Jen Hudak

Jen Hudak
Medal record
Women's Freestyle skiing
Representing the  United States
FIS Freestyle World Ski Championships
2011 Deer Valley Halfpipe
2009 Inawashiro Halfpipe
Winter X Games
2010 Aspen Superpipe
2009 Aspen Superpipe
2007 Aspen Superpipe
2008 Aspen Superpipe
New Zealand Winter Games
2011 Cardrona Halfpipe
2011 Cardrona Big Air

Jen Hudak (born September 7, 1986 in Hamden, Connecticut) is an American freestyle skier, specializing in the halfpipe and slopestyle events. She currently resides in Utah, where she skis and trains regularly.

Career

Jen's professional skiing career began in 2004, when she won the US Free Skiing Open. In 2005 and 2006, Hudak won the Junior National and U.S. National Halfpipe Championship, respectively.

2009

Hudak had a solid start to 2009, winning silver at both the Winter Dew Tour and Winter X Games. On January 31, 2009, at a World Cup event in Park City Utah, Hudak landed backwards on an attempted 720, caught an edge and was thrown into the opposite wall. She pulled out of the event and was on crutches for the remainder of the day. Local doctors assumed she'd merely damaged her meniscus. However, an MRI a few weeks later revealed a severe cartilage tear – all the way to the bone in some areas.[1] She ignored the doctors' advice not to ski and won the U.S. Open the next day. That March, she also took third at the World Ski Championship in Inawashiro, Japan. However, when her knee began acting up again she opted to cut her season short.

In September 2009, Hudak finally stepped back into ski boots during a trip to Chile.

2010

In 2010, she'd established herself as the premier U.S. women's halfpipe skier, sweeping the X Games superpipe in both Aspen, CO and Tignes, France. By the end of the season, she was ranked first by the Association of Freeskiing Professionals (AFP) for the second year in a row, and nominated for an ESPY in the Best Female Action Sports Athlete category.

2011

On January 24, 2011, Hudak competed in the Winter X Games for the seventh time, her first as defending champion. During her first run, Hudak's ski popped off while landing a 720° tail grab. She had an unclean landing on the same trick during her second run. She finished her final run by landing a 1080° tail grab, but caught an edge as she went to turn and fell. Jen finished fifth, her first time in five years not earning a medal.

On February 5, 2011, Hudak competed in the FIS Freestyle World Championships. Representatives from the International Olympic Committee were in attendance, using the event to evaluate the sport's possible inclusion in the 2014 Winter Olympic Games.[2] Hudak managed to finish second despite 25 mph crosswinds and other unideal weather conditions.

In March 2011, Hudak's season came to an abrupt end after suffering a slight tear to the glenohumeral ligaments during a crash at the Winter X Games in Europe.[3]

2012

On January 10, 2012, Hudak failed to clear a table-top jump while skiing at Breckenridge, Colorado.[4] She tore her ACL, meniscus, and cracked the surface of her femur, which leaked bone marrow into the joint. Hudak spent nine months recovering from her fifth knee surgery on February 1, 2012, and didn’t return to snow until November 2012.

2013

In 2013, Hudak made her comeback at Winter X Games Aspen '13. She advanced to the finals and finished seventh.

On December 11, 2013, Hudak suffered a torn meniscus and partially torn ACL in her left knee during the Dew Tour iON Mountain Championships, the first of five Olympic selection events, in Breckenridge, Colorado. She flew to San Francisco to undergo immediate surgery on her left knee, in hopes that she'd be able to compete in one of the final Olympic selection events in January. With surgery completed, Hudak began physical therapy on December 30.

Personal life

In 2016, Jen graduated from the University of Utah with a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology. She also minored in Business.

References

  1. ↑ Maletz, Jon (January 27, 2010). "Back from injury, Jen Hudak ready to soar at Winter X". The Aspen Times. Retrieved December 22, 2013.
  2. ↑ Perryman, Freddy (February 5, 2011). "Hudak, Dumont medal in Halfpipe World Championships". The Ski Channel. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  3. ↑ Pattison, Andrew (March 15, 2011). "Jen Hudak injured in WXE pipe training". ESPN Action Sports. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  4. ↑ Berg, Aimee (January 21, 2013). "Go For The Gold: Jen Hudak". Retrieved December 22, 2013.


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