When last we caught up with Frisco's Mikaela Matthews back in early December, she had set a goal for herself to qualify for the World Cup in freestyle skiing at the selection event in Steamboat Springs.
Mission accomplished.
At her first World Cup start in Lake Placid, N.Y., the 20-year-old qualified in sixth overall (second best for the American field). But in the finals, she “got going a little too fast” on the top air and crashed part of the way down the course's middle section, fracturing and tearing a ligament in her thumb.
Outfitted with a cast molded to her pole and giant mittens, Matthews went on to compete at the Deer Valley World Cup, where she admittedly didn't ski very well on the first day. But she bounced back the second day, qualifying for finals in the dual event, which tends to be her strength. Matthews finished eighth overall in just her third World Cup start.
“It's one of the steepest, longest courses on the tour. So to ski well there against girls who have been on the World Cup for years, that was really exciting,” Matthews said. “The transitions in the jumps were hard, so it boosted my confidence to know that I can land my run on a difficult course.”
The result qualified her for the season's remaining World Cup events, which send her to Japan, Sweden and likely France. Matthews' globetrotting wraps up in time for U.S. Nationals in Vermont this spring.
Mission accomplished.
At her first World Cup start in Lake Placid, N.Y., the 20-year-old qualified in sixth overall (second best for the American field). But in the finals, she “got going a little too fast” on the top air and crashed part of the way down the course's middle section, fracturing and tearing a ligament in her thumb.
Outfitted with a cast molded to her pole and giant mittens, Matthews went on to compete at the Deer Valley World Cup, where she admittedly didn't ski very well on the first day. But she bounced back the second day, qualifying for finals in the dual event, which tends to be her strength. Matthews finished eighth overall in just her third World Cup start.
“It's one of the steepest, longest courses on the tour. So to ski well there against girls who have been on the World Cup for years, that was really exciting,” Matthews said. “The transitions in the jumps were hard, so it boosted my confidence to know that I can land my run on a difficult course.”
The result qualified her for the season's remaining World Cup events, which send her to Japan, Sweden and likely France. Matthews' globetrotting wraps up in time for U.S. Nationals in Vermont this spring.
Focus on consistency
Having taken last season off due to a shoulder injury, Matthews has chosen to table the infamous back-full (a back flip with a full twist), which only a handful of girls in the world have mastered, and focus on her skiing. “I'm just a little bit inconsistent because I didn't compete at all last year,” Matthews said. “Either I fall or ski really well and place high. Right now, I'm just trying to work on consistency and getting some good results under my belt.”
Mathew's is currently ranked 25th in the world, but she needs to break into the top 20 to compete in France, so that's the most immediate goal for the young skier.
“I put the back-full on the backburner. We haven't had great snow this season, and it hasn't been my focus for my comp runs, so I actually haven't thrown any,” Matthews said.
A Summit Count native and Team Summit alumna, Matthews spends most of her time in Park City, Utah, where the U.S. Ski Team is based. However, it's not unusual to find her up on Copper Mountain coaching younger kids in the early part of the season.
“It's good to see that when I do ski well, I place really high, and it's good to see that I belong on the World Cup. It would be great if I could place top 10 every time, instead of crashing. I'm jumping better and skiing better than I was before I got injured. And I want it more after the year off, so I'm definitely gunning for it.”
In addition to Matthews' impressive comeback, it's been an exciting year for women's freestyle skiing with Hannah Kearney winning, now, 14 straight World Cups.
“She's a phenomenal skier, and she's got the consistency that we all dream of,” Matthews said. “It's really great to be at the same competitions with her to see exactly the mindset that she in and how she carries herself.”


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