U.S. Ski Team News - Jumping-Nordic

Ellis Retires From Jumping Team

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 00:00:00 MST

PARK CITY, UT (June 10) - After jumping for most of her life and competing for the U.S. Ski Team for two years, Brenna Ellis (Park City, UT), a student at Westminster College, is retiring from her competitive career. Ellis took a few moments to reflect on her years of pioneering in the field of women's ski jumping.

"Brenna has been a big part of women's ski jumping in the U.S. and she should be very proud of her pioneering efforts to gain attention for this rising sport," U.S. Nordic Program Director John Farra said. "She was named to the first womens U.S. Ski Jumping Team in 2006 and was a key part of one of the best teams in the world for two and a half years. I wish Brenna luck in school and hope she remains connected to the great sport of ski jumping."

Ellis was immediately interested in the ski jumps at Utah Olympic Park when they were constructed in the mid-Nineties. Eventually she had the chance to try the 2002 Olympic venue out as a Friday afternoon after-school activity and from there she was hooked.

Ellis joined Park City's National Sports Foundation's jumping program the following winter and competed in the demo events when women's jumping was introduced to the Junior World Championships. Ellis was later 16th in '06 when women's jumping formally was added to the JWCs schedule.

According to the life-long jumper, the decision to leave the sport had been something she had wrestled with for some time.

"I had been going back and forth for a while, but at the end of each season after I had a month off I was ready to go back to the sport," Ellis said. "But after I hurt my knee this year and after having spent time away from jumping I realized that it wasn't what I wanted to do anymore."

For Ellis, who had jumped with her teammates for over 14 years, she will miss the competition aspect of her sport the most.

"The trips to Europe and getting the experience in international competition was fun. Also, competing at nationals was always one of my favorite events of the year," Ellis said. "The only thing I feel that I missed out on was everyone getting ready for World Championships. It was something we were all excited about after they told us we were going to be able to compete and to not actually be there was hard."

But, as far as Ellis is concerned, it has been a welcome change to invest in her life back at home.

"It's been nice to have some time to be able to do my own thing," Ellis said.

Ellis, who could only attend school and work part time due to a heavy competition schedule, is excited to dive full time into school and continue her work with a local online company.

"I'm going to Westminster College in Salt Lake and majoring in environmental studies. I've also been working for backcounty.com, which has been a lot of fun," Ellis said.

While the distant future is a mystery to Ellis, she knows where she will be permanently for the next 24 months, and she couldn't be happier.

"I have two more years of school and I love it. It's been fun to meet new people there and do the college thing," Ellis said.

Ellis was honored as a retiring athlete in May at USSA's annual Congress Awards Dinner,

USSA Names 2010 Nordic Combined Team

Thu, 4 Jun 2009 00:00:00 MST

PARK CITY, UT (June 4) - Reigning World Championship gold medalists Todd Lodwick (Steamboat Springs, CO) and Billy Demong (Vermontville, NY), along with 2003 World Champion Johnny Spillane (Steamboat Springs, CO) set the bar high as the newly named U.S. Nordic Combined Ski Team enters the 2010 Olympic season.

"The U.S. has established itself as one of the premier nordic combined nations and this team nomination displays our commitment to maintaining our tradition of winning," U.S. Nordic Program Director John Farra said. "With three World Champions, four talented returning athletes, and three rookies making a debut, this is a Team focused on Olympic success for not only this year, but many years to come."

Three athletes were named to the A Team and seven to the B Team. The 2010 Olympic Team, which will be named primarily from current season results, will be announced January 21, 2010.

"The team as a whole has strength in that everyone is working together on a daily basis and making each other better every day. Everyone shares in each other's successes and get better because of them," U.S. Nordic Combined Head Coach Dave Jarrett said. "To have three of the best nordic combined skiers in the world to train with on a daily basis pushes everyone. The success of Todd, Billy and Johnny is what everyone is striving to be on the team. That's the kind of competition we're trying to instill in the group."

With a remarkable return to the sport at the age of 32 after two years of retirement Lodwick had a remarkably historic season which included two World Championship gold medals. Now officially named to the Team, Lodwick provides an integral key to the pursuit of U.S. nordic success in 2010.

"Todd is a veteran and he brings an enthusiasm to the group. He's been good for the guys to be around. He's a definite threat and he proved that in Liberec at World Championships last season," Jarrett said.

Packing both a gold and bronze World Championship medal in his arsenal as well as five World Cup wins from the 2009 season, Demong heads into the 2010 season ahead of the curve with a stronger foundation than he's had in years past.

"He's motivated and he knows the task at hand. He's going into this next season more prepared than he was last season both physically and mentally," Jarrett said. "He knows that anything is possible in Whistler and it's possible to keep on making history like he has been for the past three years."

With a handful of solid top-10 results in the World Cup, Spillane is on track to remain a consistent threat for the podium.

Adding to the Team's potential for success is the nordic combined B Team which hosts seven athletes on the cusp of success on the world's stage. The roster includes Eric Camerota (Park City, UT) who proved his abilities by earning for the fourth spot on the men's relay team at World Championships. Joining Camerota will be his twin Brett, and Bryan Fletcher (Steamboat Springs, CO) who were both a part of the 2009 U.S. World Championships team.

"It's great to see their enthusiasm and hunger to get better. They are enthusiastic and bring a new dynamic to the group," Jarrett said.

The U.S. Nordic Combined Team's training season has already been off to a great start as athletes flock to the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association's new home, the Center of Excellence in Park City.

"Because this team is primarily based out of Park City, the athletes will gain huge training advantage from the use of the Center of Excellence for daily training, testing and recovery in the lead up to the 2010 season," Farra said.

2010 Nordic Combined Ski Team
(including date of birth, hometown and club program; * indicates Olympian):

A Team
Billy Demong (3/29/80; Vermontville, NY; Lake Placid Ski Club/Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club)*
Todd Lodwick (11/21/76; Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club)*
Johnny Spillane (11/24/80; Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club)*

B Team
Brett Camerota (1/9/85; Park City, UT; National Sports Foundation)*
Eric Camerota (1/9/85; Park City, UT; National Sports Foundation)*
Brett Denney (2/26/90; Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club)
Bryan Fletcher (6/27/86; Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club)
Taylor Fletcher (5/11/90; Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club)
Nick Hendrickson (6/20/91; Park City, UT; Park City Nordic Ski Club)
Alex Miller (12/24/85; Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club)

Nordic Combined Team Trains in Whistler

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 00:00:00 MST

WHISTLER, BC (April 20) - The U.S. Nordic Combined Ski Team wrapped up the 2009 season on snow as athletes took to the terrain of Whistler to train on what will become their Olympic stage in less than a year.

"We had an awesome camp with our group with 10 athletes up there. We got really good skiing in, really good jumping in, and it was just good to train up there," said World Champion Billy Demong (Vermontville, NY).

For the World Championship gold and bronze medalist, the camp was an opportunity to get in some last minute time at the venue where he won a World Cup earlier this season.

"It was our last opportunity to get some training jumps on the Olympic hills and ski the trails. Especially with the jumps, I think that's an advantage,"

The Team spent time training on the Olympic jumps, cross country skiing the trails and even found the time to alpine ski with athletes from other national teams which, according to Demong, was an opportunity to get to know their international counterparts.

"There were four other national teams there. So, we got to not only train there together and wrap up the season, we also got to know the teams more on a personal level. Even though we all compete together all year, there's always that underlying stress," Demong said.

"So it was a nice last camp of the season. Everyone did some alpine skiing and we were able to sit down and talk together in a relaxed atmosphere."

In the end, Demong said he was just happy to be in Whistler, a venue where he hopes future World Cup and World Championship events will be held. He was the winner of one out of the two events last January.

"Whistler is my favorite venue in the world. It's just such a beautiful setting with great conditions, awesome hills, awesome courses," Demong said.

"The bottom line is they can continue to host World Cup and World Championship level events eventually if they can find the support to do so."

The Team heads next to Steamboat Springs in early June for jumping on plastic ski jumping hills.

Demong Wins King's Cup

Sun, 15 Mar 2009 00:00:00 MST

VIKERSUND, Norway (March 15) - World Champion Billy Demong (Vermontville, NY) ended the season Sunday with a strong win in the final DKB FIS Nordic Combined World Cup in Norway, winning the prestigious King's Cup, one of the sport's top honors. It was his fifth win of the season and eighth of his career.

Demong was presented with the King's Cup in the private viewing box of Norway's King Harald V, who attended all of Sunday's events in Vikersund, west of Oslo. The Cup, traditionally presented to the winner of the nordic combined event at the Holmenkollen Ski Festival, was first won by American John Bower in 1968 and is considered one of the highest honors in nordic combined. American Kerry Lynch won the Cup in 1983, while Todd Lodwick won the Holmenkollen sprint race in 1998. "It was a real honor," said Demong. "It's part of a goal I've had since first coming to Oslo and the Holmenkollen ten years ago."

Finland's Anssi Koivuranta, who needed only two points to clinch the title over Norway's Magnus Moan, was eighth to take the globe, finishing with seven wins. Demong finished third for the second straight year, despite skipping two weekends to prepare for World Championships, where he won gold in the large hill event.

After finishing 17th in the jump, Demong methodically worked his way through the pack to take a 9.8 second victory over Petter Tande of Norway.

"It's nice to finsh the season with five podium places in the last five competitions," said Demong. "These results give me a lot of motivtion to start training for next season with a focus on the Olympic Winter Games. One of the reasons I took a break [late January/early February] was to finish strong."

Demong put down a 107.0 meter jump to finish 17th, starting the 10K cross country segment 53 seconds behind Austrian leader Christoph Bieiler. Koivuranta was in a good position, 31 seconds back, while Moan was well out of the hunt in 43rd, with a 1:44 disadvantage. Demong was happy with his jump, especially with the final ten jumpers, including him, losing the headwind that had been there earlier. "I'm very happy with where I jumped the last month and a half," he said. "With the conditions this week, my jumps were really good."

With no strong cross country skiers right behind him, Bieiler held the lead through the halfway mark where Demong finally caught the lead pack and was in the lead by 6.8K. Koivuranta, meanwhile, held close but started fading in the final kilometers. Demong, meanwhile, had a tough battle with Tande from the 7K mark until the last half kilometer when he sprinted away to the win.

"Bill started out conservatively and worked his way up to Bieler," said Coach Dave Jarrett. "When he got to Bieler, he took control. People tried to ski with him but he and Petter broke away and skied together for the last half lap. Mikko [Kokslien] was closing quickly. On the end of a long climb Bill made a move to drop Petter and won going away.

"Tactically he did a good job with what he had to work with to make sure Mikko didn't get too close and to drop Petter."

"Bieler kind of surprised me," said Demong. "But I wanted to start pretty controlled today. I had a good feeling in the first few laps. Coming into the last K, I was able to go harder and harder all the way. That's a good way to race!"

It was one of the first times this season Tande has been a factor. Demong and Tande battled to the final race last year, with the Norwegian beating Demong for second in the overall.

"I was really happy for Petter and Mikko - it was Mikko's first podium. It was a good way for them to finish," said Demong.

Demong came into the season with goals of gold in World Championships and five World Cup wins - both of which he achieved. When the schedule was changed this fall to 30 races spread across five months, he did not focus on the overall. "It takes some things off me and also helps me prepare for next year," said Demong.

When asked what he would be doing now that the season is over, he was quickly to reply: "I'm going [home] to Park City for vacation." But he also said, "and I'm picking up a new road bike on Tuesday."

OFFICIAL RESULTS
DKB FIS NORDIC COMBINED WORLD CUP
Vikersund, Norway - March 15, 2009
Individual Gundersen Start - HS117
(jump rank, XC rank, time back)

1. Billy Demong, Vermontville, NY, (17/2) 26:31.6
2. Petter Tande, Norway, (12/7) +9.8
3. Mikko Kokslien, Norway (34/1) +10.3
4. Jason Lamy Chappuis, France, (17/4) +15.6
5. Janne Ryynaenen, Finland, (10/9) +22.9
-
32. Eric Camerota, Park City, UT (21/41) +2:21.5
42. Brett Camerota, Park City, UT (50/36) +3:05.1
44. Bryan Fletcher, Steamboat Springs, CO, (49/38) +3:09.1

Demong Sprints to Second

Sat, 14 Mar 2009 00:00:00 MST

VIKERSUND, Norway (March 14) - Billy Demong (Vermontville, NY) sprinted away from a huge pack in the last half kilometer to finish second behind FIS Nordic Combined World Cup leader Anssi Koivuranta of Finland. Saturday. Eric Camerota (Park City, UT) finished in a career best 24th.

Demong jumped to 16th place on the HS117 meter hill in Vikersund, and found himself with a hefty one minute, 25 seconds to make up. In typical Demong fashion, he began picking off skiers ahead of him and moved into second behind jump leader Koivuranta around the four kilometer mark. Two kilometers later Norway's Magnus Moan, who started 20 seconds behind Demong, overtook him and brought with him a pack of five. The group battled back and forth before Demong turned on the afterburners, picking up nearly 20 seconds on Koivuranta in the final kilometer.

The finish virtually locked the title for Koivuranta, who holds a 99 point edge over Moan. The World Cup season will wrapup on Sunday. Demong, despite skipping two weekends to prepare for World Championships, clinched third in the standings with his finish, matching the mark he set a year ago.

"I'm happy with my second place," said Demong. "It's the fourth podium spot in a row for me."

Despite his 1:25 disadvantage at the start, Demong thought he and Moan could catch Koivuranta. "I was just sure Magnus would come up and I thought that together we could catch Anssi."

It was the first nordic combined World Cup in Vikersund, located west of Oslo on the southern end of Tyrifjorden. The event was partnered with a FIS Ski Jumping World Cup. "The jumping hill here is nice and good for nordic combined because it tightens the field." That tightening caused quite a traffic jam, though, for Demong and Moan as they fought their way through the field to the front.

The World Cup season closes Sunday in Vikersund.

OFFICIAL RESULTS
DKB FIS NORDIC COMBINED WORLD CUP
Vikersund, Norway - March 14, 2009
Individual Gundersen Start - HS117
(jump rank, XC rank, time back)

1. Anssi Koivuranta, Finland (1/23) 26:03.9
2. Billy Demong, Vermontville, NY (16/2) +16.9
3. Magnus Moan, Norway (24/1) +13.9
4. Eric Frenzel, Germany (5/7) +16.1
5. Jason Lamy Chappuis, France (10/5) +19.1
-
24. Eric Camerota, Park City, UT (17/28) +1:57.7
48. Bryan Fletcher, Steamboat Springs, CO (48/47) +4:34.0
49. Brett Camerota, Park City, UT (59/41) +4:41.8

Demong Third in Finland World Cup

Sat, 7 Mar 2009 00:00:00 MST

LAHTI, Finland (March 7) - Billy Demong (Vermontville, NY) made it two podiums for the weekend, finishing third Saturday in a nordic combined World Cup in Finland.

Demong jumped fourth to get things going, but a fast paced start may have kept the World Champion from hitting the top of the podium Saturday.

"I had another really good day on the jump hill. I felt pretty good physically and I thought it was going to be a little bit easier, but I made the mistake of going out a little too hard and struggled in the second half of the race," Demong said.

Demong led the way for U.S. results with Bryan Fletcher (Steamboat Springs, CO) finishing 35th and Johnny Spillane 40th.

According to Demong, fatigue set in near the very end of the course where he was out-paced by winner Magnus Moan of Norway and Anssi Koivuranta of Finland who took second.

"I just went dead trying to stay the last lap and a half. It wasn't as good a tactical race as it was yesterday, but I'm still happy with third place," Demong said.

Nordic Combined Head Coach Dave Jarrett was also happy to have Demong, who currently remains third in the World Cup overall standings, on the podium regardless of the place.

"It was a good race. Billy jumped really well again. I feel like he opened the race a little bit too fast, but it was an exciting finish for sure," Jarrett said. "Third is third. You don't want to get greedy and have to win every competition. So, we're happy with third and ready to move forward to Vikersund and the competitions out there."

The Team is now focused on the final stop of the nordic combined World Cup season, which takes place March 14-15 in Vikersund, Norway.

"I have a good feeling and I'm hoping to keep it rolling. I've been a little bit tired on the cross country course, but I'm hoping to turn that around a little next weekend by resting more," Demong said. "I'm psyched. I'm definitely in a good fight now for third overall and it looks good right now. I'm just hoping to keep the hammer down through the end."

OFFICIAL RESULTS
DKB FIS NORDIC COMBINED WORLD CUP
Lahti, Finland - March 7, 2009
Individual Gundersen Start
(jump rank, XC rank, time back)

FF 1. Magnus Moan, Norway (20/1) 26:34.5
FF 2. Anssi Koivuranta, Finland (1/24) +0.0
3. Billy Demong, Vermontville, NY (4/14) +2.5
4. Eric Frenzel, Germany (5/10) +12.4
5. Petter Tande, Norway (12/4) +18.3
-
35. Bryan Fletcher, Steamboat Springs, CO (42/27) +3:18.0
40. Johnny Spillane, Steamboat Springs, CO 936/40) +4:13.3
45. Eric Camerota, Park City, UT (41/45) +6:12.5
# # #

For complete results click here.

Junior Olympics Kick Off in Anchorage

Fri, 6 Mar 2009 00:00:00 MST

(ANCHORAGE) March 6 - The 2009 Tyson Nordic Combined and Ski Jumping Junior Olympics kicked off Thursday with the first day of jumping competition led by Sarah Hendrickson (Park City, UT) of the Intermountain Division (IMD) team leading the ladies and Christian Friberg (Roseville, MN) of the Central Division leading the men.

In the nordic combined event Tyler Smith (Eagle, ID) of the IMD team took first, followed by Eric Lynch (Steamboat Springs, CO) of Central in second and Hyrum Bailey (Park City, UT) of IMD in third. The ladies Nordic combined was led by Nina Lussi (Lake Placid, NY) of the East division with a total time of 18:02.3.

Competition continued Friday with the men’s and ladies team jumping and team sprints. The ladies of the Rocky Mountain Division (RMD) took first with a team total of 246.9. The men were led by the IMD with a total score of 695.1 followed by Central with 675.3 and RMD in third with 668.9.

Team sprints for the ladies were led by RMD with the team of Mary O’Connell and Madison Keeffe. IMD took second, with a team of mixed divisions taking third. The men’s team sprint was led by the IMD with the team of Tyler Smith and Hyrum Bailey. RMD took second, and team Alaska took third.

Competition continues Saturday with Elimination Jumping.

Demong Wins Lahti World Cup

Fri, 6 Mar 2009 00:00:00 MST

LAHTI, Finland (March 6) - Fresh from his World Championship win in Liberec, Billy Demong (Vermontville, NY) showed he's still on fire Friday, earning his fourth World Cup win of the season in Finland.

"It was for sure a big goal to keep the momentum going from World Championships. I felt a little tired this week, but all things considered, it was a really good competition," Demong said.

Demong headed in to the cross country portion of the competition sitting in sixth from the jumping round. According to Nordic Combined Head Coach Dave Jarrett, Demong encountered some of the most challenging jumping conditions of the day and still managed to do well.

"The most impressive thing today out of Bill was his jump. He had some of the worst conditions on the hill and had an awesome jump," Jarrett said. "Had he had conditions that were similar to what other athletes had, he could have won the jumps. It was impressive."

Starting the cross country race 19 seconds back, Demong said he had to pull from within to get the victory.

"I had a good jump, but the race was very difficult. I had to dig deep and I was actually a little bit surprised to pull away from those guys on the last lap," Demong said. "Luckily I had the legs to put in one good move a couple K from the finish and hold it the whole way in."

For Demong, taking three weeks off prior to World Championships was not only a key for his success in Liberec, but a tool for further success at the end of the World Cup season.

"I think last year I was a little bit down at the end of the season. I think part of the reason I took three weeks off prior to worlds was to get ready for the Championships, but also to try to keep fresh physically and mentally for the last push of the season," Demong said. "Today really helps me to not only keep the momentum, but keep me psyched for these last few competitions. After today I'm pretty fired up to keep going."

Following his win on Friday, Demong sits third in the World Cup standings with 920 points behind leader Anssi Koivuranta of Finland, who has 1249 points, and Norway's Magnus Moan, who sits in second with 1170 points.

"I was excited after our break to see that I was still fourth place, overall. I think it's now the goal, for sure, to keep my third. Hopefully it's an exciting fight all the way here," Demong said.

Demong continues the battle again Saturday in Lahti before moving on to the final two World Cup events of the season in Vikersund, Norway.

OFFICIAL RESULTS
DKB FIS NORDIC COMBINED WORLD CUP
Lahti, Finland - March 6, 2009
Individual Gundersen Start
(jump rank, XC rank, time back)

1. Billy Demong, Vermontville, NY (6/5) 26:10.8
2. Anssi Koivuranta, Finland (1/15) +7.2
3. Jason Lamy Chappuis, France (2/16) +11.5
4. Magnus Moan, Norway (20/1) +31.7
5. Eric Frenzel, Germany (4/30) +1:00.2
-
40. Bryan Fletcher, Steamboat Springs, CO (39/36) +4:10.3
47. Eric Camerota, Park City, UT (49/40) +5:39.0
52. Johnny Spillane, Steamboat Springs, CO (56/32) +7:45.1
# # #

For complete results click here.

Demong Takes Gold at Worlds

Sat, 28 Feb 2009 00:00:00 MST

LIBEREC, Czech Republic (Feb. 28) - Billy Demong (Vermontville, NY) upgraded his bronze medal performance with a gold Saturday, winning the final nordic combined event of the 2009 FIS Nordic Ski World Championships. Demong's gold marks the fourth for the USA at this year's Championships.

Demong started the cross country race in seventh, but quickly pulled into third and then second around the 3.5K mark. At 6K, he took over first, but was neck and neck with Kircheisen to the finish.

"It was such a calculated race. I was so wrapped up in the strategy and it was really soft snow so I was concentrating on technique. I didn't think about what the ramifications were until I looked at the big screen and saw myself in the lead crossing the line," he said.

Billy Demong and Bjoern Kircheisen of Germany compete for the gold during the nordic combined at the FIS Nordic Ski World Championships. (Janek SkarzynskiI/AFP/Getty Images)

Germany's Bjoern Kircheisen finished 12 seconds behind Demong to take silver and Jason Lamy Chappuis of France collected the bronze medal, 31 seconds back.

To say the Americans have had an outstanding World Championships would be an understatement. With the men sweeping three individual events thanks to two golds for Todd Lodwick (Steamboat Springs, CO) and one for Demong, and Lindsey Van winning an historic gold medal in the first World Championships for women's ski jumping, the 2009 Championships have brought unimaginable success.

Saturday's gold completed Demong's World Championship medal collection, having won bronze in the normal hill Gundersen six days ago and a silver medal during the 2007 World Championships in Japan.

"It was especially sweet completing the set with gold today. It was an exceptional race for me," Demong said.

Headed into the 10k portion, Demong was eighth after the morning's jumps.

"It was big time gap, but I knew with a really good race it was possible," Demong said. "Regardless, I was psyched, I like hunting and I knew it was going to be exciting."

Kircheisen started eight seconds ahead of Demong in the cross country portion and Demong's moves were highly calculated as he worked out how he would take the German down.

"He starts hard, so I knew I had to let him go a little bit then catch him later. We worked together from that point on, but I knew passing him would be the biggest challenge. I did not want to leave it until the final 100 meters because he is big and a very good sprinter," Demong said.

With 2k to go, Demong let Kircheisen into the lead.

"I let him go a bit, which gave me a chance to think about how to finish," Demong said.

As Kircheisen and Demong hammered up the second to last hill, Demong moved into the lead.

"I anticipated his move and he stayed with me until the top of the hill. Going into the stadium up the last little rise we were going full throttle and luckily I had hurt him just enough. I had a little more in the tank," he said.

Going into Saturday's race, Demong said he really wanted the win, especially after Thursday when, during the team event, Demong was disqualified for not wearing his bib, which he misplaced.

"I owed it to them," he said. "Thursday was rough. After it happened it was odd, I actually needed my team's support. I really felt that I let them down, so today is dedicated to them. They told me to forget about it."

Billy Demong kisses his ski after he won the nordic combined competition at the FIS Nordic Ski World Championships. (Janek SkarzynskiI/AFP/Getty Images)

Reflecting on his team's performance at Worlds, Demong said his gold was sweet, but standing on the podium with teammate Lodwick was the highlight of his career.

"Todd coming back has made a huge impact on our team. To have a teammate be the guy who was unbeatable has been amazing," Demong said. "When I think about this Championships, I knew going in we could do it, but there's a million ways to have it go. We carried our momentum well and were fighting for the win the entire time."

With the nordic combined events now complete, U.S. Nordic Combined Head Coach Dave Jarrett said the team's results could not have gone more according to plan.

"Everything did come together the way we envisioned it. It's more validation because we always thought these results were possible," Jarrett said. "It validates all the work everyone has done. The whole two weeks here have been incredible."

Fans can relive the USA's historic moments of World Championships at UniversalSports.com presented by High Sierra.

Watch Demong talk about his win in Liberec.

2009 USA NORDIC COMBINED AND SKI JUMPING MEDALS
Gold - Lindsey Van, women's ski jumping
Gold - Todd Lodwick, nordic combined mass start
Gold, Todd Lodwick, nordic combined Gundersen start, normal hill
Bronze, Bill Demong, nordic combined Gundersen start, normal hill
Gold, Bill Demong, Nordic combined Gundersen start, large hill

OFFICIAL RESULTS
2009 FIS NORDIC SKI WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Liberec, Czech Republic - Feb. 28, 2009
Nordic Combined Individual Gundersen (134 meter jump/10K ski)
(jump rank, cross country rank) time back

1. Billy Demong, Vermontville, NY (8/3) 23:36.6
2. Bjoern Kircheisen, Germany (7/4) +12.8
3. Jason Lamy Chappuis, France (1/23) +31.4
4. Janne Ryynaenen, Finland (3/19) +49
5. Magnus Moan, Norway, (34/1) +55.1
-
10. Todd Lodwick, Steamboat Springs, CO (24/5) +1:13.5
19. Johnny Spillane, Steamboat Springs, CO (40/6) 1:57.2
34. Eric Camerota, Park City, UT(36/34) +3:05.5
# # #

Demong Eighth After Jumps in Liberec

Sat, 28 Feb 2009 00:00:00 MST

LIBEREC, Czech Republic (Feb. 28) - After the jump portion of the final Nordic combined event at the 2009 FIS Nordic Ski World Championships, USA's Billy Demong (Vermontville, NY) sits in eighth place. Jason Lamy Chappus of France leads, while Todd Lodwick (Steamboat Springs, CO) is 24th.

Kuettel Wins Men's Jump

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 00:00:00 MST

LIBEREC, Czech Republic (Feb. 27) - Following a solid qualification round where he finished 22nd, USA's Anders Johnson (Park City, UT) finished 40th during the men's jump Friday at the FIS Nordic Ski World Championships in Liberec.

Switzerland's Andreas Kuettel, who qualified 16th, took the gold followed by Germany's Martin Schmitt with the silver and Norwegian Anders Jacobsen with bronze.

American Nick Fairall (Andover, NH) did not qualify, landing in 45th in the men's qualifications.

USA Out of Team Event

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 00:00:00 MST

LIBEREC, Czech Republic (Feb. 26) - The USA suffered a blow in the nordic combined team event at the FIS Nordic Ski World Championships when Billy Demong (Vermontville, NY) was disqualified for not having a starting bib. In a surprise, Japan won the event in a photo finish over Germany, as Norway faded in the final 500 meters.

Demong was disqualified by officials at the top of the jump as he prepared for his single competition jump. The remaining three U.S. athletes did jump. The team stood 12th of 12 teams after the jumping round and will withdrew from the cross country portion.

According to Demong, between the trial round and the competition, he had tucked the starting bib into his jumping suit, as is customary when it's snowing so the bib doesn't soak up water. And he had looked at the bib on the chairlift ride up to the start to ensure he had the correct number and it was secure.

As he prepared for his jump, he was unable to find the bib in his suit. The starter threw him a forerunner's bib, but the competition jury held him up and disqualified him under International Competition Rule 526.1 which requires a competitor to wear their starting number in competition. A few minutes after his scheduled start, he found that the bib had slipped all the way down his suit on walk down from the lift.

"I take responsibility, for sure. But it does no good to worry about spilled milk," said Demong, watching the remainder of the cross country race with his teammates in their hotel. "It's a little bit of maturity. We've been up, we've been down. We're prepared to take the bad with the good. And we're looking ahead to Saturday."

"It was an unfortunate turn of events," said Demong's teammate Todd Lodwick (Steamboat Springs, CO). "But it's also proven that our Team has moved on from getting down in situations like this as we might have in the past. We've grown tremendously over the past few years.

"A philosopher once said: 'You're going to learn more from your mistakes than your victories,'" he added. "All we can do now is to help pickup our teammate and move on. We are really looking forward to the individual event on the big hill and I know Billy is as well."

"It was an unusual accident and Billy is deeply disappointed that it has impacted the Team," said U.S. Ski Team Nordic Director John Farra. "The athletes met together as a Team and are moving forward. They will not look back and will not allow this to deter them from their efforts to display that they are the best nordic combined Team in the world. The next chance to show this is on Saturday when they will fight for medals on the large hill."

Lodwick has won two gold and Demong a bronze so far in the Championships. The final event is Saturday with a large hill jump and 10K cross country where both Lodwick and Demong will be among the contenders.

Fans can relive the best moments of World Championships at UniversalSports.com presented by High Sierra.

USA Sets Combined Relay Team

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 00:00:00 MST

LIBEREC, Czech Republic (Feb. 25) - Eric Camerota (Park City, UT) will get the nod for the final spot of the U.S. Ski Team's four-man nordic combined team event squad for Thursday's medal event at the FIS Nordic Ski World Championships. Coach Dave Jarrett made the announcement after Wednesday's final jump training before Thursday's competition. Camerota will join Billy Demong (Vermontville, NY), Todd Lodwick and Johnny Spillane (both Steamboat Springs, CO) on a team that has an opportunity to challenge.

Eric Camerota, along with his twin brother Brett, had been up against Bryan Fletcher (Steamboat Springs, CO) for consideration for the final spot. Weather had made jump training challenging the last few days, but each athlete put in some long rides on the large hill in Liberec.

In Wednesday's training, Eric Camerota went 116.0, 110.0 and 120.0 meters. Fletcher had jumps of 121.5, 107.0 and 111.0.

"Eric proved himself in the mass start with his jumping. He had a good feeling after that and he jumped pretty well yesterday [in training]," said Jarrett. "But Fletcher really wanted it and he's been jumping really well on the big hill, too. We'll see how Bryan jumps this week before making the final call for Saturday [final large hill combined event]."

In the mass start event, Eric Camerota finished 16th, and was ahead of Spillane.

Demong actually had the long ride of the day at 131.0 meters, which is hopefully a good sign for Thursday. "Billy did jump well today and we are looking forward not only to tomrorrow but also on Saturday, especially if Billy can do that in the comp," said Jarrett. "As far as the team event goes, we want to keep the momentum rolling. My philosophy on the team event is that in order to have a chance at a medal, our top guys have to be not only the best out our four guys but they also have to be one of the best in whole competition. The fourth guy needs to have a solid day but you can't expect him to carry the team."

The team event is one the big hill, with a single jump for each athlete followed by a 4x5K relay.

With the depth of four persons, it's hard to pick a favorite. Perennially, Germany, Norway and Austria are strong. France could also be a factor. Finland, despite the strength of World Cup leader Anssi Koivuranta, probably doesn't have the depth. Jarrett is also looking at Japan as a challenger. "Japan is a sleeper," he said. "They're not quite as strong in cross country but they do have a couple guys who can ski fast."

Jumping starts at 5:00 a.m. ET with the cross country final at 9:15 a.m. ET. Fans can follow the action at FIS Live Timing or catch highlights on UniversalSports.com presented by High Sierra.

USA Second in Medals

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 00:00:00 MST

LIBEREC, Czech Republic (Feb. 25) - A gold from Norway in the men's team classic sprint dropped the USA into second position in the medals count at the FIS Nordic Ski World Championships. Both Norway and the USA now have three gold, with the Norwegians taking the edge on total medals, 7-5. Finland is third.

The USA took an early medals lead on day two with gold from Lindsey Van (Park City, UT) in ski jumping and Todd Lodwick (Steamboat Springs, CO) in nordic combined. The Americans held the lead at the midway mark of the Championships on the heels of another gold from Lodwick, bronze from Billy Demong (Vermontville, NY) and Kikkan Randall's (Anchorage) silver in the women's cross country sprint.

The Americans will be among the favorites in Thursday's nordic combined team event, as well as the final combined large hill competition on Saturday.

Lodwick USA TODAY Olympic Athlete of the Week

Tue, 24 Feb 2009 00:00:00 MST

LIBEREC, Czech Republic (Feb. 24) - The ringleader of unprecedented nordic success in the U.S., Todd Lodwick (Steamboat Springs, CO) can add another win to his scorecard this week after being named the USA TODAY Olympic Athlete of the Week.

"It is nice to see that the USA is getting more interested in the sport of nordic and nice to get recognized for my achievement as an athlete," Lodwick said.

The award made its way to Lodwick after the 32 year old, who had only come out of retirement to compete again less than a year ago, earned two gold medals at the 2009 FIS Nordic Ski World Championships.

Lodwick's recognition comes one week after fellow U.S. nordic combined skier Billy Demong (Vermontville, NY) was also named the Olympic athlete of the week by USA TODAY. Both Lodwick and Demong had also both been recognized as athlete of the week prior to February.

"It was nice, I was also the Olympic Athlete of the Week just after Billy back in December," Lodwick said.

Nordic combined is back in action at World Championships in the Czech Republic Thursday with the team event. Fans can catch the action from Liberec with daily news and video highlights available from the World Championships on UniversalSports.com presented by High Sierra.

USA Leads Medals Count

Sun, 22 Feb 2009 00:00:00 MST

LIBEREC, Czech Republic (Feb. 22) - A pair of medals Sunday at the FIS Nordic Ski World Championships in Liberec has boosted the U.S. Ski Team back into the medals count lead with four, including three gold, after eight of 20 Championship events. American Todd Lodwick (Steamboat Springs, CO) won his second gold in three days in nordic combined Sunday, with teammate Billy Demong (Vermontville, NY) taking bronze.

The World Championships continue through March 1. There are two nordic combined events remaining including the team event on Thursday (Feb. 26) and final individual even on the larger hill Saturday (Feb. 28). One of the key cross country events for the USA will be the individual sprints on Tuesday (Feb. 24).

Daily highight coverage is being provided by UniversalSports.com presented by High Sierra.

2009 USA MEDALS
Lindsey Van, gold, women's ski jumping
Todd Lodwick, gold, nordic combined mass start
Todd Lodwick, gold, nordic combined Gundersen start, normal hill
Bill Demong, bronze, nordic combined Gundersen start, normal hill

MEDALS COUNT
1. USA, 4 (3-0-1)
2. Norway, 4 (1-2-1)
3. Austria, 2 (1-1)
4. Finland, 3 (1-0-2)
5. Poland, 2 (1-0-1)
6. Estonia, 1 (1-0-0)
7. Germany, 2 (0-2-0)
8. Italy, 2 (0-1-1)
9. Czech Republic, 1 (0-1-0)
9. Sweden, 1 (0-1-0)
11. France, 1 (0-0-1)
11. Switzerland, 1 (0-0-1)

PAST U.S. WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MEDALISTS
1924 - Anders Haugen, bronze, ski jumping, Chamonix, France (Olympics/World Championships)
1982 - Bill Koch, bronze, 30K cross country, Oslo, Norway
2003 - Johnny Spillane, nordic combined sprint, Val di Fiemme, Italy
2007 - Billy Demong, nordic combined spring, Sapporo, Japan

PAST U.S. OLYMPIC MEDALISTS
1976 - Bill Koch, silver, 30K cross country, Innsbruck (Seefeld), Austria

BLOG: We Really Are Leading Medals Count

Sun, 22 Feb 2009 00:00:00 MST

The U.S. Ski Team's Tom Kelly has been around nordic skiing for decades, as a journalist, photographer and publicist, from the jumping team's old training site in his hometown of Madison, WI to the early days of the cross country World Cup and now with the U.S. Ski Team. He reflects on the opening days of the FIS Nordic Ski World Championships in Liberec, Czech Republic where the USA is the talk of the nordic world.

In my hand is a piece of paper. It's the Medal Standings from the Nordic Ski World Championships. In the number one spot is the USA with four medals including three gold. Norway is in second – but a relatively distant second with just one gold. All of this with nearly half (eight of 20) of the events completed. Yes, it's for real.

Those of us with nordic skiing backgrounds, as fans or athletes, have long adjusted to being on the other end of the sheet of paper – or not being on it at all. In fact, prior to this century there were only two U.S. World Championship nordic medals – Anders Haugen's ski jumping bronze at the 1924 Olympics/Worlds in Chamonix and Bill Koch's 1982 bronze in the 30K Worlds in Oslo. That changed in 2003 when Johnny Spillane won the nordic combined sprint in Val di Fiemme, and in 2007 when Billy Demong won silver in the sprint in Sapporo.

So that's four medals in history. And now four medals in three days in Liberec.

There are lots of benchmarks you can point to as the catalyst for this medals avalanche, but few real explanations other than great athletes, an outstanding program and hard work.

The medals onslaught was somewhat ignited when Todd Lodwick and Billy Demong put themselves into medal position in Thursday's nordic combined mass start before winds forced a postponement of the jump. Or, you could point to Lindsey Van's aching knee which forced her to patiently sit out practice jumps and trial rounds for most of the season – giving her the ability to intensely focus on her two competition jumps at every event. And many of us recall the rumors we started to hear last summer about Todd Lodwick returning after two years in retirement. 'Is he crazy,' we thought? Until you took one look at him and saw the fire in his eyes and the leanness of his body. He was back to win and his teammates welcomed him home.

Some also point to the late journalist Paul Robbins, who died a year ago this weekend. If heaven has wireless, he's surely watching the action and smiling.

Friday was a 'pinch me' day at Worlds – a pair of golds and a near miss by Kris Freeman in the 15K classic. But, Sunday was different. Lodwick and Demong were now targets.

Generally, Billy Demong isn't all that concerned about making up 36 seconds and coming from 12th to win. He's shown that time and time again. But he was worried on Sunday – worried about catching his teammate! And worried about who would be able to suck the backs of Todd's skis and stay in contention.

It was easy to look at the cross country start list and see which of the jumping specialists would drop back. And the field caught a break when Norway's Magnus Moan blew his jump, going only 82.0 meters and standing 44th – nearly three minutes back. Austria's Bernhard Gruber and Christoph Bieler were sure to drop back, and they did. Norwegian Jan Schmid was a better jumper, but a good enough cross country skier to stick with Lodwick. Which he did.

The wild card was really World Cup leader Anssi Koivuranta, who was just two seconds behind Lodwick. He could have, and should have, been a shoe-in for a medal. But Demong and Lodwick had something on the Finn. While he was grunting along on the World Cup circuit from Whistler to France to Austria to Germany and on to Liberec, Lodwick and Demong were resting and training back home. Koivuranta faded in the final kilometer, unable to keep up with Lodwick and Schmid.

The U.S. athletes had been strategic in their approach to Worlds, much like Demong was in 2007. And it's working!

Demong, meanwhile, has fond memories of the Liberec course. It was here, as a teenager, in 2002 that he won his first World Cup. On the final lap as the course reached the finish, Demong passed hometown hero and jump leader Pavel Churavy and Austrian legend Felix Gottwald to take a narrow 1.9 second victory. Sunday, it wasn't for a win, but it was for a World Championship bronze when Demong passed Koivuranta to win his second career medal.

To say nordic combined is a niche sport is an understatement. You can be sure that every American fan already knows the news. But while it may not be a mainstream sport, it is one of the most interesting and exciting of all Olympic events. In today's format, it requires athletes to use explosive strength to takeoff from the jump, aerodynamics to fly through the air and agility to softly land. Then, a few hours later, sprint at top speed for ten kilometers – always chasing the jump leaders ahead. Small things make a difference – Lodwick's jump landing, Demong's keen ability to pick through the pack.

And it takes Team! Demong's fast pace in the mass start cross country helped give Lodwick a strong position to win in the jump. And while Lodwick may have sucked Schmid along for a medal, he also helped put Koivuranta down to fourth. Tactics and strategy play a big role.

Seven years ago the U.S. Nordic Combined Team came within an eyelash of a team medal at Soldier Hollow during the 2002 Olympics. This Thursday it's showtime again. Demong and Lodwick will team with 2003 World Champion Johnny Spillane, plus a fourth, to challenge in the team event. It will be a tough, tough battle. And, unlike in the past, the U.S. athletes will have those targets on their backs.

Steamboat Springs's Tom Steitz helped usher in the modern day of nordic combined to America. Many didn't know exactly what he was doing, but they knew he was doing something right. He created excitement in Steamboat, and across America, for nordic combined. He recruited athletes, creating what he called the "Blob Squad." He shepherded the program along and brought international notoriety when Spillane won in 2003.

And while he's retired from coaching, he has remained its biggest fan. He hadn't planned to watch the jumping distances scroll across the data feed – until Todd's wife Sunny gave him a call in the middle of the night. And during the cross country race, he watched the splits scroll onto his screen and interpreted them to Sunny on the phone.

Steitz, too, doesn't have the silver bullet of an explanation. But he doesn't care. Like everyone, he just wants to savor the moment. Three incredible young men, Johnny Spillane, Billy Demong and Todd Lodwick, are forever etched in history as the best in the world in their sport.

Lodwick Gold, Demong Bronze

Sun, 22 Feb 2009 00:00:00 MST

LIBEREC, Czech Republic (Feb. 22) - In an historic day for the USA, Todd Lodwick (Steamboat Springs, CO) took his second World Championship gold and teammate Billy Demong (Vermontville, NY) took the bronze during the 2009 FIS Nordic Ski World Championships in Liberec. The USA is leading the medals count with three gold and a silver after eight of 20 events.

Lodwick and Demong's performance marks the first time two U.S. nordic combined athletes have made the World Championship podium together. It was the second of four nordic combined events at the Championships, featuring a single jump on the 100 meter hill and a 10K cross country race.

"I think the most important thing about today, and probably the coolest, is that I am able to share this podium with another teammate," Lodwick said. "I cannot believe I get to share this World Championship podium with a teammate."

Todd Lodwick and Billy Demong meet in the finish line as medalists. (Getty Images)

According to Lodwick, before the day's competition started, he had a feeling he would be back on the podium.

"I knew from the start, I didn't want to say it to myself, but I knew that I could get a medal.," Lodwick said. "It started with the jumping today. I've been jumping really well all week and had a good feeling coming from steamboat. The hill in Steamboat and the hill here in Liberec are similar and I knew if I was jumping well in Steamboat that I could come here and do well."

In the jumping round, Lodwick went 99.5. And while it wasn't the longest ride of the day, he nailed the form and carried a half point lead over Finland's Anssi Koivuranta and Schmid. That translated to a mere two seconds advantage in cross country. Demong, meanwhile, had a decent jump at 96.0 meters, but it was only good enough for 12th and a 36 second disadvantage in the cross country.

In the cross country race, Lodwick had to deal with a group of five through nearly the midpoint of the race, before Austria's Bernhard Gruber and Christoph Bieler dropped back first, then World Cup leader Koivuranta started to fade. Demong, meanwhile, was picking off the spots one by one and was up to fifth by the midway mark. At the 7.5K point, Lodwick was in bronze position and Koivuranta was dropping. Demong had no further challanges. Lodwick, meanwhile, stayed neck and neck with Schmid before blasting away with a kilometer to go at the same spot where, in 2002, Demong made a breakaway to win his first World Cup.

"Going in to the third lap we saw that Anssi [Koivuranta, Finland] was going away and that it was just Jan and I and then he pulled over and I led. I just went from there all the way to the finish line," Lodwick said. "[Nordic Combined Head Coach] Dave Jarret was on the last hill and he said, 'Go!' Jan was hurting a little bit and I had gapped him a little so I just buried myself to the top of the hill and looked back and Jan was gone."

"It feels really good. Having watched Todd the other day I was really motivated and it made me feel two ways. One, I'm happy for him, for the Team and I know we can carry this success, and the second thing is, I want to be up there, too," Demong added.

After years of yielding no medals at major competitions, Lodwick has now won two World Championship gold in a matter of days and calls his comeback t the sport nothing less than a fairytale.

"This is surreal. I knew that if I wanted to come back and ski it was going to be a long hard road. I've never trained so hard and had so much fun training," Lodwick said. "I knew in my heart that I wanted to come back and still compete, it's just a matter of a different mindset."

One athlete who couldn't be happier for Lodwick is fellow World Championship medalist Demong, who said Lodwick's first win motivated him to go all out.

"Today, I hoped after the jumping that I could maybe win, but Todd is really strong. Today was probably the best race I´ve had this season. I´ve been home for three weeks training and I knew I was going to have a fast race today. My tactic was just go hard from the start and try to take time from the leaders. Once I saw Todd was leading I was like 'OK, I will have to work really hard.' But luckily they dropped all the guys from their group."

For Demong, the success his Team has experienced throughout the season is a result of the program they have grown with.

"We knew going in to it that we had the potential to do this. It's about the program. We've really built up a lot of success over the years and I think we're relaxed and in shape and we're taking advantage of it," Demong said.

Now, with the medal count for the U.S. at Nordic World Championships at four, the men of the nordic combined Team hope to emerge from Thursday's team event with another to add to the mix.

"We have to take care of business. The team event is four guys jumping far and skiing fast. We'll take it step by step and compete well," Lodwick said.

Fans can relive the best moments of World Championships at UniversalSports.com presented by High Sierra.

OFFICIAL RESULTS
2009 FIS NORDIC SKI WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Liberec, Czech Republic - Feb. 22, 2009
Nordic Combined Individual Gundersen (100 meter jump/10K ski)
(jump rank, cross country rank) time back

1. Todd Lodwick, Steamboat Springs, CO (1/3) 24:22.3
2. Jan Schmid, Norway (2/4) +13.0
3. Billy Demong, Vermontville, NY (12/2) +33.5
4. Anssi Koivuranta, Finland (2/17) +54.7
5. Norihito Kobayashi, Japan (14/8) +1:02.9
-
16. Johnny Spillane, Steamboat Springs, CO (26/11) +2:10.9
54. Brett Camerota, Park City, UT (50/52) +6:59.0
# # #

For complete results click here.

Todd Lodwick leads the pack. (Getty Images)

V-BLOG: Champions Interviews

Sun, 22 Feb 2009 00:00:00 MST

World Champion Todd Lodwick (Steamboat Springs, CO), bronze medalist Billy Demong (Vermontville, NY) and U.S. Nordic Program Director John Farra couldn't be more thrilled with how the USA has done so far during the 2009 Nordic Ski World Championships. To hear what they have to say about their historic success fans can check out the videos below.

Todd Lodwick talks about his win

Billy Demong is excited and ready for the next Worlds competition

U.S. Nordic Program Director John Farra talks about a great day for USA

Loitzl Wins Worlds Jump

Sat, 21 Feb 2009 00:00:00 MST

LIBEREC, Czech Republic (Feb. 21) - American Anders Johnson (Park City, UT) qualified 35th to make the men's normal hill ski jumping finals at the FIS Nordic Ski World Championships in Liberec. The 2006 Olympian finished 48th in the competition won by Austrian Wolfgang Loitzl.

Johnson made final with an 88.5 meter jump in qualifying. Nick Fairall (Andover, NH) went 84.5 to finish 42nd in qualifying, just missing the finals.

In the jumping finals, Johnson went 98.5, but fell short of making the top-30 break for the second jump.

Johnson and Fairall, the lone U.S. jumpers on the World Championship Team, have both scored points on the World Cup circuit this year. They will be back to compete in the large hill championship later in the championships.