Lindsey Vonn (Vail, Colo.) just missed the podium, finishing fourth in Friday’s FIS Ski World Cup alpine combined in Lenzerheide, Switzerland.

Wendy Holdener of Switzerland took the victory, followed by Italy’s Marta Bassino in second and Slovenia’s Ana Bucik in third.

Vonn won the first-run super-G and finished 18th in the second-run slalom. Tricia Mangan (Buffalo, N.Y.) finished 18th in the super-G, and 14th in the slalom to finish 19th overall, a career-best World Cup result for the 20-year-old.

“I think I skied pretty well,” Vonn said. “It’s good to get another run of super-G before the Olympics, and also for the slalom portion, its good for me to get some practice as well.”

Vonn spent the past few days testing equipment and training super-G and giant slalom in Folgaria, Italy with Andrew Weibrecht and Ted Ligety. Friday’s event served more as an Olympic tune-up to see how her body would respond to slalom, a discipline she hasn’t trained since last month.

“I’ve won slalom World Cups before, but I haven’t really trained (slalom) at all since Christmas … so that’s why I’m starting, so I can see how it feels for the Olympics and know how much I need to improve if I want to get a medal.

“If I can get a good advantage in the speed portion, and have a solid slalom run, I think I can be on the podium,” Vonn said of her Olympic alpine combined aspirations.

Friday’s alpine combined was a makeup race originally scheduled for St. Moritz, Switzerland.  Up next, the women compete in giant slalom Saturday and slalom Sunday in Lenzerheide. Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, Colo.) sat out Friday’s alpine combined and is scheduled to start the giant slalom and slalom events.

RESULTS
Women’s alpine combined

U.S. Ski & Snowboard Friday (January 26) announced its selections for the 2018 U.S. Olympic Cross Country Skiing Team that will compete at the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 beginning February 9.

A team of veteran U.S. cross country skiers with proven results led by Jessie Diggins (Afton, Minn.), Sadie Bjornsen (Winthrop, Wash.) and Sophie Caldwell (Peru, Vt.) will head to the Games in PyeongChang with a strong opportunity for success. Diggins is presently ranked third in the world, with Bjornsen seventh.

The selections will be confirmed by the United States Olympic Committee when it formally names Team USA today (January 26).

Among those named is Kikkan Randall (Anchorage, Alaska), who will be competing in her fifth Games – the most ever for a U.S. cross country skier.

"It’s such an incredible honor to be joining another U.S. Olympic Team," said Randall. "Being able to represent my country on the world’s biggest stage is always a big highlight that I look forward to every four years. I am especially excited about this team going into 2018 as the strongest cross country contingent I’ve ever been a part of."

The team includes 20 athletes who qualified for the team through World Cup results as well as domestic racing results at the L.L.Bean U.S. Cross Country Championships.

"The U.S. Ski Team is headed to PyeongChang with one of the most talented and decorated Olympic Teams of all time,” said Cross Country Head Coach Chris Grover. "Never in our history have we fielded a team with so many podium-proven World Cup and World Championship athletes. We also have incredible momentum in this Olympic season with 10 World Cup podiums secured by early January. These USA Olympians have prepared extremely well for PyeongChang and are looking to rewrite U.S. cross country skiing history."

The Opening Ceremonies for the Games are set for February 9. The cross country team will have its first competition on Saturday, February 10 with the women's skiathlon - a blend of classic and freestyle technique. Diggins will be among contenders in that event.

NBCUniversal will present more than 2,400 hours of coverage across NBC, NBCSN, CNBC, USA Network, NBCOlympics.com, and the NBC Sports app - the most ever for a Winter Olympics.

Team Facts

• The U.S. women will come into the Games on the heels of a strong season in sprint and distance racing, as well as classical and freestyle technique.
• Jessie Diggins presently stands third in the FIS World Cup overall rankings with Sadie Bjornsen seventh.
• Sophie Caldwell is third in the FIS World Cup sprint rankings with Diggins sixth. Diggins stands fifth in distance with Bjornsen 11th.
• Kikkan Randall will compete in her fifth Olympics, the most ever for a U.S. cross country skier. Andy Newell will make his fourth Olympic appearance, matching the U.S. mark held by Bill Koch, Torin Koos and Nina Kemppel.
• Newell and Simi Hamilton will lead the USA in sprint events for the men, with Erik Bjornsen the top contender in distance racing.
• The U.S. women are expected to be contenders for a medal in the 4x5k relay. The women have been fourth in the last three World Championships.
• America's only cross country Olympic medal was won by Bill Koch when he took silver in the 30k race at the 1976 Olympics in Seefeld, Austria.
• Cross country has one of the largest Olympic programs with five events each for men and women.
• The team features three sibling pairs - Erik and Sadie Bjornsen, Scott and Caitlin Patterson, and Logan and Reese Hanneman, plus a pair of cousins in Sophie and Patrick (Paddy) Caldwell.
• The U.S. team will compete this weekend in Seefeld, site of next year's World Championships.

2018 U.S. OLYMPIC CROSS COUNTRY SKIING TEAM

Women

• Sadie Bjornsen, Winthrop, Wash. (11/21/1989) *
• Rosie Brennan, Park City, Utah (12/02/1988)
• Sophie Caldwell, Peru, Vt. (3/22/1990) *
• Jessie Diggins, Afton, Minn. (8/26/1991) *
• Rosie Frankowski, Anchorage, Alaska (7/30/1991)
• Anne Hart, Stillwater, Minn. (8/20/1992)**
• Kaitlynn Miller, Craftsbury Common, Vt. (8/09/1991)
• Caitlin Patterson, Anchorage, Alaska (1/30/1990)
• Kikkan Randall, Anchorage, Alaska (12/31/1982) *
• Ida Sargent, Orleans, VT (1/25/1988) *
• Liz Stephen, East Montpelier, VT (1/12/1987) *

Men

• Erik Bjornsen, Winthrop, Wash. (7/14/1991) *
• Patrick Caldwell, Lyme Center, N.H. (2/18/1994)**
• Simi Hamilton, Aspen, Colo., (5/14/1987) *
• Logan Hanneman, Fairbanks, Alaska (6/02/1993)
• Reese Hanneman, Anchorage, Alaska (12/25/1989)
• Noah Hoffman, Aspen, Colo. (8/01/1989) * **
• Tyler Kornfield, Anchorage, Alaska (2/09/1991)**
• Andy Newell, Shaftsbury, Vt. (11/30/1983) *
• Scott Patterson, Anchorage, Alaska (1/28/1992)

* Competed in past Olympics
** Selected via Coach Discretion

Cross Country Staff
Chris Grover, Cross Country Head Coach
Matt Whitcomb, Cross Country Coach
Jason Cork, Cross Country Coach
Oleg Ragilo, Head of Service
Jean-Pascal Laurin, Service Team
Marek Sander, Service Team
Andrew Morehouse, Service Team
Tim Baucom, Service Team
Eli Brown, Volunteer tech
Patrick Moore, Volunteer tech
Erik Flora, Volunteer coach and tech
Dr. Larry Gaul, Physician
Zuzana Rogers, Volunteer physical therapist
Steph McKeen, Volunteer massage therapist
Robert Lazzaroni, Cross country director

QUOTES
Chris Grover, Cross Country Head Coach
The U.S. Ski Team is headed to PyeongChang with one of the most talented and decorated Olympic Teams of all time. Never in our history have we fielded a team with so many podium-proven World Cup and World Championship athletes. We also have incredible momentum in this Olympic season with 10 World Cup podiums secured by early January. These USA Olympians have prepared extremely well for PyeongChang and are looking to rewrite U.S. cross country skiing history.

Jessie Diggins
We are heading into the Games with the strongest team we’ve ever had and I’m so proud of this team for all the hard work that has gone into making the Games. I’m really happy and excited to be representing Team USA again in South Korea!

Kikkan Randall
Five Olympics, wow! It’s such an incredible honor to be joining another U.S. Olympic Team. Being able to represent my country on the world’s biggest stage is always a big highlight that I look forward to every four years. I am especially excited about this team going into 2018 as the strongest cross country contingent I’ve ever been a part of. We have the potential for some great individual performances from multiple members of the team and I know we’re all really looking forward to being contenders in the relay events.

Sadie Bjornsen
It is a pretty unique and amazing experience to have my brother beside me. Erik and I have been working beside each other since we were young kids racing each other to the finish line. The Olympics were just a dream for us for so long and here we are in a whole new dream as we are headed to the Games with goals of winning Olympic medals! An enormous thank you to our family, friends, coaches, teams, sponsors and our community for helping us get to this point!

Our entire team has been racing at a higher level than normal so far this season, and I am so excited to see what we can put together for the big show. I know we are capable, now it is just a matter of putting those perfect days together. Let's see what this incredible Team USA can do!

Erik Bjornsen
There is no other skiing event that compares to the Olympics. It’s hard to describe how amazing it is to be a part of the team. After placing fifth in the team sprint in Sochi, I’m headed to PyeongChang to fight for a medal. It’s also very exciting to know my sister has a shot at a medal. I’m looking forward to watching her achieve a life-long dream.

Andy Newell
My fourth Olympic Games will be a memorable moment. I'm proud to have had such longevity competing in the sport I love but mostly proud of how far we have come as a team since my first Games in 2006. I will be beyond stoked to pull on the red, white, and blue uniform one more time and share in the collective energy and ambition our tightly knit cross-country crew will bring to PyeongChang.

The excitement continues in Germany and Switzerland, after the U.S. Olympic Alpine Ski Team was announced Wednesday.

Olympic gold medalists Lindsey Vonn (Vail, Colo.), Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, Colo.) and Ted Ligety (Park City, Utah) will lead the men and women in a mix of tech and speed events this weekend.

After securing her 79th victory last weekend in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy and sharing the podium with Lindsey Vonn Foundation ambassador Jackie Wiles (Aurora, Ore.), Vonn will lead a group of six women into Lenzerheide starting with an alpine combined rescheduled from St. Moritz, Switzerland.

Shiffrin will sit the alpine combined out to rest and focus on the giant slalom and slalom on Saturday and Sunday. She continues to prove that she’s one of most dominant athletes in the world, showing her strength across disciplines and sharing the podium with teammate Vonn in Cortina for the first time ever last Friday in the downhill.

Shiffrin will go into the weekend with an 843-point lead in the overall race over Germany’s Viktoria Rebensburg, who is once again healthy and returned to competition in Kronplatz, Italy. She also leads the slalom standings, is second in the giant slalom standings and third in the downhill standings.

In Garmisch, Steven Nyman (Sundance, Utah) will face his demon this weekend on a track where he had a season-ending knee injury last season. Nyman has battled his way back through a grueling rehab process and returned to the Kandahar track two weeks ago to train. After Thursday’s training run, Nyman laughed, “When I came a couple of weeks ago, I wanted to be angry at the net, but I thought ‘Net, you’re fine – you saved my life. I should be mad at the jump!’”

The Kandahar track is dark, menacing and fast, but the American Downhillers had a good start to training on Thursday, led by the strong and consistent Bryce Bennett (Squaw Valley, Calif.) with the eighth-fastest time. Nyman admits the first training run was rough the entire ride, but will look to dial in some equipment issues in Friday’s training run prior to the downhill on Saturday. 

“It’s dense snow with a lot of bumps, and my skis weren’t reacting the way I wanted them to because my boots were too soft,” Nyman recalled. The jump where he crashed last year has not been built up as big, after he and others – including Frenchman Valentin Giraud Moine – sustained season-ending injuries. On Saturday, he’ll find the courage to hurl himself down that track – at speeds of up to 90 mph.

“Fortunately, I got to train here a couple of weeks ago with the German and Swiss, so that allowed me to step back into this area without having to deal with those thoughts today,” Nyman said. “So, I’ve already eliminated potential fear around that, but the biggest thing today was just the vision. It’s dark, which makes the Kandahar so challenging, so you have to really stay in a solid position, continually drive through the bumps and keep pushing.”

The American Downhillers celebrated their naming to the Olympic team in good company with a taste of home during their annual visit to the Garmisch military base, signing autographs for young fans and eating tacos with families at the base. This visit is a highlight of their season and comes at just the right time to reenergize them after the grueling run of chaos and overstimulation in Wengen, Switzerland and Kitzbuehel, Austria.

The American Downhiller crew poses with children at the military base in Garmisch, Germany. (Manuel Dietrich)

On Sunday, Ligety will return to giant slalom after a solid training block in Folgaria, Italy with teammates Vonn and Andrew Weibrecht (Lake Placid, NY). Ligety has yet to land on the podium in the 2018 season but continues to build steadily towards PyeongChang. Austria’s powerhouse Marcel Hirscher – whom Olympic gold has eluded – must be aware that Ligety is about to strike. It’ll be a wild ride the next few weeks. Buckle up on the road to PyeongChang.

Steve Schlanger and U.S. Ski Team alumnus Will Brandenburg will call the action in the coming week. See who to watch and where to catch all the action below.

WOMEN’S STARTERS*
Lenzerheide, SUI

Alpine Combined, Giant Slalom, Slalom
Patricia Mangan
Megan McJames
Alice Merryweather
Nina O’Brien
Mikaela Shiffrin
Lindsey Vonn

MEN’S STARTERS*
Garmisch-Partenkirchen, GER

Downhill, Giant Slalom
Bryce Bennett
Tommy Biesemeyer
David Chodounsky
Ryan Cochran-Siegle
Tommy Ford
Jared Goldberg
Ted Ligety
Wiley Maple
Steven Nyman
Hig Roberts

*Final starters per event TBD

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST
Friday, Jan. 26
3:30 a.m. – Women’s alpine combined, super G run; Lenzerheide – Olympic Channel TV (LIVE)
6:15 a.m. – Women’s alpine combined, slalom run; Lenzerheide – Olympic Channel TV (LIVE)

Saturday, Jan. 27
3:45 a.m. – Women’s giant slalom, run 1; Lenzerheide – Olympic Channel TV (LIVE)
7:00 a.m. – Women’s giant slalom; Lenzerheide – NBCSN (LIVE)
5:15 a.m. – Men’s downhill; Garmisch – Olympic Channel TV (LIVE)
8:30 a.m. – Men’s downhill; Garmisch – NBCSN (same day delay)

Sunday, Jan. 28
3:30 a.m. – Women’s slalom, run 1; Lenzerheide – olympicchannel.com
4:30 a.m. – Men’s giant slalom, run 1; Garmisch-Partenkirchen –  olympicchannel.com
6:00 a.m. – Women’s slalom, run 2; Lenzerheide – NBCSN
7:30 a.m. – Men’s giant slalom, run 2; Garmisch-Partenkirchen – NBCSN

RESULTS
Men’s Training Run 1
Men's Training Run 2

START LISTS
Women’s Alpine Combined
Men's Downhill 

2018 U.S. OLYMPIC ALPINE SKI TEAM
Men's Alpine

• Bryce Bennett, Squaw Valley, Calif. (7/14/1992)
• Tommy Biesemeyer, Keene, N.Y. (1/30/1989)
• David Chodounsky, Crested Butte, Colo. (6/25/1984)*
• Ryan Cochran-Siegle, Starksboro, Vt. (3/27/1992)
• Mark Engel, Truckee, Calif. (10/1/1991)
• Tommy Ford, Bend, Ore. (3/20/1989)*
• Jared Goldberg, Holladay, Utah (6/15/1991)*
• Tim Jitloff, Reno, Nev. (1/11/1985)*
• Nolan Kasper, Warren, Vt. (3/27/1989)*
• Ted Ligety, Park City, Utah (8/31/1984)*
• Wiley Maple, Aspen, Colo. (5/25/1990)
• Steven Nyman, Sundance, Utah (2/12/1982)*
• Andrew Weibrecht, Lake Placid, N.Y. (2/10/1986)*

Women’s Alpine

• Stacey Cook, Mammoth Lakes, Calif. (7/3/1984)*
• Breezy Johnson, Victor, Idaho (1/19/1996)
• Megan McJames, Park City, Utah (9/24/1987)*
• Alice McKennis, New Castle, Colo. (8/18/1989)*
• Laurenne Ross, Bend, Ore. (8/17/1988)*
• Mikaela Shiffrin, Eagle-Vail, Colo. (3/13/1995)*
• Resi Stiegler, Jackson, Wyo. (11/14/1985)*
• Lindsey Vonn, Vail, Colo. (10/18/1984)*
• Jackie Wiles, Aurora, Ore. (7/13/1992)*

* Competed in past Olympic

Olympic Trials winner Bryan Fletcher (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) will lead a team of five nordic combined skiers at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang. U.S. Ski & Snowboard today (Jan. 25) announced its selections for the 2018 U.S. Olympic Nordic Combined Team that will compete at the Games in PyeongChang beginning February 9. The selections will be confirmed by the United States Olympic Committee when it formally names Team USA this Friday (January 26).

Fletcher, a childhood cancer survivor who won his sport's prestigious King's Cup in 2011, earned his second Olympic Team spot as winner of the U.S. Olympic Team Trials Dec. 30. The remainder of the team qualified through World Cup and Continental Cup results.

"We are very happy we will have a full team at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games," said Nordic Combined Coach Martin Bayer. "It’s a relatively young team with great chemistry between them and a group of highly motivated athletes."

The opening is set for February 13 with two individual events and a team event on the Olympic program.

NBCUniversal will present more than 2,400 hours of coverage across NBC, NBCSN, CNBC, USA Network, NBCOlympics.com, and the NBC Sports app - the most ever for a Winter Olympics.

Team Facts

• Olympic Trials winner Bryan Fletcher is a childhood cancer survivor. As a young boy, ski jumping on Steamboat Springs' Howelsen Hill was a vital distraction as he underwent treatment. 2018 is his second Olympics.
• Brother Taylor Fletcher, who is known as one of his sport's best cross country skiers, will be making his third Olympic appearance.
• Four of the team members came out of the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club, with Ben Loomis from the Flying Eagles Ski Club in Eau Claire, Wis.
• Ben Loomis was a silver medalist in the Youth Olympic Games in 2016 at Lillehammer, Norway.

2018 U.S. Olympic Nordic Combined Team

• Ben Berend, Steamboat Springs, Colo. (6/29/1995)
• Bryan Fletcher, Steamboat Springs, Colo. (6/27/1986) *
• Taylor Fletcher, Steamboat Springs, Colo. (5/11/1990) *
• Jasper Good, Steamboat Springs, Colo. (5/10/1996)
• Ben Loomis, Eau Claire, Wis. (6/09/1998)

* Competed in past Olympics

Staff
Martin Bayer, Head nordic combined coach

Quotes
Martin Bayer
We are very happy we will have a full team at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games. It’s a relatively young team with great chemistry between them and a group of highly motivated athletes. Bryan Fletcher is the oldest and brings the most experience on the international stage. It’s Taylor Fletcher’s third Olympics and he’s known as one of the fastest cross country skiers in nordic combined. Ben Loomis is the youngest with strength coming from the ski jumping side but I’m sure he’ll sure he’ll surprise us in cross country. It’s also the first Olympics for Jasper Good who has been one of our most consistent athletes and has a great attitude that will serve him well.

Taylor Fletcher
It is always a great honor to be representing my country and team at the sports highest level and I am very excited to be representing my country in my third Olympics. It wasn’t an easy road to get to the Olympics this year as I have had some struggles with jumping and have had some bad luck that made it challenging until the last weekend of qualifying. I would like to think I got that out of the way and I can focus now on performing at my highest level during the Games. The Olympics bring out the best from each athlete and no one will have it easy. That being said, with a good jump I feel like it is possible to have a chance at the medals. I am also really excited to be sharing this moment with my brother who will be competing in his second games. It is very unique that we get to share this moment together and fight for the medals together. Our entire team is looking forward to Korea and I am proud of each one of my teammates for their hard work and dedication to the sport!

Ben Loomis
I am extremely honored to be heading to PyeongChang and representing our country. The Olympics are something I have always dreamed of and to go at such a young age is extremely exciting. For me, the Olympics will be all about the experience. I am hoping to take it all in and use this experience in future. I look forward to sharing my first Olympic experience with Jasper Good as well as veterans Bryan and Taylor Fletcher.

Olympic ski jumping veteran Sarah Hendrickson (Park City, Utah) will lead a team of four men and three women at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games. U.S. Ski & Snowboard Thursday (Jan. 25) announced its selections for the 2018 U.S. Olympic Ski Jumping Team that will compete at the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 beginning February 9. The selections will be confirmed by the United States Olympic Committee when it formally names Team USA this Friday (January 26).

Hendrickson and Michael Glasder (Cary, Ill.) earned their spots as winners of the Olympic Trials Dec. 31. The remainder of the team qualified through World Cup results

"It's exciting to see an entire group of first time Olympians head to South Korea," said Men's Jumping Director Clint Jones. "It was great to see Mike Glasder secure his spot at the Olympic Trials. The other three athletes are young and making quick progress in the sport. Even though they are relatively inexperienced, we are hoping for big things."

"Going into the second Olympic Winter Games in history for the ladies, I am excited to see two first-time Olympians join the team alongside veteran Sarah Hendrickson," said Women's Jumping Director Alan Alborn. "Nita Englund and Abby Ringquist are both competing for their first time in the Olympics and have been working hard to secure that opportunity for many seasons." 

The opening is set for February 9. Men's ski jumping has its normal hill qualifying round a day earlier, on Thursday, February 8. The first medal event is Saturday, February 10. The women will have one jumping event on the normal hill on Monday, February 12.

TEAM FACTS

• Sarah Hendrickson is the only ski jumping athlete with Olympic experience. She jumped number one in the women's debut at Sochi in 2014.
• Hendrickson, Abby Ringquist and Will Rhoads are products of the 2002 Olympic Legacy, growing up in the shadow of the ski jumps in Park City, Utah.
• Olympic Trials winner Michael Glasder and Kevin Bickner both came out of the Norge Ski Club in the northwest suburbs of Chicago - one of America's oldest clubs dating back to the early 1900s.
• Kevin Bickner set a new U.S. distance record in 2017 soaring 244.5 meters
• The men are jumping this weekend in Zakopane, Poland with the women competing in a World Cup at their European training base of Ljubno, Slovenia.

2018 U.S. OLYMPIC SKI JUMPING TEAM

Men

• Kevin Bickner, Wauconda, Ill. (9/23/1996)
• Michael Glasder, Cary, Ill. (3/27/1989)
• Casey Larson, Barrington, Ill. (12/16/1998)
• Will Rhoads, Park City, Utah (6/08/1995)

Women

• Nita Englund, Florence, Wis. (6/10/1992)
• Sarah Hendrickson, Park City, Utah (8/01/1994) *
• Abby Ringquist, Park City, Utah (6/21/1989)

* Competed in past Olympics 

Staff
Clint Jones, Men's Jumping Director
Alan Alborn, Women's Jumping Director
Bine Norčič, Men's International Coach
Igor Cuznar, Women's International Coach

QUOTES
Clint Jones, Men's Head Coach
It's exciting to see an entire men’s group of first-time Olympians head to South Korea. It was great to see Mike Glasder secure his spot at the Olympic Trials. He has narrowly missed the Olympic team in the past, but has put in some great work over the past couple years and taken big steps forward.  The other three athletes are young and making quick progress in the sport.  Even though they are relatively inexperienced, we are hoping for big things.  Kevin Bickner started the season a little slow, but is getting back to his best form. Training has been going well and with a solid performance we know he can be right up there with the best in the world. We are also looking to continue to improve in the team event. At the end of last year, our team was seventh in the final team event in Planica and we would like to see the guys continue to build on that. The team event is a good indication of the strength of the group and direction of our program.

Alan Alborn, Women's Head Coach
Going into the second Olympic Winter Games in history for the ladies, I am excited to see two first time Olympians join the team alongside veteran Sarah Hendrickson. Sarah surprised everyone during the Olympic Trials with two of the most competitive jumps she has executed since 2013. Nita Englund and Abby Ringquist are both competing for their first time in the Olympics and have been working hard to secure that opportunity for many seasons. Although this season has not gone they way we had hoped, we are optimistic and you never know in ski jumping what can happen.

Kevin Bickner
It’s been a childhood dream of mine ever since I started skiing and now that it’s finally happening it’s surreal. I’m really excited to finally be named to the team. My goal is to do everything right and have good jumps. I want to jump 100% to my potential. I know if I do this then a good result can come from it and I hope to surprise America.

Will Rhoads
I am excited and honored to be a part of Team USA for the upcoming 2018 Winter Olympics! I’m really looking forward to competing at the highest level and experiencing all that the games has to offer.

Casey Larson
For a long time making the Olympic Team was merely a goal. Before last winter, 2022 seemed like more the reality but all of a sudden a few things got figured out and I started jumping really well. I am extremely honored to be on the team and now the focus is on really enjoying the experience and getting some great results. For me, personally, I know what it took to get to this point. This winter has had its ups and downs already and now I feel like as a team we can start to focus on achieving some goals that we’ve had in our heads for awhile.

Nita Englund
I'm really happy on qualifying for the Olympic Team. It has been a lifelong goal. There was a lot of work from me, but also a lot of support from teammates, coaches, friends and family. It will take a few days for the emotions to settle, but it certainly means a lot to me.

Abby Ringquist
I am overwhelmed with excitement and I really can’t believe my dream is finally coming true. I am an Olympian! Since watching the 1994 Olympics when I was five, I knew I wanted to be an Olympian when I grew up, not knowing which sport could take me there. I’ve heard a lot of ‘no’s’ throughout my 21-year long career, from not being allowed in 2006 and 2010, to missing out on 2014 Games. I almost hung my skis up four years ago, but I put my head down and worked harder than I ever have. It brings me to tears knowing all of the hard times and hard work are paying off. I can’t wait to represent my country and I hope that I can perform my best and make my nation, my community, my family and my friends proud.

Two weeks to go until the Opening Ceremonies of the 2018 Olympic Winter Games and athletes are completing their final preparations with events from Aspen to Austria and points in between. Catch all the action this weekend on the networks of NBCUniversal, including NBCSN, the NBC Sports app and The Olympic Channel - Home of Team USA!

FIS Women’s Ski World Cup -  Lenzerheide, SUI
The women’s World Cup tour stops in Lenzerheide for alpine combined, giant slalom and slalom races Jan. 26-18. 2018 Olympic Team members Lindsey Vonn (Vail, Colo.), Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, Colo.), Stacey Cook (Mammoth Lakes, Calif.) and Breezy Johnson (Victor, Idaho) are all expected to race throughout the weekend.
Women’s alpine combined start list

FIS Men’s Ski World Cup - Garmisch-Partenkirchen, GER
The U.S. Ski Team men’s alpine squad is out in full force this weekend for giant slalom and downhill races in Garmisch. Olympic team members Ted Ligety (Park City, Utah), Tommy Ford (Bend, Ore.), Steven Nyman (Sundance, Utah) and Bryce Bennett (Squaw Valley, Calif.) are on the roster to compete. This will be the first time Nyman has skied the Garmisch downhill since suffering a knee injury there last season.
Thursday’s Downhill training results

FIS Cross Country World Cup - Seefeld, AUT
The U.S. Cross Country Ski Team is in the Austrian mountain village of Seefeld this weekend for a test of the 2019 World Championships venue. Saturday opens with a freestyle sprint then a mass start freestyle distance race Sunday. It’s the final World Cup before the team heads to PyeongChang. U.S. Ski & Snowboard is expected to announce the full Olympic Team later on Thursday. Olympic team members Jessie Diggins (Afton, Minn.), Sadie Bjornsen (Winthrop, Wash.), Simi Hamilton (Aspen, Colo.), Andy Newell (Shaftsbury, Vt.) and others will compete in sprint and 10k/15k races before entering their pre-Olympic training camp.

FIS Women’s Ski Jumping World Cup - Ljubno, SLO
FIS Men’s Ski Jumping World Cup - Zakopane, POL
The men’s World Cup tour heads to Zakopane, Poland this weekend while the women compete at their European training base in Ljubno, Slovenia – each with competitions Saturday and Sunday. It’s the final women’s competition before the Olympics with the men in Willingen, Germany just prior to heading to PyeongChang. 

FIS Nordic Combined World Cup -  Seefeld, AUT
The Seefeld Triple World Cup gets underway Friday featuring three straight days of competition. The event will be a test for the 2019 World Championships. The team then heads to Hakuba, Japan for a weekend World Cup on the way into PyeongChang. U.S. Ski & Snowboard is expected to announce the full Olympic Team later on Thursday.

FIS Snowboard World Cup - Bansko, BUL
Snowboardcross riders are headed to Bulgaria to compete in the 2017-18 FIS Snowboard World Cup season's seventh SBX event which will be staged as a sprint race in Bansko Saturday. Leading the way for the USA are Olympic team members Nick Baumgartner (Iron River, Mich.), Mick Deirdorf (Steamboat Springs, Colo.), Hagen Kearney (Telluride, Colo.), Rosie Mancari (Anchorage, Alaska) and Meghan Tierney (Edwards, Colo.).

X Games Aspen
Top U.S. Snowboard Team and U.S. Freeski Team athletes are back in Aspen, Colorado this week looking to land some X Games medals before going for medals in PyeongChang. Many members of the newly named Olympic teams are expected to compete including David Wise (Reno, Nev.), Chloe Kim (Torrence, Calif.), Jamie Anderson (S. Lake Tahoe, Calif.) and Red Gerard (Silverthorne, Colo.). Fans can follow the action at xgames.espn.com.

Olympic Team
The U.S. Olympic Committee will formally unveil the entire Team USA lineup on Friday at 1:00 p.m. EST. U.S. Ski & Snowboard has announced alpine, freeski, freestyle and snowboard teams. Cross country, nordic combined and ski jumping are on tap for later on Thursday.
U.S. Olympic Alpine Team
U.S. Olympic Freeski Team
U.S. Olympic Freestyle Team
U.S. Olympic Ski Jumping Team 
U.S. Olympic Snowboard Team

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST
*schedules subject to change

ALPINE
Jan. 26
4:00 a.m. – Women’s alpine combined, run 1; Lenzerheide – olympicchannel.com
9:30 a.m. – Women’s alpine combined, run 2; Lenzerheide – olympicchannel.com

Jan. 27
4:15 a.m. – Women’s giant slalom, run 1; Lenzerheide – olympicchannel.com
5:45 a.m. – Men’s Downhill; Garmisch-Partenkirchen –  olympicchannel.com
7:00 a.m. – Women’s giant slalom, run 2; Lenzerheide – NBCSN
8:30 a.m. – Men’s Downhill; Garmisch-Partenkirchen – NBCSN (same day coverage)

Jan. 28
3:30 a.m. – Women’s slalom, run 1; Lenzerheide – olympicchannel.com
4:30 a.m. – Men’s giant slalom, run 1; Garmisch-Partenkirchen –  olympicchannel.com
6:00 a.m. – Women’s slalom, run 2; Lenzerheide – NBCSN
7:30 a.m. – Men’s giant slalom, run 2; Garmisch-Partenkirchen – NBCSN

CROSS COUNTRY
Jan. 27
7:45 a.m. – Men and women’s sprint; Seefeld – olympicchannel.com
10:00 a.m. – Men and women’s sprint; Seefeld – NBCSN

Jan. 28
5:20 a.m. – Men's 15km mass start; Seefeld – olympicchannel.com
8:30 a.m. – Women's 10k mass start; Seefeld – olympicchannel.com
11:00 a.m. – Women's 10k mass start; Seefeld – NBCSN (same day coverage)

SKI JUMPING
Jan. 26
12:00 p.m. –  Men's HS 140 qualification; Zakopane – olympicchannel.com

Jan. 27
8:00 a.m. –  Women’s HS94; Ljubno – olympicchannel.com
10:00 a.m. –  Men's team HS 140; Zakopane – olympicchannel.com
4:00 p.m. –  Women’s HS94; Ljubno – olympicchannel.com (same day coverage)
5:30 p.m. –  Men's team HS 140; Zakopane – olympicchannel.com (same day coverage)

Jan. 28
8:00 a.m. –  Women’s HS94; Ljubno – olympicchannel.com
10:00 a.m. –  Men's HS 140; Zakopane – olympicchannel.com
4:00 p.m. –  Women’s HS94; Ljubno – olympicchannel.com (same day coverage)
5:30 p.m. –  Men's HS 140; Zakopane – olympicchannel.com (same day coverage)

NORDIC COMBINED
Jan. 26
8:00 a.m. – Gundersen NH HS 109; Seefeld – olympicchannel.com
10:10 a.m. – Individual 5k; Seefeld – olympicchannel.com

Jan. 27
8:00 a.m. – Gundersen NH HS 109; Seefeld – olympicchannel.com
9:45 a.m. – Individual 10k; Seefeld – olympicchannel.com

Jan. 28
6:30 a.m. – Gundersen NH HS 109; Seefeld – olympicchannel.com
9:30 a.m. – Individual 15k; Seefeld – olympicchannel.com

SNOWBOARD
Jan. 26
5:30 a.m. – Parallel giant slalom; Blansko – olympicchannel.com
4:00 p.m. – Toyota U.S. Grand Prix slopestyle; Mammoth – NBCSN (re-air of Jan. 20 event)

Jan. 27
5:30 a.m. – Snowboardcross; Blansko – olympicchannel.com
11:00 a.m. – Toyota U.S. Grand Prix halfpipe; Mammoth – NBCSN (re-air of Jan. 21 event)

Jan. 28
7:00 a.m. – Parallel slalom; Blansko – olympicchannel.com

Olympic gold medalists Lindsey Vonn (Vail, Colo.), Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, Colo.) and Ted Ligety (Park City, Utah), and two-time medalist Andrew Weibrecht (Lake Placid, N.Y.) will lead a strong U.S. Olympic Alpine Ski Team of 22 men and women at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games.

U.S. Ski & Snowboard today (January 24) announced its selections for the U.S. Olympic Alpine Ski Team that will compete at the Games in PyeongChang beginning February 9. The selections will be confirmed by the United States Olympic Committee when it formally names Team USA this Friday (January 26).

The team includes 22 athletes who qualified for the team through one or more top-three finishes, top five finishes, and top 10 finishes, and then World Cup points. Qualification included 2017-18 FIS World Cup races through Cortina, Italy and Kitzbuehel, Austria on Jan. 20-21, 2018.

The alpine team will have its first Olympic competition on February 11 with the men’s downhill. The women will kick it off with the giant slalom on February 12.

NBCUniversal will present more than 2,400 hours of coverage across NBC, NBCSN, CNBC, USA Network, NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports app - the most ever for a Winter Olympics.

Team Facts

• The winningest female ski racer of all time, Lindsey Vonn won Olympic gold in downhill in Vancouver in 2010, but was sidelined with an injury and did not compete in Sochi. She is coming back with a vengeance, on a hunt for Olympic gold once again. Vonn will be competing in her fourth Olympics and finished second in both the downhill and super-G Olympic test events in 2017. Vonn has been named the first international PyeongChang 2018 Games Ambassador. She’s won 79 World Cup races in all five disciplines of alpine skiing - downhill, super-G, giant slalom, slalom and alpine combined - in her career.
• Mikaela Shiffrin is arguably one of the most dominant athletes in world sport competing today. Mikaela won the 2016-17 overall and slalom FIS Ski World Cup titles, and currently leads the 2017-18 overall, slalom and giant slalom World Cup standings. She became the youngest woman in U.S. history to win a World Championship and the youngest athlete in history (male or female) to win an Olympic gold medal in Sochi. Shiffrin has a hat-trick of World Championship gold medals in slalom - 2013, 2015 and 2017.
• Known as “Mr. GS,” two-time Olympic champion Ted Ligety underwent back surgery in January 2017, causing him to miss the rest of the 2016-17 season. The YongPyong Alpine Centre is a special venue for Ligety as it is the home of his very first World Cup giant slalom victory in 2006. He won his first Olympic gold in 2006 in the alpine combined in Torino, then again in his main discipline, giant slalom, in 2014 in Sochi.
• Andrew Weibrecht grabbed the 2010 Olympic super-G bronze medal, and then in 2014, produced a truly inspirational run to claim silver. Nicknamed “Warhorse”, he has a knack for performing when it matters most - on the big stage.
• The U.S. men’s American downhill racers are a strong and tight group of athletes. Veteran Steven Nyman (Sundance, Utah) suffered a knee injury in 2017 and is making a strong comeback for PyeongChang. In the 2016 Olympic test event, Nyman finished third in the downhill. Promising young talent like Bryce Bennett (Squaw Valley, Calif.) - who will make his Olympic debut - as well as Jared Goldberg (Holladay, Utah), also look to make their mark. 
• Just 10 months after a significant knee injury, Laurenne Ross (Bend, Ore.) has made an impressive return to competition and continues to have her eyes on the prize in PyeongChang.
• Resi Stiegler (Jackson, Wyo.) clinched her spot on a third Olympic team. Her father, Austrian Pepi Stiegler, was an Olympic Gold medalist in slalom in Innsbruck in 1964.
• Young up-and-comers Breezy Johnson (Victor, Idaho), and Lindsey Vonn Foundation ambassador Jackie Wiles (Aurora, Ore.) also look to make an impression in PyeongChang.

2018 U.S. OLYMPIC ALPINE SKIING TEAM
Men's Alpine

• Bryce Bennett, Squaw Valley, Calif. (7/14/1992)
• Tommy Biesemeyer, Keene, N.Y. (1/30/1989)
• David Chodounsky, Crested Butte, Colo. (6/25/1984)*
• Ryan Cochran-Siegle, Starksboro, Vt. (3/27/1992)
• Mark Engel, Truckee, Calif. (10/1/1991)
• Tommy Ford, Bend, Ore. (3/20/1989)*
• Jared Goldberg, Holladay, Utah (6/15/1991)*
• Tim Jitloff, Reno, Nev. (1/11/1985)*
• Nolan Kasper, Warren, Vt. (3/27/1989)*
• Ted Ligety, Park City, Utah (8/31/1984)*
• Wiley Maple, Aspen, Colo. (5/25/1990)
• Steven Nyman, Sundance, Utah (2/12/1982)*
• Andrew Weibrecht, Lake Placid, N.Y. (2/10/1986)*

Women’s Alpine

• Stacey Cook, Mammoth Lakes, Calif. (7/3/1984)*
• Breezy Johnson, Victor, Idaho (1/19/1996)
• Megan McJames, Park City, Utah (9/24/1987)*
• Alice McKennis, New Castle, Colo. (8/18/1989)*
• Laurenne Ross, Bend, Ore. (8/17/1988)*
• Mikaela Shiffrin, Eagle-Vail, Colo. (3/13/1995)*
• Resi Stiegler, Jackson, Wyo. (11/14/1985)*
• Lindsey Vonn, Vail, Colo. (10/18/1984)*
• Jackie Wiles, Aurora, Ore. (7/13/1992)*
• Alice Merryweather, Hingham, Mass. (10/5/96)
• Tricia Mangan, Buffalo, N.Y. (3/7/97)

* Competed in past Olympics

Quotes
Patrick Riml, Alpine Director
A big group of people have worked very hard to enable us to put together such a strong alpine race team for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games. We have a good mix of veterans, Olympic champions who know what it takes to win at the highest level, and new, younger talent who have consistently shown throughout the qualifying process that they are ready now to fly the flag for the USA at the greatest competition of all.

Over the last three months of competition, our preparation for the Games has been meticulous and we go to South Korea feeling confident about our chances. I am pleased with the strength of our team and know that every member of the staff will work hard to ensure athletes maximize their potential and execute on the plan. We also know that we are going to the Games with the cheers of the American public ringing in our ears, and that is a very proud feeling for the whole team.

Lindsey Vonn
I’m incredibly excited to be going to my fourth Olympics. I’ve been waiting for these Games since I was injured, before Sochi, so it’s been about eight years. I’m very proud to represent America, I’m proud to be on this team with so many amazing athletes, and I look forward to competing.

Mikaela Shiffrin
I’m honored to represent my country in my second Olympic Winter Games alongside some of the top athletes of the Games, including Lindsey, Ted, and Andrew. This has already been a wonderful season, and going to the Games is almost like the cherry on top of the cake! I am very excited about getting back to PyeongChang, and I’m looking forward to racing against so many incredible competitors on the biggest stage of them all. I will be taking it one event at a time, exactly as I do in the World Cup events.

Ted Ligety
I’m excited to be going to my fourth Olympics. It’s definitely been a fun journey over all these years, and to be able to go to an Olympics where I actually had my first World Cup win ever, it’s really fun to be able to revisit that hill. The last time I raced on that hill was in 2006 and that was my first World Cup win. So to go from being a rookie back in 2006, to now being in my fourth Olympics is pretty crazy to see how far I’ve come.

Steven Nyman
It is incredible to be named to my fourth Olympic team! It is wild to grasp that this will be my fourth Olympics. It was always my dream as a kid to ski in the Olympics, and my Olympic heroes were a great influence on my life. Hopefully, our team can provide similar inspiration to future generations.

One of the most successful snowboard teams in the world will bring a star-studded lineup to PyeongChang for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games.

Following final selection events this past weekend, U.S. Ski & Snowboard announced 26 athletes who will compete at the Games, including two-time gold medalist Shaun White (Carlsbad, Calif.), three-time Olympic medalist Kelly Clark (Mt. Snow, Vt.) and Sochi gold medalist Jamie Anderson (S. Lake Tahoe, Calif.). The selections will be confirmed by the United States Olympic Committee when it formally names Team USA this Friday (January 26).

Snowboardcross and parallel giant slalom athletes qualified from select World Cups this past season. Halfpipe and slopestyle athletes qualified through a process that included the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix and the Dew Tour, with the team being recognized after last weekend's finale at the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Olympic Team Nomination Celebration presented by Visa.

The Olympic Winter Games Opening Ceremony is set for February 9. The U.S. Olympic Snowboard Team will have its first competition on Monday, February 10 with men’s slopestyle qualifiers.

NBCUniversal will present more than 2,400 hours of coverage across NBC, NBCSN, CNBC, USA Network, NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports app, the most ever for a Winter Olympics.

Team Facts

• 17-year-old Chloe Kim, who has Korean parentage, will be looking for her first Olympic gold medal. She is a three-time X Games gold medalist.
• Shaun White will be returning to his fourth Olympic Games. He has gold medals from Torino 2006 and Vancouver 2010.
• Jamie Anderson will be looking to defend her gold medal from Sochi 2014.
• Kelly Clark will be looking for her second Olympic gold, and her fourth overall Olympic Medal. Clark will be attending her fifth Olympics.
• New to the Olympics, with six combined X Games medals, Julia Marino and Hailey Langland will be looking for their first Olympic podiums.
• 17-year-old Red Gerard will be heading to his first Olympics as one of the youngest athletes in PyeongChang. The only younger athlete on the U.S. Snowboard Team is Hailey Langland.
• The most decorated snowboarder in history, Lindsey Jacobellis looks to add more snowboardcross Olympic medals to her collection, having won silver in 2006.

Men's Snowboard Slopestyle/Big Air

• Redmond Gerard, Silverthorne, Colo. (6/29/2000)
• Chris Corning, Silverthorne, Colo. (9/07/1999)
• Kyle Mack, West Bloomfield, Mich. (7/06/1997)
• Ryan Stassel, Anchorage, Alaska (10/23/1992) *

Women's Snowboard Slopestyle/Big Air

• Jamie Anderson, South Lake Tahoe, Calif. (9/13/1990) *
• Julia Marino, Westport, Conn. (9/11/1997)
• Hailey Langland, San Clemente, Calif. (8/02/2000)
• Jessika Jenson, Rigby, Idaho (8/07/1991)

Men’s Snowboard Halfpipe

• Ben Ferguson, Bend, Ore. (1/21/1995)
• Jake Pates, Eagle, Colo. (7/30/1998)
• Shaun White, Carlsbad, Calif. (9/3/1986) *
• Chase Josey, Hailey, Idaho (3/31/1995)

Women’s Snowboard Halfpipe

• Chloe Kim, Torrance, Calif. (4/23/2000)
• Kelly Clark, Mt. Snow, Vt. (7/26/1983) *
• Maddie Mastro, Wrightwood, Calif. (2/22/2000)
• Arielle Gold, Steamboat Springs, Colo. (5/04/1996) *

Men’s Snowboardcross

• Jonathan Cheever, Saugus, Mass. (4/17/1985)
• Hagan Kearney, Telluride, Colo. (11/06/1991)
• Nick Baumgartner, Iron River, Mich. (12/17/1981) *
• Mick Dierdorff, Steamboat Springs, Colo. (4/30/1991)

Women’s Snowboardcross

• Lindsey Jacobellis, Roxbury, Conn. (8/19/1985) *
• Faye Gulini, Salt Lake City, Utah (3/24/1992) *
• Meghan Tierney, Edwards, Colo. (1/15/1997)
• Rosie Mancari, Anchorage (1/22/1994)

Men’s Parallel Giant Slalom

• Aaron Muss, Rumson, N.J. (12/15/1994)
• Michael Trapp, Hyannis, Mass. (7/10/1988)

Quotes
Mike Jankowski, Halfpipe, Slopestyle and Big Air Head Coach, U.S. Snowboard Team
The 2018 U.S. Olympic Snowboard Team is led by three of the best snowboarders of all time in Shaun White, Kelly Clark and Jamie Anderson. Add in some of the best young talent in the world with Chloe Kim, Red Gerard, Ben Ferguson, Chris Corning and Hailey Langland, and it’s the best U.S. team we have ever had. They are all proud and ready to bring home some medals from Pyeongchang.

Peter Foley, Snowboardcross Head Coach, U.S. Snowboard Team
Jonathan Cheever came out charging and really did himself a favor getting on the podium in the first selection event in Argentina to take a lot of the pressure off of himself for the season. Olympic selection for the men’s team has been brutal with six incredibly strong Americans battling for only four spots. It crushes me that we are not able to bring all six.

Nick Baumgartner has a podium from the Olympic test event in Korea and is such a solid medal contender. He battled back from injury this season and made the big final in the last selection event, showing his speed is increasing as we approach the games.

Lindsey Jacobellis has had an unbelievable career. She has won an Olympic medal but she hasn’t been as successful at the Olympics as she would like. She is really excited to give it another shot. Faye has really upped her level - she is in incredible form and her results on the World Cup this season show that she is a contender for a medal in Korea.

Jeremy Forster, Director, U.S. Snowboard Team
It’s amazing that this is the 20th year since snowboarding was officially introduced into the Olympic program in Nagano, Japan. Regarding the team, it is clearly an incredible mix of talent both with Olympic experience and first time Olympians. Eight out of our 16 snowboarding athletes on our halfpipe and slopestyle/big air teams will be under age of 21, and 17 out of 26 snowboard athletes are first time Olympians.

Shaun White
I am beside myself - this is my fourth Olympics and it’s just unreal. To be an Olympian is awesome. In our sport of snowboarding, it’s really the only time you feel like you are part of a team and that’s a great feeling. I’m so excited to have another shot at the Olympic title.

I would say qualifying for the Olympics is almost harder than competing at the Olympics. Especially when trying to make the U.S. Team, all our riders are so strong. I love that the U.S. waits until so close to the start of the Olympics to choose their team because it keeps you up to par and on your game. I feel so many people maybe take a breather once they make the team, but we have to fight it out in the U.S. and when you arrive at the Olympics you have been through the battle and are ready to perform.

Julia Marino
The qualifying process was super hectic and stressful sometimes, especially coming down to the last qualifier. But once I landed my run, I knew I was going to the Olympics. It was an insane feeling of excitement and relief knowing that all the training and competing of the past couple seasons was coming to this moment! It feels unreal to be representing my country. We have an amazing team and I’m really looking forward to the experience.

Jonathan Cheever
I was super pumped to make the team. However, it's like time trials: one part of the process is done; the next one is still ahead of me. My family is beyond happy and so are my supporters. For me - I'll process this whole thing after I grab some Olympic hardware.

AJ Muss
It's an absolute honor to be named to the 2018 U.S. Olympic Team and something that I've dreamt about since I was a kid. It hasn't been easy and it's definitely a road less traveled. But my journey doesn't end here; it continues. I'm not going to the Olympics to just go to the Olympics - I'm going to win medals!

U.S. Ski & Snowboard Staff
Jeremy Forster, Director, U.S. Snowboard Team
Abbi Nyberg, Sport Development Manager, U.S. Snowboard Team
Kelsey Sloan, Team Manager, U.S. Snowboard Team

U.S. Ski & Snowboard Coaches
Mike Jankowski, Halfpipe, Slopestyle and Big Air Head Coach, U.S. Snowboard Team
Peter Foley, Snowboardcross Head Coach, U.S. Snowboard Team
Jeff Archibald, Snowboardcross Coach, U.S. Snowboard Team
Rick Bower, Pro Halfpipe Head Coach, U.S. Snowboard Team
Rick Shimpeno, Pro Halfpipe Coach, U.S. Snowboard Team
Mike Ramirez, Pro Slopestyle and Big Air Head Coach, U.S. Snowboard Team
Dave Reynolds, Pro Slopestyle and Big Air Head Coach, U.S. Snowboard Team

Justin Reiter, PGS coach - Mike Trapp
Richard Pick, PGS coach - AJ Muss

A promising group of 16 talented athletes – eight women and eight men – have been named to the 2018 FIS Alpine Junior World Championships Team. The team, led by three-time Youth Olympic Games gold medalist River Radamus (Edwards, Colo.), will represent the U.S. in Davos, Switzerland in six events from January 29-February 8, 2018.

Chosen athletes come from the U.S. Ski Team C, D, and the U.S. Ski & Snowboard National Training Group, as well as top U.S. Ski & Snowboard club programs across the nation. Headlining the team and joining Radamus will be fellow 2016 Youth Olympic Games participant Keely Cashman (Strawberry, Calif.), and frequent Alpine FIS Ski World Cup participants AJ Hurt (Carnelian Bay, Calif.), Tricia Mangan (Derby, N.Y.), Nina O’Brien (Edwards, Colo.), and Katie Hensien (Redmond, Wash.).

"I'm fired up about how the front half of the season has gone, and look to show out at world juniors next week," Radamus said. "I've been feeling very good in my preparation, and collected a few strong results in Cortina, so I'm entering Davos with complete confidence in my ability to contend. We're bringing a strong team this season, and everyone is excited to show what America's got on the world stage." 

The team will have a good chance at the prestigious Marc Hodler Trophy, awarded to the team with the best overall performance. Last season, the U.S. finished fifth.

“Top five was a goal of ours last year, after only managing ninth in 2016,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard Alpine Development Director Chip Knight. “We still have a lot of work to do as a country to challenge for the title, so we’re keeping the same top-five team focus this year while aiming for more individual top-10 results.”

The 2018 Junior Worlds will include men and women’s downhill, super-G, alpine combined, slalom, giant slalom and a mixed team event. Live timing will be provided by FIS.

2018 FIS ALPINE JUNIOR WORLD SKI CHAMPIONSHIPS TEAM
Name, Hometown; Team Affiliation; Club (Birthdate)
Women

• Keely Cashman, Strawberry, Calif; Squaw Valley Ski Team (4/4/1999)
• Katie Hensien, Redmond, Wash.; Rowmark Ski Academy (12/1/1999)
• AJ Hurt, Carnelian Bay, Calif.; Squaw Valley Ski Team (12/5/2000)
• Abi Jewett, Ripton, Vt.; Green Mountain Valley School (1/10/2000)
• Patricia Mangan, Derby, N.Y.; Holimont Race Team (3/7/1997)
• Abigail Murer, Wildwood, Mo.; Team Summit Colorado (1/18/1997)
• Nina O’Brien, Edwards, Colo.; Burke Mountain Academy/Squaw Valley Ski Team (11/29/1997)
• Isabella Wright, Salt Lake City; Aspen Valley Ski Club (2/10/1997)

Men

• Jimmy Krupka, Waitsfield, Vt.; Green Mountain Valley School (7/15/1998)
• Matthew Macaluso, Vail, Colo.; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail (6/29/1999)
• Andrew Miller, Park City, Utah; Park City Ski Team (12/18/1998)
• Kyle Negomir, Littleton, Colo.; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail (10/03/1998)
• River Radamus, Edwards, Colo.; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail (2/12/1998)
• Jett Seymour, Steamboat, Colo.; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club and University of Denver (11/5/1998)
• George Steffey, Lyme, N.H.; Stratton Mountain School (8/8/1997)
• Luke Winters, Gresham, Ore.; Sugar Bowl Academy (4/2/1997)

HIGHLIGHTS

• A strong and deep team of 16 rising stars – eight women and eight men – will represent the U.S. at the 2018 FIS Alpine Junior World Championships in Davos, Switzerland from January 29-February 8, 2018.
• Chosen athletes come from the U.S. Ski Team C, D, and the U.S. Ski & Snowboard National Training Group, as well as top U.S. Ski & Snowboard club programs across the nation.
• Medals will be awarded in six events – downhill, super G, giant slalom, slalom, alpine combined, the team event – with top ten results counting towards the Marc Hodler Trophy for overall team performance.
• Last year, Sam Morse (Sugarloaf, ME) and Alice Merryweather (Hingham, MA) were crowned double World Juniors downhill champions.
• Two years ago, at the Youth Olympic Games, held in Lillehammer, Norway, River Radamus (Edwards, CO) grabbed a hat-trick of victories across super G, giant slalom, and combined disciplines and became the first skier or snowboarder in history to win three individual gold medals.
• AJ Hurt made her World Cup debut at 16 years old on American soil in Killington, VT in November 2017.

QUOTES
Chip Knight, Alpine Development Director
“The World Junior Championships is an important benchmark for us in developing athletes on the road to the World Cup.  This year we are bringing a talented group that has shown great promise at the NorAm level.  I am looking forward to seeing what they can do against international competition on the championship stage in Davos!”

COMPETITION SCHEDULE
Jan. 30 – Women’s giant slalom
Jan. 31 – Women’s slalom
Feb. 1 – Men’s downhill
Feb. 2 – Men's and women’s super-G
Feb. 3 – Men’s and women’s team event
Feb. 4 – Men’s alpine combined
Feb. 5 – Ladies’ alpine combined
Feb. 6 – Men’s giant slalom
Feb. 7 – Men’s slalom
Feb. 8 – Women’s downhill

MORE INFORMATION
Davos 2018

The integration of technology and sport has a long, rich history. This is especially true in snowsports where equipment and technological innovations have helped increase speed, performance, pure spectacle and safety in all snowsports disciplines.

Now, in 2018, Virtual Reality is the latest technological innovation to be introduced to the sporting world, especially for U.S. Ski & Snowboard, the Olympic organization that is the governing body for ski and snowboard sports in the USA.

U.S. Ski & Snowboard, based in Park City, Utah, have been working in the VR field with STRIVR in a project funded by U.S. Ski & Snowboard partner Visa and the United State Olympic Committee. STRIVR are the California-based VR specialists whose work in VR helps to improve the performances of individuals, corporations, and sports teams. In the case of U.S. Ski & Snowboard, this work is specifically with their High Performance division, under the leadership of Troy Taylor, High Performance Director at U.S. Ski & Snowboard.

“We first started working with STRIVR around two years ago,” explains Taylor. “Since then, we have seen that the value of the work we do with STRIVR is confirmed in the feedback we have from our athletes and their coaches taking part in World Cup and Olympic events. They feel that 360 video and VR increases both the confidence and performance of the athletes in events.

U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes are using 360 videos and VR in multiple ways in competition, from inspections of the race course, helping athletes learn the lines they will race through, to helping athletes rehabilitate from injuries.

“Our athletes have very limited time and opportunities to train on race courses when they are competing in World Cup or Olympic events,” Taylor said. “The clear advantage of VR is that it is a great way to help athletes get more used to and learn specific courses, which is an obvious performance benefit. The implementation of VR is also part of a larger strategy of US Ski & Snowboard’s High Performance department to embrace the leading edge of technology and innovations to equip our athletes with the latest tools to aid their performance.

“The feedback we have from our athletes suggests that the biggest benefit of using VR is building confidence,” Taylor continued. “They feel they know the courses they will race on better, so when they come to ski on it during a race they enter the start gate with an increased confidence level. That is a big part of competition, having the confidence to attack parts of the course where you can find time, so that’s a clear benefit.”

In simple terms, through the work U.S. Ski & Snowboard is doing with STRIVR in VR, the organization now has “mental access” to each course their athletes compete on, meaning they can mentally prepare for the race they are going to ski: the positions of the gates, the terrain, the way the turns appear—all this mental preparation and visualization is crucial to this sport at the highest level. Before STRIVR, it was impossible to get these repetitions unless you just closed your eyes. Now it’s completely possible and very advantageous for athletes competing right across the U.S. Ski & Snowboard sport spectrum.