Additional Freeskiing Athletes Set For Sochi

PARK CITY, UT (Jan. 21) – Five additional freeskiing athletes were nominated by the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association to be a part of the Olympic debut of halfpipe and slopestyle skiing. In addition, skicross athlete John Teller (Mammoth Lakes, CA) was nominated to the team, following his win in the final Olympic qualifying World Cup last week. With the confirmation of quotas within freestyle skiing, the USSA added two skiers in halfpipe and three in slopestyle to round out the full team. The formal naming of the 2014 U.S. Olympic Team by the United States Olympic Committee is set for Jan. 27.

HIGHLIGHTS

• The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association nominated five additional halfpipe and slopestyle skiing athletes to the debut Olympic Team.
• The athletes qualified through the Visa U.S. Freeskiing Grand Prix presented by The North Face and were added to those announced previously.
• Skicross athlete John Teller (Mammoth Lakes, CA) was also nominated to compete in an event that made its Olympic debut in Vancouver. Teller won the final Olympic qualifying World Cup in Val Thorens, France last week.
• X Games champion Torin Yater-Wallace, 18, (Aspen, CO), who won in the pre-Olympic event at Sochi last February, was nominated in halfpipe. Yater-Wallace was injured in December and missed the qualifying events. He has returned to training and is anticipated to be a contender in Sochi.
• Annalisa Drew, 20, (Andover, MA) was also named in halfpipe.
• Joss Christensen, 22, (Park City, UT) was named in slopestyle following his huge victory in the final qualifier Saturday on his home course at Park City Mountain Resort.
• Julia Krass, 16, (Hanover, NH) was added following her win at Park City, as was Maggie Voisin, 15, (Whitefish, MT) who started off the qualifying series with a Dew Tour podium.
• The athletes will be competing this week at the X Games in Aspen before departing for Sochi.
• The U.S. Olympic Committee will formally name the 2014 U.S. Olympic Team on January 27.

2014 OLYMPIC HALFPIPE AND SLOPESTYLE NOMINATIONS
(new nominations are italicized)

Men’s Skicross
John Teller, Mammoth Lakes, CA (3/9/1983)

Men’s Halfpipe
Aaron Blunck, Crested Butte, CO (4/12/1996)
Lyman Currier, Boulder, CO (8/28/1994)
Torin Yater-Wallace, Aspen, CO (12/2/1995)
David Wise, Reno, NV (6/30/1990)

Women’s Halfpipe
Maddie Bowman, S. Lake Tahoe, CA (1/10/1994)
Annalisa Drew, Andover, MA (5/28/93)
Brita Sigourney, Carmel, CA (1/17/1990)
Angeli VanLaanen, Bellingham, WA (10/24/1985)

Men’s Slopestyle
Bobby Brown, Breckenridge, CO (6/5/1991)
Joss Christensen, Park City, UT (12/20/91)
Nick Goepper, Lawrenceburg, IN (3/14/1994)
Gus Kenworthy, Telluride, CO (10/01/1991)

Women’s Slopestyle
Julia Krass, Hanover, NH (6/7/1997)
Devin Logan, W. Dover, VT (2/17/1993)
Keri Herman, Bloomington, MN (8/16/1983)
Maggie Voisin, Whitefish, MT (12/14/1998)

QUOTES
Jeremy Forster, Director of Freeskiing and Snowboarding, USSA
Each of the freeskiing athletes added to our nominations brings the potential for success in Sochi. They each distinguished themselves during the Grand Prix qualifying series with some amazing performances, all the way through the last qualifying events this past weekend.

All nominations are subject to approval by the U.S. Olympic Committee.