Hello, and happy Monday, folks. Today we wanted to share some excellent news with our eTags community here on the blog. We are super stoked to announce that our friend – the talented athlete Derek Krueger – has qualified for the Olympic Team and will be competing on the world’s stage at the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Games starting this week! And as one of his very proud sponsors, our family here at eTags could not be more excited to watch him shine.
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Curious to know about Derek? Here are some FAQs asked and answered for you:
Who is Derek Krueger?
Hailing from Cleveland, Ohio (where eTags also helps folks with tags and titles), 22 year-old Derek Krueger is a freestyle and aerial skier who has been honing his sport since childhood.
What is Derek’s training history?
Derek Krueger started his career in freestyle skiing as a boy, and left home at age 14 in order to train seriously. He has undergone training at the aerial development program in Lake Placid, NY, and at Park City Ski and Snowboard’s Elite Aerial Develop Program. He is also a part of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard development camp.
What is Derek’s rank?
Securing 4th place at Lake Placid’s World Cup last month, Derek is currently ranked 17th…in the world!
What is aerial skiing?
Aerial skiing is a freestyle type of sport in which a skier will launch himself off of an extremely steep ramp, shoot into the air, and perform several different kinds of flips and twists. Aerialist skiers have been known to reach incredible heights mid-air: sometimes up to 50 feet. You can think of it as flying acrobatics on skis.
How are aerial ski jumps judged in the Olympics?
Aerial performances are judged on a number of factors:
- The degree of difficulty each maneuver has assigned to it
- Air – how high and how far into the air a skier jumps. The more air, the more time the athlete has to perform.
- Form – this is the technical stuff: the execution, body positioning, and how much control an athlete maintains while airborne.
- Landing – clean landings count for 30% of a jump’s score. Landings are meant to be smooth, clean, and safe.
Who else is on the U.S. Aerial Ski Team?
Derek is in great company with the following talented athletes:
- Chris Lillis
- Kyra Dossa
- Connor Curran
- Kaila Kuhn
- Quinn Dehlinger
- Winter Vinecki
- Tasia Tanner
When can I watch Derek Krueger compete?
Here is the schedule for when Derek steps onto the world stage:
Tuesday, Feb. 17
7:30 a.m. — Men’s Aerials Qualification 1
8:15 a.m. — Men’s Aerials Qualification 2
Thursday, Feb. 19 (Provided that he qualifies)
5:30 A.M. – Men’s Aerials Final 1
6:30 a.m. — Men’s Aerials Final 2
And if you’d like to get better acquainted with Derek, take a peek here at a recent interview he gave.
In the meantime, here at eTags we’ve got our viewing party set up and ready to support this determined young man’s amazing efforts. Derek, we are so proud, and we can’t wait to watch you soar straight for the gold!
