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South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Moseley Is Still Riding High

By Dave Joseph

October 1, 2004
Copyright © 2004 South Florida Sun-Sentinel. All rights reserved. 

Jonny Moseley is going through what he calls "a funky transition."

The freestyle moguls champion and gold medal winner has gone from hosting Saturday Night Live and giving commencement speeches ("Is Maya Angelou speaking at the X Games?") to attending classes at the University of California-Berkeley and trying to figure out what to declare as his major. "Being in transition is a weird thing," said Moseley, 29, Wednesday evening. "I freak out once in a while. But I'm so psyched working toward something new."

Although Moseley hasn't competed since 2002, he still remains one of the most popular sports stars to emerge from the Winter Olympics in the past decade. And he's likely to be a favorite of the thousands who will crowd into the Broward County Convention Center this weekend for the Southeast Winter Sports Show.

Presented by Peter Glenn Ski & Sports, the show, which runs today through Sunday, features exhibits from ski resorts, snow ski, snowboard and in-line skate manufacturers, a rock climbing wall and children's activity area.

For Moseley, who will attend the Winter Sports Show along with X Games Superpipe gold medalist Steve Fisher, it's a chance to meet fans, continue his affiliation with sponsors, and maybe do a little surfing on Fort Lauderdale Beach.

"I still ski," said Moseley, a native of Puerto Rico who lives just outside San Francisco, "but I only ski recreationally these days."

Moseley, who won the World Cup men's moguls title in 1998 and the World Cup overall championships in 1995-96, won the gold medal in freestyle moguls at Nagano, Japan in 1998. His celebrity included hosting Saturday Night Live and being named one of People magazine's 50 Most Eligible Bachelors.

But he gained a huge following in the 2002 Olympics when, despite realizing it would cost him a gold medal, Moseley went ahead and performed a maneuver christened the Dinner Role -- kicking his legs out and tucking and spinning twice in the air before landing. He didn't medal, finishing fourth.

"Two years after the fact, I get a lot of people coming up to me and telling me, `You got ripped off,'" Moseley said. "Not getting a podium had as much of an impact as winning the gold medal."

Although Moseley has remained visible through some film work, he's excited about finishing his undergraduate studies and focusing on a new career.

"I was kind of burned out because I had competed for so long," Moseley said. "My goal for so long was winning a gold medal that I needed to re-organize my life around other things. I was involved in [skiing] for so long, I'm excited to see what the rest of my holds."

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