No ifs about it: Bloom an Olympian

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo. - In a sport filled with lots of bumps, jumps, ice and ifs, the closest thing to a sure thing over the past 12 months has been a football player.

At the Olympic trials Friday, Jeremy Bloom showed his mastery of his "other" sport yet again, maneuvering through the moguls to secure the spot on the U.S. freestyle skiing team that pretty much everyone knew he'd get.

"It's nice to check that box," said Bloom, a two-sport athlete whose trip to Italy will be followed a week later by a showing at the NFL scouting combine. "I've been saying for too long, 'Well, if I make the Olympics, I'll go to the combine a week after.' Now, I know. After the Olympics, I'll be at the combine. No more ifs."

Hannah Kearney joined Bloom in earning an automatic spot on the 14-person freestyle team. Two more spots were to be awarded at the aerials competition later Friday. With a score of 26.66, Kearney edged out 2002 silver medalist Shannon Bahrke. Bloom (27.82) narrowly beat Travis Mayer, although on this day, first was the only place that mattered.

Even had he not won Friday on a cloudy, calm day at Steamboat, it was pretty much a given Bloom would have found another way to qualify for Italy. Last year, he won the World Cup title by stringing together six straight wins, an almost inconceivable feat given the nature of moguls skiing, one of the most fickle sports around.

As if to prove how volatile it really is, Bloom nearly blew up after his first jump in qualifying, barely saving himself to complete the run, but finishing 10th of the 12 skiers.

Luckily for him, all qualifying counted for was to determine the starting order in finals. It meant Bloom had to spend nearly a half-hour at the bottom of the hill after his winning run, as he watched skier after skier try and fail to beat him.

As is often the case with the best athletes, it wasn't only about winning for Bloom on this day.

"I had a big goal today, but it wasn't making the team," he said. "It was improving my skiing and accomplishing the goals I set and improving the aspects I need to improve. That happened today and that's why I'm happy."

Specifically, Bloom was looking for better angles around the moguls to increase his speed, which counts for 25 percent of the score. He also wanted to work on his top jump, a 720 Iron Cross in which he spins around twice with his skis crossed, and not rush it so he could perform it closer to perfect.

He did all that, keeping his hips flowing, his legs in perfect sync and rushing down the VooDoo run in 21.89 seconds. When he was done, he knew he had nailed it, and he gave a celebratory uppercut with his left hand, then waited for the score to be posted.

It was good enough to win.

"He's composed. He's primed," U.S. coach Jeff Wintersteen said. "He gets it done."

And it's not like he's doing it against nobodies.

The United States has five of the top 11 moguls skiers in the world and one or two will almost certainly be left behind when the plane leaves for Turin.

Third-place finisher Toby Dawson did a pair of jumps that both were more difficult than what Bloom tries. He finished.76 seconds slower than Bloom, though, and while his jumps were clean, he still wound up third,.98 points behind Bloom.

"It's a little frustrating," Dawson said. "But you take what you get. That's what you get for having a judged sport."

While there's more qualifying pressure to come for Dawson, Bloom now knows what's in store for February: Freestyle skiing on the 15th, followed by a quick trip back to Indianapolis and a shot at the NFL scouting combine. The speedy receiver was on his way to stardom at Colorado before NCAA rules forbidding him to take sponsorship money forced him to choose between college football and skiing. On Friday, fans held up CU banners and one even had Bloom's No. 15 Colorado jersey on display.

Although skiing occupies all his time now, he's not shy about discussing his future in football.

"I'm very happy to make the Olympic team and that's my focus now," Bloom said. "But whenever someone brings up football, I get a big smile on my face."

Like Bloom, Kearney also had a bad qualifying run, stacked on top of some poor skiing over the last few weeks. She won a World Cup event earlier this month, and had pretty much secured her spot on the Olympic team, but was dealing with a confidence crisis heading into the finals.

"It's a giant relief," she said. "I was nervous today because I've been skiing so poorly. So, to have a good run really makes me feel good."