Now, four years later, Moseley said he had to try something even more different to separate himself from a talented group of challengers. So he will unveil the Dinner Roll in today's men's moguls final on the Champions course at Deer Valley Resort.
The new move is a 720-degree spin performed horizontal to the slope. Moseley has been working on it in practice and said his use of it today "is pretty much a done deal."
The trick is not going to be easy, however, and neither is Moseley's attempt at repeating as Olympic champion. He spent two seasons away from World Cup competition before finishing 19th in moguls in 2001. He is ranked 16th this season, including a victory last month in France.
"I'm a little less gripped," Moseley said of his approach. "Every day, every run, I remind myself not to be stressed up there, just ski. The more you worry, the less fun it is. So I'm trying to be more aware of my surroundings and enjoy myself.
"I expect to go out there, get big air off the top, ski fast through the middle, throw a clean double roll, then ski out to my family and friends and get a big high-five session going."
Moseley also said the crowd, which is expected to be more than 13,000, would work for him.
"I'm a big show-off, so this will be perfect for me," he said.
The competition, which consists of a qualification round and a final round of one run each, is expected to be wide open. There have been six winners in the first six World Cup events of the 2001-02 season.
Jeremy Bloom of Loveland, Colo., is the World Cup leader and a fascinating story. A high school all-state wide receiver, Bloom delayed acceptance of a football scholarship offered by the University of Colorado to work on his freestyle skiing.
"I don't have expectations. I have a goal," Bloom said. "I want to come here and focus on what I have been all year, and that's just skiing well and not worrying about outside pressure or extra attention. I need to filter all that and go do my thing on the hill."
Bloom and Moseley will be challenged by a strong team from Finland that includes cousins Janne Lahtela and Sami Mustonen and 2001 world champion Mikko Ronkainen. Canada's team includes Stephane Rochon, who is third in the World Cup standings, and 1994 gold medalist Jean-Luc Brassard. France offers 1999 world champion Johann Gregoire and Laurent Niol.
The Champions course at Deer Valley is longer and steeper than any on the World Cup circuit, measuring 857 feet with a 28-degree pitch. Contestants ski in front of a panel of seven judges, who will score them on turns, upright jumps, speed, and errors or falls.
Joe Juliano's e-mail address is jjuliano@phillynews.com.
