Team Named at Copper Mountain
By U.S. Ski & Snowboard
November, 9 2014
COPPER MOUNTAIN, CO (Nov. 8) – The sun was shining down on Center Village today where a huge crowd congregated for the 2015 U.S. Alpine Ski Team to be introduced during Nature Valley First Tracks at Copper Mountain. The energy at Copper Mountain, home of the U.S. Ski Team Speed Center, was palpable. Olympic gold medalists Ted Ligety (Park City, UT), Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO), Bode Miller (Franconia, NH) and Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, CO) were on hand as 42 athletes were named during a public celebration to kick off the start of the 2015 Audi FIS Alpine World Cup and Vail/Beaver Creek 2015 World Championships winter.
HIGHLIGHTS
- The 2015 U.S. Alpine Ski team was publicly introduced on Nov. 8 during Nature Valley First Tracks, a public celebration at Copper Mountain, CO – home of the U.S. Ski Team Speed Center.
- Olympic medalists Ted Ligety (Park City, UT), Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO), Bode Miller (Franconia, NH), Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, CO), Julia Mancuso (Olympic Valley, CA) and Andrew Weibrecht (Lake Placid, NY) were among 35 athletes named to the 2015 A, B and C Team, with another seven to the Development team. The 2015 FIS Alpine World Championships team will be announced on January 27.
- The team is coming off a five-medal Olympics, with both Ligety and Shiffrin winning Audi FIS Alpine World Cup titles.
- Vonn is making a return after an injury at the 2013 World Championships in Schladming took her out of action. She is expecting to start with World Cup speed events Dec. 5-7 in Lake Louise, where she has won 14 times.
- Despite challenging early season conditions, the team at Copper Mountain has provided early season training for the U.S. Ski Team since November 1 in preparation for the upcoming season.
- Copper Mountain is home to the U.S. Ski Team Speed Center which, when open, provides U.S. skiers with an Audi FIS Alpine World Cup level training course.
- The Audi FIS Alpine World Cup swings through America Nov.29-Dec.1 with a women’s giant slalom and slalom followed by men’s downhill, super G and giant slalom Dec. 5-7 at Beaver Creek, CO – host of the 2015 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships.
QUOTES
Patrick Riml, Alpine Director
It’s important for us to have a strong U.S. Ski Team as we host the World Championships in Vail/Beaver Creek this season. With Lindsey Vonn’s anticipated return, we will enter the season with six Olympic medalists. We’re also anxious to see the progress anticipated from younger team members this season. Opening with World Cups in Aspen and Beaver Creek will give us a chance to showcase our Team here in America leading up to the World Championships in February.
Ted Ligety
My cloud goal would be to do what I did in Schladming again. That’s not super-easy, it hadn’t been done 45 years before I did it, so that’s definitely a little bit of a stretch maybe. But, I think the hills at Beaver Creek do match up really well for me. The super G hill is a hill that is really good for me. I think the downhill is a really good downhill trail for me as well, as far getting close in the combined, and then I’ve had a ton of success there in the giant slalom. The main goal is to try to win that giant slalom title again, and I still feel like I have a good chance of medals in those other disciplines as well.
Lindsey Vonn
My knee is doing really well. Training has been going extremely well. I don’t have any pain or swelling, so that’s definitely a lot better than I had actually anticipated. My goal is still to start racing in Lake Louise. To be honest, I wasn’t really expecting GS to be coming along as quickly as it has. I definitely have to ski on some different snow conditions, some injections and see where I stand. But if things continue to go as they are now, then I think I need to reconsider my schedule for the season and possibly start skiing GS earlier than I had expected. I am leaving everything open, but it is not likely that I will be racing in Aspen.
Bode Miller
My prep period wasn’t what I wanted it to be, but it was sufficient given that I had a year last year on the new equipment. Nothing really changed, so I can race on all of my stuff from last year with some additions of new stuff I’ve changed. So I’m in a much better position than I was entering last year, and really by the time last year got going I felt pretty good.
Mikaela Shiffrin
It’s pretty spectacular to get my first GS win of my career. To do it the first race of the season was even better because I definitely have more confidence going into the season now.
[Speaking of Vail/Beaver Creek 2015 World Championships]
The Birds of Prey GS hill is my favorite GS hill ever. I’ve gotten to forerun the men’s race there a couple of times and I just feel like that hill was built for GS. It has pitches, it has flats, it has knolls – it’s always amazing snow. Somehow they get the snow to be just perfect, like that hero snow that I love and I think every racer loves but a little bit more firm so it’s not as aggressive and your skis don’t feel like they’re catching. So, you can just turn your mind off and let your skis do the work, and I absolutely love it. I’m really psyched to ski that hill.
[Speaking of the Nature Valley First Tracks Event]
Each year the crowd at the team naming seems to get bigger and bigger, with more enthusiastic ski fans. This year we are gonna need all the support we can get with World Champs on home soil, so it’s pretty spectacular to already be feeling that support in November. Sometimes I feel disconnected with the rest of the ski world, and events like First Tracks at Copper make me feel more connected — I’m ready for the season, and it’s so awesome to see that everyone else is too!
2014-15 U.S. ALPINE SKI TEAM
(Name, hometown, home club, skis, boots, bindings, poles, helmet, goggles, glasses, protection, birthdate)
* denotes Olympian
Men's A Team
David Chodounksy (Crested Butte, CO; Crested Butte Ski Team) Nordica, Nordica, Marker, Swix, Shred, Shred, Slytech) 6/25/84 *
Travis Ganong (Squaw Valley, CA, Squaw Valley Ski Team) (Atomic, Atomic, Atomic, Leki, POC, POC, POC, Leki/Ortema) 7/14/88
Jared Goldberg (Holladay, UT; Team Flow) (Head, Head, Head, Leki, POC, POC, POC, Leki/Ortema) 6/15/91 *
Tim Jitloff (Reno, NV; Park City Ski Team) (Stoeckli, Lange, Atomic, Leki, Bolle, Bolle, Bolle, Leki/Ortema) 1/11/85 *
Ted Ligety (Park City, UT, Park City Ski Team) (Head, Head, Head, Komperdell, Shred, Shred, Shred, Slytech) 8/31/84 *
Bode Miller (Franconia, NH, Carrabassett Valley Academy) (Head, Head, Head, Leki, Dainese, Dainese) 10/12/77 *
Andrew Weibrecht (Lake Placid, NY, New York Ski Education Foundation) Head, Head, Head, Komperdell, Shred, Shred, Shred, Slytech/Ortema) 2/10/86 *
Women's A Team
Stacey Cook (Mammoth Mountain, CA, Mammoth Mountain Ski Team) (Rossignol, Rossignol, Rossignol, Komperdell, POC, POC) 7/3/84 *
Julia Mancuso (Squaw Valley, CA, Squaw Valley Ski Team) (Head, Head, Head, Swix, POC, POC, POC) 3/9/84 *
Alice McKennis (Glenwood Springs, CO, Rowmark Academy) (Atomic, Atomic, Atomic, Leki, Briko, Briko) 8/19/89 *
Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, CO, Burke Mountain Academy) (Atomic, Atomic, Atomic, Leki, Atomic, Oakley, Oakley, Leki) 3/13/95 *
Leanne Smith (North Conway, NH, Mt. Washington Valley Ski Team) (Rossignol, Lange, Rossignol, Swix, POC, POC, POC, Slytech) 11/28/87 *
Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO, Buck Hill/Ski and Snowboard Club Vail) (Head, Head, Head, Leki, Briko, Oakley, Oakley, Leki) 10/18/84 *
Men's B Team
Bryce Bennett (Olympic Valley, CA; Squaw Valley Ski Team) (Blizzard, Tecnica, Marker, Leki, POC, POC, POC, Leki/POC) 7/14/92
Thomas Biesemeyer (Keene, NY; New York Ski Education Foundation) (Rossignol, Rossignol, Rossignol, Swix, Briko, Briko, Ortema) 1/30/89
Ryan Cochran-Siegle (Starksboro, VT, Cochran's/Mt. Mansfield Ski and Snowboard Club) (Rossignol, Rossignol, Rossignol, Komperdell, Shred, Shred, Shred, Slytech) 3/27/92
Mark Engel (Truckee, CA, Sugar Bowl Academy) (Atomic, Atomic, Atomic, Komperdell, Bolle, Bolle, Bolle, Ortema) 10/1/91
Tommy Ford (Bend, OR, Mt. Bachelor Ski Education Foundation) (Fischer, Fischer, Fischer, Swix, Shred, Shred, Shred, Slytech) 3/20/89 *
Colby Granstrom (Lake Stevens, WA; Mission Ridge Ski Education) Swix, Briko, Briko, Briko) 10/21/90
Nolan Kasper (Warren, VT, Burke Mountain Academy) (Volkl, Lange, Marker, Swix, Briko, Briko, Ortema) 3/27/89 *
Brennan Rubie (Salt Lake City, UT; Snowbird Ski Team) (Nordica, Nordica, Marker, Bolle, Bolle, Bolle, Slytech) 5/8/91
Steven Nyman (Sundance, UT, Park City Ski Team) (Fischer, Fischer, Fischer, Komperdell, POC, POC, POC, Ortema) 2/12/82 *
Marco Sullivan (Squaw Valley, CA, Squaw Valley Ski Team) (Atomic, Atomic, Atomic, Leki, POC, POC, POC, ) 4/27/80 *
Women's B Team
Abigail Ghent (Edwards, CO; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail) (Rossignol, Rossignol, Rossignol, Swix, Shred, Shred) 2/25/92
Anna Marno (Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club) (Nordica, Nordica, Marker Swix, Uvex, Uvex) 11/23/92
Paula Moltzan (Lakeville, MN; Buck Hill Ski Team) (Rossignol, Rossignol, Rossignol, Swix, POC, POC) 5/7/94
Laurenne Ross (Bend, OR, Mt. Bachelor Ski Education Foundation) (Volkl, Lange, Marker, Briko, Briko) 8/17/88 *
Katie Ryan (Aspen, CO; Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard) (Nordica, Nordica, Marker, Swix, POC, POC) 1/3/93
Jacqueline Wiles (Aurora, OR; White Pass Ski Club) (Rossignol, Lange, Rossignol, Swix, Uvex, Uvex) 7/13/92 *
Men's C Team
Nicholas Krause (Northboro, MA; Stratton Mountain School) (Head, Head, Head, Leki, POC, POC, Leki/Ortema) 5/12/93
Women's C Team
Katharine Irwin (Vail, CO; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail) (Volkl, Lange, Marker, Swix, Shred, Shred, Leki) 6/5/94
Lila Lapanja (Incline Village, NV; Sugar Bowl Academy/Diamond Peak) (Fischer, Lange, Fischer, Leki, POC, POC, Leki) 12/3/94
Men's Development Team
Erik Avridsson (Woodside, CA, Squaw Valley Ski Team) (Head, Head, Head, Swix, POC, POC, POC, Ortema) 9/3/96
Ronnie Berlack (Franconia, NH, Burke Mountain Academy) (Nordic, Nordic, Marker, Swix, POC, POC, POC, Ortema) 4/21/94
AJ Ginnis (Waitsfield, VT, Green Mountain Valley School) (Fischer, Fischer, Fischer, Leki, Shred, Shred, Shred, Ortema/Slytech) 11/17/94
Sam Morse (Carrabassett Valley, ME, Carrabassett Valley Academy) (Fischer, Fischer, Fischer, Swix, Uvex, Uvex, Uvex, Ortema) 5/27/96
Kipling Weisel (San Francisco, CA, Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation) (Nordica, Nordica, Marker, Swix, POC, POC, POC, Slytech/Ortema) 3/26/95
Women's Development Team
Breezy Johnson (Victor, ID, Rowmark Ski Academy) (Atomic, Atomic, Atomic, Leki, Shred, Shred, Shred, Slytech) 2/19/97) 1/19/96
Stephanie Lebby (Big Bear Lake, CA, Squaw Valley Ski Team) (Head, Head, Head, Leki, POC, POC, Leki) 2/19/97
2015 ALPINE STAFF
Alpine Director: Patrick Riml
Men’s Team Manager: Kate Avrin
Women’s Team Manager: Chelsea Steinbach
Alpine Press Officer: Megan Harrod
Men’s World Cup Overall
Head Coach: Sasha Rearick
Physio Coordinator: Chris Antinori
Men’s World Cup Multi
World Cup Multi Head Coach: Forest Carey
Assistant Coach: Mike Kenney and Adam Cole
Head Ski Service Ted Ligety: Alex Martin
Head Ski Service Bode Miller: Chris Krause
Men’s World Cup Speed
Head Coach: Alex Hoedlmoser
Assistant Coach: Scott Veenis
Assistant Coach: Pete Anderson
Conditioning Coach: Tony Beretzki
Intern Coach: Chris Beckmann
Pool Ski Service: Sylvain Munsch
Fischer Ski Service: Leo Mussi
Atomic Ski Service: Thomas Graggaber
Rossignol Ski Service: Shawn Gaisford
Head Ski Service: Guntram Mathis
Physical Therapist: Tiitu Romar
Men’s World Cup Technical
Head Coach: Bernd Brunner
Assistant Coach: Ian Garner
Conditioning Coach: Bob Poehling
Pool Ski Service: Matej Cujes
Pool Ski Service: Alex Petitdemange
Men’s C Team
Speed Coach: TJ Lanning
Tech Coach: Ian Lochhead
Speed Ski Service: Vittorio Boggian
Tech Ski Service: Nicolo Concari
Development Team
Head Coach: Randy Pelkey
Assistant Coach: Justin Johnson
Ski Service: Eric Holmer
Women’s World Cup Speed
World Cup Speed Head Coach: Stefan Abplanalp
Assistant Coach: Chris Knight
Assistant Coach: Wade Bishop
Assistant Coach: Pascal Hasler
Ski Service: Ales Sopotnik
Ski Service: Miha Dolinar
Head Ski Service Lindsey Vonn: Heinz Haemmerle
Head Ski Service Julia Mancuso: Michael Gmeiner
Physical Therapist: Lyndsay Young
Women’s World Cup Technical
Head Coach: Roland Pfeifer
Assistant Coach: Gary Miller
Ski Service: Matteo Fattor
Atomic Ski Service Mikaela Shiffrin: Kim Erlandsson
Strength and Conditioning Coach: Luca de Marchi
Physical Therapist: Brie Pike-Sprenger
Women’s Europa Cup
Europa Cup Head Coach: Trevor Wagner
Ski Service: Jonathan Weyant
Women’s Development
Development Head Coach: Frank Kelble
Assistant Coach: Kris Shampeny
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Mikaela Shiffrin
Two-time Olympic gold medalist and seven-time world champion Mikaela Shiffrin bega