Last Thursday, the U.S. aerials team of Ashley Caldwell, Chris Lillis, and Justin Schoenfeld shocked the world and took gold ahead of a heavily-favored Chinese squad in the first ever mixed team competition.
Caldwell, Lillis, and Schoenfeld all train at the U.S. Ski Team’s Center of Excellence in Park City. Schoenfeld stomped the final jump, a back double full full full – which is three flips and four twists — to secure gold for the United States.
"I honestly tried not to think about that that was the final jump that could potentially win for my team," Schoenfeld said after the event. "I tried to keep my cool and do what I needed to do."
Schoenfeld's dad, Rob, lives in Jeremy Ranch with his wife, Angela. The two woke up before sunrise to watch the competition live and Rob said it was surreal to watch his son and his teammates become Olympic champions.
“As parents, you don’t really ever get used to watching your kids compete, at this level, anyway," he said. "It was nerve-wracking, to say the least. We were all up at 4am watching them compete. Just to watch them land those jumps and successfully win that gold, you really just can’t put into words how exciting it is for those kids.”
Rob said the family had plans in place to travel to Beijing, but the rapidly-spreading omicron COVID-19 variant forced Olympic organizers to bar foreign spectators over health concerns just before the Games opened. Although disappointed, he said he’s no stranger to waking up in the middle of the night to watch a competition overseas.
Schoenfeld is originally from Indiana and grew up skiing at the small Perfect North Slopes ski area – about a 30-minute drive west of Cincinnati, Ohio – where Rob was a longtime ski patroller. Rob remembered a moment when a five-year-old Justin told his dad what his dreams were.
“I can tell you there’s nothing better than a chairlift ride with your kids," he shared. "That’s, for me, probably the most gratifying part of the snow-ski sport, just getting to talk in quiet times with your kids. I can remember Justin, he would tell me over and over and over again, ‘Dad, I just want to be a professional skier,’ and I’m like, ‘Okay buddy!’ When he’s a little kid you’re like, ‘Sure! Chase your dreams!’ Sure enough, he found a sport that he was good at and works really hard and made it to the Olympics.”
Schoenfeld and his teammates are still in the middle of competition in Beijing. Individual qualification and medal rounds for both men and women are next week. Until Justin gets back to Park City, Rob said he’ll be there every morning, glued to the TV.
“We’ve got a whole 'nother week of no sleep ahead of us," he laughed. "These 4am mornings are kinda rough, but when they get home, absolutely, we are definitely gonna celebrate, and I cannot wait to hold that gold medal.”
Rob said he’s looking forward to traveling to Italy for the next Winter Olympics in 2026.
Aerials competition in Beijing continues with the women’s qualifications on Sunday, February 13th, and the men's on Tuesday the 15th.
