U.S. Ski Team News - Jumping-Nordic

Norway Wins Team Event at Home

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 00:00:00 MST

OSLO, Norway (March 13) - The Norwegian team gave the home crowd a show as the nation won the nordic combined team event at the Holmenkollen Ski Featival Saturday, the biggest sporting event in Norway.

Manninen Wins in Finland

Sat, 6 Mar 2010 00:00:00 MST

LAHTI, Finland (March 6) - Hannu Manninen of Finland took the win in Saturday's nordic combined World Cup competition, edging out Austria's Felix Gottwald and French skier Jason Lamy Chappuis, in Finland.

"This was my last race in this season, and I have to say that it was really amazing for me. I achieved unbelievable results in the last months, three victories, two second places - I enjoyed every moment," Mannien said.

Nick Hendrickson (Park City, UT) led the way for the U.S. in 40th, followed immediately by Taylor Fletcher (Steamboat Springs, CO) in 41st.

Strong winds forced the cancelation of the ski jumping competition for Saturday's event. Athletes were scored by their provisional jump, which was recorded on Thursday.

OFFICIAL RESULTS
FIS Nordic Combined World Cup
Lahti, Finland - March 6, 2010
Individual Gundersen

1. Hannu Manninen, Finland (12/3) 25:08.6
2. Felix Gottwald, Austria (29/1) +28.4
3. Jason Lamy Chappuis, France (7/19) +35.9
4. Mario Stecher, Austria (6/23) +39.6
5. Magnus Moan, Norway (30/2) +39.9
-
40. Nick Hendrickson, Park City, UT (53/27) +4:28.3
41. Taylor Fletcher, Steamboat Springs, CO (55/24) +4:34.5
43. Bryan Fletcher, Steamboat Springs, CO (50/38) +4:42.6
45. Alex Miller, Steamboat Springs, CO (45/44) +5:31.0
# # #

Lamy Chappuis Clinches Overall

Fri, 5 Mar 2010 00:00:00 MST

LAHTI , Finland (March 5) - Norway's Magnus Moan was looking for retribution Friday, winning a World Cup in Finland fresh from the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. Moan was followed in second place by Finland's Hannu Manninen, and Tino Edelmann of Germany was third.

"The Olympic Winter Games were very disappointing for me, and last week, I was also sick and I wasn't able to train. I was curious about my shape, and I am happy that I have won this race," Moan said. "Under certain aspects, it was my revenge against Hannu Manninen who beat me at the 2007 Sapporo World Championships."

On the finish line, Moan outran Manninen and Edelmann by 2.3 and 7.2 seconds.

With his tenth place, Jason Lamy Chappuis won the 2010 FIS Nordic Combined Overall World Cup title. With 995 points, the French skier cannot be caught.

Taylor Fletcher (Steamboat Springs, CO) led the way for a group of four athletes competing at the World Cup, finishing 43rd. Nick Hendrickson (Park City, UT) was right behind Fletcher in 44th, Alex Miller (Steamboat Springs, CO) was 50th and Bryan Fletcher (Steamboat Springs, CO) was 51st.

The nordic combined World Cup continues Saturday in Finland.

OFFICIAL RESULTS
FIS Nordic Combined World Cup
Lahti, Finland - March 5, 2010
Individual Gundersen

1. Magnus Moan, Norway (14/2) 25:20.3
2. Hannu Manninen, Finland (11/3) +2.3
3. Tino Edelmann, Germany (7/7) +7.2
4. Mario Stecher, Austria (2/26) +20.7
5. Felix Gottwald, Austria (37/1) +26.2
-
43. Taylor Fletcher, Steamboat Springs, CO (52/33) +4:06.5
44. Nick Hendrickson, Park City, UT (54/36) +4:29.4
50. Alex Miller, Steamboat Springs, CO (44/48) +4:56.0
51. Bryan Fletcher, Steamboat Springs, CO (49/50) +5:41.6
# # #

TD Bank Jumping/NC JOs Kick Off

Wed, 3 Mar 2010 00:00:00 MST

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, CO (Mar. 3) – The TD Bank Jumping/Nordic Combined Junior Olympics kicked off on Wednesday, Mar. 3 at Steamboat Springs' Howelsen Hill. The best junior ski jumping and nordic combined athletes will fly high in hopes of winning Junior Olympic gold. The Jumping/Nordic Combined Junior Olympics on the normal and large hill jumps in Steamboat.

The TD Bank Junior Olympics are the highest level championships for junior ski jumping and nordic combined nationwide with athletes qualifying at the divisional and regional level to earn spots.

The TD Bank Junior Olympics will end on Mar. 6, ending a season filled of hard work and motivation from its competitors.

TD BANK JUMPING/NORDIC COMBINED JUNIOR OLYMPICS
Steamboat Springs, CO

March 3
Men's and women's individual special jumping

March 4
Men's and women's individual nordic combined

March 5
Men's and women's team special jumping (4 person)
Men's and women's team nordic combined jumping (2 person)

March 6
Men's and women's team elimination jump

Olympic Champ Billy Demong Proposes

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:00:00 MST

WHISTLER, BC (Feb. 26) – The Olympic gold medal nordic combined skier Billy Demong (Vermontville, NY) received Thursday evening in Whistler wasn't his only gold of the day. A few hours later, in front of over a hundred fans, family and friends at Spyder U.S. Ski Team House in Whistler, the Olympic champion proposed to longtime girlfriend Katie Koczynski. She said yes!

Demong had been carrying a ring with him for several months, looking for that perfect time to pop the question. Just before heading out to Thursday's final nordic combined event, he threw it in his bag, just in case.

He knew there would be no better time than the night of an Olympic gold medal. But it took some last-minute encouragement from teammate and three-time Olympic silver medalist Johnny Spillane to seal the deal.

"A little part of me really wanted to win to make it that much better, but I don't think it was really going through my mind too much," Demong said on the set of NBC's The Today Show Friday morning.

After Spillane took to the stage to lead the crowd in Happy Birthday for his wife Hilary, Demong looked to his fellow World Champion for advice. Spillane gave him the thumbs up and Demong grabbed the microphone, shocking the crowd and putting a huge smile on Katie's face.

Bending down on one knee, Demong asked Kocyznski to be his wife as the crowd cheered wildly.

The ring didn't go on smoothly, though. An old gymnastics injury on her ring finger made it tough, but teammate Todd Lodwick stepped in to help squeeze the ring onto her finger.

The celebration continued Friday morning on The Today Show at Grouse Mountain. During an interview with Today's Meredith Vieira, Al Roker and Ann Curry, Billy called his girlfriend onto the set as Al presented her with a bouquet of red roses.

Koczynski is also an athlete, having competed as a skeleton racer on the World Cup for several years before retiring in 2005.

There was no immediate word on a wedding date for the newly-engaged couple. "After all of this, there’s going to be no worrying about tablecloth colors and place settings," said Koczynski. Right now they're content to celebrate Demong's gold and silver medals as he looks forward to the remainder of the World Cup season.

It was quite an evening overall for Demong. Just prior to the engagement presentation he received a call that he had been selected by his fellow Olympians as the U.S. flag bearer for closing ceremonies.

As a footnote to a storybook day, Demong – who is also an outstanding road cyclist - was also honored with a Tweet from Lance Armstrong: Congrats to @billydemong on the gold! Now, back on the bike!

Demong Captures First U.S. Gold

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:00:00 MST

WHISTLER OLYMPIC PARK, BC (Feb. 25) – The wait is over. Billy Demong (Vermontville, NY) secured the USA’s first-ever nordic combined gold medal in Thursday’s large hill competition, with teammate Johnny Spillane (Steamboat Springs, CO) finishing four seconds behind for his third Olympic silver in Whistler Olympic Park.

The pair maneuvered together from the outset and finally pulled clear of Austria's Bernhard Gruber in the final 500 meters, with the new Olympic Champion Demong sprinting to a four-second win over his U.S. teammate.

"There's only one way to go," said Demong, whose win was the first gold Olympic history for nordic skiing. "Today, I left enough in the tank to be able to do that. It's the first time all year I've had that there."

Spillane sat second and Demong was sixth after high-scoring jumps of 118.5 and 115.5, respectively. The two soon joined and began working together to move ahead of the pack in the 10 kilometer cross country portion, with Gruber tagging along admirably.

"Midway through the second lap we knew we were pretty well clear and it was just going to be a fight between three people," Spillane said. "The idea was to have Bill and I in the first two, so we kept trading the lead and kept doing big accelerations and slowing down in big decelerations. We worked together almost like a bike race than anything else, because we did have some room to play with."

Still, Gruber remained attached to the lead group until 800 meters from the finish – with all three within a second of each others – when Demong made a break, with Spillane joining him in leaving the Austrian behind.

"When Bill accelerated on that last hill, I was kind of stuck a little bit and had to go around him a little bit further than I would have liked to have a chance to win," said Spillane, who captured the first U.S. nordic combined medal with his silver in the normal hill, and then pitched in for Tuesday's team silver.

Spillane is the fourth athlete to earn medals in all three nordic combined events at the same Games, the first Olympic medals in U.S. nordic combined history. Demong credited him with a role in his own gold, stressing the importance of Spillane's normal hill medal in breaking the ice for the U.S.

"To me, this program has always been about the team," Demong said. "This Olympics has shown that, even to ourselves, more than ever, because I think all three of us – Todd (Lodwick), Johnny and I – really, really wanted to get the medal out of the way. We wanted to have enough of this 86 years, no medal kind of thing. For Johnny to step up and take that, that was a success for all of us."

Lodwick (Steamboat Springs), a five-time Olympian, jumped during extra windy conditions and started well back of his teammates, but his cunning racing from the back helped give them the advantage they needed to add to the U.S. hardware haul.

"Todd did a really good job today in terms of staying with the group and kind of covering those lead guys and not helping them," Demong said.

"I knew that if I could go hard and go the way I wanted to, I had a chance for third place," Lodwick said. "But once I knew that those guys were kind of going away, I kind of ran tactics and jumped in front and slowed the pace down."

That the U.S. has three athletes capable of reaching the podium on a given day might come as a surprise to the rest of the world, but it's nothing new for Demong, who has now completed four Olympic trips with Lodwick and Spillane.

"The way we jump, the way we ski, we know that we have the potential to put more than one guy on the podium," Demong said. "That's the key, not forcing it but knowing that it's possible."

OFFICIAL RESULTS
2010 WINTER OLYMPIC GAMES
Whistler Olympic Park, BC – Feb. 25
Individual LH/10K

Gold – Billy Demong, Vermontville, NY, 25:32.9
Silver – Johnny Spilane, Steamboat Springs, CO, +4.0
Bronze – Bernhard Gruber, Austria, +10.8
4. Hannu Manninen, Finland, +33.1
5. Pavel Churavy, Czech Republic, +34.0
-
13. Todd Lodwick, Steamboat Springs, CO, +1:10.3
45. Taylor Fletcher, Steamboat Springs, CO, +6:40.6
###

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Spillane Second After LH Jumps

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:00:00 MST

WHISTLER OLYMPIC PARK, BC (Feb. 25) – After Thursday's jumps on the large hill, double silver medalist Johnny Spillane (Steamboat Springs, CO) is second, 34 seconds behind Austria's Bernhard Gruber to start the cross country round at 2 p.m. PT. Large hill World Champion Billy Demong (Vermontville, NY) is sixth, 46 seconds back.

U.S. Nordic Team Grabs Silver

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 00:00:00 MST

WHISTLER OLYMPIC PARK, BC (Feb. 23) – The U.S. Nordic Combined Ski Team continued its march into history at these Games, winning silver for its first-ever medal in the team relay on Tuesday. Anchor leg Billy Demong (Vermontville, NY) held the lead with little more than a kilometer to go, but Austria's Mario Stecher out-sprinted him to victory.

"This is the greatest moment in nordic combined history for the USA," said Todd Lodwick (Steamboat Springs, CO). "All three of us are psyched to be here. We're psyched to be here as a team. We've persevered over the last 10 years to get to this point. We feel like we've earned this silver medal and this spot in history."

The USA set itself up for the medal push with a sensational showing on the jump hill, with all four U.S. skiers pushing out to the bottom of the hill to stand second, just two seconds behind Finland.

They opened the relay with Brett Camerota (Park City, UT), whose job was to stay with the Finn. Camerota did more, taking the lead coming into the stadium after his 5K stint. In the second leg, Lodwick maintained the lead through the first half of the race, but faced a formidable challenge from Austria's David Kreiner.

In the third relay leg, normal hill silver medalist Johnny Spillane (Steamboat Springs, CO) battled back and forth with Austrian Felix Gottwald. The two built a cushion over the rest of the field, but Spillane was left behind as Gottwald sprinted past him in the last kilometer and built a 14-second lead for Demong to attack on his anchor leg.

Demong was up to the challenge. Last year's large hill World Champion in Liberec, Czech Republic, he charged intently after Stecher and passed him on a climb midway through the 5K course.

Falling snow began to accumulate, however, and Stecher's lighter skis suited the conditions. Stecher took advantage of his superior descending ability and reclaimed the lead late, withstanding Demong's final push at the finish.

"It's always a benefit to draft a little bit, but today I definitely knew I needed to be clear of Mario before we got into that final downhill to have a chance," Demong said. "I was going up that last hill really hard like 'I think maybe I'm getting away,' and then I hit him with my pole right toward the top, I felt him back there and I was like, 'Nope, he's still there.'"

It is the second Olympic medal for the U.S., both coming in these Games. Lodwick, Spillane and Demong also competed together to take fourth in Salt Lake and seventh in Torino.

"I think we're really happy with whatever," Demong said. "For sure, we did a really good job today. We knew that gold was possible. I knew it, on the last lap, it was what my goal was, but as a team and as a whole I think we're really satisfied with the show we did today."

Lodwick had a jump of 136.5 meters to lead the team into second place after the first round, trailing Finland by 2 seconds and leading third-place Austria by 34.

"I came out of retirement for two reasons: One, to have a lot of fun, and two, to get some hardware," Lodwick said. "I was hugely successful at World Championships, and now have been over successful here, so it's great."

Spillane said he was more than pleased by his second silver, too, even if it could have easily been gold.

"I had a good race, and you can hold your head up high when you gave it your best effort," he said. "We were hoping to be fighting for the win and we were. Maybe it didn't quite go as we wanted at the end, but you can't complain at all. Every single guy gave 100 percent effort.

"Everybody's jumping well and skiing well, so now we have one more event to try and do well at."

The large hill individual competition ends the nordic combined schedule Thursday. The competition round begins at 10 a.m. PT, with the race set for 1 p.m.

"I feel good," Demong said. "We did a good training camp before, we did a good break last week, and if I can put down a good jump, I fill like I could be in there for an individual medal on Thursday as well."

OFFICIAL RESULTS
2010 WINTER OLYMPIC GAMES
Whistler Olympic Park – Feb. 23
Nordic Combined Team 4x5K Relay

Gold – Austria (3, 1), 49:31.6
Silver – United States (2, 4), +5.2
Bronze – Germany (6, 2), +19.5
4. France (5, 3), +39.8
5. Norway (7, 5), +54.3
###

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Camerota Fills Out Nordic Team

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 00:00:00 MST

WHISTLER OLYMPIC PARK, BC (Feb. 22) – Brett Camerota (Park City, UT) will join normal hill silver medalist Johnny Spillane (Steamboat Springs, CO) and 2009 World Champions Todd Lodwick (Steamboat Springs) and Billy Demong (Vermontville, NY) when the U.S. Olympic Nordic Combined team vies for its first-ever medal in the 4x5K relay Tuesday.

Spillane's silver was the first medal for the U.S. in nordic combined since the first Olympic event in 1924, and they'll try to double that total when the competition round starts at 10:30 a.m. PT. The final will begin at 2 p.m.

Camerota was with the team in Torino and has a high finish of 18th with five consecutive top-40 finishes in the World Cup. He makes the lineup after recording the 10th-best jump in the normal hill.

Nineteen-year-old teammate Taylor Fletcher (Steamboat Springs) got a taste of the action in his first Olympics when he completed the four-man U.S. Ski Jump Team on Monday, helping them to 11th and a friendly rivalry win over the Canadian Team.

The large hill individual competition ends the nordic combined schedule Thursday.

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Frenette Leads U.S. in Team Event

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 00:00:00 MST

WHISTLER OLYMPIC PARK, BC (Feb. 22) – The three-man U.S. Olympic Ski Jumping Team borrowed a nordic combined jumper to get into Monday's team competition, the final event on the Olympic ski jumping schedule. While the team failed to advance into the final round, its four 21-and-younger athletes continued to gain valuable experience, and even put the rival Canadians in a sticky situation.

Seventeen-year-old Peter Frenette (Saranac Lake, NY), unsure if he would even make the Olympics two weeks ago, again led the U.S. jumpers with 124.5 meters for a score of 111.1.

"Another great jump from him," said U.S. Ski Jumping Head Coach Jochen Dannenberg. "He can go home from the Olympics really proud. He had a really good week."

"I showed myself that I'm almost there competing with these guys, I'm almost in the top 30," said Frenette, who just missed out on Saturday's large hill final in 32nd. "Just a little more work and I could be right there."

With 19-year-old nordic combined athlete Taylor Fletcher (Steamboat Springs) "borrowed" to fill out the four-man roster, the 11th-place U.S. still managed to win a friendly bet against the 12th-place Canadian team. The teams agreed – with Fletcher "trying to stay out of it" – that the losing team had the honor of chugging a bottle of maple syrup.

"It's just fun," Frenette said after the first round. "Team events are always fun. It'll be exciting to watch and see what the top three is today."

Fletcher was added to the roster late Monday when International Ski Federation officials approved the addition of the USA Team into the event.

Austria took gold in the final round by more than 70 points, followed by Germany and Norway.

"It was great," Nick Alexander (Lebanon, NH) said of his first Olympic performance. "While it didn't exactly go as I wanted it to, but it's all a learning experience. There was a lot of time to take it in and see what I need to change."

"Everybody had a good experience here, and Peter and Nick Alexander had really, really good jumps here," Dannenberg said. "I think they have a good future in ski jumping."

Fletcher's future is in nordic combined, but he only saw familiar faces during his stint as a ski jumper.

"I've known them for quite a while," he said of his teammates. "Up until a couple years ago they were pretty strong competition for me. They’ve gotten a little bit ahead of us now because they've gotten the training in, but we're all really good friends and all having a blast."

Anders Johnson (Park City, UT) didn't have the performance he was looking for in his second Olympics, but that didn't stop him from enjoying the atmosphere Monday.

"Team events are always fun, whether you do well in them or not," he said. "The environment's totally different. Ski jumping's a really individual sport, and so when you finally get a team together that are working together, it's fun.

"To even have three Americans here is huge. Switzerland (Simon Ammann) won both the K90 and K120 individual events, and their team alone can only qualify two. And we're basically just a back-woods club team right now that qualified three people from the U.S."

There are no plans to stop now, though, said Alexander.

"I'd like to see the U.S. being up there," he said. "It's going to take a while, but I'd like to see us up there at the top."

OFFICIAL RESULTS
2010 WINTER OLYMPIC GAMES
Whistler Olympic Park, BC – Feb. 22
Team Ski Jump

Gold – Austria, 1107.9 points
Silver – Germany, 1035.8
Bronze – Norway, 1030.3
4. Finland, 1014.6
5. Japan, 1007.7
-
11. United States, 340.0
###

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Combined Stars Return to Whistler

Sun, 21 Feb 2010 00:00:00 MST

WHISTLER OLYMPIC PARK, BC (Feb. 21) – The U.S. Olympic Nordic Combined Team returned from training in Park City, UT, to find the rain clouds gone and beautiful conditions at Whistler ahead of the team relay Tuesday, when they'll try to add to a normal hill silver won by Johnny Spillane (Steamboat Springs, CO).

"I'm really hungry to get back in it for the team event," said five-time Olympian Todd Lodwick (Steamboat Springs). "We are all jumping well. It's been a great week, but I'm psyched to be back."

The veteran trio of Lodwick, Spillane and Billy Demong (Vermontville, NY) came into the Games on the strength of strong World Cup performances and three individual gold medals at the 2009 World Championships in Liberec, Czech Republic. Spillane's silver was the first medal for the U.S. since competition began in 1924.

"The team is awesome," Lodwick said. "We're on a roll. For me it was really good to get away (this last week) to see the family and realize the accomplishments that I've had and that the team has had. It really sucked being 4th (in the individual NH) but I know that I gave it my all. It was one of the best cross country races I've had all season."

The start time for Tuesday's team race has been moved to 10:30 a.m. PT, with the finals slated to start at 2 p.m.

"It was a wise plan to go back home," said Demong, like Spillane a four-time Olympian. "We needed time away. I think we're all very motivated - Johnny to do it again, Todd and I to do even better, but obviously it (Johnny's silver) was a great result for the team and for us as individuals.

"We're one of the strong teams to look at, but the exciting thing is that the other day there were other teams that will be contenders that were not in the individual. There are definitely five or six teams that can play in this event. It will be exciting and we'll have to do our job for sure."

Demong was also just outside the medals in sixth place after a mistake on the jump set him back. He screamed through the cross country course, however, to join a tight lead group halfway through the race.

"This year I started a little off my game in cross country," Demong said. "Whether it was my shoulder injury or my subsequent training had something to do with that. The other day was a great race overall, but I needed a race like that to do better overall."

Coaches will choose between 19-year-old Taylor Fletcher (Steamboat Springs) and Torino veteran Brett Camerota (Park City, UT) for the fourth team spot, with both owning World Cup points this year.

The large hill individual competition ends the nordic combined schedule Thursday.

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Frenette Narrowly Misses LH Final

Sat, 20 Feb 2010 00:00:00 MST

WHISTLER OLYMPIC PARK, BC (Feb. 20) – Peter Frenette (Saranac Lake, NY) narrowly missed out on his first Olympic final round at just 17 years old, finishing 32nd, just out of the top-30 which qualified for a second jump in Saturday's large hill first round. Nick Alexander (Lebanon, NH) finished 40th, eight places back.

"This has been exciting and fun," said Frenette, who said speeds on the hill were low today. "It's inspiring to see all of the U.S. athletes get medals, and hopefully the next Olympics, I'll be right there."

Frenette said he didn't come in with any expectations of a medal bid and was very happy with his performance.

"It played out just like I thought," he said.

"It's my first big international competition that I'm competing in, so it's good experience no matter what."

Frenette's jump scored 90.6, while Alexander lacked his usual style and speed in netting a 79.2. Anders Johnson (Park City, UT) missed out on qualifying for the first round on Friday.

OFFICIAL RESULTS
2010 WINTER OLYMPIC GAMES
Whistler Olympic Park, BC – Feb. 20
Men's Large Hill Ski Jump

Gold – Simon Ammann, Switzerland, 283.6
Silver – Adam Malysz, Poland, 269.4
Bronze – Gregor Schlierenzauer, Austria, 262.2
4. Andreas Kofler, Austria, 261.2
5. Thomas Morgenstern, Austria, 246.7
-
32. Peter Frenette, Saranac Lake, NY, 90.6
40. Nick Alexander, Lebanon, NH, 79.2
DNQ – Anders Johnson, Park City, UT
###

Frenette, Alexander Advance in LH

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 00:00:00 MST

WHISTLER OLYMPIC PARK (Feb. 19) – Nick Alexander (Lebanon, NH) and Peter Frenette (Saranac Lake, NY) advanced on the large hill at Whistler Olympic Park, qualifying 28th and 30th, respectively. The first round begins Saturday at 11:30 a.m.

"I was pretty confident in my training jumps that I would be able to qualify today," Frenette said. "I think I can do pretty well tomorrow. Hopefully make the final round."

That was the U.S. goal in the normal hill competition, which saw all three Americans reach the first round and fail to advance.

"The large hill is definitely my better jump," Frenette said. "I think I'm a better flyer, and it's more fun."

Alexander said his jumps have been improving since he arrived in Vancouver.

"I'm starting to get back to where I was in the summertime, so it's nice to see that progress," he said. "I really like this hill. This big hill is really nice, and I jump better on big hills."

The team's only returning Olympian, Anders Johnson (Park City, UT) did not advance to the finals.

Spillane Ends Wait With Silver

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 00:00:00 MST

WHISTLER OLYMPIC PARK, BC (Feb. 14) – The wait is over: Johnny Spillane (Steamboat Springs, CO) sprinted to silver in a tight finish Sunday and gave the U.S. its first Olympic medal in nordic combined since competition began in 1924. Spillane's close-knit, veteran teammates Todd Lodwick (Steamboat Springs) and Bill Demong (Vermontville, NY) crossed just outside of the medals in fourth and sixth, respectively.

"To have an Olympic medal is something you always dream about," said Spillane, who lost a sprint at the finish to France's Jason Lamy Chappuis. "It's because it's every four years that makes it so special. You only have so many opportunities in your lifetime.

"It's taken us a long, long time to get where we are today."

Eighty-six years – a fact made all the more incredible by the possibility that three U.S. skiers could contend for a podium on a single day.

"To be able to be almost disappointed with second, fourth and sixth is a testament to the progress of the team," Demong said after charging back from a 24th-place jump to join the lead group with Spillane and Lodwick.

"I hope it means it'll be that much easier to get another. For a lot of the things that we've done, in this team – first World Cup victories, first World Championship medals – it's always about getting that first one out of the way."

Owning a combined 13 Olympic appearances, the trio of veteran U.S. athletes skied together in the lead group when Demong joined near the halfway point and Lodwick, the eldest, continued to set the pace.

Second after the jump, Lodwick had snatched an early lead because Finland's Janne Ryynaenen took a spectacular tumble on an aggressive, steep right turn in to the stadium. In his fifth Games, the 33-year-old somehow found the energy to pull for most of the 10-kilometer race and give Spillane the reserves he needed for a medal charge.

"I had to push the pace," Lodwick said. "Johnny pushed the pace. We knew that to win medals, we had to set a fast pace, and that's what we did."

Showing little regard for his own prospects, Lodwick headed the pack until he finally fell back with two miles remaining, and Japan's Norihito Kobayashi assumed temporary control.

"For Todd to take the lead like that until the last couple of laps, that allowed Johnny to sit in," Demong said.

Spillane was glad to have another rest from Kobayahsi and made his move with little more than a kilometer to go, creating instant separation of 10 to 15 meters.

"I tried to make a break. This is the Olympics, so you have to go as hard as you can," Spillane said. "We were lucky because some of the other guys took some pulls.

"I was able to feel pretty strong starting the last lap, had decent gap going into last hill before finish. As I got further up the hill, I started to go a little bit over too far into the red zone and was pretty tired when we came into the stadium and into the sprint, but overall very satisfied with today."

After recovering from injuries in five out of the last six seasons, Spillane said knee surgeries last fall mandated the complete rest he needed to get back to consistent top form.

"It was very difficult for a long time because I kept having really good results but it was very sporadic," he said. "I was wasting so much energy on recovering from injuries. Instead of trying to get better at nordic combined, I was just trying to get healthy."

Although the changing conditions weren't as kind to Demong as they were to Lodwick and Spillane (fourth despite struggles earlier in training) on the jump, he never lost sight of the team's goal and plowed through the cross country field in the afternoon.

"I wasn't even really that disappointed," Demong said. "I felt like I had the same jump I've been having.. Conditions were a little back and forth. There were a few of us who felt we didn't really get the score that we deserved, but it's hard to be disappointed when do your best and you turn around and look at the scoreboard and I've got two guys in the top five.

"For us, especially in nordic combined, it's about getting that first medal. For me, having Todd and Johnny up there makes me smile no matter what happens to me. It was just that much sweeter to be able to go out there, head down in the race and catch up to them and be part of that pack going into the finish."

Spillane said Sunday's thrilling conclusion isn't out of the ordinary for nordic combined, and expressed his wish that more people will get excited about the sport in the Unites States.

"It's typical of what we've been seeing in nordic combined this year so far," Spillane said.

"Hopefully, this will put nordic combined a little bit more on the map. It's been good to see more and more people know about the sport."

Brett Camerota (Park City, UT) also had a strong first-round jump for the U.S., the longest of the first seven competitors at 100 meters, and sat in 10th before falling to 36th in cross country.

OFFICIAL RESULTS
2010 WINTER OLYMPIC GAMES
Whistler Olympic Park, Feb. 14
Men's Nordic Combined NH/10 km
Final Results

Gold – Jason Lamy Chappuis, France, 25:47.1 (5, 5)
Silver – Johnny Spillane, Steamboat Springs, CO, +0.4 (4, 6)
Bronze – Alessandro Pittin, Italy, +0.8 (6,4)
4. Todd Lodwick, Steamboat Springs, CO, +1.5 (2, 11)
5. Mario Stecher, Austria, +13.6 (7,7)
6. Bill Demong, Vermontville, NY, +17.9 (24, 3)
36. Brett Camerota, Park City, UT, +2:09.5 (10, 38)

Lodwick Sits 2nd After NH Jump

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 00:00:00 MST

WHISTLER OLYMPIC PARK (Feb. 14) – Todd Lodwick (Steamboat Springs, CO) is in prime position to challenge for a gold medal in the normal hill/10km nordic combined Sunday afternoon, sitting second after the jumps with the cross country portion set to begin at 4:45. p.m. EST and shown live on NBC.

In his fifth Olympic Games and trying to win the first U.S. medal ever in nordic combined, Lodwick will start 34 seconds behind Janne Ryynaenen of Finland.

"I think it is going to put me right in there," Lodwick said after his first jump. "I think I can catch Janne."

Not far behind, four-time Olympian and fellow Steamboat resident Johnny Spillane is in fourth place, 44 seconds behind Ryynaenen and just 10 behind his teammate.

"I had a good jump, and I feel good... as good as it's going to get right now," the Olympic Trials winner said.

Brett Camerota (Park City, UT) had a strong first-round jump, the longest of the first seven competitors at 100 meters, and is in 10th. Not only is he poised for a good finish in the normal hill competition, but his impressive performance comes before the U.S. Team selects a fourth man for the team event.

"This team is ready to go," Camerota said. "I think today is going to be our day."

Lodwick, much stronger than Ryynaenen on the cross country course, was pleased he was able to jump so well with a new set-up.

"It's been a week of ups and downs," Lodwick said. "Normally, I don't like to take too many jumps before a competition, but I had a pair of broken skis and didn't have the right feeling in the in-run, so I went back to old boots and finally got the feeling back on the last jump of yesterday's training."

Billy Demong (Vermontville, NY), the 2009 large hill World Champion, lost some balance and momentum after takeoff and was 24th. Finland's cross country standout Hannu Manninen is two spots ahead in 22nd for the final, and Demong has the pace to stick with him if the two decide to team up and charge through the field.

"Not what I expected or wanted," Demong said. "This week has been really solid for me - every single jump, trial jump included - and usually I have a better jump in the competition. Honestly, I can't say what happened. It didn't feel any different. I can't get the distance I wanted or probably needed. I'm going to go put my cross country hat on and get ready to go."

OFFICIAL RESULTS
2010 WINTER OLYMPIC GAMES
Whistler Olympic Park, Feb. 14
Men's Nordic Combined NH/10 km
Jump Round

1. Janne Ryynaenen, Finland, 135.5
2. Todd Lodwick, Steamboat Springs, CO, 127.0 (+0:34)
3. Christoph Bieler, Austria, 125.0 (+0.42)
4. Johnny Spillane, Steamboat Springs, CO, 124.5 (+0:44)
5. Jason Lamy Chappuis, France, 124.0 (+0:46)
-
10. Brett Camerota, Park City, UT, 121.5 (+0:56)
24. Bill Demong, Vermontville, NY, 115.5 (+1:20)

U.S. Jumpers Fall Short of Final Round

Sat, 13 Feb 2010 00:00:00 MST

WHISTLER OLYMPIC PARK, BC (Feb. 13) – After qualifying Friday to compete in the medal round on Saturday, the young Olympic Ski Jumping Team missed out on the top-30 final of Saturday's normal hill competition. Swiss Simon Amman, who swept the two events at the 2002 Olympics, won the first gold medal of the Games.

Peter Frenette (Saranac Lake, NY) and Nick Alexander (Lebanon, NH) tied for 41st with scores of 106.5 on their first-round jumps, while two-time Olympian Anders Johnson (Park City, UT) was 49th.

"The last two days haven't been my best two jumps, but it's alright, it happens," Johnson said. "I'm still having fun, so that's key."

Amman combined jumps of 105.0 and 108.5 (check this) to win.

"I just sort of choked on that jump," Alexander said afterward. "I had an amazing jump before. I was tied for third or fourth in the trial rounds. I've just got to keep my head together."

Ten days away from his 18th birthday, Frenette is the youngest male competitor on the U.S. Olympic Team, and he kept things in perspective after a jump that quite live up to his expectations.

"I'm one of the youngest to do it, so that's good, looking forward to my career," Frenette said. "It's just a starting point. Hopefully, (I'll) keep building from the Olympics and get better and hopefully be one of the best one day."

"He had a big chance," said 1976 Olympic silver medalist Jochen Danneberg, the Olympic Ski Jumping Team coach who works with athletes in the Project X jumping program. "I think he was too nervous. He laid the pressure on himself."

It was understandable, considering Frenette had never jumped on a World Cup stage and was making his international top-flight debut.

It was quite an achievement for the entire group to reach the finals in Friday's qualification, in which Frenette was 30th with a score of 115.0, Alexander was 35th, and Johnson was 40th.

All three competitors will participate in the large hill event, with qualification slated for next Friday and medal rounds on Saturday.

Pressure aside, though, these athletes have two more weeks to enjoy the games, and they plan on soaking them in.

"It's awesome, it's a great experience," Johnson said. "So far these Olympics have run really well and really smooth, and everybody's having a good time."

OFFICIAL RESULTS
2010 OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES
Whistler Olympic Park, BC – Feb. 13
Normal Hill Competition

1. Simon Ammann, Switzerland, 276.5
2. Adam Malysz, Poland, 269.5
3. Gregor Schlierenzauer, Austria, 268.0
4. Janne Ahonen, Finland, 263.0
5. Michael Uhrmann, Germany, 262.5
-
T-41. Peter Frenette, Saranac Lake, NY, 106.5
T-41. Nick Alexander, Lebanon, NH, 106.5
49. Anders Johnson, Park City, UT, 92.5
###

All 3 U.S. Ski Jumpers Qualify

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 00:00:00 MST

WHISTLER CREEKSIDE, BC (Feb. 12) – In a big step for U.S. ski jumping, each U.S. Olympic Ski Jumping Team member qualified on the normal hill Friday at Whistler Olympic Park, landing the three 21-and-younger athletes in Saturday morning's first round. It will be the first medal event in the 2010 Olympics.

"Our goal is to show our best ski jumps this winter here, not at another place," said Jochen Danneberg, the 1976 Olympic silver medalist for East Germany who coaches the U.S. Ski Jumping Team as part of the Project X jumping program. "It's the right place to do it."

Seventeen-year-old Peter Frenette (Saranac Lake, NY) led the U.S. trio in 30th, jumping 97 meters and earning a score of 115.0 as friends, family and U.S. supporters urged him on.

"It's nice," Frenette said of his cheering section. "I had dinner with them last night. They had some words of encouragement for me today, and it's good to have some people that we know.

"I've usually been jumping on the level below world class, so I've been watching these guys on TV," Frenette said. "Coming here and seeing them compete against me is definitely a shock. It's exciting."

Nick Alexander (Lebanon, NH) was 35th, and Anders Johnson (Park City, UT) was 40th to earn the final qualification spot. Germany's Michael Uhrmann led all qualifiers with a score of 138.5.

Alexander jumped 96 meters for a score of 113, consistent with his training results but still far from his top form, which Danneberg thinks he'll find.

"It was really not his best jump," he said. "He jumped too much with his upper body, straight up, and that's why he lost speed in the air and couldn't go so far."

Still, without the wet and windy conditions of training jumps, Alexander was happy to be able to focus on qualifying.

"It's kind of a relief just to go up there and have the jumps and not to have to worry about anything but the jumping," he said.

Johnson, the only return Olympian on the team, went 93.5 meters and earned a score of 108.5. Johnson had led the USA in training jumps Thursday.

"I expected him (to be) even better than it was today," Danneberg said. "He can do it much better, and he did it better in training. So now, I hope he can show his true ski champion tomorrow."

The first round of Saturday's medal competition begins at 9:45 a.m. local time, with the final round starting at 10:45.

Johnson Top USA in Final Jump Training

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 00:00:00 MST

WHISTLER, BC (Feb. 11) – The U.S. Olympic Ski Jumping Team had its final tuneup on the Whistler Olympic Park jumps Thursday. The normal hill ski jumping event opens the Olympics on Friday with qualifying rounds for Saturday's finals. The USA comes in with three jumpers – two rookies and a 20-year-old veteran.

"The last two weeks have been my best jumps of the season, and they just keep getting better and better and better," said Anders Johnson (Park City, UT), who will be the U.S. Ski Jumping Team's lone returning Olympian at 20 on Thursday morning when they take to the skies for qualifying - the inaugural event of the 2010 Games.

Johnson, who recovered from a knee injury to reach the points this year at International Ski Federation (FIS) Continental Cup events, said the weather was tricky but doesn't pose any particular problems for the U.S. athletes. In fact, they're carefree.

"I would just like to qualify and enjoy it," Johnson said. "I don't have any goals as far as placing or anything. Just have fun and go far."

Seventeen-year old Peter Frenette (Saranac Lake, NY) had similar sentiments, recalling how he started as a six-year-old on a 15-meter jump and now jumps from 95.

"It feels like what you think flying would be like," he said.

"I'm hoping to have a good jump for myself, and wherever that places me, I'll be happy with that."

Johnson, Frenette and Nick Alexander (Lebanon, NH) will be in the field for the USA.

Johnson was the top American in Thursday's training, soaring 102.0 meters on his first of three jumps – 12th longest that round. Alexander had a 99.5 meter ride while Frenette's best was 91.5.

In order to make the finals on Saturday, the U.S. jumpers will need to finish in the top 50 in Friday's qualifying round. The day starts with a trial round at 9:00 a.m. and qualifying round at 10:00 a.m.

Training results are available at the following link:
http://www.fis-ski.com/pdf/2010/JP/3038/2010JP3038RLT1.pdf

Camerota Soars in Training

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 00:00:00 MST

WHISTLER, BC (Feb. 11) – Training continued Thursday in rainy weather at the Whistler Olympic Park for the highly-regarded U.S. Olympic Nordic Combined Team.

Billy Demong (Vermontville, NY), a four-time Olympian, will be among a host of veteran U.S. Team members with five-time Olympian Todd Lodwick and four-timer Johnny Spillane (both Steamboat Springs, CO) with dreams of gold this weekend.

Demong wasn't making any predictions, except that it will be a good show.

"Every day is different," he said. "Nordic combined is exciting in that sometimes it seems like somebody is down and out, and they're not. It really depends on where other people are.

"If some of the faster skiers start a minute behind and win, they may still catch everybody and win. That's what makes it exciting. This hill definitely seemed pretty tight by the end of the third round (today)."

In training on the normal hill jump Thursday, it was Brett Camerota (Park City, UT) who was turning heads, soaring 99.5 meters on the third and final jump – second longest of the round.

Cross country training is on tap Friday. The normal hill competition takes place Sunday, then the athletes will get a break before the team event Feb. 23 and the large hill competition on Feb. 25. Lodwick won the normal hill event at last year's World Championships.

Frenette - Aged Just Right

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 00:00:00 MST

VANCOUVER, BC (Feb. 11) - While most 17-year-olds are plotting their spring break trips or buying outfits for prom, Peter Frenette (Saranac Lake, NY) has a different life milestone in his sights - competing in the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. And, despite there being no Olympic events on the hill yet, Frenette, a ski jumper, has already distinguished himself among the athletes as the youngest man competing in Vancouver.

"I'm a little nervous being the youngest here, not having as much experience as other teammates, but I am excited and hope to jump well," Frenette said.

Frenette is already dipping his feet into the pool of Olympic excitement. He passed through processing on Sunday, where he was outfitted for the Opening Ceremonies and sized for his Olympic Team ring.

Then, on Monday, Frenette sat in front of a crowd of the world's leading journalists to tell them, among other things, how he manages to keep up with schoolwork.

"Yeah, I’ve missed a lot of school," the high school senior joked. "It will be difficult to make up all the school work when I get back, but it’s worth it."

And, though the high school must have been abuzz when its students found out one of their peers would be competing at the Olympics, Frenette had to receive his congratulations through social media channels as he was away at a competition when he heard the news.

"I was actually in Austria when I found out, and over the next week I had almost a hundred or something messages on Facebook," Frenette said. "I have not been back to school since then so I really don’t know how everyone feels about it."

As for being so young and making the Olympic Team, it all came as a bit of a shock to Frenette.

"It was definitely a surprise to make the Team," Frenette said. "I wasn’t really expecting it. As the season went on, I started to compete well and it became a reality."

Now, with his Olympic reality knocking on the door, Frenette is taking some hope and inspiration from another nordic sport in which the U.S. had not traditionally performed well in, but broke through barriers at Word Championships in 2009.

"A couple years ago when Billy [Demong], Todd [Lodwick] and Johnny [Spillane] all medaled from the nordic combined for the U.S. and just a couple years before that, no one saw it coming," Frenette said. "Hopefully the same can happen for us."

Official training began on the ski jumps at the Whistler Olympic Park Wednesday andd Frenette will go through qualifications for the normal hill competition on the day of opening ceremonies, Feb. 12, before making a beeline down to Vancouver.