US Freestyle Ski Team Member: David Babic
Read David's blog, as he begins the 2006-2007 World Cup Season!
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DAVID BABIC
Freestyle A Team
Height: 5-11 (1.78m)
Weight: 175 (80kg)
DOB: June 13, 1979
Birthplace: Berlin, VT
Hometown: Washington, VT
Home Ski Area: Sugarbush
Year on Team: 5th
School: Champlain College
Club: Sugarbush Freestyle (VT)
Sponsors:
Sugarbush Ski Resort, Dynastar, Look, Lange, Bolle’ Optics, Scott Poles, and Poc
Highlights:
Sixth on World Cup Grand Prix ‘06
2006 National Champion (Moguls)
2006 National Championships (Duals)
Preformed first off-axis 1080 jump in World Cup
First World Cup Win (Airolo, Sui ‘04)
Ninth in duals at '03 and ‘05 World Championships
Vermonter David Babic (BAA-bik) shifted from basketball to moguls when he saw the 1994 Olympics on TV. In 2001, he camped out near Oregon's Mount Hood to spend the summer on snow. In 2002, he won a Nor Am title and made the Ski Team; in '03, he grabbed a World Cup podium, showing he belonged on the World Cup. During the 2004 season he earned a flurry of top five-world cup finishes including his first world cup win at Airolo, Switzerland.
Update: Babic has continued to grow on the world cup tour and in the aftermath of the 2006 season stands as one of the sturdy veterans to lead a young American squad into the 2007 World Championships. He finished the 2006 season with a flurry of top 5 World cup results and capped of the season with Two National podiums, including his first National Championships title. “Winning the US Championships has been a goal for a few years now, but after a long World Cup tour it is difficult to be in the right place mentally and physically. I learned a lot this year and made some adjustments to my game plan that really improved my results”. Babic continues to push his own level by making technical changes in his skiing and not to mention performing the first every off-axis 1080 degree spin in World Cup competition. In addition to competition, Babic is the co-author of the much-anticipated book, ‘New School’. With the help of a German National team athlete, they have combined their knowledge of skiing and jumping to build an informative guide for learning tricks ranging from basic 360-degrees spins through the more complicated 720 D Spin. The book is due for release in the fall of 2005, and will be a great reference for both athletes and coaches. Babic has also stayed busy in the summer starting his own business, ‘Babic Sports LLC’ and is the new director of the Mogul Logic summer ski camps.
Start-up: Skiing since he was 8, Babic was floored when he watched Jean-Luc Brassard collect a gold medal in the '94 Olympics. Babic said,” You can get a medal for doing that?' I was blown away," He enrolled in Nick Preston's program at Waterville Valley, NH, then moved to Colorado to ski with Brian McNamara, coach of Team Breck (CO). During the summer of 2001, he and a friend camped in Mount Hood improving their skiing. Training with Breck's John Dowling, he set the table for ensuing success. He started as a combined skier and competed in inverted aerials at the Nor Am level; coaches feel that background – and Babic's natural athleticism – helped him quickly grasp off-axis moves. With a world cup win now under his belt, he’s developing a formula for success at the highest level.
First World Cup: Dec. 1, 2002 at Tignes, France (Sixth in moguls)
First World Cup Win: Mar. 7, 2004 at Airolo, Switzerland
World Cup Season: 6thoverall on World Cup Tour
Olympics/Worlds: 2005 Worlds – Tied for ninth in duals
2003/Worlds:Tied for ninth in duals
Tidbits: Savors bow hunting, fly-fishing, and currently holds and associates degree in Business management.
On the Web: check out http://www.mogullogic.com
