USANA Snowboardcross Cup at Telluride

TELLURIDE, CO (Dec. 10) – Two of the most exciting Olympic sports come to Colorado’s Telluride Resort this week with the USANA Ski and Snowboardcross Cup beginning Thursday. Olympic gold medalist Seth Wescott (Sugarloaf, ME) will join seven-time X Games champion Nate Holland (Squaw Valley, CA) for the fourth year at Telluride in a FIS Snowboard World Cup. 2011 X Games champ John Teller (Mammoth Lakes, CA) will highlight the field as the Audi FIS Ski Cross World Cup joins the event for the first time. The weekend will close out Saturday with unique team SBX racing at the Paul Mitchell Progression Session. The events will be televised on both NBC and the NBC Sports Network, plus live coverage of Thursday’s skicross finals on the USSA Network.

HIGHLIGHTS

• The USANA Ski and Snowboardcross Cup returns to Telluride Resort for the fourth season, with the addition of the Audi FIS Ski Cross World Cup.
• Skicross and snowboardcross feature four to six athletes going head to head down a course featuring jumps, bumps, banks and berms much like motocross on snow.
• Action opens Thursday with Audi FIS Ski Cross World Cup action featuring 2011 X Games champ John Teller (Mammoth Lakes, CA).
• The USANA Snowboardcross Cup on Friday will feature Nick Baumgartner (Iron River, MI), who was third in the season opener last weekend.
• Saturday’s Paul Mitchell Progression Session team SBX event will showcase X Games champ Nate Holland (Squaw Valley, CA) and local rider Hagen Kearney (Telluride, CO), who opened the World Cup season with a team SBX win last weekend.
• All of the events will finish in the heart of the Mountain Village at Telluride Resort, with new partnership this season from the Telluride Mountain Village Owner’s Association. The Mountain Village Plaza location provides outstanding spectator access in the finish area just steps from the center of Mountain Village.
• The weekend will end with a formal U.S. Snowboarding team presentation on Saturday after the Paul Mitchell Progression Session including live music from The Great Funktier.

USANA SKI AND SNOWBOARDCROSS CUP SCHEDULE
Wed. Dec. 12 – Audi FIS Ski Cross World Cup qualifying (women: 9:45-10:15 a.m.; men: 12:00-1:00 p.m.)
Thu. Dec. 13 – Audi FIS Ski Cross World Cup finals (10:15-11:30 a.m.)
Thu. Dec. 13 – USANA Snowboardcross Cup qualifying (1:30-4:00 p.m.)
Fri. Dec. 14 – USANA Snowboardcross Cup finals (1:00-2:30 p.m.)
Sat. Dec. 15 – USANA Snowboardcross Cup team SBX finals (1:00-2:30 p.m.)
Sat. Dec. 15 – Team Naming/Send Off (2:00 p.m.)

Full Event Schedule
http://www.tellurideworldcup.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=115&Itemid=114

TV SCHEDULE (times EST)
Thu. Dec. 13, 12:15-1:30 p.m. – Skicross LIVE on USSA Network
Sat. Dec. 15, 3:00-4:00 p.m. – Skicross, NBC Sports Network
Sat. Dec. 15, 4:00-5:00 p.m. – Snowboardcross, NBC Sports Network
Sat. Dec. 22, 2:00-3:00 p.m. – Team SBX, NBC Sports Network
Sat. Dec. 22, 3:00-4:00 p.m. – Skicross and snowboardcross, NBC
Thu. Dec. 27, 12:00-1:00 a.m. – Skicross and snowboardcross, NBC Sports Network

QUOTES
Nate Holland, seven-times X Games champion
It’s great to be in the United States for a World Cup. It really gets me excited for the season. We can always count on Telluride to provide a fun course and enthusiastic fans. I am looking forward to having a strong start of the competition season and being on home turf.

Hagen Kearney, teamed with Nate Holland for World Cup team SBX win last weekend
Last year's stop in Telluride was fun because it was my first ever World Cup. This year I am expecting to really showcase my riding even more so than last season. I am really looking forward to competing in a World Cup in my hometown again! Telluride does a great job of putting on one of the sickest World Cup venues, so it is a great way for all of us to start the season and it will be great to have my family and friends there to cheer me on.

John Teller
It's nice to be here for a little bit before we head off to Europe. I am super excited to be in Telluride and have a race in the USA finally! North American stops always have a better track and I can count on them- from technical jumps to everything. These are big things I look forward to. Being in USA and actually being able to ski in front of home crowd. It's been three years since we have had a race in the U.S. and I cannot wait.

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