By Kathryn Reed
OLYMPIC VILLAGE — Jonny Moseley will finally see the Olympics.
He vaguely remembers going to a hockey game in 1998 when he competed in the Nagano, Japan, Games. He skipped the opening ceremonies. He admits to having been obsessed with the competition. It paid off. He won gold that year in moguls.
Squaw's Jonny Moseley will be the voice of NBC Sports for some Olympic events. Photo/Kathryn Reed
Four years later in Salt Lake City he made a point of going to the opening ceremonies. But that was it. When his event was over he flew to New York to be host of “Saturday Night Live†while the competition in Utah continued.
Moseley enjoyed Torino, Italy, more – where he was able to hang out because he wasn’t competing.
In February, Moseley will see at least three events — moguls, aerials and skiercross — because he will be providing color commentary for NBC Sports. He will be in Vancouver (aka Whistler) from Feb. 7-27 to do prep work and on-air work.
This week he is in Steamboat to work the U.S. Olympic trials.
Travel is a big part of Moseley’s life. He’ll be in Canada before the Olympics to work on the next Warren Miller movie. For the last three films he has been the voice of the ski film.
Moseley told Lake Tahoe News he was nervous when first approached to be the narrator of the almost cult-like films. He didn’t know what people would think of him taking over for the iconic Miller.
It seems to be working.
In this year’s movie, Moseley is back tearing up the slopes. Eight minutes is devoted to Lake Tahoe. He hopes to get some of the multitude of Tahoe resorts on film at least every other year.
Skiing has been a part of Moseley’s life since he was 3 when his family moved to the Bay Area from his native Puerto Rico.
It’s hard to know if the skiing gene was passed on to his 2-year-old son Jack.
“My No. 1 goal was to make him not hate skiing,†Moseley said. Jack doesn’t even like to see after-ski boots. This happened after Moseley had Jack on skis last year.
Moseley didn’t intend to start his son skiing so soon, but his buddy and fellow Olympian Daron Rahlves put on the peer pressure by showing off his twins, who are the same age as Jack, on skis.
“I hope I didn’t scar him,†Moseley said.
He might take it slower with his next child who is due in May.
Even though Moseley has a bachelor’s degree from Cal, the 34-year-old hopes to make a living in the ski industry for years to come.
At Squaw last week, he talked about how it was difficult at first to do television. It’s one thing to participate in the sport; it’s another to know the intricacies of the judging and nuances of the competitors to be able to sound articulate on air. He didn’t realize how much research is involved.
Another interesting aspect is being in a studio in Los Angeles and doing the color for an event that is hundreds or thousands of miles away.
When he is at Squaw skiing with friends or acting as ambassador for the resort he stays at the family cabin just down the road from the slope. The rest of the time he calls Marin County home.
As Squaw’s chief mountain host it means he will be taking guests around the mountain Dec. 26-Jan. 2 at 1pm each day from the top of the Funitel. After his Olympic obligations are over, more days may be scheduled.
He doesn’t mind being used in this way – nor does he see it as being used.
“I have a huge affinity for Squaw. It’s easy for me to tell people about the virtues of Squaw,†Moseley said. “My whole career I’ve been on display so I’m used to it.â€
Moseley’s Career Highlights:
2007 Inducted into Ski Hall of Fame
2005 Hosts first-ever urban big-air contest on the streets of San Francisco – ICER AIR
2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games – 4th Place
2000 U.S. Open Champion in Slopestyle
1999 X Games Big Air silver medalist
1998 Olympics Gold Medal, moguls
1998 World Cup moguls champion
1998 U.S. moguls champion
1998 World Cup moguls Champion
1996 and 1995 World Cup Overall Champion
28 World Cup top-2’s including 17 wins
15 U.S. Championship top-10s
