U.S. Snowboarding Team News

Race to the Cup Begins Nov. 12

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 00:00:00 MST

PARK CITY, UT (Nov. 3) – With winter fast approaching, alpine snowboarders across the map are looking to kickoff the season with the start of the Race to the Cup tour. The series accounts for the alpine snowboarding NorAm tour and that begins Nov. 12-13 at Copper, CO.

The Race to the Cup tour will hold events at three different locations this season starting with Copper and moving on to Steamboat Springs, CO Dec. 11-12. The third leg of the series will occur Feb. 4-5 at Mt. Bachelor, OR. The NorAm finals, which bring the circuit back to Steamboat Springs, will wrap up the Race to the Cup tour March 25-26.

All of the top U.S Snowboarding alpine athletes will be competing in the event, including names like Michelle Gorgone (Boston), Tyler Jewell (Steamboat Springs, CO), who represent the U.S. in the parallel giant slalom with multiple World Cup podiums between them. Also competing are Justin Reiter (Steamboat Springs, CO), Adam Smith (Bend, OR), and Vic Wild (White Salmon, WA).

"The Race to the Cup is the premier NorAm alpine snowboard tour in the U.S. This tour is the springboard for athletes to advance to the World Cup tour," said U.S. Snowboarding Program Manager Abbi Nyberg. "The Race to the Cup has launched athletes like Justin Reiter and Michelle Gorgone on to World Cup podiums. In its eighth season we are looking forward to another great year full of racing at some of the top venues in the U.S."

One of the earliest events to take place this year, the Race to the Cup will include a large crop of international athletes from around the world gathering in Copper looking to dial in their riding before the season gets underway. Some of the nations include Austria, Switzerland, Poland and Japan. It also allows U.S athletes some practice time as they look to start qualifying for the 2010 Games through the World Cup.

With U.S. athletes healthy and ready to compete, they have their eyes on the podium along with up to $12,000 in prize money. All of the event info can be found on the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association website.

The action kicks off next week. Look to catch some of the top athletes tear it up on snow in Copper, CO as they look towards being Vancouver Bound.

2009-10 NorAm Race to the Cup Tour Schedule
Nov. 11-12 Copper, CO - PGS, PGS

Dec. 11-12 Steamboat Springs, CO - PGS, PSL

Feb. 4-5 Mt. Bachelor, OR - PGS, PGS

March 25-26 Steamboat Springs, CO - PGS, PSL (finals)

Pearce 12th in Saas-Fee World Cup

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 00:00:00 MST

SAAS-FEE, Switzerland (Nov. 5) - Halfpipers dropped into their first World Cup competition of the season Thursday and none other than Australian Torah Bright and Kazuhiro Kokubo of Japan took the wins in Switzerland. The U.S. was represented in the finals by X Games silver medalist Kevin Pearce (Norwich, VT) who finished 12th.

"I was so glad that we had a good weather today, it’s much more fun then. I had to get used to the pipe first, but then I could demonstrate some good runs," Bright said.

With clean runs in the superpipe, Kokubo found himself surprised to be on top of the podium.

"I didn’t expect to win here against the strong international riders. But it’s a great feeling and an honour definitely," Kokubo said.

Xuetong Cai of China finished second for the women, followed by Sophie Rodriguez of France in third.

"I felt really good today. Unfortunately some of my hits were too short, but I’ll keep on practicing and hope to perform a great run at the Olympics in a couple of months," Cai said.

In the men's competition Mathieu Crepel of France was second and Peetu Piiroinen of Finland was third.

"It was a great day in a great pipe. It’s really good to be back after dealing with two injuries within the past six months," Crepel said.

Now that he's done with the World Cup, Pearce, along with the rest of the U.S. halfpipe scene, are set to compete for a spot on the Olympic team during the U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix. The tour kicks off in Copper, CO Dec. 12.

For complete from Saas-Fee results click here.

2010 Rev Tour Schedule Set

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:00:00 MST

PARK CITY, UT (Oct. 16) - Snowboarding athletes looking to make their way up the ranks of the sport are getting ready for a season of groundbreaking competition as the Jan. 14 start of the U.S. Snowboarding Revolution Tour draws near.

The Revolution Tour, which has been produced U.S. Snowboarding for six years, is the gateway for up-and-coming riders to compete on a national level against their peers, and prepares them to progress through the ranks of elite snowboarding.

Open registration begins October 20, 2009 at 9:00am (PST). Visit www.ussa.org for more information.

"The Revolution Tour is entering its sixth year and we are absolutely stoked for another great season," U.S. Snowboarding Program Manager Abbi Nyberg said. "The Tour has grown so much over the past few years it has been great to see athletes progress from the Revolution Tour and have success at the Grand Prix, US Open, other major events."

The riding kicks off just after New Year's at the home mountain of Olympic gold medalist Kelly Clark, Mt. Snow, VT with halfpipe and slopestyle competitions.

"We are excited to add Mount Snow to the Tour this season," Nyberg said. "They have done a great job with the Dew Tour events and we are happy to be headed to Vermont."

After starting things off in the East, the tour heads for the Rockies to Copper Mountain, CO, in February. Halfpipe, slopestyle and snowboardcross will all be featured at the Copper stop.

In March, the tour makes its way to the West Coast where it sets down at Boreal Resort in the Tahoe region of California for its third stop. The tour wraps up in the same month at Oregon’s Mt. Hood Meadows. Both stops will also feature snowboardcross, halfpipe and slopestyle.

"We're looking forward to heading back to Copper, which has been a staple on the tour for the past four years. As well as heading back to Boreal and Mt Hood Meadows who put on excellent events," Nyberg said.

With an invitation for the top male and female riders to Junior World Championships, US Open, Grand Prix and U.S. Snowboarding’s Project Gold Team on the line, the up-and-comers will be fighting for the prize. The Project Gold team is a benchmark for aspiring athletes, who’ll spend a week training with U.S. Snowboarding pros at their annual summer camp.

Registration is open through Oct 16 for pre qualified riders and Oct. 20 for open registration. Visit www.ussa.org for more information.

2010 U.S. Snowboarding Revolution Tour Schedule

Jan. 14-15 Mount Snow, VT
Halfpipe, Slopestyle

Feb. 7-10 Copper, CO
Halfpipe, Slopestyle, Snowboardcross

March 5-7 Boreal, CA
Halfpipe, Slopestyle, Snowboardcross

March 16-18 Mt. Hood Meadows, OR
Halfpipe, Slopestyle, Snowboardcross

Wild, Smith 8-10 in Season Opener

Fri, 9 Oct 2009 00:00:00 MST

LANDGRAAF, Netherlands (Oct. 9) U.S. Snowboarding's alpine racers kicked the season off by landing two athletes in the top 10, with Vic Wild (White Salmon, WA) finishing eighth and Adam Smith (Bend, OR) 10th during a parallel slalom at an indoor snow hill in the Netherlands. The result marked a career best for Wild, who made his return to competition Friday after a year away rehabbing injuries.

"It was a good way to come back after a year off," Wild said. "It's pretty nice riding without a broken ankle. But, I am definitely stoked and this is just the beginning."

Austrian Benjamin Karl won the races, followed by Mathieu Bozzetto of France in second and Canada's Jasey Jay Anderson in third.

For Wild, coming back from the lowest qualification spot to earn the best result of his career was awesome, but only the start of where he plans to go this season.

"I was the last guy to qualify. I qualified 16th and had to race against the number one qualifier. But he made some mistakes and I didn't make any mistakes and I beat him pretty good, which felt nice," Wild said. "It's a good way to get going. It's good to know that my riding is among the best out there and I just have to keep improving."

Smith was also coming back from an injury and, while pleased with a top-10 finish, he is eager to get into Olympic qualifications in December.

"I rode really well and just got beat. But I was happy to come back from my surgery and have a top 16 finals result and finish 10th," Smith said. "It's a good start to the season. I'm really looking forward to starting out Olympic qualifiers and getting back at it."

Wild said the finish will end up benefiting him in future races with the potential of a better start place.

"It helps me get good World Cup points to keep me in the bib draw all season to get good starts. It makes life a lot easier when you're starting in the top 10 or top 15, compared to starting 46th," Wild said.

In the end, though, Wild is just happy to have had the support through his injury to come back and do well in the Netherlands.

"I am stoked that people didn't give up on me when I was out for so long, and I am happy to still be a part of the team. I have to thank my coach Jan and my teammates for helping me out," Wild said.

The race was successful for U.S. men as five others finished inside the top 20, with Smith 10th, Zac Kay (Mount Shasta, CA) 14th, Tyler Jewell (Steamboat Springs, CO) 15th, Justin Reiter (Steamboat Springs, CO) 16th and Josh Wylie (Londonderry, VT) 17th.

"They did good. We had good preparation and I think they are just a motivated bunch of athletes that want to do well this season," said U.S. Snowboarding Alpine Head Coach Jan Wengelin.

In the women's heats Germany's Amelie Kober won, followed by Austrians Doris Guenther in second and Claudia Riegler in third. No U.S. women qualified for finals. Erica Mueller (Steamboat Springs, CO) was 25th and Michelle Gorgone (Boston, MA) was 28th.

"Michelle was sixth after the first qualification run. But, if you make one small mistake, then it's over because there is no margin for error. In that second run she did have a small mistake, so it was game over," Wengelin said. "But she is riding super well and she's focused."

The alpine snowboarding World Cup season continues Dec. 6 in Limone Piemonte, Italy, for the first of five Olympic qualification events for U.S. athletes. The Olympic Team will be named Jan. 25. Stay tuned to ussnowboarding.com, facebook.com/ussnowboarding and twitter.com/ussnowboarding for more info.

OFFICIAL RESULTS
2010 LG SNOWBOARD FIS WORLD CUP
Landgraaf, Netherlands - Oct. 9, 2009
Parallel Slalom

Men
1. Benjamin Karl, Austria
2. Mathieu Bozzetto, France
3. Jasey Jay Anderson, Canada
4. Aaron March, Italy
5. Simon Schooch, Switzerland
-
8. Vic Wild, White Salmon, WA
10. Adam Smith, Bend, OR
14. Zac Kay, Mount Shasta, CA
15. Tyler Jewell, Steamboat Springs, CO
16. Justin Reiter, Steamboat Springs, CO
- (16 make finals)
17. Josh Wylie, Londonderry, VT
39. Chris Klug, Aspen, CO

Women
1. Amelie Kober, Germany
2. Doris Guenther, Austria
3. Claudia Riegler, Austria
4. Johanna Shaw, Australia
5. Carmen Ranigler, Italy
- (16 make finals)
25. Erica Mueller, Steamboat Springs, CO
28. Michelle Gorgone, Boston, MA
# # #

For complete results click here.

Vito Hits The Dance Floor Tonight

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 00:00:00 MST

LOS ANGELES (Sept. 21) - U.S. Snowboarding's Louie Vito (Sandy, UT) will make his first appearance on Dancing With The Stars tonight, Monday, Sept. 21 at 8/7c. Be sure to watch and vote. Find info on the show and voting at http://abc.go.com/shows/dancing-with-the-stars

Czeschin Retires After Years On Team

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 00:00:00 MST

PARK CITY, UT (Sept. 18) - Following over a decade as one of U.S. Snowboarding's most talented riders, Olympian Tommy Czeschin (Mammoth, CA), is retiring from halfpipe and focusing on his many business ventures and his growing family. Czeschin leaves the sport as the longest standing member of the U.S. Snowboarding program.

"I definitely wouldn't call it free time," Czeschin said. "I have a bunch of businesses that I'm running, I have a family with two kids, a snowboard company called Humanity that's very busy. I also have a wakesurf company called Crowley Wake."

In his career, Czeschin made the 2002 Olympic team, six World Championship teams, landed on the podium of 17 World Cups, six of which were wins, was the overall Grand Prix champion twice, earned an X Games silver and bronze medal, a Gravity Games silver medal, was third at the US Open, and had numerous medals at Triple Crown events.

"Tommy has been such a huge part of U.S. Snowboarding for over 10 years, and is one of the most accomplished athletes in competitive snowboarding," U.S. Snowboarding Program Director Jeremy Forster said. "It's awesome to see him start up Crowley Wake along with all his other projects."

Looking at retiring, though, Czeschin, whose son Owen is 2 and daughter Raegan is 5 weeks, says he'll still ride frequently, but without a commitment to competing.

"It's retirement from the Team but I'm still snowboarding and doing stuff. I'm just basically retiring from the competition side of snowboarding. I'm still working at it and working on building new boards," Czeschin said. "I think I will miss just the travelling with everyone. We're just good friends, almost family. Although, it definitely will be nice to be home."

Reflecting on his career, the Olympian said the highest moments of his time with U.S. Snowboarding came from the 2002 Olympics and just spending time with his teammates.

"Definitely 2002 Olympics were a great experience," Czeschin said. "Other highs were all the years with everyone and the different coaches and team members. It was definitely a great time the whole time. I enjoyed winning events being able to travel the world with great group of people and a great organization."

Czeschin is so fond of his time on the team, in fact, that he has entertained the idea of returning to it in a new capacity.

"I've always thought I could be a good coach. The USSA is a great organization to work with. I have a lot of experience and I could relate to the kids. It could be fun to end up being a coach," Czeschin said.

But, for now, it's family and work for a man who shaped early halfpipe competitions with his success. And, in true rider form, he's bringing up his family to ride as well.

"Owen is 2 and a half. The day before he turned 2 we went to Mammoth Mountain and he did really well," Czeschin said. "Every day I've gone since then, he wants to go. He's already hooked. He wakesurfs with me, too."

Czeschin is also looking to help snowboarders feel the roots of their sport with noboarding, which is snowboarding without bindings in deep powder with just a strap."

"The cool thing about noboarding is that it takes it back to the roots. Snowboarding has gotten so wild and gnarly that noboarding makes things really free," Czeschin said. "I'm going to have a snow surfer line with Humanity for noboarding."

To keep up with Czeschin in his sport business pursuits, visit crowleywake.com and humanitysnow.com.

Vito's Ready To Drop It Like It's Hot

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 00:00:00 MST

PARK CITY, UT (Sept. 17) - Starting Monday, U.S. Snowboarding's Louie Vito is trading in his halfpipe spins for some turns on the dance floor as he begins competition on ABC's Dancing With The Stars.

The show pairs 16 professional dancers with 16 celebrities and has them battle against each other week to week until one couple remains and is crowned the show's champion.

"It's just different. I never really used to dance around for hours on end, so it's a different type of work than I'm used to," Vito said.

According to the freestyler, dancing has proved to be harder than landing his first double cork 1080.

"I've never done any ballroom dancing. It's definitely a little frustrating for me cause it sucks when you can't do something within the first couple tries, let alone the first couple days," Vito said. "That was one of the most frustrating points, trying to accept that it's not like anything you've ever done. You just kind of take baby steps."

For Vito, who normally takes a couple months off at the end of the summer to stay fresh before the snowboarding season starts, Dancing just happens to be a perfect combination for cross training and getting the world stoked for snowboarding in the 2010 Olympics.

"It keeps me in shape! It's a good cardio workout and I still go to the gym every once in a while when I get the time. As long as I'm staying in shape and staying active I think that's the best thing I can do," Vito said. "And, being on the show will be a chance for me to get everyone who watches to think about snowboarding especially with the Olympics coming up."

Of the other things Vito is planning on for the show, staying true to himself and his style is at the top of his list, and most certainly does not involve spray tanning.

"They definitely try to push you have some color but spray tanning is really not my thing," Vito said. "But I knew I was going to have to be wearing different things differently. I'm going to try to keep it true to myself. Obviously I've got to change a little bit, but you're not going to see me with my hair cut off short and gelled up and around."

That "little bit" he will concede to doing? Let's just say you'll be able to catch Vito in a salsa outfit at some point.

"I dressed up for my salsa Latin themed dances and you know what, I'm not going to lie, I felt like a salsa Latin dancer when I was wearing that get up," Vito said. "That’s kind of what's funny cause I know I would never wear that ever in my life. But when you are doing a dance I almost feel like it's going to help you. If you wear normal clothes for a Latin dance, it's not going to be as good as if you were just playing the role, you need to get fully into the mode."

But really, who doesn’t want to see Vito work his salsa moves? So tune in to ABC for the three-night live premier starting Monday night, Sept. 21 at 8/7c. And, for info on Vito as he competes, join his Dancing With The Stars facebook fan page here.

2010 Team Named for U.S. Snowboarding

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 00:00:00 MST

PARK CITY, UT (Sept. 15) - With athletes already landing on snowboard World Cup podiums this fall, U.S. Snowboarding revealed its 2010 roster which is highlighted by Olympic gold medalists Kelly Clark (Mt. Snow, VT), Hannah Teter (Belmont, VT) and Seth Wescott (Sugarloaf, ME). The 2010 Olympic team will be named in January.

Also bringing their medals to the scene are 2006 Olympic silver medalists Gretchen Bleiler (Aspen, CO) and Lindsey Jacobellis (Stratton Mountain, VT), along with five-time X Games gold medalist Nate Holland (Squaw Valley, CA), 2009 X Games silver medalist Graham Watanabe (Sun Valley, ID), and World Championship bronze medalist Nick Baumgartner (Iron River, MI).

"There are again great athletes in our programs. The depth and amount of talent is incredible and we're looking forward to getting competitions started," U.S. Snowboarding Program Director Jeremy Forster said. "2006 was a great Olympic season and hopefully we can have another great performance in 2010."

Halfpipe Looks For Progression
It's no secret that the U.S. women's halfpipe roster is top heavy with talent. Clark, Teter and Bleiler, 2006 Olympian Elena Hight (South Lake Tahoe) and a slew of up and comers are ready to make a play for an Olympic spot. Thankfully, while the talent may seem stiff to the onlooker, the U.S. ladies are more than happy to cheer each other on as they aim to make the 2010 team the "dream team."

"It's obviously a privilege to have the opportunity to be friends with your competitors in a sport that's so creative and so artistic rather than competitive," Teter said. "We do all of our warm up stuff together when we get up to the halfpipe. It's a really friendly team atmosphere. Last winter I was telling the girls they need to be called the dream team because of how well we get along and how much stuff we do together that's positive and we're gonna get that going."

In the men's halfpipe, double cork is a word the masses can expect to hear a lot during the 2010 season. The trick, which incorporates two flips with multiple spins, is quickly becoming something of a prerequisite for any man looking to land on the podium of a competition. Thankfully Louie Vito (Sandy, UT), Greg Bretz (Mammoth Lakes, CA) and Scotty Lago (Seabrook, NH) each have the skills, landing the maneuver at the halfpipe summer camp at Mt. Hood and readying themselves to put it into competition in 2010. Add in Luke Mitrani's (Mammoth Lakes, CA) stylish switch double backfilip, and the men's crew looks primed.

Olympic qualification for halfpipe begins Dec. 11 at the U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix, which will host five competitions across three tour stops before the Games.

U.S. SBX Men VS U.S. SBX Men in 2010
Much like their female halfpipe counterparts, the aptitude for winning is so high with the men's SBX roster it's almost absurd. Wescott, Holland, Watanabe, Baumgartner, snowboarding legend Shaun Palmer (South Lake Tahoe, CA), World Cup podium performer Jonathan Cheever (Saugus, MA) 2006 Olympians Jayson Hale (Sierraville, CA) and Jason Smith (Basalt, CO) as well as 2002 halfpipe gold medalist turned 2010 SBX wildcard Ross Powers (Londonderry, VT) head up an 11-man roster that will only have up to four Olympic spots.

On the women's side of things, with more World Cup success than any other man or woman in SBX history, Jacobellis is the name to watch. She left Torino with the silver in 2006. In the four years that have passed she's had countless hours in the gym, 17 World Cup podiums (11 of which were wins), two X Games golds, and the 2009 World Cup SBX title later, the woman is brimming with successes.

Even with all the accolades under her belt, Jacobellis keeps her head level for the 2010 season saying, "If something is going to happen, it will happen. If it's meant to be, it will be. I usually just take it one race at a time and focus on the task at hand."

The journey to the Olympics for SBX begins Saturday during the first of five World Cups which will be used to qualify athletes for the team.

Alpine Looks for Speed and Strength
Olympians Tyler Jewell (Steamboat Springs, CO) and Michelle Gorgone (Boston, MA) are representing PGS with multiple World Cup podiums between them. And with teammates Adam Smith (Bend, OR) and Justin Reiter (Steamboat Springs, CO), the alpine snowboarding squad is looking forward to pushing forward in 2010.

For Gorgone, who rocked the podium steps of two World Cups in 2009, looking at making the Olympics has to be just like looking at doing well in any other race.

"I tend to get kind of nervous, but I try to approach the season the same I would any other season," Gorgone said. "Any results I need to get in order to go to Vancouver, I've gotten before so hopefully I'll just ride the same as I have and do what I can do and it will all fall into place."

Olympic qualifications for the alpine team kick off on the World Cup Oct. 9 in the Netherlands.

2009 U.S. Snowboarding Roster (birthdate, hometown and * if Olympian)

Halfpipe Men
Pro Team
Greg Bretz (12/19/90; Mammoth Lakes, CA)
Steve Fisher (10/21/82; Breckenridge, CO)
Scott Lago (11/12/87; Seabrook, NH)
Luke Mitrani (7/24/90; Mammoth Lakes, CA)
Elijah Teter (3/7/84; South Lake Tahoe, CA)
Louie Vito (3/20/88; Columbus, OH)

Halfpipe Women
Pro Team
Clair Bidez (8/7/87; Minturn, CO)
Gretchen Bleiler (4/10/81; Aspen, CO)*
Kelly Clark (12/19/1990; Mt. Snow, VT)*
Elena Hight (8/17/89; South Lake Tahoe, CA)
Ellery Hollingsworth (9/2/91; Stratton, VT)
Hannah Teter (1/27/87; Belmont, VT)*

SBX Men
A Team
Nick Baumgartner (12/17/81; Iron River, MI)
Jonathan Cheever (4/17/85; Saugus, MA)
Nate Holland (11/8/78; Squaw Valley, CA)*
Seth Wescott (6/28/76; Sugarloaf, ME)*
Graham Watanabe (3/19/82; Sun Valley, ID)*

B Team
Jayson Hale (6/26/85; Sierraville, CA)*
Pat Holland (5/5/82; Tahoe City, CA)
Shaun Palmer (11/14/68; South Lake Tahoe, CA)
Jason Smith (1/11/82; Durango, CO)*
Ross Powers (2/10/79; Londonderry, VT)*
Bobby Minghini (1/24/86; South Lake Tahoe, CA)

SBX Women
A Team
Lindsey Jacobellis (8/19/85; Stratton Mountain, VT)*

B Team
Callan Chythlook-Sifsof (2/14/89; Girdwood, AK)
Brooke Shaw (5/12/91; Litchfield, CT)
Marni Yamada (8/26/78; Seattle, WA)

Men's Alpine
A Team
Tyler Jewell (2/21/77; Steamboat Springs, CO)*
Justin Reiter (2/2/81; Steamboat Springs, CO)
Adam Smith (9/7/80; Bend, OR)

B Team
Vic Wild (8/23/86; White Salmon, WA)

Women's Alpine
A Team
Michelle Gorgone (10/18/83; Boston, MA)*

Rookie Team Named for 2010

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 00:00:00 MST

PARK CITY, UT (Sept. 15) - Eleven of the country's most talented freestyle snowboarders are ready to bring new style to the world of pipe in the lead-up to the Olympics as they made the ranks of the 2010 U.S. Snowboarding Rookie Team. With nine of the rookies returning from 2009, U.S. Snowboarding Program Director Jeremy Forster is stoked to see what the future of the snowboarding world has in store this year.

"It was great to watch the progression of this group last year, and it continues to include the most talented young halfpipe riders in the U.S.," Forster said. "We are so fortunate to have Bud Keene leading the Rookie program. The program is such a key piece of our future success in halfpipe."

Keene, who is one of the most accomplished coaches in the history of snowboarding and who coached U.S. Snowboarding's halfpipe athletes from 2002-2006 as well as the 2006 Olympic team, will lead the rookies for the second straight season.

"The rookie team is looking super strong this year," Keene said. "We have a lot of the same names on the team this year with the addition of Kelly Marren (Hillsborough, CA) on the women's side and Trevor Jacob (Mammoth Lakes, CA) on the men's side."

The rookie ladies know how to throw down some major runs. Lizzy Beerman (Weston, VT) took trick of the day at the Burton New Zealand Open with a huge frontside 900, Grand Prix podium performer Maddy Schaffrick (Steamboat Springs, CO) and Kaitlyn Farrington (Sun Valley, ID), who was fifth at the Winter X Games.

"Those three represent a kind of power nexus for us as far as the rookie squad. Their skills are unbelievable and growing daily. They're throwing down runs as technical if not more technical than most other women in the world," Keene said. "They don't have quite the amount of experiences of the women in game so that is what the rookie squad is all about - to get them that experience. They're right on track with their development to become world champions and I couldn't be happier with those girls."

Icing on the cake for the women is the addition of Marren, who completes the circle of what Keene calls "four incredibly strong women."

In the men's neck of the woods, Matt Ladley (Steamboat Springs, CO) is quickly becoming known more for his double corked maneuvers than his uncanny resemblance to pro Steve Fisher.

The double cork, which is the perfect addition to the tricks of any male athlete looking to make the Olympic team, is one in an arsenal of moves Ladley is growing into.

"Matt also podiumed at a Grand Prix last season. He is riding technically well, learned front 12s at the Aspen camp back in April and learned front double cork 1080s at our Mt. Hood camp in July, Keene said. "He is among the best riders in the world. He is right up there and he's just 18. He's growing and he's strong I'm looking to get big things from Matt this year for sure."

Also bringing the progress for the U.S. men is Dylan Bidez (Minturn, CO), the younger brother of pro Clair Bidez (Minturn, CO), who was second at World Junior Championships and picked up his own Grand Prix podium last season, finishing third.

As for what the rookies hope to accomplish this season, well, it's the same thing every other winter athlete is thinking about - making the Olympics.

"We sat a down a year ago and said we want a rookie team athlete to make the Olympic team. That may or may not happen and obviously the odds are in the favor of the older more experienced riders and that’s as it should be," Keene said. "But, to set a goal like that pulls us forward in ability and drive and inspiration. If they come up short of the Olympic team and don't make it there will be no regrets and they will have gotten way better in the process of just trying. So, yeah we're gunning for it for sure. Every rookie wants to make the Olympic team. I mean, why not?"

Why not, indeed. The rookies already kicked their season off in August with a camp and two competitions in New Zealand. But, look for them to make a splash as the 2010 U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix opens up for business in the halfpipe Dec. 12 in Copper, CO.

2010 U.S. Snowboarding Freestyle Rookie Roster (Birthdate And Hometown)

Men
Ross Baker (8/1/90; Reno, NV)
Dylan Bidez (9/11/90; Minturn, CO)
Zack Black (8/1/90; Dillon, CO)
Trevor Jacob (8/6/93; Mammoth Lakes, CA)
Matt Ladley (5/17/91; Steamboat Springs, CO)
Broc Waring (6/3/92; Edwards, CO)
Ben Watts (9/6/93; Bend, OR)

Women
Lizzy Beerman (7/18/91; Weston, VT)
Kaitlyn Farrington (12/18/89; Sun Valley, ID)
Kelly Marren (8/22/91; Hillsborough, CA)
Madeline Schaffrick (4/29/94; Steamboat Springs, CO)

Wescott Leads Opening Olympic Qualifier

Sat, 12 Sep 2009 00:00:00 MST

CHAPELCO, Argentina (Sept. 12) - Olympic gold medalist Seth Wescott (Sugarloaf, ME) and X Games silver medalist Graham Watanabe (Sun Valley, ID) put themselves in line to make the U.S. SBX Olympic team as they finished second and third, respectively, in the first World Cup of the snowboardcross season. The event was also the first in a series of five Olympic team qualification events for the SBX crew.

Wescott was less than a board length from the win, but ended up behind France's Pierre Vaultier.

According to U.S. Snowboarding Head Coach Peter Foley, while the win doesn't put the two on the Olympic team yet, it definitely places them in a great position.

"It doesn't seal the deal for them but it puts them halfway there, I'd say, and in a super good position to be two of the guys on the Olympic team," Foley said. "I'm really happy about the speed we're going this time of year and I feel good."

It was somewhat of a repeat performance for Wescott, who also finished second in qualifications on Friday. According to the Olympic champ, he should have had the win Saturday.

"I kinda blew it today. I committed the cardinal sin of breaking at the waist on a toe side turn and that cost me the win. I feel like I'm riding as good as I ever have and I should have won today," Wescott said. "It was super easy today. I never got tested until the final run and then I had my worst start. I had two opportunities to win and I almost had it at the finish line."

Despite not finishing as he had hoped, Wescott, who trains near his home in Maine, said everything is heading in the right direction for him to make the U.S. Olympic team.

"It was totally a positive day. The Rocky Balboa Maine training program is working well," Wescott said.

Watanabe, who built a lot of speed and consistency in the 2009 season, said the podium finish only makes him more hungry to land a spot on the Olympic team.

"I'm by no means backing off. It's certainly a good start, but having as strong a team as we have, there is no room for stretching out. I am going to be pumping it just as hard at every race," Watanabe said. "I'm just going to try to keep knocking down podiums to solidify that spot."

According to Watanabe, his approach to competitions, despite his increasing success, remains consistent.

"I'm really trying hard right now to keep the focus the same as it's always been and take every race one by one. I just really want to perform at the top of my game at every race," Watanabe said. "To come into this race hoping for a podium and get it it's really nice. It all just feels like destiny. Stuff is really coming together well. This is like the fifth year that I have been doing SBX and it just feels right."

In the women's races, Jacobellis was looking primed to dominate as per her usual game plan when a first round crash took her out of the running and into ninth place.

"With Lindsey, she pulled hard out of the start, got a bit off balance and the roller section was so steep and quick so she went down right out of the start," Foley said. "She's not happy but with qualifying first and seeing her ride, I am really happy with how she is riding. Stuff happens, you know."

Maelle Ricker of Canada won the women's race, followed by Bulgaria's Alexandra Jekova in second and Canadian Dominique Maltais in third.

OFFICIAL RESULTS
2010 LG SNOWBOARD FIS WORLD CUP
Chapelco, Argentina - Sept. 12, 2010
Snowboardcross

Men (32 made finals)
1. Pierre Vaultier, France
2. Seth Wescott, Sugarloaf, ME
3. Graham Watanave, Sun Valley, ID
4. Markus Schairer, Austria
5. Alex Pullin, Austria
-
11. Nick Baumgartner, Iron River, MI
15. Pat Holland, Squaw Valley, CA
17. Shaun Palmer, South Lake Tahoe, CA
19. Nate Holland, Squaw Valley, CA
25. Jonathan Cheever, Saugus, MA
28. Jason Smith, Basalt, CO
31. Ross Powers, Londonderry, VT

Women (16 made finals)
1. Maelle Ricker, Canada
2. Alexandra Jekova, Bulgaria
3. Dominique Maltais, Canada
4. Tanja Frieden, Switzerland
5. Yuka Fujimori, Japan
-
9. Lindsey Jacobellis, Stratton Mountian, VT
# # #

SBX Rocks World Cup Qualis in Chapelco

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 00:00:00 MST

CHAPELCO, Argentina (Sept. 11) - Olympic gold medalist Seth Wescott (Sugarloaf, ME) and Olympic silver medalist Lindsey Jacobellis (Stratton Mountain, ME) showed they still have the magic touch during Friday's SBX World Cup qualifications. Jacobellis finished first and Wescott second as the season's first weekend of World Cup action got underway. The World Cup in Argentina is the first in a series of five Olympic qualification events for snowboardcross.

"It was great to get the nine men and Lindsey in the finals. There were some mistakes, but that's to be expected early in the season. But, I am very pleased with our speed this time of year," U.S. Snowboarding Head Coach Peter Foley said.

In addition to the two medalists, Shaun Palmer (South Lake Tahoe, CA) was eighth, Nick Baumgartner (Iron River, MI) 10th, Nate Holland (Squaw Valley, CA) 14th, Graham Watanabe (Sun Valley, ID) 16th, Jonathan Cheever (Saugus, MA) 23, Pat Holland (Squaw Valley, CA) 24th, Jason Smith (Basalt, CO) 27th and Ross Powers (Londonderry, VT) 31st.

The World Cup gets underway Saturday in Chapelco. Keep an eye on ussnowboarding.com, Facebook and Twitter for breaking info.

Olympians Gather in the Windy City

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 00:00:00 MST

CHICAGO (Sept. 10) - Hundreds of the nation's top media outlets are hunkered down in the heart of the windy city to conduct pre-Games interviews with America's top Vancouver Bound Olympic hopefuls as the USOC Media Summit opened up for business in Chicago Thursday.

Among the athletes making the rounds throughout the weekend are Olympic gold medalist Ted Ligety (Park City, UT), Olympic silver medalist Shannon Bahrke (Tahoe City, CA), World Champions Ryan St. Onge (Winter Park, CO), Todd Lodwick (Steamboat Springs, CO), Pat Deneen (Cle Elum, WA), Billy Demong (Vermontville, NY), Grand Prix overall champions Steve Fisher (Breckenridge, CO) and Louie Vito (Sandy, UT) and numerous other accomplished skiers and snowboarders.

"We're meeting a lot of reporters and getting a lot of photo shoots done and we're having fun," Deneen said. "The season is approaching. This time of year gets me excited and the media summit gets me thinking about the Olympics a lot more."

Deneen spent time in numerous photo shoots with organizations like the Associated Press, Getty Images and Reuters where he posed for candid photos in uniforms, with his skis and wearing the red white and blue for his team.

Deneen also sat in the hot seat for a while as the athlete round table discussions got underway. The nation's press filled the room, moving from table to table in order to get in interviews with the multiple athletes seated at various stations.

Like Deneen, athletes spend about a day in Chicago where they hit the ground running through countless photo sessions, TV interviews, press conferences and roundtable discussions in order to provide material and information that will serve the national press for the lead up to and duration of the Olympics.

"It's a pretty crazy day. I started at seven o'clock this morning and it's not going to be done till 11. It's a pretty hectic day for sure. Hopefully I can talk by the end," Ligety reported as he ran from photo shoot to photo shoot.

Ligety's schedule is fit for a gold medalist, complete with sit down interviews with NBC the Olympic network, and CNN, as well as a photo shoot with Men's Journal magazine and Ralph Lauren.

The Summit continues through Saturday. Check back on ussnowboarding.com, Facebook and Twitter for more info, photos and videos from Chicago.

SBX Gears Up For First World Cup

Wed, 9 Sep 2009 00:00:00 MST

CHAPELCO, Argentina (Sept. 9) - The first Olympic qualifying events are on tap this weekend in South America. The SBX action headed for Chapelco on Saturday is intense as the U.S. athletes in Argentina are all systems go for the season's first World Cup, which will be the first in a series of five qualification stops on the World Cup tour for athletes to make the Olympic team.

"We trained for a few days before coming here on a section of a course, so that was good. Everyone is looking really strong, but it's hard to tell at this point. You don't really know how everyone else is riding," U.S. Snowboarding Head Coach Peter Foley said. "This is the first of five Olympic selection events, so it's huge. It seems like everybody is on it so far. They're all prepared and they know what to do."

On the men's side, the U.S. has prepped an SBX crew that seeps with talent thanks to the prowess of Olympic gold medalist Seth Wescott (Sugarloaf, ME), five-time X Games gold medalist Nate Holland (Squaw Valley, CA), X Games silver medalist Graham Watanabe (Sun Valley, ID), World Championship bronze medalist Nick Baumgartner (Iron River, MI) and more.

For the women, it doesn't hurt to have Lindsey Jacobellis (Stratton Mountain, VT), the most successful World Cup SBX athlete, male or female, riding for the red white and blue.

As far as feelings go for the athletes, there is excitement to get the season kicked off, as well as a little pressure not knowing how strong the competition looks until they're out of the start gate Saturday.

"I am very excited, but I feel a little bit of pressure, not because of the Olympics, but because the first event every year is brand new," Watanabe said. "There are a lot of good riders here, but I feel very good."

Making her first appearance in a year on the World Cup will be Callan Chythlook Sifsof, who said she's ready to sink her teeth back in to the competition season.

"Training has been going as good as it can be. I feel like I'm riding even better than when I was on snow before," Chythlook Sifsof said. "I feel really good. This is the first competition since my knee injury, everything feels really good and I can't wait to start racing."

All eyes are now on the completion of the SBX course, which has yet to open for training.

"The course isn't done yet, but it's starting to shape up. It looks like it has potential and could be really good. We're hoping for the best," Foley said.

"I looked at the course today. It's a little short and flat, but there is more work to be done on it," Watanabe added.

But the closure of the course hasn't kept the athletes off the snow and out of whatever powder stashes they can find.

"Since we've gotten here to Chapelco we've just been free riding - there's been no training, but we've had some really fun powder and good jumps," Foley said.

Qualifications for the World Cup get under way on Friday, and Saturday the world will get a look at how the snowboardcross competition looks to stack up for the season.

To keep track of the latest from Chapelco, tune in to U.S. Snowboarding's Facebook and Twitter pages.

Rookies Go Big in NZ

Tue, 8 Sep 2009 00:00:00 MST

PARK CITY, UT (Sept. 8) - Reports may say the weather in the Southern Hemisphere is temperamental, but thanks to a marathon trip to New Zealand that just wrapped up, the U.S. Snowboarding Freestyle Rookies have managed to lock down some quality snow time in preparation for what looks to be an epic 2010 season.

"There was no question about coming back down to New Zealand this season. It's the Olympic year and not only is it good to train for a while down here but I mean it's really whatever it takes at this point," Freestyle Rookie Coach Bud Keene said. "None of us want to get to the Grand Prix in December and January and realize we didn’t work hard enough or try hard enough."

The rookies found a chunk of endless winter in New Zealand at the end of last season to learn new tricks, but this year's voyage is all about going big.

"These kids all have unbelievable tricks. Typically for a camp like this we would be down here to learn a whole bunch of stuff, but we had a little bit of a different focus," Keene said. "We're looking to take the unbelievable tricks that they already have and spot them into really visionary runs. We want to make those big and take them to the Grand Prix."

According to Keene, the women were in their element as they took charge putting down progressive runs left and right.

"The girls really set the tone for the camp riding hard. Maddie [Schaffrick; Steamboat Springs, CO] is just killing it and her comp form is really coming together," Keene said. "Kaitlyn [Farrington; Sun Valley, ID] and her return to snow has been awesome. She taking it slow but healthy and feeling great. I'm really excited about that because she's certainly a contender for the team this year."

But it was Lizzy Beerman (Weston, VT) who got to see the fruits of her New Zealand labor pay off during the camp as she took to the Burton New Zealand open and not only finished sixth, but was also honored with the best trick of the day award.

"The biggest story from Lizzie after the Open was she landed about six or seven frontside 900s at about six to seven feet out of the pipe all day. That is unprecedented for her and almost unprecedented for any woman," Keene said. "For her to have that level of commitment for that trick is unparallel to be honest with you and the grabs are stylish. So that was a big break through day for her. She really found out how competitive she can be and it was a great look forward for her."

Keene was also excited for Matt Ladley (Steamboat Springs, CO) who is one of the U.S. men who has been perfecting double corks in his tricks.

"Matt already has front double cork tens on lock that he learned in Mt. Hood. So much was going down and he was kind of like 'I want in on that' so he went ahead and learned the double cork ten," Keene said. "That kind of behavior is pretty contagious with these rookie kids. Once Matt opens the door for the young kids to be able to do those tricks, they realize they're just like him but it's their turn."

With the camp wrapped up, the Team now heads back to the states where it will ready itself for the Olympic qualifications at the U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix series, which begins Dec. 11 in Copper, CO.

Follow U.S. Snowboarding news on Facebook and Twitter.

White Wins World Cup HP Opener

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 00:00:00 MST

CARDRONA, New Zealand (Aug. 26) - All eyes were on Shaun White (Carlsbad, CA) to double cork his way to another win on Wednesday and the 2006 Olympic gold medalist did not disappoint as he grabbed the top spot during the season's first World Cup competition in New Zealand. He was joined on the podium steps by fellow Games hardware owners Kelly Clark (Mt. Snow, VT) and Gretchen Bleiler (Aspen, CO), who were second and third.

White pulled a straight air, backside 900, frontside 720, cab double cork 1080, to a front 1080 in his first run, and a straight air, backside 500, frontside 720, cab double cork 1080, front double cork 1080 on his second run for his second win in the southern hemisphere this month. The first was at the Burton New Zealand Open where he also won after landing of a double double-corked run.

"I show up here and I didn't plan on competing. I actually postponed my flight home so that I could stay and ride longer and get my tricks down because this year is the big one," White said. "All the people that are probably going to be at the Olympics are here, so the win was amazing."

White and his infamous double cork manuvers seal the deal on the win in Cardrona. (© FIS – Oliver Kraus)

White had originally planned on making a quick exit after the Open, but threw his name in the hat for the World Cup at the last minute in order to test out his double-cork laden runs on a panel of rather important judges - the Olympic panel.

"It felt great to break these new tricks out in front of the judges because they're the ones who are going to be there in the end to decide who is riding the best during the Olympics. I didn't want a situation where I'm throwing a new trick that's innovative, but that they don't know how to judge," White said.

Thankfully, according to U.S. Snowboarding's Bud Keene who coached White during the 2006 Olympics and will again coach him through the Games this season, the panel of judges knew exactly what the hype was all about.

"There's nobody out there doing it as big and as well, or as perfectly executed and as stylish [as Shaun]. He has total command of these new tricks and they're very impressed with that," Keene said.

The women of U.S. Snowboarding were in their element with Clark and Bleiler laying claim on the second and third podium spots, while Jiayu Liu of China got the win.

Clark, just off her season's first win at the Open, put down a frontside air, backside 540, frontside 720, cab 720, frontside 540 for her podium.

Bleiler followed things up with a frontside air, backside 540, frontside 540, cab 720, to straight air for third.

"It's hard to think of this contest as the first contest of the season because it's August, but it's great to compete against everyone in the world and get third," Bleiler said. "I'm looking at it as good practice. The summer training is where I'm polishing everything I need to polish so that I go into the season at 100 percent and ready to throw my runs at any given time."

Ellery Hollingsworth (Stratton, VT) also had a killer day as the new high school grad sealed a solid run for a fifth-place finish to round out the top-10 results for U.S. women.

The halfpipe World Cup hits the brakes until its next competition Nov. 4 in Switzerland, but snowboardcross kicks its World Cup tour off Sept. 12 in Argentina.

OFFICIAL RESULTS
2010 LG SNOWBOARD FIS WORLD CUP
Aug. 26, 2009
Halfpipe

Men
1. Shaun White, Carlsbad, CA, 47.1
2. Iouri Podladtchikov, Switzerland, 44.4
3. Kazuhiro Kokubo, Japan, 43.2
4. Markus Malin, Finland, 42.1
5. Kohhei Kudoh, Japan, 40.7
-
13. Mason Aguirre, Duluth, MN, 27.7
15. Scotty Lago, Seabrook, NH, 12.6
17. Danny Davis, Highland, MI, 6.8

Women
1. Jiayu Liu, China, 44.1
2. Kelly Clark, Mt. Snow, VT, 40.5
3. Gretchen Bleiler, Aspen, CO, 37.1
4. Queralt Castellet, Spain, 35.3
5. Ellery Hollingsworth, Stratton, VT, 34.2
-
11. Maddy Schaffrick, Steamboat Springs, CO, 25.8
13. Jamie Anderson, South Lake Tahoe, CA, 23.4
# # #

Clark Takes Burton Win in NZ

Sat, 15 Aug 2009 00:00:00 MST

CARDRONA, New Zealand (Aug. 15) - Kelly Clark (Mt. Snow, VT) dropped in for her season's first win Saturday as she bested the field in typical Clark fashion at the Burton New Zealand Open. Joining Clark atop the podium was fellow Olympic gold medalist Shaun White (Carlsbad, CA) who landed a double double corked run for the win.

Clark put down a frontside air, backside 540 indy, frontside 720 tailgrab, cab 720, to frontside 540 indy to take the win, which she said is a good way to start her haul to Vancouver.

"I felt really good today. I got to try new things," Clark said. "I like progressing, and when you ride against a solid group of competitors it pushes me to do more. I’m happy that I did well for my first contest of the summer, especially going in to an Olympic year."

The Chinese contingent finished on Clark's heels with Jiayu Liu in second and Zhifeng Sun third.

Double corks were the golden ticket in the men's pipe showdown and with a frontside lien air, backside 900 melon, frontside 1080 stalefish, cab double cork 1080 stalefish, to frontside double cork 900 White was able to top a men's field that exhibited some of the most inventive and competitive runs in snowboarding history.

Right behind White was U.S. rider Luke Mitrani (Mammoth Lakes, CA) for the second and Japan's Kazuhiro Kokubo in third.

U.S. Snowboarding rookie Lizzy Beerman (Weston, VT) threw her name in the hat for young riders most likely to ascend the stairs to snowboarding fame as she finished sixth and earned the women's best trick of the day award by throwing a massive frontside 900. Best trick for men went to none other than the double Michalchuck of Luke Mitrani.

With the competition season officially underway U.S. snowboarders are now looking toward Dec. 11-12 where the first of five Olympic qualification competitions begins at the U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix. The series opens in Copper, CO.

Click here to follow U.S. Snowboarding news on Facebook and Twitter.

OFFICIAL RESULTS
Burton New Zealand Open
Cardrona, NZE - Aug. 15
Halfpipe

Men
1. Shaun White, Carlsbad, CA
2. Luke Mitrani, Mammoth Lakes, CA
3. Kazuhiro Kokubo, Japan
4. Mason Aguirre, Duluth, MN
5. Ryo Aono, Japan
-
8. Jack Mitrani, Mammoth Lakes, CA
9. Louie Vito, Sandy, UT
15. Kier Dillon, Shawnee, PA
16. Scotty Lago, Seabrook, NH

Women
1. Kelly Clark, Mt. Snow, VT
2. Jiayu Liu, China
3. Zhifeng Sun, China
4. Linn Haug, Norway
5. Soko Yamaoka, Japan
-
6. Lizzy Beerman, Weston, VT
8. Jamie Anderson, South Lake Tahoe, CA
# # #

SBX Crew Brings Joy To Middle East

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 00:00:00 MST

While it might be the height of the summer training period, U.S. Snowboarding's Nate Holland (Squaw Valley, CA) and Graham Watanabe (Sun Valley, ID) each took a week out of their busy gym schedules to journey halfway around the world to bring reprieve to U.S. troops in the Middle East. Five-time X Games gold medalist Holland made his way to Iraq and X Games silver medalist Watanabe went to Afghanistan on X Games themed goodwill tours aimed to give troops a chance to interact with the athletes.

"I really think our presence as athletes, just someone that's not in the military, gives them a taste of home for a moment and gives them something to talk about other than the military," Holland said. "It lets them see some color walking around. We're all wearing just street clothes. And they said it's good to see color and not camouflage."

For Holland, it was his second venture to the Middle East after having done a similar tour in Afghanistan last summer. But, Afghanistan shed new light on the life of a soldier for Watanabe who was on his first trip there.

"I've always been uninformed in the ways of war and military, so I've always kind of wondered what really goes on and what happens behind the scenes," Watanabe said. "War is all just a movie and whether it's an actual Hollywood film or actual footage of bombs or rockets or whatever flying, it's always been on TV for me. So I thought I could get a little more reality and perspective by going over."

The reality of a soldier's life hit close to home for Watanabe, literally, as he was shown an area in proximity to his quarters where a rocket attack took place just days before his arrival.

"The closest thing I could have to a real impacting experience was the base that we lived on in Afghanistan was hit by a rocket attack two days before we arrived and when we were given our tour is was somewhere between 100 to 200 yards away from our bunk," Watanabe explained. "That really allowed me to see, even on this base that apparently rarely gets hit, the dangers these people live in on a regular basis."

Meanwhile in Iraq, Holland was moved by the transition from a war zone to the building up of a country that Iraq was experiencing.

"It's completely different from Afghanistan. You can tell that Afghanistan is very much still in their war. There's still a lot of fighting going on where Iraq is much more in the transition of power right now," Holland said. "Just talking with the soldiers, some of them are like 'It's pretty tame here now.' Basically our role over there right now is security and teaching the Iraqis how to run a sovereign state. That was really interesting."

In contrast with Watanabe's base housing, Holland was able to live in special quarters during part of his time in Iraq.

"We also visited Camp Victory in Baghdad, which was one of Saddam's 99 palaces. When we were there we called it Operation Vacation because when we showed up it was like checking into a hotel except there's a military guy there in camouflage checking you in," Holland said.

Among the amenities, according to Holland, were a pool, a driving range for golf and a pond that people could fish in. Holland also traveled in style, trading a vehicle for a helicopter.

As to whether or not they'll go back to the Middle East, Watanabe still has a thirst for a greater perspective on the lives and duties of military personnel stationed overseas.

"It's difficult because they're on their own schedule and we're very limited to what dangers and things we can be privy to," Watanabe explained. "I'd definitely do it again."

While Holland is unsure of a return to the Middle East, he is certain of his thoughts on the service the military is providing to the U.S. and what it means to him.

"I'm so proud of the service men and women overseas who are in this war zone who are sacrificing so much to be there and sacrificing their way of life back home and their time away from their family," Holland said. "It's really incredible to see that sort of dedication and in turn I've kind of tried to use that as an appeal to my dedication to be able to get out there in representing my country in the best possible light and putting forth 110 percent effort."

Both Holland and Watanabe now return to their training in anticipation of the 2010 Olympic season.

Six Months To Vancouver

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 00:00:00 MST

VANCOUVER, BC (Aug. 12) - Exactly six months from today, U.S. Ski Team and U.S. Snowboarding athletes will be among the nation's best competitors as they march together, united under the American flag, into Vancouver's BC Place for the Opening Ceremonies of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

But, though they have to wait half a year for the Olympic torch to be lit in downtown Vancouver, the spirit of Olympic competition already burns bright in the hearts of athletes as they near the end of their summer training and move forward in the pursuit of their dreams.

From a glacier in Alaska, World Championship silver medalist summed up exactly what being six months away from the world's stage means to her.

"Olympic years are so special. You have the culmination of competing at the Olympics, and then you have all the preparation that leads up to it. I'm just trying to savor this time," Randall said. "From the year mark to this point it has been a goal with a lot of preparation. But as we get into this six month window it's all about putting on the final touches."

Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO), Ted Ligety (Park City, UT) and a majority of the U.S. Alpine Ski Team find themselves putting on the final touches south of the equator in New Zealand on the six month out mark, spending time on snow in preparation for the 2010 season and the Games.

"Because of my crash in 2006 and because of the success I've had during the last two World Cup seasons, a lot of people will be watching and I'm going to work as hard as I can to make sure I'm ready to win in 2010," Vonn said.

While a majority of their teammates have spent the summer training at the Center of Excellence, freestyle aerials World Champion Ryan St. Onge (Winter Park, CO) and World Cup moguls champion Hannah Kearney are on the east coast frequenting the Lake Placid water ramps and Kearney says she is feeling the excitement.

"Six months, two weeks, a day - it's all the same in that I am really excited for it. On the USOC Web site they have a countdown that goes to the second and when you see it you think 'oh my gosh,'" Kearney said. "When I think back, the last six months have gone so quickly. I'm enjoying this preparation period and the break means I am going to be that much more excited when December rolls around."

On the other hand, St. Onge was momentarily taken aback by the significance of the date.

"Well, I better hurry up," St. Onge said, quickly adding, "Just kidding. Time is everything in sports. There are no shortcuts and there's no rush to finish. I have what I have and I'll be there when I get there."

Just back from France where they spent time training and playing spectators to the world's largest bike race - the Tour de France - U.S. Nordic Combined Ski Team's World Champions Billy Demong (Vermontville, NY) and Todd Lodwick (Steamboat Springs, CO) are both eager to get to Vancouver.

"I love to compete and that's the point: The closer we are the better," Demong said. "We are getting the hard work done now and hopefully we'll use our experience and our knowledge to put us where we need to be going in to the Games."

"That it's six months away, we're coming up on a very important time within my career along with my teammates and everyone associated with the Games," Lodwick added. "This is a big lead up to what we strive for and hopefully we can have the performance that has us come out and conquer the Games."

From Switzerland, where he is preparing his equipment specifically for the Games and training, reigning Olympic SBX gold medalist Seth Wescott (Sugarloaf, ME) is feeling the excitement already.

"I'm fired up. The last month has been super productive as far as training. We're designing my boards for the Games and on this day I'm going up to build the boards that will hopefully win it for me for the second time," Wescott said. "We're getting into those final stages and it's so much fun to be back at that point."

Continue to follow the athletes progress as they make their way to the Olympic stage on usskiteam.com and ussnowboarding.com and through Facebook and Twitter.

VOTE! Lindsey Jacobellis Sportswoman of the Year

Sun, 9 Aug 2009 00:00:00 MST

PARK CITY, UT (Aug. 9) – Only a few hours remain to cast your vote for U.S. Snowboarding ace Lindsey Jacobellis (Stratton Mountain, VT) as the 2009 Women's Sports Foundation Sportswoman of the Year – one of the most prestigious honors in athletics.

Go online to www.womenssportsfoundation.org now to cast your vote. Polls close at midnight Eastern tonight.

The most dominant rider in snowboardcross, Jacobellis' 2009 season was highlighted by her second SBX World Cup overall title, winning five of the season's nine competitions.

She also took to the world's stage in Aspen as she won the fifth X Games gold medal of her career. By the time the season was complete, Jacobellis had amassed enough SBX World Cup wins and podiums to mark her as the most successful snowboardcross athlete, male or female, in the world.

Click here to cast your vote for Jacobellis.

The winner will be named Tuesday, Oct. 13 at the Annual Salute to Women in Sports dinner hosted by NBC sportscasters Bob Costas and Mary Carillo at the legendary Waldorf Astoria in New York City.

Vonn, Jacobellis Receive WSF Nomination

Wed, 5 Aug 2009 00:00:00 MST

PARK CITY, UT (Aug. 5) - It could be something about the name, or maybe the fact that they each dominate their respective sports, but both Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO) and Lindsey Jacobellis (Stratton Mountian, VT) have each been nominated for the 2009 Women's Sports Foundation's Sportswoman of the Year award. It is one of the most prestigious awards in sport.

Fans are able to vote online at www.womenssportsfoundation.org until midnight on Aug. 9.

Vonn's nomination comes on the heels of a record-breaking season, which included securing both the World Cup overall and downhill titles for the second consecutive winter, as well as the World Cup super G title.

Adding to the highlight reel, Vonn swept gold in downhill and super G at the February FIS Alpine World Championships in Val d'Isere, France, then cruised to her 19th World Cup win just two weeks after having a tendon in her right thumb surgically repaired. The victory officially gave her the crown of most successful female alpine skier in American history.

Despite skiing the remainder of the season with a splint on her hand Vonn captured five more World Cup victories following the World Championships to end the season with a U.S. record (male or female) nine wins in a single season. She has won World Cup races in every discipline except giant slalom.

Jacobellis' recognition is the result of another banner season in which the dominating SBX racer earned her second snowboardcross World Cup overall title, winning five of the season's nine competitions, as well as garnering one podium to boot.

She also took to the world's stage in Aspen as she won the fifth X Games gold medal of her career. By the time the season was complete, Jacobellis had amassed enough SBX World Cup wins and podiums to mark her as the most successful snowboardcross athlete, male or female, in the world.

Click here to vote for Vonn or Jacobellis before Aug. 9.