Freestyle Skier Shannon Bahrke Going to 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver

Shannon Bahrke, raised in Tahoe City, CA, was born right here in Reno, NV. She began her skiing career as an alpine racer, then switched to freestyle and moguls after being talked into giving it a try by a coach at Squaw Valley. Bahrke has competed in most of the Olympic freestyle skiing disciplines (moguls, dual moguls, aerials, ski cross), but has made her mark on the moguls course. Vancouver will be Bahrke's third Winter Olympic Games. She has been a member of the U.S. Freestyle Ski Team since 1998.

Shannon Bahrke's Freestyle Skiing Record

Once she became a U.S. Freestyle Ski Team member in 1998, Bahrke began racking up a string of high placed finishes, from several World Cup appearances to the World Ski Championships. She won a silver medal at the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Games, her first Olympic competition. The 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino brought her a disappointing 10th place. Winning the dual moguls title at the U.S. National Freestyle Championships in 2009 set Bahrke up for her third run at Olympic medals in Vancouver.

Shannon Bahrke Takes the Bronze in Vancouver

Bahrke's bronze medal in moguls competition in Vancouver adds to her silver won at the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City. U.S. teammate Hannah Kearney took gold and Canadian Jennifer Heil won silver for the host country.

What is Freestyle Skiing?

Olympic freestyle skiing involves a number of events where competitors are judged on style, difficulty, and execution as they descend the course. These include moguls, dual moguls, aerials, and ski cross. Dual moguls involves head-to-head racing between skiers descending in parallel, though the fastest might not win if their other scores fall short.

Bahrke's freestyle teammates include Hannah Kearney, Norwich, VT, Heather McPhie, Park City, UT, and Michelle Roark, Denver, CO.

Sources: U.S. Ski Team, Shannon Bahrke Website, Ski Channel Television Network, Wikipedia.