PARK CITY, Utah - This Friday, 21-year-old Jen Hudak (Park City, UT) will dip her Salomons into the superpipe at Park City Mountain Resort in search of a third straight U.S. title in one of the newest freestyle events, skier halfpipe. Hudak comes into the Sprint U.S. Freestyle Championships on the heels of her best World Cup season ever with three podiums, including a win in the season finale in Italy.

"Winning in Italy was huge for me," said Hudak. "It was my first World Cup win and was also my first time beating Canadian Sarah Burke. She is an amazing skier, someone who I have looked up to for a long time, and to finally be on the podium above her was an incredible feeling. It just shows that consistency really matters in this game - believing in yourself and never losing faith in yourself are tools for continued success."

Hudak is a superstar in the rapidly growing sport of skier halfpipe. While not yet an Olympic event, it is attracting a growing number of young competitors. Over 50 athletes are registered to compete in halfpipe at the Sprint U.S. Freestyle Championships.

Burke and Hudak squared off in three World Cups this season. The season opened in January in Les Contamines, France where Burke and Hudak went one-two. A month later in Inawashiro Japan, site of next season's FIS Freestyle World Ski Championships, Hudak landed her alley-oop 540 but still finished second.

Burke came into the World Cup Finals in Valmalenco undefeated in all competitions. Hudak, meanwhile, had picked up a win of her own in a non-World Cup in Japan just after Inawashiro. "Sarah and I were both coming off really good results," said Hudak. "I definitely caught her on a bad day - she wasn't skiing her best. But I managed to ski consistently well, landing every run that day."

Hudak is a Connecticut native, originally coming out of the Okemo Mountain program in Vermont with coach Elana Chase. She still works with Chase out of the Aspen Valley Ski Club, and lives in Park City.

The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association added skier halfpipe to its U.S. Championship program two years ago at Killington Mountain Resort in Vermont. Hudak has won the previous two titles and will look to defend in what is now her hometown. "Nationals are in Park City this year which is really exciting being my home town and home resort," she said. "I have a lot of friends around Utah who have never had the opportunity to see me compete, so I will be thrilled to have them all there cheering me on."

While she's dominated the last two years, she knows she has to perform to win. "I have played it fairly conservative the past few years to secure my spot on top," she said. "But that hasn't been my style this year. It has been my mission to impress. Therefore, you will be seeing me in full action mode at this year's championship. I will be doing my cork 5 mute, alley-oop 5 and a 7 mute to end out the run."

Jessica Cumming (Wilton, CT), competing in her first U.S. Championships, will likely be Hudak's strongest challenger. On the men's side, look for David Wise (Reno, NV), reigning U.S. champ with a top 10 World Cup finish this year, along with Jonathan Marks (Boise, ID) to be among the leaders.

Qualifications start at 9:45 a.m. Friday at Park City Mountain Resort, with finals at noon. Awards will be presented at 5:30 p.m. in the Town Lift Plaza on Park City's lower Main Street, where live entertainment and a sponsor village will be featured.

USSA