Patrick Deneen
Freestyle Skiing - Moguls
2010 Olympic hopeful
Personal Specs
Height: 5'7"
Short List Performance
- 2009 World Championships - gold medalist (moguls), fifth (dual moguls)
- Four career World Cup podiums
- 2006 World Junior Championships bronze medalist (dual moguls)
- 2008 U.S. Championships - fourth (moguls), fifth (dual moguls)
Vancouver Watch
Patrick Deneen may be at the outset of a long and illustrious moguls career, following in the footsteps of great U.S. skiers Jonny Moseley and Jeremy Bloom. He's only 21, and he already owns a World Championship, winning the 2009 title at his World debut. The rookie of the year on the World Cup Tour in 2008, Deneen has quickly risen to the top ranks in moguls. If he makes the podium in 2010, the U.S. Team will have medaled in men's moguls at four straight Olympic Winter Games.
Personal
Deneen's dad, the part-time owner of a ski resort in Washington, put him on skis before his first birthday. He began racing alpine but got hooked on moguls by watching freestyle skiers. He enrolled in the Silver Mountain Alpine Race Team (SMART) program and developed quickly. Deneen was home-schooled, giving him nearly 200 days per year to ski. He capitalized on the ample time and once won a downhill race and a moguls contest on the same weekend. He made his World Cup debut in 2005 at the age of 17.
His sister, Amy, also grew up competing in freestyle. His mom raises quarter horses and border collies. Deneen is into riding horses but no longer rides competitively.
Did You Know...?
- Sponsored by Shred Optics, alpine skier Ted Ligety's eyewear company
- A jokester, he once filled another racer's boots with orange peels
- Told the Spokane Spokesman Review at the age of 11, "I'm shooting for the 2006 Olympics."