Snowboard & Freestyle Teams Announced for 2019 Junior World Championships

U.S. Ski & Snowboard has nominated a strong team of young athletes to compete at the 2019 FIS Freestyle and Snowboard Junior World Championships competing this week across four different international venues. The U.S. will be sending 36 snowboarders and 30 skiers to fight for their chance at taking home the coveted Marc Hodler Trophy - awarded to the best overall nation throughout the series.

"We are proud to send a very talented team of athletes to Sweden and Slovenia to compete in the Junior World Championships where we will be vying for the Marc Holder Trophy for the second year running in snowboarding,” said Halfpipe, Slopestyle, Big Air, and Parallel Giant Slalom Sport Development Leader Ashley Deibold. “In addition, the athletes will be competing to secure a personal World Cup spot for the 2019-20 season."

The Freestyle and Snowboard Junior World Championships competition began Jan. 26 in Leysin, Switzerland with the halfpipe program. The second round of Junior World Championships competition continues with snowboardcross and skicross in Reiteralm, Austria, March 28-April 2. Next, alpine snowboarders will hit the gates April 2-4 in Rogla, Slovenia, and slopestyle/big air athletes will compete April 7-13 in Klappen, Sweden. Meanwhile, the aerials and moguls athletes are set to compete April 4-6 at Chiesa in Valmalenco, Italy, which has hosted Junior Worlds events five times since 2012.

“The talent exhibited at the junior level from the aerials, moguls, ski and snowboardcross disciplines is very promising,” said Moguls, Aerials, Skicross and Snowboardcross Sport Development Manager Katie Fieguth. “We’re excited to send such a robust group of athletes to compete at these events in Junior Worlds.”

“It’s an incredible opportunity for me to compete with the world's best juniors,” said aerialist Kaila Kuhn (Boyne City, Mich.), “As an athlete, it means the world to me to be competing with such an amazing group of people. I hope this competition will not only bring experience but a spot on the podium!”

The U.S. Snowboard Junior World Championship Team claimed the Marc Hodler Trophy at the 2018 Junior World Championships in Cardrona, New Zealand, but the U.S. freeskiers fell just short behind Russia. With a strong U.S. contingent of young snowboard and freestyle athletes heading to Europe, the 2019 U.S. Snowboard and Freestyle Junior World Championships Team will be looking to close the season on a strong note.

“It’s an honor to represent U.S. Ski & Snowboard in Sweden at the Junior World Championships,” said U.S. Snowboard Rookie Team member Jade Thurgood (Salt Lake City, Utah). “It has been a progressive season for me and to wrap it up with a chance to help the team win the Marc Hodler Trophy means a lot. The Junior World Championships are an important event in my season and I hope I can make it to the podium.”

2019 U.S. SNOWBOARD & FREESTYLE JUNIOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM
(Hometown, Club, USASA Series, Birth Year)

SNOWBOARD
Slopestyle/Big Air
Men

• Jake Canter (Evergreen, Colo.; Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club; Aspen Snowmass Series; 7/19/03)
• Dusty Henricksen (Mammoth Lakes, Calif; Mammoth Mountain Snowboard Team; Unbound Series; 2/2/03)
• Eli McDermott (Wells, Vt.; Maine Mountain Series; 4/23/2002)
• Will Healy (Riverside, Conn.; Kirk’s Camp; Southern Vermont Series; 3/11/2002)
• TJ Fitzgerald (West Dover, Vt.; Stratton Mountain School; Southern Vermont Series; 9/14/2001)
• Alex Atno (Lavallette, N.J.; Kirk’s Camp; Southern Vermont Series; 1/14/2001)

Women

• Addison Gardner (Riegelsville, Penn.; Maine Mountain Series; 2/19/2002)
• Courtney Rummel (West Bend, Wisc.; Wisconsin Advanced Ski and Snowboard Program; Midwest Best Series; 11/12/03)
• Jade Thurgood (Salt Lake City, Utah; Park City Ski & Snowboard; Big Mountain West Series; 1/27/02)
• Isabella Gomez (Issaquah, Wash.; Stevens Pass Alpine Club; Inland Northwest Series; 9/11/2001)
• Ty Schnorrbusch (Monroe Township, N.J.; Tom Anderson, Rocky Mountain Series; 1/27/02)
• Ellie Duchow (Breckenridge, Colo.; Rocky Mountain Series; 2/15/2002)

Snowboardcross
Men

• Kurt Hoshino (Huntington Beach, Calif.; International Snowboard Training Center; Rocky Mountain Series; 2/20/2001)
• Zachary Stewart (Cape Elizabeth, Maine; Carrabassett Valley Academy; Maine Mountain Series; 2/10/2001)
• Michael Martin (Freeman Township, Maine; Carrabassett Valley Academy; Maine Mountain Series, 3/9/2000)
• Theodore McLemore (Pittsburgh, Penn.; Carrabassett Valley Academy, Maine Mountain Series; 12/30/2002)
• Liam Maguire (Bethel, Maine; Maine Mountain Series; 8/2/2000)
• Benjamin Smith (Shrewsbury, Mass.; Killington Mountain School; Southern Vermont Series; 8/3/2002)

Women

• Emma Downing (Carrabassett Valley, Maine; Carrabassett Valley Academy; Maine Mountain Series; 7/19/2001)
• Olivia Shively (Jeffersonville, Vt.; Westminster College Snowboard Team; Northern Vermont Series; 2/20/1999)
• Madeline Lochte-Bono (Durango, Colo.; international Snowboard Training Center; Southwest Colorado Series; 1/7/2003)
• Montana Braden (Gypsum, Colo.; Ski and Snowboard Club Vail; Rocky Mountain Series; 11/26/2000)
• Payton Bacca (Ketchum, Idaho; Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation; Big Mountain West Series; 7/12/2001)
• Helen French (Cumberland, Maine; Gould Academy Competition Programs; Maine Mountain Series; 6/3/2001)

Parallel Slalom & Parallel Giant Slalom
Men

• Mika Kizuka (Sinking Spring, Penn.; Ski Roundtop Racing Club; Mid Atlantic Series; 1/22/2002)
• Nate True (Hampstead, N.H.; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; Rocky Mountain Series; 11/12/2000)
• William Taylor (Wayzata, Minn.; G Team; Upper Midwest Snow Series; 4/12/2001)
• Cody Winters (Steamboat Springs, Colo.; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; 4/20/2000)
• Jacob McCarthy (Edina, Minn.; G Team; Upper Midwest Snow Series; 12/27/2000)
• Winston Vaughan (Steamboat Springs, Colo.; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; 8/23/2001)
• Tate DePaepe (Eden Prairie, Minn.; G Team; Upper Midwest Snow Series; 5/20/2002)

Women

• Lily Janousek (Greenwood, Minn.; G Team; Upper Midwest Snow Series; 7/24/2003)
• Rose Bransford (Minneapolis, Minn.; G Team; Upper Midwest Snow Series; 12/8/2002)
• Olivia Bellek (Whitehouse Station, N.J.; Catskill Mountain Series; 5/16/2001)
• Iris Pflum (Minneapolis, Minn.; G Team; Upper Midwest Snow Series; 7/13/2003)
• Kaiya Kizuka (Sinking Spring, Penn.; Ski Roundtop Racing Club; Mid Atlantic Series; 5/26/1999)

FREESTYLE
Slopestyle/Big Air
Men

• Kiernan Fagan (Brownfield, Maine; Wy’East Mountain Academy; Rocky Mountain Series; 1/18/2002)
• Deven Fagan (Brownfield, Maine; Wy’East Mountain Academy; Rocky Mountain Series; 1/18/2002)
• Hunter Henderson (Madbury, N.H..; Waterville Valley BBTS; New Hampshire Series; 12/28/2002)
• Troy Podmilsak (Park City, Utah; Park City Ski and Snowboard; Big Mountain West Series; 8/23/2004)
• Rodney Koford (Ogden, Utah; Park City Ski and Snowboard; 5/11/2001)
• Zane Severson (Park City, Utah; Park City Ski and Snowboard; Big Mountain West Series; 3/25/2002)

Women

• Rell Harwood (Park City, Utah; Park City Ski and Snowboard; Big Mountain West Series; 6/1/01)
• Grace Henderson (Madbury, N.H.; Waterville Valley BBTS; New Hampshire Series; 4/28/01)
• Montana Osinski (Fairfield, Conn.; Stratton Mountain School; Southern Vermont Series; 4/1/2003)

Skicross
Men

• Noah Giron (Carson City, Nev.; North Tahoe Series; 9/11/1999)
• Eli Derrick (Harrisburg, Va.; Carrabassett Valley Academy; Maine Mountain Series; 7/29/2002)
• Stuart Whittier (Cape Elizabeth, Maine; Carrabassett Valley Academy; Maine Mountain Series; 2/10/2001)
• Aidan Steffe (Hummelstown, Penn.; Blue Mountain Race Team; Mid Atlantic Series; 7/28/2002)
• Jake Roney (Laurel Springs, N.J.; Adirondack Series; 7/27/1999)

Moguls
Men

• Kalman Heims (Westborough, Mass.; Killington Mountain School; 4/10/00)
• Ian Beauregard (Wilmington, Mass.; Killington Mountain School; 5/12/99)
• Alex Lewis (Carlisle, Mass.; Killington Mountain School; 11/16/99)
• Landon Wendler (Steamboat Springs, Colo.; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; 10/12/00)

Women

• Sabrina Cass (Cheshire, Conn.; Wasatch Freestyle Foundation; 3/27/02)
• Kai Owens (Vail, Colo.; Ski and Snowboard Club Vail; 8/16/04)
• Madison Hogg (Park City, Utah; Wasatch Freestyle Foundation; 2/15/01)
• Kasey Hogg (Park City, Utah; Wasatch Freestyle Foundation; 1/8/03)

Aerials
Men

• Quinn Dehlinger (Cincinnati, Ohio; Elite Aerial Development Program; 6/8/02)
• Derek Krueger (Cincinnati, Ohio; Elite Aerial Development Program; 6/2/03)
• Cole Kozlowski (Knoxville, Tenn.; Elite Aerial Development Program; 2/5/02)
• Evan Dermott (Hingham, Mass.; Elite Aerial Development Program; 2/19/04)

Women

• Kaila Kuhn (Boyne City, Mich.; Park City Ski and Snowboard; 4/8/03)
• Megan Smallhouse (Reno, Nev.; Park City Ski and Snowboard; 1/16/01)
• Tasia Tanner (Park City, Utah; Park City Ski and Snowboard; 7/26/02)
• Dani Loeb (Montgomery, Ala.; Park City Ski and Snowboard; 8/10/01)

Snowboard Marc Hodler Trophy Standings:
Leysin, Switzerland: HP - Jan. 26 - Complete
Reiteralm, Austria: SBX - April 1-2
Rogla, Slovenia: PGS, PSL - April 2-4
Klappen, Sweden: SS, BA - April 8-13

Freestyle Marc Hodler Trophy Standings:
Leysin, Switzerland: HP - Jan. 26 - Complete
Reiteralm, Austria: SX - March 28
Valmalenco, Italy: MO, AE - April 4-6
Klappen, Sweden: SS, BA - April 7-13