His dream of playing in the NFL apparently not meant to be, two-time World Cup moguls champion Jeremy Bloom has returned to the U.S. Ski Team in hopes of making his third Olympic team.
A star kick returner for the University of Colorado, Bloom decided to focus on football after finishing sixth at the 2006 Turin Olympics. He was drafted in the fifth round that year by the Philadelphia Eagles.
Bloom tore a hamstring in training camp and spent the 2006 season on injured reserve. The Eagles cut him after training camp in 2007, and he signed with Pittsburgh last January. The Steelers cut him Aug. 25.
“It was a much harder decision than I anticipated when I got released by the Steelers,” Bloom said Monday of returning to skiing after a two-year hiatus. “I knew I didn’t want to sit on another practice squad, and I had other projects I was working on. I didn’t want to go back to skiing just because it was the path of least resistance or because it was the most familiar to me. I really spent a great deal of time trying to evaluate where my heart was and exactly what it was I wanted to do in the future.”
Bloom’s other activities included working with the Donna Wheeler Foundation, a nonprofit organization he founded that is similar to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, but for senior citizens.
Bloom went to Switzerland with the ski team last month, and that training camp went well, so he decided to take the plunge back into competitive skiing. He will be training with the team this week in the Colorado high country as it moves around looking for adequate snow.
“What it comes down to is, I’m not quite ready to say goodbye,” Bloom said.
In the past, trying to catch up with the World Cup freestyle tour after a significant hiatus has been challenging because the difficulty of aerial tricks evolved rapidly. It might be easier for Bloom, though.
“There have been several rule changes at the international level that have limited the amount of growth that can take place, especially in the jumps,” Bloom said. “They’ve gone back to much more emphasis on turns and line. From afar, I’ve been very surprised by the lack of progression. That helped open the door for my return, because I would not be coming back if I didn’t feel like I can be competitive as one of the world’s best skiers.”
The World Cup freestyle schedule begins Dec. 18 in Meribel, France.
John Meyer: 303-954-1616 or jmeyer@denverpost.com
