For most moguls skiers, being ranked 27th in the world would be a dream come true. It means you’re among the world’s best, competing in prestigious events like World Cups, World Championships and Olympic Games.On a stacked U.S. team, 27th unfortunately wasn’t good enough for Parkite Dylan Marc ellini. Through six cups to open the season, the 22 year old found his results flatlining. He wasn’t making the necessary jump from year two to three. The U.S. men’s and women’s teams each get four skiers cup, championships and Olympic starts guaranteed if they meet certain rankings requirements. At 27 in the world, Marcellini found himself in that dreaded fifth position. While Marcellini’s remaining three cup and World Championships starts were already locked in, he made the difficult decision with his U.S. team coaches to take a step down to the NorAm circuit. On the NorAm, American, Canadian and Australian skiers vie for prizes like cup starts. The winner on both the men’s and women’s sides walks away with their cup starts fully-secured for the next season. Marcellini receives coaching from U.S. Ski Team coach Brad Wilson, who Marcellini said was instrumental in helping him claim NorAm glory this spring. Credit: Photo courtesy of Hank KosinskiWhere Marcellini could’ve hung his head and pouted, thinking, “How have I ended up here as one of the best moguls skiers in the world?” he instead got right to work. He went on to win three competitions along the four stop NorAm circuit, winning the series title by over 100 points, his cup starts for next year secured. “It wasn’t necessarily the season I had envisioned,” said Marcellini. “It was kind of a step down.”Marcellini said he and his coaches wrestled with the decision to take the step down. “It was a tough decision,” said Marcellini. “But it was a really good learning opportunity for me.”Marcellini for once wasn’t a challenger on the NorAm circuit; he was the favorite. He sharpened his skiing under the pressure of knowing his next year’s starts were on the line. Marcellini will look to build on his NorAm wins and continue his momentum at this weekend’s national championships at Palisades Tahoe in California. The event will be a homecoming for him, growing up just hours West in Walnut Creek. Marcellini has confidence and feels he will ski freely with next year already locked in to a large degree.“It’s not a super high pressure event for me this time,” added Marcellini on nationals. “But it’s a cool one where I’ll have a bunch of friends and family here, my mom and dad will be here, which is awesome.”It wouldn’t hurt Marcellini if he showed off his best stuff for all the U.S. team to see. The U.S. team is giving Marcellini and other mogulists a few weeks off after the championships to get some rest before getting them back to work. Marcellini is anticipating a busy summer, when he’ll be on whatever snow the team can find, in the gym at the Center of Excellence and helping out his dad Dale’s construction company in Walnut Creek. Marcellini throws on the breaks at the bottom of the Stratton Mountain Resort NorAm course in Vermont earlier this month. Credit: Photo courtesy of Hank KosinskiThe U.S. moguls team is well-funded, but Marcellini wants to get to work with his dad and learn a craft that could serve him well post-skiing. “There’s not much time this year with the Olympic year,” said Marcellini on making it out to Walnut Creek to work alongside his dad. “Hopefully I’ll get a couple weeks here and there where I can come out and try and learn the trade a little bit, learn from my dad and his guys.”Marcellini has his eyes on making that Olympic team, which would be his first. In 2022, the U.S. team sent Parkites Nick Page, Cole McDonald and Brad Wilson to Beijing, along with Dylan Walczyk. Marcellini will need to continue momentum into early next season to grab the Olympic bid. He likely wishes this season wasn’t ending now with his form back in tact, although nearly every skier needs a lengthy break by the end of the season. “Winning feels really good, and I had a lot of friends that were there with me, so it was a cool experience,” concluded Marcellini on his NorAm experience. “It would be great to have it be a one and done, having won it and then hopefully stay up on the World Cup circuit from here on. … We’ve got a strong men’s team, so it will be a tough one to make the Olympic team, but I’m hopeful that I can just work really hard this summer and make some good improvements.”The post Dylan Marcellini makes his way back to World Cup circuit appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less