U.S. Ski Team News - General

U.S. Ski Team Athletes Inducted to Hall of Fame

Wed, 1 Jul 2009 00:00:00 MST

PARK CITY, UT (July 1) The fans have weighed in. U.S. Ski Team great Picabo Street, skiing veteran Andrea Mead Lawrence and Paralympian Sarah Will all will be members of the Class of 2009 to be inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame presented by Allstate, the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) announced Tuesday.

The U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame is the only national sports hall of fame that uses fan voting as part of its selection process. This year’s U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame class is comprised of five Olympians, one Paralympian, one team, as well as three additional individuals: a coach, veteran and a special contributor.

"Andrea, Picabo and Sarah are three of the greatest ski racers of all time," said USSA President and CEO Bill Marolt. "Their accomplishments as athletes have inspired generations of aspiring Olympians. It is a great honor for them, as well as for our sport, to be recognized in the Olympic Hall of Fame."

“The USOC is very excited to honor this year’s U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame legends who have inspired many generations in this country with their courage and thrilling Olympic performances,” said USOC Acting Chief Executive Officer Stephanie Streeter. “Each of these Olympians is a worthy addition to the Hall of Fame and an overall symbol of the U.S. Olympic Movement."

Andrea Mead Lawrence skied at three Olympic Winter Games, including the 1952 Oslo Games where she won gold medals in slalom and giant slalom. Before America became the skiing force it is today, she helped build the U.S. ski program from the ground up to compete with the traditional European powers.

Mead Lawrence became the youngest athlete to be chosen for the U.S. Women’s Olympic Alpine Ski Team when, at age 14, she made the 1948 squad. In her Olympic debut, she finished eighth in the slalom at St. Moritz. Four years later, her double gold performance was lauded by Hall of Fame Olympic film producer Bud Greenspan, who called her his No. 1 Winter Olympian. She concluded her Olympic career in three races at the Cortina 1956 Olympic Winter Games, finishing fourth in the giant slalom.

Mead Lawrence, the only U.S. woman to win two skiing gold medals at one Olympic Winter Games succumbed to cancer on March 30, 2009 at age 76. She is survived by her five children and four grandchildren.

A three-time Olympian, Picabo Street first joined the U.S. Ski Team in 1989 and earned a silver medal at the 1994 Olympic Winter Games in - the downhill. The Sun Valley native left her mark in Olympic history in 1998, taking gold in the Nagano super G by a mere hundredth of a second.

"I am very stoked about it. It's such validation that the time I spent, the sacrifices I made and the success I had really meant something and they're lasting. The Hall of Fame makes it lasting," Street said. "In your heart you know no one can ever take it away from you. Then you move on and you get busy with your life and you have kids and something like this is a really nice reminder that I accomplished something great and that it still affects people in a positive way. It's really a huge, huge honor - one of those kind of honors that's hard to put words to."

Street medaled in three World Championships, earning combined silver in 1993, and super G bronze and downhill gold in 1996. Winning six of nine World Cup competitions in 1995, Street became the first American to win a World Cup season title in a speed event. After a leg injury and two years of rehabilitation, Street returned to compete in 2002 in Salt Lake City before retiring. With nine career victories, she was inducted into the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame in 2005.

Sarah Will had her first run of the mountain at the age of four. From that moment on she was hooked on the sport. In 1988, the Olympic skiing hopeful was in a serious skiing accident that paralyzed her from the waist down. Rather than give up the sport she loved, she took up mono skiing and was back on the slopes just one year later. Four years after her start in the monoski, she competed in her first Paralympic Games, winning gold in downhill and super G in 1992 in Albertville, France.

"It's one of those experiences where you feel not only proud of your accomplishments, but also proud to be among so many athletes who really dedicated their lives to their sport," Will said of her nomination. "It's an honor to be in there with people who have been pioneers and who have made sports what they are today. I congratulate all the other athletes who were nominated."

Will won a total of 12 Paralympic gold medals and one silver medal throughout her four Paralympic experiences, making her the most decorated female mono skier in U.S. Ski Team history. In 2002, Will took the Paralympic alpine skiing gold medal sweep, winning all four races, along with the U.S. Paralympic Spirit Award.

The star-studded inductee list also includes Michael Johnson (athletics), Teresa Edwards (basketball), Willye White (athletics), Mary T. Meagher (swimming) the 1992 Men’s Basketball Team, longtime Men’s Gymnastics Team coach Abie Grossfeld, and special contributor Peter Ueberroth. Amazingly, members of this talented group of athletes, teams and coaches have been a part of a combined 19 Olympic and Paralympic Games and brought home 38 medals.

Nominees for the Class of 2009 were selected by a seven-person nominating committee consisting of Olympians, members of the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame, an NGB executive director, and a USOC representative. Fan votes submitted at www.teamusa.org also played an important role in the selection process, with more than 112,000 votes cast during the voting period.

The U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame Class of 2009 will be formally introduced and honored August 12 at a banquet-style induction ceremony at McCormick Place in Chicago. The induction ceremony will air in a nationally-televised broadcast on NBC on September 5 at 2:00 p.m. ET.

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Public Invited to Center of Excellence

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 00:00:00 MST

PARK CITY, UT (June 26) – Fans of the U.S. Ski Team and U.S. Snowboarding will have a chance to get behind the scenes at the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association's new national training and education facility, the Center of Excellence, at a July 17 dedication ceremony. The public is welcomed for the dedication beginning at noon Friday, July 17, followed by public tours.

The tours will provide fans with the opportunity to see the unique athletic center firsthand, including the athlete training area, sport science lab and sports medicine rehab facility. National team athletes will be on hand to speak with the public and to sign autographs.

The Center of Excellence opened its doors to the nation's top ski and snowboarding athletes in May, signaling a new era for the century-old sports organization whose roots in Utah go back over 35 years. The 85,000 sq. ft. center will be a showcase for the sports, providing elite-level training and serving as an educational resource for the USSA's members and 400 clubs nationwide.

The Center of Excellence is the home for the USSA's top athletes, a headquarters for the Olympic sports organization, and an educational resource for athletes, coaches, judges and officials and parents. It is part of a long-term vision developed by the USSA over a decade ago, adding to the legacy of athlete training facilities spawned by the Salt Lake City Olympics. Those Games vitalized the culture of athletics in Utah with the opening of the Utah Olympic Park in the early '90s, along with the development of Soldier Hollow cross country skiing facilities and world-class venues like Park City Mountain Resort and Deer Valley Resort that remain active in competitive skiing and snowboarding.

The Center of Excellence was built on five acres just east of Park City in Quinn's Junction at the intersection of U.S. 40 and Utah 248. It is part of a bustling athletic and medical complex featuring athletic fields, an indoor ice rink, the National Ability Center and a new Intermountain Healthcare hospital.

The dedication ceremony will take place outside the Center of Excellence from 12:00-12:30 p.m. Public tours of the Center will follow from 12:30-3:00 p.m. Car pooling is encouraged. Detailed information is available here.

Team Partners with Little Hotties, Yaktrax

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 00:00:00 MST

RESEARCH PARK TRIANGLE, NC (June 18) - Implus Footcare knows extreme conditions require top performance equipment. As the U.S. Ski Team and U.S. Snowboarding begins its training for next season, the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) has named Implus Footcare family brands Little Hotties and Yaktrax as official supplier partners.

Little Hotties, a leading provider of hand, body and toe warmers, will provide the athletes, volunteers, media and support staff with products as the exclusive supplier of hand and foot warmer products. In addition, Yaktrax, a unique winter traction device, will serve as the exclusive ice traction supplier, providing traction and stability on snow and ice to all athletes and support staff. Both companies will benefit from a strong marketing presence at USSA events.

“Winter athletes and spectators are forced to compete in extremely cold and icy conditions,” said Todd Vore, president of Implus Footcare. “Little Hotties and Yaktrax are necessary winter accessories that return the focus to the sport and not the cold environment. We are proud to do our part in helping them bring home the gold!”

"Little Hotties and Yaktrax are a welcome addition to the Team", said Ted Morris, vice president of sales and marketing for the Team. "We are excited to partner with Little Hotties and Yaktrax as we launch into the Olympic season and beyond."

Little Hotties are 100% natural warming products providing 8-10 hours of immediate, on-demand heat. The product is activated by air and is shaped for use on toes, feet, hands and torso. The company became a part of the Implus Footcare brand family in January 2009.

YAKTRAX® ice traction devices stretch over everything from casual walking shoes to winter boots. Once in place, a grid of skidlock steel coils gives users traction similar to bare ground on hard-pack snow and ice. When walking, hundreds of edges bite into snow and ice, providing stability and grip in all directions.

For more information on Little Hotties Warmers, Yaktrax or Implus Footcare’s other brand families, visit www.implus.com or call 800.446.7587.

About Implus Footcare LLC
Headquartered in North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park, Implus is an innovative leader in the “below the ankle” categories of insoles, performance socks, shoe laces and shoe care. Implus’ brands include Sof Sole®, Yaktrax®, apara®, Airplus®, Sneaker Balls® and Sof Comfort®, and are distributed in over 50,000 retail outlets across North America and in 65 countries worldwide. For more information, please visit www.implus.com or call 800.446.7587.

About the U.S. Ski Team and U.S. Snowboarding
The U.S. Ski Team and U.S. Snowboarding are governed by the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association, the national Olympic organization for skiing and snowboarding. The century old organization manages year-round nationwide development and elite programs, including the national teams, in six distinctly different Olympic sports: alpine, cross country, freestyle, nordic combined, ski jumping and snowboarding, as well as two Paralympic sports - disabled alpine and disabled cross country. The USSA is based in Park City, Utah. For more information about the Teams, visit www.usskiteam.com or www.ussnowboarding.com.

Last Chance to Vote For U.S. Hall of Fame

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 00:00:00 MST

PARK CITY, UT (June 16) – The public has its final chance to vote for Olympic champion Picabo Street (Park City, UT), and Paralympic champions Greg Mannino (Eagle, CO) and Sarah Will (Vail, CO) on Tuesday as voting for the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame, presented by Allstate closes online at www.teamusa.org/halloffame.

The public has a say in the hopeful selection of the U.S. Ski Team athletes for the 2009 class of the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame. The inductees will be revealed in early July and will be honored at a black-tie induction ceremony on August 12 at McCormick Place in Chicago. The U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame is the only national sports Hall of Fame that includes fan voting.

Street, a three-time Olympian, left her mark in Olympic history in 1998, taking gold in the Nagano super G by a mere hundredth of a second. In 1992 Will won the first of 12 Paralympic golds of her career. A five-time Paralympian, Mannino was a legend in adaptive skiing winning six gold, four silver and two bronze Paralympic medals in his career.

Voting concludes June 16.

To vote for Picabo Street go to http://www.usoc.org/halloffame/1/hof_answers/38 click on "Picabo Street" and click on "select individuals."

To vote for Greg Mannino or Sarah Will click go to http://www.usoc.org/halloffame/3/hof_answers select either athlete and click on "submit individual."

Center of Excellence Street Named

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 00:00:00 MST

PARK CITY, UT (June 10) - When the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association needed a name for the street leading to its new home, the Center of Excellence, former freestyle competitor Brooks Rohlen knew he had the perfect fit. He entered it into the USSA's "Name The Street" contest not knowing that months later his choice would adorn a street sign in Park City.

"It occurred to me almost immediately that the perfect name for a street hosting America's Olympic hopes would be called Victory Lane. I felt pretty sure that it was an appropriate name, but I thought for sure that someone else would have sent in the name before me," Rohlen said. "So, I sent in the email and forgot about it. About three months later they contacted me and told me I won the contest."

According to Rohlen, while his email submission was the first to arrive with the name "Victory Lane," he shares the honor of naming the street with everyone who made the suggestion.

"I did find out that, while other people had thought of it too, I had been the first to send it in by email. So, in a sense, a lot of us came up with the name for the street," Rohlen said.

For Rohlen, an anesthesiology resident at Stanford University who came up with the street name during a 15 minute breakfast break, he is happy that the road he helped name will lead to a facility where the dreams of athletes gain their strength.

"It's important to me that we have the facility and that we have the support for those athletes," Rohlen said. "A number of my close friends have been on the U.S. Ski Team and it's neat to think about how they are going after what they dream of doing with their lives."

Rohlen, who grew up skiing on the Squaw Valley Freestyle Team and competing in Far West Freestyle USSA competitions, is a USSA member through his ties to Squaw Valley Freestyle.

"I have been a coach for the Squaw Valley Freestyle Team for the past six years," Rohlen said. "I met my wife at Squaw Valley. We were married at the Squaw Valley Chapel last summer. We love skiing and we love Squaw Valley. We own a condo at the base of the mountain and spend all of our vacations up there with our two dogs, Primo and Penelope."

Erich Sailer Honored at Center

Thu, 4 Jun 2009 00:00:00 MST

PARK CITY, UT (June 4) - Longtime ski coach Erich Sailer, who has coached over 20,000 athletes including Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO) at Buck Hill Ski Racing Club, will have his name memorialized in the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association's new national training and education center, the Center of Excellence. The new Erich Sailer Cardio Center was recently unveiled in Park City, a gift from his longtime friends Bill and Joanne Shiebler who were among the facility's leading donors. Bill is a trustee of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team Foundation.

With a career of coaching some of the world's finest alpine athletes, it seemed only fitting to Joanne Shiebler that the cardio center her husband had originally intended to name after her bear Erich Sailer's name instead.

"Of all the junior coaches, Erich has probably put more kids on the U.S. Ski Team than anyone. It seemed an appropriate way to honor his contribution to the sport," Joanne said.

Sailer was among those who attended USSA Congress 2009 for a private opening of the new Center of Excellence. During his time in Park City, Sailer was also able to tour the USSA's newly opened Center of Excellence training facility.

"He is a great person, a very humble man and he has given his life to ski racing. He the guy who taught me to be myself," Vonn said of Sailer. "He always said I was leaning in, but he didn't try to change me, he just told me to make it fast and I did."

An inductee to the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame for his work in junior athlete development, Sailer's passion and drive has enabled his program to achieve over three and a half decades of success in helping young ski racers reach their goals.

While Sailer feels privileged to have his name attached to the facility, he is also excited for the current and future athletes who will spend time there.

"There are so many youngsters out there who will be happy to someday be in this building. I didn't expect this. I am honored to have my name in this terrific building. It is a great feeling for me to have left a good and lasting impression in the sport of skiing," Sailer said. "I want to thank the Shiebler family for making me a part of their lives and the USSA, under the leadership of Bill Marolt, for such an outstanding achievement in building the Center of Excellence for many others."

After opening May 1 for athletic training, the Center is buzzing with athletes, including Vonn, who are now using the Erich Sailer Cardio Fitness Center. According to Vonn, the Center now holds new meaning that reminds her of the coach who inspired her career.

"This year I dedicated my first World Cup slalom victory to Erich. I have been skiing slalom for a long time but I've never had the success that I think Erich was hoping for. He's the reason I'm involved in skiing and why I made it so far because he taught me to follow my dreams," Vonn said. "This is now the Erich Sailer Cardio Center and I will be there every day, six to eight hours a day, thinking of him."

Ramps and Tramps Ready for Air

Tue, 26 May 2009 00:00:00 MST

PARK CITY, UT (May 26) - Having an X Games skate park set up in the backyard is a dream for most. But dreams are a reality for U.S. Ski Team and U.S. Snowboarding athletes who have a skate and trampoline area on which to train in the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association's new Center of Excellence. The ramps and tramps area is a unique training venue for athletes.

The competitors will have free reign of the area, which features a roller pump track complete with bank turn, a kicker into the foam pit, a ski cross and snowboardcross start gate, a skate bowl, and two Olympic regulation trampolines.

"What we have is a unique facility that is completely tailored to meet our athletes' needs," U.S. Snowboarding Halfpipe Coach Ricky Bower said. "I think it's going to really help progress basic skills for our riders for the future. No other countries have anything like what we have."

The Center was built with the trampoline area as a starting point. The amount of air generation needed to train on the tramps was used as a reverence for how tall the building needed to be and everything was added on from that point.

"It's a huge benefit to have the trampolines. The biggest downfall we've had is not having a decent gym set up. We could go to a gymnastics gym, but the set ups are pay to use. There are also trampolines at the sports park, but it can get windy being outdoors. But now we have the best trampolines in the world, which were handmade in Toronto," U.S. Aerials Head Coach Matt Christensen said. "We're stoked. We've been bouncing at the Center of Excellence every day. This is awesome not only for our top athletes, but for the athletes coming up. They're learning their skills in a more efficient way on the tramp."

The area is comprised of a modular scaffolding base understructure and a wood decking system, which provided areas for the trampolines to be installed and also includes the wooden bowl that's stick framed. Everything is topped with a material made out of plastic and synthetic resin to provide athletes using skateboards or inline skates a smooth and durable surface on which they can generate speed.

"It's really interesting because it's a permanent installation, so we're able to make everything dead on. We can spend a lot more time really dialing in the details of this type of facility," said Jon Mammele, who supervised the construction for Murphy Productions project manager for the Center. "This is a lot more rewarding because you get to focus on the details. It's the most fun project I've worked on in the past two years."

The area will allow athletes to work on new maneuvers, as well as build speed and strength together. There is also an added benefit for alpine athletes as they will use straight jump to simulate jumps encountered during downhill runs.

"The pump track is great for fitness and simulation of the kind of movements that ski and snowboardcross athletes use," U.S. Snowboarding Head Coach Peter Foley said. "The foam pit allows the athletes to try tricks that we would normally have to try out on snow without getting hurt. Having a start gate to practice with means we can get a huge volume of practice time in on starting. Not only from a fitness standpoint, but also a skills and coordination standpoint we have an area to develop things that we wouldn't otherwise."

In their training, the snowboarders will use skateboards and skiers will use inline skates to simulate their on-snow movements throughout the installment's features.

"It's all complimentary. If you're able to train in a bowl on wheels you really go through a lot of the fundamentally similar motions that you would on snow," Mammele said.

Athletes will also be able to train air packages on the Olympic trampolines in order to eventually transfer their moves to the snow.

"Until now there has been a limited amount of acrobatic work they can do, but on a trampoline we can dramatically increase the amount of acrobatic time. The philosophy is that we can fix things and perfect things on the trampoline and then carry them over to the water ramps and then to snow. The trampolines are the really crucial part of the acrobatic training," U.S. Freestyle Head Coach Jeff Wintersteen said. "It will be really great for us to have our own area to train."

According to Bower, a former U.S. Snowboarding rider who won gold in halfpipe at the 1999 World Championships, having the ramps and tramps in the Center will only allow for improvement for the athletes who are now able to use it consistently.

"The concept is following the basic model of a Woodward skate and gymnastic camp that we used to go to when I was on the team. To be able to have similar facilities right in our training center is going to be a huge benefit," Bower said.

The skate and trampoline area was under physical construction since mid-March and is now in use by the athletes.

USSA Presents Annual Honors

Sun, 17 May 2009 00:00:00 MST

PARK CITY, UT (May 17) – Nordic combined skiers Todd Lodwick (Steamboat Springs, CO) and Billy Demong (Vermontville, NY) received the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association's highest athlete honors at an awards ceremony Friday (May 15) in Park City. Lee Todd, who has dedicated four decades of his life to serving the skiing community, was the recipient of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association's Julius Blegen Award, which is presented annually to a USSA member who contributed outstanding service to the sports of skiing or snowboarding in the United States.

USSA Chairman Dexter Paine (L) and 2008 Julius Blegen Award recipient Gary Black (R) with 2009 Julius Blegen Award recipient Lee Todd. (Scott Sine)

The honors were presented Friday (May 15) at the organization's annual awards banquet during USSA Congress 2009 in Park City.

Nordic Skiers Dominate Athlete Awards
The USSA's highest athletic honor, the Beck Award, went to Lodwick who played a large role in one of the best seasons in the U.S. Nordic Combined Ski Team's history. Lodwick came back from retirement to push his way to World Cup podium success. But it was his performance at World Championships in which he won a mass start event and a Gundersen for two gold medals which marked him as the recipient of the Beck.

Lodwick, who is looking to become a five-time Olympian in 2010, had an incredibly decorated career prior to his World Championship success. That career began with a Junior World Championships gold in 1996, six World Cup wins, the 2004 Grand Prix championship in the World Cup season and Summer Grand Prix title, and eight straight seasons of being in the top nine world rankings.

"It's awesome to receive the Beck. This season was an incredible journey for me and to cap it off by being recognized with the USSA's highest award for an athlete is an honor for me," Lodwick said. "I'm looking forward to next season and the continued success I hope to share with my team and the USA."

World nordic combined champion Billy Demong (Vermontville, NY) was honored with the Wallace "Buddy" Werner Award given to an outstanding competitor who demonstrated leadership and good sportsmanship. It is presented in memory of Buddy Werner, an outstanding U.S. Alpine racer who was killed in an avalanche after the 1964 Olympics at the height of his ski career.

Demong was cited for his overall sportsmanship, his motivating energy and input, and his efforts to coach and bring young people into his sport. He donates his time to helping developing juniors during summer camps with both coaching and inspiration to follow in his footsteps.

"We have a great team and the showed that at World Championships this year," said Demong. "This is an award that I share with them."

"With 14 World Championship medals, our awards could have gone to any of a number of deserving athletes," said USSA Vice President, Athletics, Luke Bodensteiner. "The recognition of Todd Lodwick and Billy Demong is a real credit to what these two athletes have done in nordic combined."

Lee Todd Honored with Blegen Award
Todd, who has served USSA's sports as a staff member and a volunteer over a period spanning four decades, received the organization's highest volunteer honor, the Julius Blegen Award. A longtime cross country skier, Lee joined the USSA staff and worked for 10 years from 1978-89, leaving his position as USSA nordic program director to takeover International Special Olympics. For much of the next 20 years, he worked as a volunteer serving in a variety of domestic and international leadership positions.

His work with the FIS was vital to the growth of cross country skiing internationally – and always with the USA's interests at heart. He served nearly 20 years on the FIS Cross Country Rules and Controls Sub-committee, as well as the non-European representative to the FIS Cross Country Committee from 1998 until his retirement in 2008.

Domestically, he played a pivotal leadership role as a USSA board member for cross country from 1994 through 2006. During that time he skillfully represented cross country skiing building consensus within the USSA Cross Country Sport Committee.

Stratton Mountain USSA Club of the Year
Stratton Mountain School was recognized with the USSA Club of the Year Award for producing excellence in athletic growth and success. Statton is one of the nation's most advanced multisport clubs offering alpine, freestyle, nordic and snowboarding programs. Stratton also received the USSA Snowboarding Club of the Year award while cross country coach Sverre Caldwell was USSA Cross Country domestic coach of the year.

"When I meet with new students and parents every year, many talk about wanting to become an Olympian," said Headmaster Chris Kaltsas. "Our involvement with the USSA is very important to us."

"Our USSA clubs are the heart of our athletic program, introducing athletes to the sport and guiding them through the pipeline to the national team," said Bodensteiner. "Stratton has been one of our strongest multisport clubs for many years and is an outstanding recipient for the award."

Christensen USSA Coach of the Year
Matt Christensen received the USSA's 2009 Coach of the Year Award. Christensen's award comes on the heels of a season in which he led his athletes to a World Championship gold medal, five World Cup podiums and two athletes finishing in the top three of the World Cup overall standings.

Under his watchful eye in 2009, Christensen's athletes reached many landmarks. Emily Cook (Belmont, MA) landed two different triple twisting doubles, marking the first time for a U.S. woman to accomplish such a feat and earned her the highest score for an U.S. woman aerialist.

Jana Lindsey (Black Hawk, SD) also performed two triple twisting doubles and Lacy Schnoor (Draper, UT) performed and landed her first triple twisting double in competition. Ryan St. Onge and Jeret "Speedy" Peterson captured three wins out of the seven World Cups in which they competed, which earned St. Onge second and Peterson third in the World Cup aerials standings. Christensen also coached as six of seven athletes made finals at World Championships - St. Onge took home the win.

"This was a pivotal year for the U.S. Ski Team's aerial program," said Bodensteiner. "Matt's experience and ability to progress athletes is making a difference. Not only was that seen in Ryan St. Onge's wins, but in the big steps taken by the women this season."

Ghent Honored as Development Coach
Former U.S. Ski Team athlete Karen Ghent was also named USSA Development Coach of the Year. Ghent, who is the Ski & Snowboard Club Vail alpine program director, is known for her passion in advancing developing athletes to higher levels in their athletic careers. Ghent has been with Ski & Snowboard Club Vail for over a decade, during which time she led the restructuring of the alpine program, which resulted in a "best of class" ranking both divisionally and nationally.

Karen exemplifies the level of professionalism, core values and leadership that the USSA is proud to recognize. She has set the standard and raised the bar as an alpine coach at Ski and Snowboard Club Vail. Not only does she embrace the coaching and mentoring role for young athletes but she readily engages and contributes to the USSA Alpine Program.

Copper Wins Event Award
USSA's Paul Bacon Award for the greatest contribution in the field of race organization was awarded to Jeff White and the Copper Mountain (CO) race department.

Copper Mountain has been a traditional event and early season camp host for USSA alpine and snowboard competitions for decades. Under White's leadership, Copper has stepped up its commitment to snowboarding, this year hosting four major events including a U.S. Snowboarding Revolution Tour, Race to the Cup, SBX NorAm and the opening U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix.

Mallon Named Westhaven Recipient
USSA Snowboarding Sport Committee Chairman Mike Mallon (Stratton, VT) was the recipient of the Westhaven Award, which is given annually to recognize an outstanding USSA/ FIS technical delegate. It is the organization's highest award for a competition official.

Mallon has, for two decades, been heavily involved in the sport of snowboarding from being an athlete to his current job as a coach and FIS technical delegate. He is also one of two FIS U.S. Snowboarding technical delegates to be given the opportunity to work at the World Championships, which he did this season in Korea.

Andy Daly Honored for Service
USSA's John J. Clair Jr. Award for outstanding service which benefited the U.S. Ski or Snowboard Teams went to longtime board member and supporter Andy Daly (Vail, CO).

Daly's background touches on four decades where, as a U.S. ski industry leader, he has played an influential role as an active and energetic supporter of the USSA. As a resort executive, he played a pivotal role in ski and snowboarding competition, including strong support for racing at Vail and its family of resorts when he was president and CEO. He continues to serve as an active trustee for the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team Foundation, and chairs the strategic planning committee for the USSA board.

Korfanta Recognized for International Service
Karen Korfanta (Park City, UT) was honored with the USSA's Bud and Mary Little Award, recognizing an individual who has contributed significantly to USSA through long-term involvement in the FIS or Olympic sports communities.

A former U.S. Ski Team athlete, Korfanta is a distinguished and respected leader in the alpine community. She serves as a volunteer on divisional, national, and international committees contributing her expertise and knowledge to the safe and fair conduct of alpine sport for the benefit of all alpine athletes, grassroots to elite. She was the sport manager for Park City Mountain Resort at the 2002 Olympics, and a longtime chair of its World Cup organizing committee. She is presently the chair of the FIS Subcommittee for Ladies' Alpine Skiing where she plays an instrumental role.

Andy Shepard Wins Youth Honor
Andy Shepard (Presque Isle, ME), head of the Maine Winter Sports Center, was honored with the USSA's Russell Wilder Award, given annually to recognize the most outstanding effort in focusing the interests of American youth on the sports of skiing or snowboard.

Shepard has led the effort of motivating 3,000 kids in northern Maine, and about 5,000 statewide, to participate in ski sports through the Maine Winter Sports Center in Presque Isle. The cross country ski leasing program alone involves 2,000 pairs of skis! He is constantly searching for ways to increase the numbers of skiing youth in Maine. MWSC has been hosting USSA events since 2000, including SuperTours, U.S. Championship events, and has the Junior Olympics set for 2010.

Heckert Recognized for Dedication to Nordic Sports
Longtime ski jumping official Chuck Heckert (Park City, UT) was recognized with the West Family Award, given annually to recognize an outstanding USSA certified official. It is presented by the Fraser and Teddy West family.

A former ski jumping athlete, Heckert began coaching in Winter Park in the 1970s and has been a USSA official since 1979. He has remained active in the USSA's governance for 30 years, serving since 2004 as its ski jumping and nordic combined sport committee chair, and has remained dedicated to nordic sports for his entire life. At the 2002 Olympics he served as the venue chief at the Utah Olympic Park, where he also managed the ski jumping facility.

U.S. Ski Team Alumni Recognized
In addition to the USSA awards, three retiring U.S. Ski Team athletes were honored. Each was presented with a leather alumni jacket and recognized for their accomplishments.

The recognitions included cross country skier Wendy Wagner (Park City, UT), ski jumper Brenna Ellis (Park City, UT) and moguls skier Tim Preston (Park City, UT). Wagner, a two-time Olympian and six-year team veteran, was a six-time U.S. champion who retired in 2006. Ellis, one of the pioneers of women's ski jumping who spent four seasons on the Continental Cup circuit, retired this past season. Preston, who also retired this season, was the 2003 World Junior Championship silver medalist and 2006 NorAm champion.

Local Clubs Honored by USSA

Tue, 12 May 2009 00:00:00 MST

PARK CITY, UT (May 12) - Clubs across the nation work year round to groom athletes for success in the competitive skiing and snowboarding arena. The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association is recognizing five of its more than 400 local clubs nationwide for superior dedication to the progression of the sports in 2009.

Stratton Mountain School, the Waterville Valley Black and Blue Trail Smashers, the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation, the Eau Claire Flying Eagle and the Squaw Valley Ski Team, will receive award recognition during the USSA's awards dinner May 15 in Park City during USSA Congress 2009. One of the clubs will receive honors as overall USSA Club of the Year.

Stratton Mountain School Honored for Snowboarding
The 2009 Snowboarding Club of the Year, Stratton Mountain School opened its doors in 1972 and has since produced over 29 Olympians and many national team athletes. SMS is renowned for the success of athletes that leave its snowboarding program, including World Cup SBX champion Lindsey Jacobellis, Ellery Hollingsworth and Louie Vito.

Program Director Mike Mallon, who is also the 2009 Westhaven Award winner is credited with producing a team of coaches and staff, most of whom were professional snowboarders themselves, that have a passion and commitment to snowboarding that pushes SMS athletes ahead of the pack. Currently SMS has 85 athletes competing in both regional and elite level events.

Waterville Valley Named Freestyle Club of the Year
One the oldest ski clubs in the country, the Waterville Valley Black and Blue Trail Smashers was named 2009 Freestyle Club of the Year for an unsurpassed commitment to freestyle skiing from grooming youth to producing some of the nation's top athletes. In 2009 Waterville Valley hosted and qualified 36 athletes for the Junior Olympics. They also had 14 athletes qualify for U.S. Championships and two athletes made the 2009 World Championships halfpipe team.

Under the longtime leadership of Nick Preston, the Waterville Valley Black and Blue Trail Smashers has produced more than 50 national team athletes in freestyle, six World Championship titlists, one Olympic gold medalist, one World Cup overall titlist and many World Cup and U.S. Championship winners.

2009 Alpine Club of the Year Award Squaw Valley Ski Team
The Squaw Valley Ski Team was honored as Alpine Club of the Year after an exceptional season as well as ongoing excellence. Squaw Valley athletes from the J5 level to the U.S. Ski Team men's development squad had an outstanding season, a result of the emphasis placed on comprehensive skill development at youth ages. The club has an outstanding development system with hundreds of young skiers in its learn to race program.

Mark Sullivan leads a staff team that includes a host of past U.S. Ski Team athletes including World Cup champion Tamara McKinney, former World Cup star Greg Jones and former U.S. Ski Team coach Konrad Rickenbach.

Sun Valley Recognized for XC Work
The Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation, under the leadership of Rick Kapala, received the 2009 Cross Country Club of the Year Award. With a broad pipeline that cultivates athletes from an introduction to the sport of cross country, all the way to a focus on Olympic development, Sun Valley exhibits a high level of dedication to sport that engages hundreds of athletes with cross country.

In the 2009 season Sun Valley SEF's athletes competed around the globe in World Championships, World U23 championships, and World Junior Championships. Additionally, six athletes from the club qualified for World Cup competitions.

Eau Claire Flying Eagle Named Jumping/Nordic Combined Club of the Year
Access to three new jumps, a hand tow to the top of the jumps, a snowcat groomer, and plans to put plastic in the jumps for summer training are just a few of the recent renovations which have singled out Eau Claire Flying Eagle as worthy of receiving the 2009 Jumping/Nordic Combined Club of the Year Award.

In 2009, the small club, which has five volunteer coaches, no paid staff, and great community support, held an annual tournament that drew over 100 participants. The club has also sent athletes to Junior World Championships and produced Junior Olympic champions.

Eau Claire Flying Eagle is a club committed to the growth of ski jumping through their renovations and its learn to ski and learn to fly programs, which have helped in developing multiple Junior Olympic Champions.

The clubs will be honored on the evening of May 15 in Park City at USSA's awards dinner.

Athletes Honored For 2009 Success

Tue, 12 May 2009 00:00:00 MST

PARK CITY, UT (May 12) - World Championship gold medalists Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO) Todd Lodwick (Steamboat Springs, CO) and Lindsey Van (Park City, UT) will be honored for athletic excellence as recipients of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association's Athlete of the Year Awards at the annual awards presentation May 15 at USSA Congress 2008 in Park City.

The trio will be joined by World Championship silver medalist Kikkan Randall (Anchorage, AK) and World Cup snowboardcross champion Lindsey Jacobellis (Stratton Mountain, VT) in receiving awards for their athletic success for the 2009 season.

"In a year like this with 14 World Championship medals, five World Cup titles and 32 wins, it's hard to pick award recipients," said USSA Vice President, Athletics, Luke Bodensteiner. "It's a real credit to the hard work of these athletes and their teams."

Vonn Does It Again
Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO), who rewrote U.S. women's alpine skiing history again in 2009, is being honored for the second year in a row with the 2009 Alpine Athlete of the Year Award.

Vonn exceeded all expectations in 2009 when she not only repeated her wins of the World Cup overall and downhill titles, but also took the title in super G and swept the speed events as she won the gold in downhill and super G at World Championships.

In late February, Vonn raised the bar further for U.S. women when she broke Tamara McKinney's record of 18 World Cup wins, which was established in the 1980s. Vonn finished the season with a total of 22 career World Cup wins.

A nine-year member of the women's U.S. Ski Team, Vonn is a native of Minnesota who got her start at tiny Buck Hill outside of Minneapolis. From Buck Hill to the U.S. Ski Team, Vonn has made it to the World Cup podium a staggering 47 times.

Lodwick Honored For Nordic Success
Following his decision to come out of retirement at the age of 32, Lodwick changed the world of U.S. nordic combined competition and, for his success, was named Nordic Combined Athlete of the Year.

Lodwick's return was marked with World Cup podiums, but it was the athlete's unprecedented success at World Championships that pushed the U.S. Team forward as an international strength in the sport. Lodwick kicked off world Championships with a win in a mass start event. It was the first major competitive success for the four-time Olympian and seven-time World Championship team member. But Lodwick had more in store as he earned another World Championship gold, only two days after his first, in a Gundersen event.

Worlds Success Marks St. Onge For Award
St. Onge found his stride in 2009 and, with World Cup wins and the first aerials World Championship win for a U.S. man in 10 years, he was tabbed to receive the 2009 Freestyle Athlete of the Year Award.

St. Onge warmed up the season with a couple of top-10 finishes before landing his first World Cup win since the 2006 season at the Visa Freestyle International at Deer Valley Resort. The aerialist marked off another win in Moscow where scaffolding was erected downtown and athletes competed in front of tens of thousands of fans. But, it was his World Championship win that put all eyes on St. Onge as an athlete at the top of his game. St. Onge finished the season out second in the World Cup standings.

Van Makes History, Named Jumping Athlete of the Year
Lindsey Van, who put her name in the history books of women's ski jumping in the 2009 season, was named the Ski Jumping Athlete of the Year.

Van, who has amassed 38 Continental Cup podiums during her athletic career, made history in the international women's ski jumping world as she won gold during the first World Championship ski jumping event in which women competed.

In addition, the 24-year-old jumper won the 13th U.S. title of her ski jumping career.

Worlds Medalist Randall Named XC Award Recipient
For the second year in a row, cross country trailblazer Kikkan Randall has been named USSA's Cross Country Athlete of the Year. Randall, who broke into U.S. women's cross country history in 2008 as the first woman in the 27-year history of modern cross country World Cup to win, took the success factor up a notch in 2009 when she became the first U.S. woman to earn a medal at World Championships, winning silver in the freestyle sprint.

Randall also took the U.S. title in the classic sprint and was just shy of the World Cup podium as she finished fourth, along with teammate Liz Stephen, in the team sprint at the site of the 2010 Olympics.

Jacobellis Dominates Snowboarding Again
Following her 2008 win of the award, Lindsey Jacobellis was once again named the USSA Snowboarding Athlete of the Year. Jacobellis had her best season to date as she won the World Cup snowboardcross title for the second time in her career World Cup snowboardcross title with five wins across a six-month schedule. Jacobellis also repeated her X Games SBX gold, bringing her grand total to five wins throughout her career. Jacobellis then marked another U.S. title before finishing out the season with enough success on the World Cup to make her the most winningest athlete, male or female, in snowboardcross World Cup history.

The USSA awards winners will receive their honors the evening of May 15 at USSA Congress 2008 in Park City with the top athlete being selected for the organizaton's highest athlete honor, the Beck Award.

Nation's Top Coaches Recognized

Tue, 12 May 2009 00:00:00 MST

PARK CITY, UT (May 12) - With athletic success that ranges from a collection of seven World Championship medals to landmark progress made at the club level, the 2009 U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association Coach of the Year award recipients have, through their direction, made a lasting impression on the world of winter sports.

Coaches are recognized annually by the USSA in each of its specific sport programs. The 2009 awardees will be honored at the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association's awards dinner May 15 in Park City during USSA Congress 2009.

Jarrett Leads Historic Nordic Season
A former athlete, the 2009 Nordic Combined Coach of the Year Award recipient Dave Jarrett joined the U.S. Ski Team in 2002 as the World Cup B coach. He worked his way up the ranks to eventually be named nordic combined head coach following one of the program's most successful seasons in 2008.

"Dave did an outstanding job in his first season as head coach," said USSA Nordic Program Director John Farra. "Not only has he had success internationally, but has worked closely with the domestic programs to ensure we have a strong pipeline."

During Jarrett's first year as a head coach, he led his athletes through the 2009 season, which truly marked the pages of U.S. nordic history when the U.S. Nordic Combined Team took three gold medals and one bronze at World Championships. Todd Lodwick (Steamboat Springs, CO) came out of retirement to win two of the team's gold medals. Billy Demong (Vermontville, NY) won gold and bronze at the Championships as well as finished third for the second year in a row in the overall nordic combined World Cup standings.

Bayer Pushes Nordic Development
Steamboat Spring Winter Sports Club's Nordic Combined Head Coach Martin Bayer is the recipient of the Nordic Combined Domestic Coach of the Year Award. Bayer, who also won in 2007, was responsible for coaching three new rookies nominated to the 2010 nordic combined team.

"Martin is a big asset for nordic combined in our country," said Farra. "He has played a key role in development and the three athletes who qualified for the team this spring are a credit to his work in Steamboat."

Bayer joined the SSWSC nordic staff as the new ability head coach for the ski jumping and Nordic combined programs in 2006. A two-time Olympian, Bayer he moved to the U.S. from Slovakia and started coaching in Ishpeming, MI before eventually landing with the SSWSC.

Christensen Honored For Work With Freestyle
After leading a season that included a World Championship gold medal, five World Cup podiums and two athletes finishing in the top three of the World Cup overall standings, U.S. Freestyle Aerials Head Coach Matt Christensen took an honor of his own as he was named 2009 Freestyle International Coach of the Year.

Under his watchful eye in 2009, Christensen's athletes reached many landmarks. Emily Cook (Belmont, MA) landed two different triple twisting doubles, marking the first time for a U.S. woman to accomplish such a feat and earned her the highest score for an U.S. woman aerialist. Jana Lindsey (Black Hawk, SD) also performed two triple twisting doubles and Lacy Schnoor (Draper, UT) performed and landed her first triple twisting double in competition. Ryan St. Onge and Jeret "Speedy" Peterson captured three wins out of the seven World Cups in which they competed, which earned St. Onge second and Peterson third in the World Cup aerials standings. Christensen also coached as six of seven athletes made finals at World Championships - St. Onge took home the win.

Seeman Honored For Freestyle Work
The 2009 Freestyle Domestic Coach of the Year Award went to Chris "Seedog" Seeman, a former aerialist on the U.S. Freestyle Ski Team from 1985 who won a U.S. title in 1988.

An aerials coach for the U.S. Ski Team, Seeman uses his knack for being knowledgeable in all situations to help advance rookie skiers new to the U.S. Team.

In 1986, while still competing for the U.S., Seeman began coaching domestic athletes and constructing aerial sites. True to his versatile nature, Seeman remains a jack of all trades as a coach, serving as a clinician for aerial clinics, a technical advisor and a contract coach for domestic programs and the U.S. Ski Team.

Working For the Bigger Picture, White Excels
Women's Alpine World Cup Speed Coach Chip White's tireless work and support behind the scenes marked him for honor as the 2009 Alpine International Coach of the Year.

A provider of many services, White helped the Team with everything from video review support, which had him climbing trees to video the race line from the perfect angle on every World Cup, World Championship and Olympic course for more than a decade, to wax tech work. Part of the USSA team since 1996, White is renowned for his intense passion, his work ethic, and his commitment to excellence and attention to detail.

"Chip's experience and work ethic are a big asset for the women's team," said USSA Alpine Director Jesse Hunt. "He's a behind the scenes guy who really makes a difference."

Ghent Helps Athletes Excel
The 2009 Alpine Domestic Coach of the Year Award recipient is Ski & Snowboard Club Vail Alpine Program Director Karen Lancaster Ghent.

Through her hands-on work with athletes on and off the hill, Ghent was credited with singlehandedly helping club members advance from Ski & Snowboard Club Vail to college on scholarship and to the national team. Through her instruction athletes are the recipients of the tools necessary to succeed in life.

A former U.S. Ski Team athlete, Ghent has been with Ski & Snowboard Club Vail for over a decade, during which time she led the restructuring of the alpine program, which resulted in a "best of class" ranking both divisionally and nationally.

Flora Earns New Coaching Honor
A year after being named Cross Country Domestic Coach of the Year, Erik Flora, the head coach at the Alaska Pacific University Nordic Ski Center, is now being honored as the 2009 Cross Country International Coach of the Year.

Flora's dedication to cross country development has driven the success of U.S. cross country athletes including Kikkan Randall (Anchorage, AK), who was the first woman to win a modern day cross country World Cup and winning silver at World Championships in 2009.

"As the Head coach for award winning APU Nordic Ski Center and the personal coach of Kikkan Randall, Erik Flora has proven himself capable of providing world class opportunities for his top athletes," Farra said. "Erik program offers quality training year-round for Anchorage, Alaska residents, including two U.S. Ski Team members and is clearly on track for continued international success."

Caldwell Makes Strides in Cross Country
Stratton Mountain School Cross Country Head Coach Sverre Caldwell was named Cross Country Domestic Coach of the Year. Sverre is responsible for incredible strides in cross country development in the East, which has resulted in the succession of 12 Stratton Mountain School students to the U.S. Olympic team and the top team at the 2009 Junior Olympics.

"Sverre is one of the premier junior coaches in the nation who has consistently provided elite level junior opportunities for the athletes that come through his program at Stratton," said Farra. "He's an outstanding recruiter and advocate for the USSA's cross country programs."

Archibald Drives Snowboardcross Success
A key leader for the success of the men's and women's snowboarscross team this season, Jeff Archibald was named 2009 Snowboarding International Coach of the Year. Athletes who worked with Archibald excelled as no other snowboardcross team has in U.S. history, finishing the season with three athletes in the top three of SBX World Cup standings. Most notably Lindsey Jacobellis won the second World Cup title of her career.

"Our SBX program had an unbelievable season. Strong coaching and leadership are key components to that success," U.S. Snowboarding Program Director Jeremy Forster said. "Jeff has been instrumental in building the SBX program. As a former World Cup competitor his ability to relate to the athletes and his respect for and from the athletes are invaluable to the progress we have made."

Archibald's team also saw a World Championship bronze and two X Games gold and one silver medals.

Hindman Honored For Dedication to Sport
One of the most dedicated snowboard coaches in the nation for over a decade, Ross Hindman received the 2009 Snowboarding Domestic Coach of the Year. A coach of athletes including Ross Powers, Lindsey Jacobellis and Olympic potential Brooke Shaw, recently started the International Snowboard Training Center in Colorado, which specializes in snowboardcross.

During the past season Hindman's athletes excelled in competition. Most notably, JJ Tomlinson won a NorAm, Ross Powers podiumed at the Sunday River World Cup and Bobby Minghini finished the season with a top eight at a World Cup.

Garner Named Adaptive International Honoree
Ian Garner, who has been working for the U.S. Adaptive Alpine Ski Team since 2006, is the recipient of the 2009 Adaptive International Coach of the Year.

Starting out as a technician, Garner worked tirelessly, becoming an ambassador for the sport with his incredible dedication to the success of the team's athletes.

"Ian has an intensive background knowledge of ski racing as well as a passion for the sport and it shows in his work each day," U.S. Adaptive Program Director Sandy Metzger said. "His dedication and enthusiasm toward the sport is a tremendous asset. We are lucky to have him as part of our team!"

Petersen Applauded For Leadership
The 2009 Adaptive Domestic Coach of the Year was awarded to Erik Petersen, the Program Director for the National Sports Center for the Disabled (NSCD) and North American Race Director for the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).

Petersen's commitment to the sport and strong leadership of athletes has positively influenced the passion of athletes throughout the sport. Known for his professional attitude and demeanor, Petersen's example has been a beacon to all in the adaptive racing world.

Most of the coaches were recognized at U.S. Championships, but all will be honored May 15 at USSA Congress 2009.

Olympic Vision Comes Alive in New Center

Thu, 7 May 2009 00:00:00 MST

PARK CITY, UT (May 7) – The stationary bikes are all lined up in a row. Weight platforms and treadmills are standing at the ready. The lines on the sprint track stand out brilliantly from the cushioned floor. Sport science and sports medicine staff put the finishing touches on high-tech testing equipment as the world's best skiers and snowboarders began all out training this month at the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association's (USSA) new Center of Excellence – just over nine months until opening ceremonies in Vancouver.

The world-class training and education facility, the Center of Excellence, opened its doors to the nation's top ski and snowboarding athletes in May, signaling a new era for the century-old sports organization. The 85,000 sq. ft. center will be a showcase for the sports, providing elite-level training and serving as an educational resource for the USSA's members and 400 clubs nationwide.

"The Center represents our heart and soul," said USSA President and CEO Bill Marolt. "It is our commitment to the thousands of young athletes striving for their Olympic dream and brings us together as one great American ski and snowboarding team. It is the cornerstone for greater U.S. skiing and snowboarding success at the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver, the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia, and beyond."

The Center of Excellence is the home for the USSA's elite athletes, a headquarters for the Olympic sports organization, and an educational resource for athletes, coaches, judges and officials and parents. It is part of a long-term vision developed by the USSA over a decade ago, adding to the legacy of athlete training facilities spawned by the Salt Lake City Olympics. Those Games vitalized the culture of athletics in Utah with the opening of the Utah Olympic Park in the early '90s, along with the development of Soldier Hollow cross country skiing facilities and world-class venues like Park City Mountain Resort and Deer Valley Resort that remain active in competitive skiing and snowboarding.

The Center of Excellence was built on five acres just east of Park City in Quinn's Junction at the intersection of U.S. 40 and Utah 248. It is part of a bustling athletic and medical complex featuring athletic fields, an indoor ice rink, the National Ability Center and a new Intermountain Healthcare hospital.

The heartbeat of the three-story Center is the first floor training area where ski and snowboarding athletes can train together in a huge cardio center and weight room. A full-sized gymnasium is available for basketball and other training activities. And a unique "ramps and tramps" area features bungee trampolines for aerial training, a skateboarding bowl and ramps to practice snowboarding and freestyle tricks, and even a ski and snowboardcross starting gate and ramp. Flanking the training area are a world-class sport science lab, sports medicine facilities and recovery area plus a nutrition center.

"I'm excited to have the Center of Excellence in Park City because it's going to bring a lot of athletes and programs together under one roof," said nordic combined World Champion Billy Demong, who moved from New York to Utah to train. "It's a flagship move on the part of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association. The Center of Excellence is going to increase the productivity of the relationships among the coaches, athletes and administration because everybody is going to be under one roof and it will keep the mission closer at hand."

Marolt knows that physical conditioning is the core of any successful athletic program. "Sport science is vital to athletic success from personalized training programs specific to each athlete in every sport to research and development on athletic performance equipment. USSA Sport Science is the best in the world and a great benefit for our athletes with the program leadership and the new training and testing facilities."

Injury prevention and rehabilitation are critical, as well. "Athletic injuries are a part of sport," said Marolt. "USSA Sport Medicine now has top line facilities to serve athletes in rehabilitation, both helping in prevention of injuries and expediting a safe return to snow." The sports medicine area features rehabilitation exercise equipment, training and rehab pools, plunge pools plus dry and steam saunas.

One of the most important functions of the Center of Excellence will be delivering the USSA developed research and education to the thousands of athletes in local clubs across America. "The knowledge developed here will be served to our 400 local clubs through USSA Sport Education," said Marolt. "It's not just about this facility - it's an opportunity to provide athletes, parents, judges and officials, coaches and other sport leaders with the latest information to help them succeed with the same knowledge that is helping national team athletes be the best in the world."

Athletes train under the watchful eyes of past medalists. A "Ring of Champions" features photographs of past Olympic heroes, with trophies, medals and crystal globes on display in showcases.

The Center was built solely with funds generated as part of a decade-long Legacy Campaign. "Our athletes are truly indebted to those individuals who had the vision and the passion to support future success," said Marolt. "Those donors are very much a part of the fabric of the Center of Excellence and what it represents to our sports."

The USSA broke ground on the Center in July, 2007. The facility was designed by the architectural firm WPA in Provo with project management from Steven Brown of Millcreek Construction and Development and built by Jacobsen Construction Company.

Construction workers took a special pride knowing that their work would benefit future Olympic athletes. "When you have the opportunity to work on a facility like this, where the end gain is providing an opportunity for young people to fulfill their Olympic dreams, people get excited," said Marolt. "People get excited about the youth of America becoming Olympic champions. They take a special pride. And they took a special commitment to excellence – to make this facility absolutely perfect."

That commitment to excellence will also be seen in the athletes who have moved into their new home and will be training six to eight hours a day towards a goal of Olympic gold. And with Vancouver just nine months away, training this summer for athletes like World Champion Lindsey Vonn will take on a new sense of urgency.

"This is a huge step for all of the athletes and for the USSA as an organization," Vonn said. "I'm really excited to be a part of the historic opening of this world class facility. Even more than having an incredible gym literally a mile away from my home, it's going to be awesome to see the top athletes from all the sports work out. It's also going to be huge for the club programs to have this facility as a resource."

The public will get a chance to visit the new Center of Excellence at a Friday, July 17 open house.

USSA Mourns Kemp Passing

Mon, 4 May 2009 00:00:00 MST

PARK CITY, UT (May 4) – The Honorable Jack Kemp, who passed away Saturday (May 2), was remembered by the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team Foundation for his contribution to sport. The former professional football star and longtime congressman served as a trustee for the Foundation leading up to the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City.

An avid skier, Kemp spent much time in Vail where he was also active on the boards of the Vail Valley Foundation, organizers of the Beaver Creek/Vail World Cups and World Championships, as well as the Steadman-Hawkins Research Foundation.

"It was an honor to have someone of Jack's stature serve as a trustee of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team Foundation," said U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association President and CEO Bill Marolt. "His support for our athletes and his willingness to serve on our board at a very important time in our history was greatly appreciated."

A 13-year star in the American Football League, notably with the Buffalo Bills, Kemp was the founder and co-director of Empower America, a Washington-based think tank that focuses on education reform, technology policy, tax reform, social security reform and national defense. Kemp received the Republican Party's nomination for Vice President in 1996, was the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development during the Bush Administration and represented Buffalo, NY as a Congressman for 18 years.

Athletes Move Into New Home

Fri, 1 May 2009 00:00:00 MST

PARK CITY, UT (May 1) - Olympic champions Ted Ligety (Park City, UT) and Julia Mancuso (Olympic Valley, CA) were among numerous national athletes on hand as the first round of U.S. Ski Team and U.S. Snowboarding competitors made their way into the new Center of Excellence. The national training and education center opened its doors to athletes this week in preparation for the Olympics in Vancouver just over nine months away.

The Center is the USSA's home for athletes and employees alike. It features state of the art facilities throughout the building, including a large athletic training area, an aerials and snowboard ramps and tramps area, gymnasium, sports medicine recovery and rehab room, nutrition center, equipment and sport science lab.

While staff moved boxes into the new Center, athletes began to arrive for training and testing – anxious to check out their new home on Thursday.

Mancuso was among the first athletes to train and was stunned by the new athletic training facility during her annual athletic testing. "It's probably the nicest gym I have ever been to. It's much different. The old training center wasn't a place where you wanted to hang out. I think it's awesome," Mancuso said.

Training alongside the Olympian were fellow women's alpine teammates Hailey Duke (Boise, ID) and Megan McJames (Park City, UT), who were both happy to be able to use their new home. For McJames, while the Center is in her hometown, she hopes that fellow athletes living across the nation will flock to the new building and utilize in reaching their goals.

"We're here testing everything out and taking the price tags off the machines - getting a little sweat on everything," McJames said. "This is a really exciting tool for us to be able to utilize in Park City and hopefully we can get more athletes out here and this place can help them reach their dreams."

According to Duke, in addition to facilitating athletic excellence among the athletes, the center will provide the community a deeper understanding of what goes into being an athlete.

"We have all the tools right here. It's pretty nice to have everything all accessible and I think it will benefit us more in the long run," Duke said. "People will be able to see what we do and be more in tune with the athletes and what we need."

While the women's alpine squad tested throughout the first two days, other athletes were visiting the Center to take advantage of its state-of-the-art rehabilitation center. Olympic gold medalist Ted Ligety spent time working out and swimming in the hydrotherapy pool.

Friday brought even more athletic life to the Center with the likes of freestyle aerialists Emily Cook (Belmont, MA) and Dylan Ferguson (Ridgway, CO), along with alpine women Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO) and Kaylin Richardson (Edina, MN).

"Basically we have absolutely everything we need here. The recovery center is absolutely amazing, the testing facilities are incredible and the physical therapy section is perfect, so I'm excited. It's just fun to come in and have something new," Cook said. "I think it's going to motivate everyone a little extra. I just did my first workout here and it was great. We have everything we need here and it's nice to have everyone here."

While Ferguson agrees that seeing everyone working together at the Center is great, there's another feature that's his favorite part of the new facility.

"My first thought is that the skate bowl is amazing. I am all into the skateboarding thing. The tramps look great, as well," Ferguson said. "It is way better than the last gym. I think with all the equipment it will be easier to get our workouts in. It's also nice see everyone that works here upstairs and it's nice to see all the athletes working out here."

While Ferguson and Cook spent time training, the alpine women took part in athletic testing and, according to Vonn, the best part of working out at the Center of Excellence is the amount of equipment available.

"This is awesome," Vonn said. "I'm glad that there is a lot of equipment. I used to have to go to a gym in order to work out, but now I can get everything done here."

In the end, Richardson said that the bottom line is that the Center will motivate everyone to be a better athlete.

"It blew away all the preconceived notions. Everyone knew it was going to be nice, but everything is state-of-the-art, there's plenty of room, and it's cool that the whole community is under one roof," Richardson said. "I think the camaraderie and the sense of community is just going to build and it will be a fun place to work out. It's definitely going to be motivating to work out in here with all the other athletes in this nice facility."

The Center of Excellence is officially open for operation, but a public opening will be held in July.

Prepping for Vancouver: The Time is Now

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 00:00:00 MST

PARK CITY, UT (Apr. 30) – Fourteen World Championship medals, including seven gold. Five World Cup titles with 32 wins. It was a remarkable season for U.S. Ski Team and U.S. Snowboarding athletes. With less than 10 months to the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) President and CEO Bill Marolt is naturally excited, but also knows that athletes and staff now need to maintain a sense of urgency as they prepare this summer for the biggest two weeks of their careers.

The 2010 Olympics in Vancouver kick off with opening ceremonies next Feb. 12.

"I like where we are," said Marolt. "U.S. athletes had some historic success, but there's also a hunger to improve. Now is a critical time to focus squarely on the Olympics, build a sense of urgency and go all out to ensure that our athletes are completely prepared to show they are the best in the world in Vancouver. The time is now!"

That preparation will step up a few notches in May. U.S. Ski Team and U.S. Snowboarding athletes have moved into their new home as the USSA's new Center of Excellence opened in Park City, providing elite athletes with a world-class national training and education facility.

Vonn Dominates Alpine
Alpine ski racing was again awestruck with the dominance of Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO). She swept the speed events at the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in France, winning the super G and the premier downhill title. She went on to repeat her World Cup overall and downhill titles, and added the first super G crown ever for an American woman. Along the way, she won nine World Cups and established herself as the most successful woman in U.S. history.

"Lindsey's attention to conditioning and following a strategic plan is clearly paying off for her," said Marolt. "She has a strong work ethic and graciously accepts the opportunity to be both a role model for youth and an ambassador for her sport."

Vonn, who grew up on small hills in the Twin Cities of Minnesota, was motivated at an early age by her role model Picabo Street, who won the World Cup downhill titles in 1995 and '96 before capturing Olympic gold. Today, Vonn is having the same impact on young aspiring athletes like her.

Olympic combined champion and 2008 World Cup giant slalom champion Ted Ligety (Park City, UT) took bronze in the giant slalom for his first World Championships medal.

Record Six Nordic Medals
American nordic skiers wrote history in the Czech Republic, leading the medals count over Norway for the first half of the FIS Nordic Ski World Championships and taking six medals – four gold. In the 85-year history of World Championships, the USA had previously won only three.

Nordic combined skier Todd Lodwick (Steamboat Springs, CO), came back after two seasons of retirement to win the first two events, with defending silver medalist Billy Demong (Vermontville, NY) winning the third, plus picking up a bronze. Demong took five World Cup wins to finish the season third.

In cross country, Kris Freeman (Andover, NH) had a near miss, finishing fourth in the 15K classic by just over a second. A few days later, Kikkan Randall (Anchorage) won silver in the freestyle sprint – an historic first U.S. women's medal.

In ski jumping, Lindsey Van (Park City, UT) came from behind to take gold in the first women's ski jumping World Championship event.

"We're often asked, 'what are you doing differently?'" said Marolt. "The fact is, we're not doing anything differently other than having the perseverance to stick with a program over a long period of time. The nordic combined results by Todd and Billy have roots going back 15 to 20 years. And Kikkan acknowledged that her silver medal was 10 years in the making."

Jacobellis Stars in Snowboarding
Intensity describes Olympic silver medalist Lindsey Jacobellis's (Stratton, VT) season. She came away with her best season ever, taking the World Cup snowboardcross title with five wins across a six-month schedule that began mid-September in Argentina. She also won her fifth X Games title, with teammate Nate Holland (Squaw Valley, CA) also taking his fifth.

In addition to Holland, Nick Baumgartner (Iron River, MI) took bronze at World Championships and Olympic champion Seth Wescott (Sugarloaf, ME) battled for the World Cup title before finishing second. Even 2002 Olympic halfpipe champion Ross Powers (Londonderry, VT) factored in this season, taking third in his first SBX World Cup in a decade at the Visa U.S. Snowboarding Cup at Sunday River, ME – an event won by Graham Watanabe (Sun Valley, ID).

"The qualifying to make our men's snowboardcross Olympic Team will be as intense as the Olympics," said Marolt. "We have a half-dozen athletes with medal potential, but only four can make the Team. That depth is a real tribute to the work they've done as athletes and how important this is for them."

In the superpipe, Olympic champion Shaun White (Carlsbad, CA) distinguished himself again winning the X Games. 2002 gold medalist Kelly Clark (Mt. Snow, VT) had one of her best seasons, taking the U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix title. Both White and Clark won at the Olympic test event in Vancouver.

"The bar is set very high in snowboarding after our success in 2002 and 2006," said Marolt. "Our past medalists continue to be pushed by new athletes but have shown they're up to that challenge."

Kearney, Deneen, St. Onge Lead Freestyle
When Hannah Kearney (Norwich, VT) is in the starting gate, you can see the fire of desire in her eyes. After two years out with injuries, the 2005 World Champion came back with a vengeance to take the season-long World Cup moguls title, plus bronze in duals at the FIS Freestyle Ski World Championships in Japan.

Veteran Ryan St. Onge (Winter Park, CO) picked up crucial World Cup aerials wins at Utah's Deer Valley Resort and in Moscow, before capping his season with World Championship gold. Patrick Deneen (Cle Elum, WA) broke out of a pack of young U.S. moguls skiers to win his first career title at Worlds. Jen Hudak (Park City, UT), one of the young stars in the new sport of skier halfpipe, took a bronze.

"The one common denominator you will see with any one of our successful athletes is their work ethic," said Marolt. "Hannah Kearney is totally committed to preparing to win. She earned that crystal globe by what she did all summer long. She was ready and came out of the gate firing."

Kearney trains at home in Vermont, on her own. But she takes advantage of a unique visual coaching program with USSA Sport Science that closely monitors her progress and gives her constant feedback on conditioning.

Crucial Summer Ahead
What do ski and snowboarding athletes do in the spring? They get back in the gym and out onto the snow preparing for the season that opens this September and October. The results of 2008-09 are in the record books and the slate is clean leading to Vancouver.

U.S. Snowboarding athletes are already in the X Games superpipe in Aspen, CO for their first camp. It was a chance for riders to perfect new tricks in one of the world's best pipes. Other teams will be following suit with spring on-snow camps interspersed into a summer of dryland training. Freestyle aerialists will be back on water ramps in Park City and Lake Placid soon – launching thousands of twisting, turning, eye-blurring jumps to perfect new tricks.

A key component for every athlete, though, is the warmth of the gym where athletes like Vonn spend six to eight hours every day, all spring, summer and fall – sweating, toiling, reaching to new heights. The May opening of the new Center of Excellence will provide elite athletes in every sport an opportunity to prepare for Vancouver as a Team.

"This is a huge step for all of the athletes and for the USSA as an organization," Vonn said. "I'm really excited to be a part of the historic opening of this world class facility. Even more than having an incredible gym literally a mile away from my home, it's going to be awesome to see the top athletes from all the sports work out. It's also going to be huge for the club programs to have this facility as a resource."

"The Center of Excellence will pay great dividends for American athletes over many years, providing both elite athlete training and educational outreach for our 400 USSA clubs nationwide," said Marolt. "But for the next 10 months, it will help us keep a focus on Vancouver.

Marolt knows that as good a season as it was in 2008-09, what really counts is what happens from Feb. 12-28 in Vancouver.

"We've celebrated some great athletic success this past season," said Marolt. "But we need to maintain the focus on Vancouver, create that sense of urgency and go all out in the next 10 months. The time is now!"

Skiers Among Olympic Hall of Fame Finalists

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 00:00:00 MST

CHICAGO (Apr. 17) – Olympic champion Picabo Street (Park City, UT), who dominated her sport in the 1990s, headlined a group of 15 finalists for consideration to be named to the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame, presented by Allstate. Street, along with Paralympic champions Greg Mannino (Eagle, CO) and Sarah Will (Vail, CO), were named finalists Thursday at a press conference in Chicago, the USA's bid city for the 2016 Olympics.

The public will have a say in the hopeful selection of the U.S. Ski Team athletes. From now through June 16, fans can cast their votes for the 2009 class of the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame online at www.teamusa.org. The inductees will be revealed in early July and will be honored at a black-tie induction ceremony on August 12 at McCormick Place in Chicago. The U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame is the only national sports Hall of Fame that includes fan voting.

The U.S. Ski Team's Phil Mahre and adaptive legend Diana Golden-Brosnihan are the only skiing inductees in the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame, which was established in 1983. The 2009 nominees were selected by a 10-person committee including past Hall of Fame members, historians, USOC officials and athletes. Among the 15 finalists are sprinter Michael Johnson and the 1992 basketball "Dream Team."

A Sun Valley native, Street left her mark in Olympic history in 1998, taking gold in the Nagano super G by a mere hundredth of a second. A three-time Olympian, she earned a silver medal at the 1994 Olympic Winter Games in the downhill. Street medaled in three World Championships, earning combined silver in 1993, super G bronze and downhill gold in 1996. Winning six of nine World Cup competitions in 1995, she became the first American to win a World Cup season title in a speed event. After a leg injury and two years of rehabilitation, Street returned to compete in 2002 in Salt Lake City before retiring. With nine career victories, she was inducted into the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame in 2005.

"It's a huge honor and I was very flattered. It's big company," said Street. "There's a lot of great people and athletes in the Hall of Fame and I hope the fans support me. That would be pretty cool.

"The nomination was kind of a flashback for me," she added. "I've spent the last couple of days reminiscing about what I've accomplished. When you're a mom, as I am now, you spend so much time trying to make sure your kids have what they need and you put yourself on the back burner. It's been nice to think about that again and feel good about myself and what I've accomplished in my life."

An avid skier as a child, Will was paralyzed from the waist down in a 1988 skiing accident. She took up mono skiing and was back in one year. Just a few years later in 1992, she won the first of 12 Paralympic golds and one silver medal. She capped her star-studded career at the 2002 Paralympics in Salt Lake City, winning all four events to become the most decorated women's mono skier in U.S. history and win the U.S. Paralympic Spirit Award. She remains active today at her home in Vail as an avid ambassador for her sport.

"It's one of the highest honors that I've ever had the privilege of being involved with," Will said. "The Olympic rings have always had a significant meaning in my life. I have a high respect for the level of competition I've experienced being involved in the Paralympic team. Being involved with the U.S. Ski Team as a Paralympian was a second chance at an Olympic dream that I thought I would never have.

"Being a part of the U.S. Ski team has given me the opportunity to fulfill not only my athletic dreams, but also taught me so much to help my professional career," added Will. "The opportunities it has given me are bigger or greater than I could have ever expected."

A five-time Paralympian, Mannino was a legend in adapative skiing winning six gold, four silver and two bronze Paralympic medals in his career. In his 1988 Paralympic debut he brought home silver in downhill and super G and would go on to dominate those events at the next three Paralympics. An electrical accident at age 17 resulted in the amputation of his left leg above the knee, but he carried his passion out as one of his sport's best standing category skiers ever before retiring after the 2002 Paralympics in Salt Lake City. He remains active in the sport in Colorado's Vail Valley.

"This is a real honor," said Mannino. "My biggest goal when I was racing was to compete with my peers and be looked at as a great ski racer - not a disabled ski racer. To even be nominated is truly an honor because it means someone saw what I was doing and that I had good success with it.

"For all the years I was on the U.S. Ski Team, it's good for me to be able to reflect back on the success I had."

The charter class of the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame was enshrined in 1983, with such Olympic legends as Cassius Clay, Peggy Fleming, Jesse Owens, Wilma Rudolph, Mark Spitz and the 1980 "Miracle on Ice" U.S. Olympic Men’s Hockey Team. Annual additions continued through 1992, adding Olympic legends such as Bart Conner, Dorothy Hamill, "Sugar Ray" Leonard, Carl Lewis, Greg Louganis and Mary Lou Retton. In recent years the Hall of Fame has inducted numerous decorated Olympic athletes including: Bonnie Blair, Janet Evans, Florence Griffith Joyner, Dan Jansen, Kristi Yamaguchi and the 1996 "Magnificent Seven" U.S. Women’s Gymnastics Team. Following last June’s induction of the Class of 2008, the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame currently consists of 213 distinguished athletes and 13 special contributors.

Nominees for the induction class of 2009 were selected by a 10-person nominating committee consisting of athletes, members of the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame, historians and USOC representatives.

U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame, Class of 2009 Nominees

Individuals
Greg Barton, canoe/kayak
Jeff Blatnick, wrestling
Valerie Brisco-Hooks, athletics
Tracie Ruiz-Conforto, swimming
Teresa Edwards, basketball
Gary Hall, Sr., swimming
Michael Johnson, athletics
Mary T. Meagher, swimming
Sheila Young Ochowicz, speedskating
Darrell Pace, archery
Terry Schroeder, water polo
John Smith, wrestling
Picabo Street, alpine skiing
Peter Westbrook, fencing
Willye White, athletics

Paralympians
Jean Driscoll, athletics
David Larson, athletics
Greg Mannino, alpine skiing
Tony Volpentest, athletics
Sarah Will, alpine skiing

Teams
1976 U.S. Women’s 4x100 Freestyle Relay Team
1992 U.S. Men’s Basketball Team
1996 U.S. Synchronized Swimming Team
1998 U.S. Women’s Ice Hockey Team
2002 U.S. Women’s Bobsled Team

Utah to Host U.S. Ski Hall of Fame Induction

Sat, 14 Mar 2009 00:00:00 MST

PARK CITY, UT (March 14) - The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame will hold its annual induction ceremony in Park City Saturday, April 4. Olympic medalists Nelson Carmichael, and Liz McIntyre along with former U.S. Ski Team member Cary Adgate, will enter the National Hall of Fame at ceremonies hosted at the Deer Valley Resort. Also to be honored will be big mountain skiing legend, Bill Briggs. All four inductees will be present and skiing in the area throughout the weekend. Friends, fans and the general public are invited to attend.

Anyone can attend the ceremonies, which will be staged at a fundraising banquet held at Deer Valley’s Silver Lake Lodge on April 4 starting at 6:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased for $125 per person, $200 per couple or for $1,000 for a table of ten. Corporate sponsor tables are also available. Tickets may be ordered by calling the Alf Engen Ski Museum at 435.658.4240 or online at www.skihall.com. Anyone interested in attending should respond quickly as ticket availability is limited.

The induction will be the highlight of a weekend of exciting events designed to involve skiers and ski sport enthusiasts while raising funds for the National Hall of Fame. A few select patrons will have an opportunity to ski with the new inductees on Saturday morning at Deer Valley. World Champion and Hall of Famer Trace Worthington, and Deer Valley’s skiing ambassador Heidi Voelker, will be leading a very special Ski With the Olympians program. Interested parties can register online at www.skihall.com, or contact Worthington at: trace@flyingaceproductions.com or 435.901.1279 for more details.

Carmichael, a Steamboat Springs, CO native, was the bronze medalist in the debut of moguls skiing in the Olympics in 1992. Two years later, New Hampshire native McIntyre went on to take silver in Lillehammer. She retired in 2007 after a highly successful coaching career. Briggs, of Jackson Hole, WY, is credited as one of the great pioneers of big mountain skiing. Adgate was a top U.S. Alpine Ski team racer in the 1970s.
Partnering with the Hall of Fame are the Alf Engen Ski Museum, Deer Valley Resort, U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association and Flying Ace Productions. This is the first time this event will be held at a ski resort in the United States. Previously, in 2006 and 2007 they were held in Las Vegas and prior to that at the Hall of Fame in Michigan.

A special rate on lodging at Deer Valley's Silver Baron are available through Deer Valley Lodging at 1.800.453.3833 with rates starting at just $145.

The U.S. National Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame is located in Ishpeming, MI and is dedicated to providing respected, lasting and national recognition to those who have achieved nationally or internationally as competitors or contributors to skiing and snowboarding in the United States. Ishpeming is the birthplace of organized competitive skiing in America. The Hall of Fame has enshrined 356 Olympic stars and sport pioneers.

Fans Can Train with the Team

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 00:00:00 MST

WINTER PARK, CO (Feb. 18) – Fans of the U.S. Ski Team and U.S. Snowboarding are invited aboard the famous Ski Train from Denver to Winter Park Resort. The annual Train for Gold will head to Winter Park on Friday, March 6 for a day of skiing and riding with athletes to benefit the Team.

The daylong excursion starts out at Denver's Union Station at 6:15 a.m., with a full day skiing or riding, plus lunch at Winter Park's Lodge at Sunspot. Participants can also test their skills against athletes on Winter Park's NASTAR course. After a day on the mountain, the Ski Train heads back to Denver, arriving around 6:30 p.m.

Proceeds from Train for Gold benefit U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association programs, including the U.S. Ski Team and U.S. Snowboarding. Tickets begin at just $350 per person including the Ski Train, a day at Winter Park Resort, lunch at the Lodge at Sunspot and a commemorative gift. Additional sponsorship program to help benefit skiing and snowboarding athletic programs are also available at www.ussa.org/foundation.

Reservations are still available for what is one of the Team's most popular fundraising programs each year. To make your reservation, check out www.ussa.org/foundation or call 1-800-809-SNOW.

Looking Ahead: Vancouver One Year Out

Wed, 11 Feb 2009 00:00:00 MST

While winter sport competition pushes on around the world, this week, U.S. Ski Team and U.S. Snowboarding athletes look one year ahead to a competition that represents the completion of goals met and dreams reached for athletes everywhere - the Olympics.

On Feb. 12, 2010, the opening ceremonies will commence two weeks of competition on the world's stage from Vancouver, where battles will be won and lost, but everyone will walk away an Olympian. The year-out date will find top U.S. Ski Team and U.S. Snowboarding athletes competing from Vancouver to Moscow, battling for this year's World Cup titles, but thinking, too, about Olympic medals 12 months from now.

A few of the top U.S. contenders took time from their global competition travels this week to tell their story a year out from the 2010 Olympic Winter Games - where are they now and where will they be a year from now at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

Shannon Bahrke
Today: Are, Sweden
2010: Feb. 13 – Women's moguls, Cypress Mountain

Shannon Bahrke (Tahoe City, CA) won Olympic moguls silver in 2002 at Deer Valley Resort as a rising new star. Since then she's won a World Cup title, two World Championship medals, started her own business (Silver Bean Coffee, named after her medal) and become engaged to be married. Nine years later, she's still one of the best moguls skiers in the world.

"I am super optimistic about the Olympics 12 months from now. I have had an OK season with my skiing and speed, but my jumps far from where they need to be. I know where I have to improve and I know I can do that with time," Bahrke said after a week on Vancouver's Cypress Mountain. "I really want to go back to the Olympics and represent the United States one more time. I know I have it in me to make it happen!"

After the 2002 Olympics, Bahrke was one of the pioneers of new, inverted aerial maneuvers in moguls skiing, helping innovate her sport for the future.

She'll spend the one-year out date in Are, Sweden, preparing for a pair of World Cups this weekend.

Hannah Kearney
Today: Are, Sweden
2010: Feb. 13 – Women's moguls, Cypress Mountain

Joining Bahrke in Are will be the 2005 World Champion in moguls skiing, Hannah Kearney (Norwich, VT), who failed to qualify for finals in Torino. A year later, injuries kept her sidelined for almost two years. But she didn't lose a step. A year out from Vancouver, Kearney is leading the FIS Freestyle World Cup with two wins and was second in the debut of the Olympic course in Cypress Mountain.

"It's hard to believe that it has been exactly three years since the last Olympics. In some ways it feels like yesterday. But I have grown up a lot since then and I am a stronger athlete now," Kearney said. "I am excited for the Vancouver games for so many reasons. I will be more prepared because I know what to expect and I am looking forward to having a chance to redeem myself for my last Olympic showing. I am planning on enjoying these games and taking in every moment."

Kearney is known as a fierce competitor. She will clearly draw motivation from Torino. And she also knows her toughest challenge will come from a Canadian, Jenn Heil, who beat Kearney in the pre-Olympics. It should be quite a matchup on the first day of Olympic competition.

Seth Wescott
Today: Cypress Mountain
2010: Feb. 15 – Men's snowboardcross, Cypress Mountain

Olympic champion Seth Wescott (Sugarloaf, ME) had a reality check as he flew into Vancouver this week. "Arriving in Vancouver today I was struck by the fact we are only one year to go until the 2010 games. The city is abuzz with construction, and has the feel of gearing up."

While fans take in the ambience and excitement of Vancouver, Wescott and company are checking it out on-snow. "For me this week is all about the test. Getting to race on the course at Cypress where we will do battle next February will be what really puts this next year of my life into focus."

The veteran is philosophical about the next year of his life, knowing full well that as defending champion, he's on everyone's radar, including his teammates. "I am motivated, healthy and looking forward to the challenge of the next year and the process of the journey to get back to the stage where I can live my dream again. The journey builds your strength, resolve and passion as I move towards Feb. 15, 2010, the day a year from now when I will defend my gold for the USA!"

Lindsey Jacobellis
Today: Cypress Mountain
2010: Feb. 16 – Women's snowboardcross, Cypress Mountain

Lindsey Jacobellis remains, as she was in 2006, the queen of her sport. She has dominated with seven X Games SBX wins along with 16 World Cup victories (including one in halfpipe). But she's looking to upgrade her silver in Cypress Mountain next year.

"Of course I want to upgrade my medal," she said from the Olympic venue outside Vancouver this week. "That's what being a true competitor is all about."

Jacobellis is in town with to checkout the Olympic course for the first time. "This event will be a good opportunity to test out the hill because it will be built by the same course designer."

It seems like yesterday that she won silver in Torino. "So far, the three years have flown by. Once you gear up into competition it goes by so fast. I'm looking forward to the summer to get some down time - a chance to get physically and mentally prepared for the first qualifier in Argentina."

Lindsey Vonn
Today: Val d'Isere
2010: Feb. 17 – Women's downhill (also Feb. 14 super combined, Feb. 20 super G, Feb. 24 giant slalom, Feb. 26 slalom), Whistler

Reigning World Cup overall champion and double World Championship gold medalist Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO) said that, while a year away, she's already anticipating the chance to complete a goal.

"I've been looking forward to the Olympics since 2006. I wasn't able to accomplish my goal of winning an Olympic medal there, but after winning the super G and downhill gold at World Championships this year, I know I can compete and win in big events," Vonn said from the FIS Alpine Ski World Championships in Val d'Isere, France. "Winning the World Cup overall title was great, winning a World Champs medal is cool too, but winning an Olympic medal is the highest honor. I clinched the downhill title in Whistler last year, so I know that I can compete there."

Vonn will have a busy Olympics, likely competing in five events. But if there's one special day on her mind, it's the women's downhill on Wednesday, Feb. 17. Her mind will still be fresh with the good memory of clinching the World Cup title on Franz's Run at Whistler a year ago. But it's also bittersweet with the knowledge that she didn't win that day – she was second!

Andy Newell
Today: Valdidentro, Italy
2010: Feb. 17 – Men's cross country sprint, Whistler Olympic Park

Andy Newell (Shaftsbury, VT) wants to raise the bar from his 16th place cross country finish in the 2006 Games. Since then, he's been on the World Cup podium twice. Known as one of the fastest sprinters, Newell says being a year away has him ready to do what it takes to reach his goals.

"I'm feeling more confident than ever that we'll be ready to compete. This season is far from over but we've already learned a lot about what it takes to peak our fitness for the big events and what kind of training we're going to need to do over the next 365 days in order to be in medal contention," Newell said from the World Cup circuit in Italy, a week before the Nordic Ski World Championships in the Czech Republic. "I am for sure more excited than nervous. That might change by the night before my event, but right now I'm fired up."

Newell skis a specialty that changes from freestyle to classic technique for Vancouver. "This year World Champs are skate, but once we've moved past that we'll have a big focus on striding and double poling. We had a chance to race the course this year during the pre Olympic World Cups and I was stoked at how nicely the sprint course skied. There's lots of room to pass and it has some good uphills."

Like many athletes, he's happy to be "home" for the Games. "It definitely doesn't hurt that they are so close to home. It's going to allow us to have a more relaxed camp leading into the games and for once we'll have a little less travel than our competition.

"I'm most excited to compete in the Vancouver Olympics because I feel more prepared than ever to take a stab at a medal."

Kikkan Randall
Today: Valdidentro, Italy
2010: Feb. 17 – Women's cross country sprint, Whistler Olympic Park

"When the IOC announced that Vancouver would be the host for the 2010 Olympics, I had to pinch myself," said Kikkan Randall. "Could I really be that lucky?"

Randall was a story in Torino with the best U.S. women's Olympic finish in history (ninth). She was a bigger story a year ago when she won a World Cup in Russia. One of her strategies has been to spend a lot of time at the Whistler Olympic Park.

"Because the Olympics will essentially be in our backyard, the U.S. Ski Team has been taking full advantage of Whistler’s proximity to get to know the venue, the area, the weather, the protocol, so that come Olympic race day, everything will be normal and we can just relax and perform."

Randall's challenge will be taking her proven skills as a freestyle technique sprinter over to the classic technique that will be run in 2010. It's all a part of her long term – i.e. lifetime – strategy.

"When I first began my international ski career, I always looked toward 2010 as my first chance to be a medal contender. I knew it would take at least 10 years of training and experience to be ready to compete on the world’s highest stage. The time has flown by incredibly fast and 2010 is now just a year away."

Hannah Teter
Today: Cypress Mountain
2010: Feb. 18 – Women's snowboarding halfpipe, Cypress Mountain

Hannah Teter and Shaun White made history in Torino, doubling up on gold and following in the footsteps of Kelly Clark and Ross Powers from 2002. But it now means Teter comes into Vancouver as the defending champion. Teter is quick to remember her roots and why she snowboards in the first place.

"I just wanna keep the mindset of remembering why I snowboard, which is to have fun," she said while checking out the 2010 venue in Cypress Mountain. "If I forget that, it's all over."

The Vermont native has also been able to put her gold medal into a global perspective, and to give back as a humanitarian. "Winning the Olympics was a thought that was counterbalanced with feeling honored and blessed to be able to attend such a big event. I told myself that if I were to do well, the obligation to use that to help the people of this planet who have less than I do, would be a major goal and priority."

She has clearly done that, donating all of her ongoing prize money to a village in Africa and using her platform as an Olympic champion to raise awareness globally to her cause. "My main focus is to be conscious of all things going on around me, and to excel in the sport that I love so much!"

Gretchen Bleiler
Today: Cypress Mountain
2010: Feb. 18 – Women's snowboarding halfpipe

X Games champion and Olympic silver medalist Gretchen Bleiler (Aspen, CO) will be hanging her hat in Vancouver on the one-year-out night, checking out the superpipe at Cypress Mountain overlooking the city.

We can all feel the excitement and pressure of the Olympics just one year away," she said from Vancouver. "We're trying new things, progressing and pushing ourselves in preparation, and it's going to be an exciting year."

Bleiler's fame has grown since her 2006 silver, especially with a dominating performance in the 2008 X Games to take gold.

Emily Cook
Today: Moscow
2010: Feb. 20 – Women's aerials, Cypress Mountain

Emily Cook (Belmont, MA) won the hearts of America in 2002 when a horrific training accident in Lake Placid took her out of the Salt Lake City Olympic Games. She came back to make the Team in 2006. But her career really came into focus when she won a World Cup in Moscow in front of 25,000 Russian fans, including then President Vladimir Putin last season.

Cook has now become a regular podium contender, has polished her basic jumps and is working on even bigger degree of difficulty maneuvers. A year out from the 2010 Games, she was falling in love - with the Olympic aerial hill in Cypress.

"I absolutely love the Olympic site in Cypress," she said from Moscow. "I had an incredible week of training and competition in Vancouver - lots of great jumps and a very high landing percentage on that hill. I absolutely love the city!

"My Olympic experiences have been so different throughout the years, from watching in 98, qualifying and then watching again in 2002 and actually having the opportunity to compete in 2006. I now feel like I have the perfect combination of training, preparation and experience for Vancouver in 2010 and I am so excited to go there and represent our team! I really can't wait and can't believe it's just one year away!"

Ted Ligety
Today: Val d'Isere
2010: Feb. 21 – Men's GS (also super combined Feb. 16, slalom Feb. 27), Whistler

Being familiar with skiing well in Whistler is something the Olympic combined gold medalist Ted Ligety (Park City, UT) says is an advantage.

"I feel like I'm skiing well right now and it's always fun to be competing at big races. Vancouver isn't really that far away and I'm looking forward to competing in Whistler," Ligety said from France. "I was fourth in the last World Cup we had there, so I know that I can compete for a medal. Whistler is a cool town to be in and I'm sure it's going to be sweet for the Olympics."

Like Vonn, Ligety will be busy in Whistler. And while the world will wait to watch him open with the super combined on Feb. 16, one of his biggest focuses will be on Sunday, Feb. 21 when the World Cup giant slalom champion puts it on the line in the Olympic GS.

Jeret "Speedy" Peterson
Today: Moscow
2010: Feb. 22 – Men's aerials, Cypress Mountain

Jeret "Speedy" Peterson (Boise, ID) took the 2006 Torino Olympics by storm - or, rather, by Hurricane. His unique quintuple twisting triple flip was much anticipated and only an ever so slight touch of the hand on the snow kept him from the medals. The Idaho native came back in 2007 to nail the Hurricane in a World Cup at Utah's Deer Valley Resort to win and set a new scoring record. He took the 2008 season off and came back winning in 2009.

A year out from the 2010 Games, Speedy was on the hill in Cypress Mountain outside Vancouver. "I'm very glad to see that I like this site. The actual jump hill reminds me a lot of Deer Valley and I have always loved that hill. It gives me a lot to look forward to and gets the endorphins pumping for sure. It makes you want to train that much harder knowing you will be competing there in one year for your shot at an Olympic medal."

Speedy will be celebrating the one-year-out date in Moscow, preparing for a huge World Cup in front of 25,000 fans this weekend.

Billy Demong
Today: Klingenthal, Germany
2010: Feb. 23 – Nordic combined team event (also Feb. 14, 25 individual events), Whistler Olympic Park

Billy Demong (Vermontville, NY) is feeling fresh and relaxed in Klingenthal, a small village in eastern Germany on the Czech Republic border. It seems like forever ago that he won one of two pre-Olympic test events at the Whistler Olympic Park last month and was second in the other.

"I am feeling really good about where my season is going and especially where our team is at right now. I am eager to compete in the World Championships in Liberec [Czech Republic] and finishing the World Cup season after that. I'm especially excited about the size and strength of our squad from the return of Todd Lodwick to the juniors who have placed well in Continental Cups and World Juniors this season."

Demong has three dates marked on his calendar, with individual events Feb. 14 and 25. But a big focus will be putting the pride of a decade of teammates on the line Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2010 at the Whistler Olympic Park for the nordic combined team event where Demong, Lodwick, Johnny Spillane and a fourth skier will be a team to be reckoned with at the Olympics.

While it's not Lake Placid, Park City or Steamboat Springs, it will almost be like home next February in Canada. "Though the distance may not be an advantage the certainty that many friends and family will be in attendance is motivating. And Canada is a bit more like home in terms of language, people, food and culture so I am very happy to be able to attend another Olympics in North America."

But it's still a year away, and Demong's focus is not on Canada, but on the Czech Republic where he will defend his World Championships silver medal from 2007. "My focus continues to be on the job at hand but with a long term eye on Vancouver.

"I feel that I am nearing the peak of my abilities in my career to compete in these Olympic Games!"

U.S. Ski Team, SIA Honor SmartWool

Wed, 28 Jan 2009 00:00:00 MST

LAS VEGAS (Jan. 28) – SmartWool, whose socks have provided warmth and performance benefits to U.S. Ski Team and U.S. Snowboarding athletes, was honored as the recipient of the sixth annual Doc DesRoches Award. The presentation is made annually by SnowSports Industries America and the U.S. Ski Team recognizing an SIA member and Team supplier for its promotion of the Team's brand and athletes. The award was presented at the SIA.09 Snowsports Trade Show in Las Vegas.

"SmartWool has been a truly valuable partner for our athletes," said U.S. Ski Team President and CEO Bill Marolt. "First, the company has taken an essential product like socks, talked to our athletes about their needs, and put significant performance enhancements into its product. And this year, SmartWool has expanded in a licensing program to take our brand out on its products to over a million consumers."

SmartWool has been an official supplier to the Team since 1997, and expanded into a licensing program this past year.

"SmartWool's support in supplying the team with product and exposure is very much in keeping with Doc DesRoches' work in the past," said SIA President David Ingemie. "Doc was dedicated through his career in helping keep the U.S. Ski Team athletes supplied with good, quality product."

"Beyond being a phenomenal partner, the U.S. Ski Team provides us with a level of connectivity to world-class athletes that helps us continue to develop superior performance products through athlete feedback and recommendations," explained Mark Satkiewicz, SmartWool vice president of sales.

"The team at SmartWool has a great idea of how to get the most technical aspects out of wool," said the U.S. Ski Team's Billy Demong, who is one of the athletes providing performance feedback to the company. "The comfort of SmartWool socks is unsurpassed. And I really like the anti-microbial qualities, which is especially good for us being on the road so long." Demong is one of the top nordic combined athletes in the world, and the 2007 World Championship silver medalist.

The award is named in honor of Doc DesRoches, who died in 2003 after an illustrious career as a pioneer in forming SIA - and leading it for nearly two decades. He also played a key role in developing the U.S. Ski Team's early fundraising efforts and was a relentlessly strong supporter of the Team. The award was begun in 2004 and presented annually in recognition of marketing efforts by a supplier around the U.S. Ski Team brand and athletes.

SmartWool® is a leading performance brand offering wool-based apparel, socks and accessories. Nothing can compare to SmartWool® products for the ultimate in performance, comfort and easy care. SmartWool® fiber is superior at vaporizing moisture, controlling temperature and order and is guaranteed not to shrink. It’s also a renewable resource that illustrates the design genius of evolution. For information on the full range of SmartWool® products or to find a dealer near you, please log onto SmartWool’s award winning website: www.SmartWool.com. SmartWool Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Timberland Company.

Doc DesRoches Award Winners
2004 - Rossignol
2005 - Atomic
2006 - All U.S. Ski Team suppliers
2007- Spyder Active Sports
2008 - Volkl, Marker, Tecnica
2009 - SmartWool