Editing Freestyle skiing (section)

== History ==
Ski acrobatics have been exhibited since 1906.<ref>Lund, Einar (1941) “The Somersault in 1906” ''American Ski Annual''</ref><ref>Lund, Morten; Miller, Peter (1998) [https://books.google.com/books?id=tlgEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA11 Roots of an Olympic Sport: Freestyle] ''Skiing Heritage'' Vol 10 #1: 11-20</ref><ref>[https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85042354/1916-02-11/ed-1/seq-17/ Hendrickson, Champion Fancy Ski Jumper] [Wilmington] ''Evening Journal'' 1916-02-11 pg 17</ref><ref>[https://www.britishpathe.com/video/tricks-on-skis/ ''Tricks On Skis''] (1935)</ref> Aerial skiing was popularized by John Rudd at the 1908 [[U.S. National Ski Jumping Championships|National Championship Ski Jumping Tournament]] in [[Duluth, Minnesota]],<ref>Matteson, Sumner (1908) [https://books.google.com/books?id=yJjNAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA400 National Ski Tournament] ''Hearst's Magazine-World Today'' Vol 14 #4:400</ref> in the 1930s by [[Olle Rimfors]], and again in the 1950s by Olympic gold medalist [[Stein Eriksen]]. Early US competitions were held in the mid-1960s.<ref>Miller, Peter (1973) [https://books.google.com/books?id=1ZYohunRkSIC&pg=PA47 Cult, Philosophy, Sport, Art Form: Freestyle Skiing is American Made] ''Ski'' Vol 38 #2:47-49, 109, 111</ref><ref>Levinson, David; Christensen, Karen (1999) [https://books.google.com/books?id=Q8NMAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA360 ''Encyclopedia of World Sport: From Ancient Times to the Present''] Oxford University Press {{ISBN|9780195131956}} pg 360</ref>

In 1969, Waterville Valley Ski Area in New Hampshire, formed the first freestyle instruction program, making the resort the birthplace of freestyle skiing. The following year, Corcoran and Doug Pfeiffer, organized the first National Open Championships of Freestyle Skiing on the Sunnyside trails.  In 1971, Waterville Valley Hosted the first Professional Freestyle Skiing Competition, which attracted freestyle skiing legends to Waterville Valley.  Some of these competitors, such as Wayne Wong, Floyd Wilkie, and George Askevold, stayed at Waterville Valley as coaches of the first Freestyle Ski Team.  
[[File:Fathers of freestyle.jpg|thumb|Legends of Freestyle Skiing 30th Anniversary March 8, 2001.  Left to right: Paul O'Neill, Floyd Wilkie, Wayne Wong, George Askevold.]]

[[International Ski Federation]] (FIS) recognized freestyle skiing as a sport in 1979 and brought in new regulations regarding certification of athletes and jump techniques in an effort to curb the dangerous elements of the competitions. The first [[FIS Freestyle Skiing World Cup]] was staged in 1980 and the first [[FIS Freestyle World Ski Championships]] took place in 1986 in [[Tignes]], [[France]].  Freestyle skiing was a [[Demonstration sport|demonstration event]] at the [[Freestyle skiing at the 1988 Winter Olympics|1988 Winter Olympics]] in [[Calgary]]. Mogul skiing was added as an official medal event at the [[Freestyle skiing at the 1992 Winter Olympics|1992 Winter Olympics]] in [[Albertville]], and the aerials event was added for the [[Freestyle skiing at the 1994 Winter Olympics|1994 Winter Olympics]] in [[Lillehammer]]. In 2011, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) approved both halfpipe and slopestyle freeskiing events to be added to the [[2014 Winter Olympics]] in [[Sochi]], [[Russia]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.newschoolers.com/news/read/Halfpipe-Skiing-Approved-2014-Winter-Olympics|title=Halfpipe Skiing Approved For 2014 Winter Olympics|newspaper=Newschoolers.com|access-date=2016-11-29}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.newschoolers.com/news/read/Slopestyle-Skiing-Approved-2014-Olympics|title=Slopestyle Skiing Approved for 2014 Olympics|newspaper=Newschoolers.com|access-date=2016-11-29}}</ref>