Winter Park Resort pro team skier Hunter Carey will be steeped in Olympic culture over the coming weeks, as the young skier has earned his spot to compete in the 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne, Switzerland. <\/p>\n
In the games, Carey will represent the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Youth Olympic Team in the men\u2019s freeski halfpipe. The games began Thursday and continue through Jan. 22 in the neighboring Vaud Alps and along the shores of Lake Geneva. <\/p>\n
Carey is one of two local athletes invited to compete in the 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne, a city nicknamed the \u201cOlympic Capital\u201d for its rich tradition in the modern Olympic movement spanning over a century.<\/p>\n
In addition to Carey, Svea Irving, another Winter Park local, was invited to compete in the 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games. She would have been entered in the women\u2019s freeski halfpipe, but due to an ACL injury, Irving is unable to compete in the games. <\/p>\n
Hunter and Svea are both students at Middle Park High School
\nand alumni of the Competition Center Freeski Team. <\/p>\n
In the halfpipe event, skiers perform tricks as they travel
\ndown the pipe. They are judged on amplitude, technical difficulty, creativity
\nand landing. Each competitor gets two runs in qualification with the top 12
\nreaching the final, in which the results are based on the best out of three
\nruns.<\/p>\n
The Winter Park Competition Center has been well represented in past years with Birk Irving, Svea\u2019s brother, bringing home gold from the 2016 Winter Youth Olympics in Norway.<\/p>\n
Also, former Competition Center athlete Connor Ladd has been nominated to compete in the men\u2019s freeski halfpipe in the 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games.<\/p>\n