By Jonathan L'Ecuyer
ROCKPORT — For the average skier, finding oneself airborne and upside-down on a mountain slope usually means just one thing — a hard, potentially painful landing awaits.
Rockport teens Brendan Wall and Kyle Keating, however, are not your average skiers. Their aerial acrobatic talents earned them a trip to this year's Freestyle Junior Olympic Games.
Wall, 15, earned enough points in regional tournaments this season to punch a return ticket to the Games, hosted annually by the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) and held this year from March 3 to 9 in Steamboat Springs, Colo.
It was an achievement Wall first accomplished last year.
This year, Wall placed fifth overall in the aerial competition — his specialty — but notched first place in his group of 77 boys between 13 and 18 years old.
The slopes are a second home to the Rockport High School freshman, who tightened his first pair of ski boots when he was just 4 years old while on a family ski trip to New Hampshire's White Mountains. Wall is as comfortable on snow-packed trails as he is at home on Pigeon Hill Street, but admits there is always at least some fear.
"It's definitely scary," said Wall, who skis about 70 days of the year. "I've had a couple of concussions, but I haven't broken any bones yet."
Wall describes one of his most challenging moves — a "Cork 900" — as an off-axis, 900-degree aerial rotation.
"We are very proud of Brendan's hard work and dedication," said his mother, Elaine, on Friday, "but most of all, his fearlessness."
Wall and Keating, a 16-year-old sophomore, each take their skiing seriously enough to leave Rockport High School each winter to attend Waterville Valley Academy in New Hampshire from January until March.
"It's only me and Kyle that ski (like this) at our school," Wall said. "We challenge each other and push each other to do better. He's better on the rails than I am, but we're just about equal on everything else."
At the academy, Wall and Keating study academics from 7 to 11 a.m. and ski all afternoon.
Wall said he is allowed to attend the academy and ski as often as he does as long as he keeps his grades up.
Attempts to contact Keating were not returned by press time.
Wall, who cites Loon Mountain as his favorite New Hampshire ski resort and Head as his favorite brand of skis, looks to "XGames" athletes for inspiration and said his ultimate goal is to make the U.S. Olympic team.
He does have a backup career plan, though, if the Olympic dream doesn't quite pan out.
"If I don't progress better, I want to own a ski shop," he said.
The Junior Olympics brings together the top junior competitors from each ski discipline — moguls, dual moguls, aerials, slopestyle, halfpipe, combined — and the best competitor in each age class.
According to the USSA Web site, freestyle skiing was named for the "free" and creative element introduced by athletes who resisted traditional alpine and Nordic skiing.
Wall said his competitive skiing is done until next season, but he will be hitting the slopes again much sooner than that thanks to an upcoming family ski trip to Whistler Blackcomb Ski Resort in British Columbia, Canada.
Jonathan L'Ecuyer can be reached at jlecuyer@gloucestertimes.com.
