,000 gathered around Deer Valley's White Owl run to watch the world's best aerialists land their jumps. The excitement in the air with the Olympic Games so near was palpable as each athlete attempted to close in on their team spots.

In the men's competition Anton Kushnir of Belarus won, followed by Guangpu Qi of China in second and Dmitri Dashinski, also of Belarus, in third.

Ferguson felt closer to Vancouver as he pulled in a solid result.

"This is my best result so far. It feels really good right now… really good," Ferguson said. "I'm really getting excited going into the Games. I'm getting some results so hopefully this will do it."

The lanky athlete threw a double full, full, full, which is a quad twisting triple back flip, landing him in his place. As the crowd cheered Ferguson on, he said he was happy to have the competition in an exciting venue like Deer Valley.

"They fans are awesome they get us all excited," Ferguson said. "Utah is awesome, we have the Utah Olympic Park here and it plays a big role in our training and having a World Cup in Deer Valley helps us out a lot."

Ferguson was followed for the U.S. but Jeret "Speedy" Peterson, who attempted his famous "Hurricane" but missed the solid landing due to problems with his skis.

"I did the Hurricane. I felt great and I nailed my takeoff, saw everything on my landing and I have no clue why I fell. Maybe I need to get a new binding sponsor," Peterson said. "I feel really confident. Everything went exactly how we had planned, other than my skis falling off. I'm happy with the way things have gone and you know my mental game is where I want it to be, my focus and everything that I need leading into Vancouver."

In the women's field, the Chinese contingent dominated, taking the second and third podium spots, while Australia's Lydia Lassila won.

Lacy Schnoor (Draper, UT) who clinched her Olympic Team spot during Olympic Trials led for U.S. women in ninth. According to the aerialist, a problem spotting her landing had a huge factor in where she ended up Friday.

"You know I just didn’t get a good look at the landing and I couldn't tell exactly where I was in the air, so I just pulled my feet in a little too much," Schnoor said. "I almost had it, but these are harder tricks for me so it's great for me to come out here and practice competing them so by the time I get to Vancouver I got it down."

While she has perfecting her jumps at the top of her things to do list, Schnoor is also still reeling from landing her Olympic spot and planning on making a splash in Vancouver.

"I'm really excited about going to the Games but I want to go out there and land both my jumps both days and if I do that I'll be psyched."

In her second World Cup, Ashley Caldwell (Lake Placid, NY) was happy to compete in Deer Valley where the crowd was a huge boost to her.

"It's exciting everyone said you feel like a rockstar and it's totally true," Caldwell said.

With one event remaining Olympic selection is wide open for the men's and women's aerials field. They hit the jumps in Lake Placid Jan. 22.

The Visa Freestyle International at Deer Valley continues Saturday night where U.S. moguls skiers will have another chance for glory. The action begins at 8:00 p.m.

OFFICIAL RESULTS
2010 Visa Freestyle International
Park City, UT - Jan. 15, 2010
Aerials

Men
1. Anton Kushnir, Belarus, 264.05
2. Guangpu Qi, China, 255.87
3. Dmitri Dashinski, Belarus, 252.69
4. Renato Ulrich, Switzerland, 247.43
5. Kyle Nissen, Canada, 246.74
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6. Dylan Ferguson, Amesbury, MA, 245.63
12. Jeret Peterson, Boise, ID, 202.83
15. Matt DePeters, Hamburg, NY, 111.37
26. Ryan St. Onge, Winter Park, CO, 84.96
31. Scotty Bahrke, Tahoe City, CA, 75.34

Women
1. Lydia Lassila, Australia, 220.91
2. Mengtao Xu, China, 207.00
3. Nina Li, China, 204.84
4. Xinxin Guo, China, 204.00
5. Shuang Chang, China, 186.46
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9. Lacy Schnoor, Draper, UT, 164.08
10. Ashley Caldwell, Lake Placid, NY, 163.27
13. Jana Lindsey, Black Hawk, SD, 83.01
16. Jaime Myers, Boise, ID, 77.64
23. Allison Treleaven, Fort Wayne, IN, 60.63
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Dylan Ferguson celebrates a career best. (U.S. Ski Team/Tom Kelly)


Dylan Ferguson soars to a career best sixth at Deer Valley. (U.S. Ski Team/Tom Kelly)


Jeret "Speedy" Peterson nearly lands the Hurricane but loses a ski. (U.S. Ski Team/Tom Kelly)


Lacy Schnoor soars to ninth at Deer Valley. (U.S. Ski Team/Tom Kelly)


Ashley Caldwell finished 10th in her second World Cup. (U.S. Ski Team/Tom Kelly)