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Vonn Wins 80th Career World Cup

By U.S. Ski & Snowboard
February, 3 2018
Vonn Garmisch 2-3-18
Lindsey Vonn celebrates her 80th career FIS Ski World Cup victory in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. (Getty Images/Agence Zoom - Millo Moravski)

Lindsey Vonn’s (Vail, Colo.) Olympic Winter Games preparation is right on target following her 80th career FIS Ski World Cup victory on the Kandahar downhill track in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, Saturday.

Italy’s Sofia Goggia finished second, followed by Austria’s Cornelia Huetter in third. Breezy Johnson (Victor, Idaho) just missed the podium, posting a career-best World Cup finish in fourth.

Alice McKennis (Glenwood Springs, Colo.) was 17th; Stacey Cook (Mammoth Mountain, Calif.) was 22nd, and Alice Merryweather (Hingham, Mass.), who was just added to the U.S. Olympic Alpine Team Saturday, was 37th.  Jackie Wiles (Portland, Ore.) and Laurenne Ross (Bend, Ore.) both crashed. Ross did ski to the finish, however, Wiles was taken off the course in a sled and is being treated for a left leg injury. There is no confirmation yet on any impact to her Olympic Team status.

Saturday’s race was scheduled to be a two-run downhill sprint. However, weather canceled downhill training both Thursday and Friday, so the women ran a downhill training run prior to the race Saturday. Both the training run and race started from the super-G start.

Saturday’s victory was Vonn’s fourth World Cup downhill win on the Kandahar track and her eighth career World Cup victory in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

Up next, the women compete in another downhill Sunday in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, which is scheduled as a full-length downhill event.

RESULTS
Women’s Downhill

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST

Sunday, Feb. 4
6:30 a.m. – Women’s downhill; Garmisch – Olympic Channel TV (LIVE)
4:00 p.m. – Women’s downhill; Garmisch – NBCSN (same day delay)

Merryweather Added to Olympic Team

By U.S. Ski & Snowboard
February, 3 2018
Alice Merryweather
Alice Merryweather knifes a turn on the Cortina downhill last month. The Junior World downhill champion was just named to the 2018 U.S. Olympic Team. (Getty Images/Agence Zoom-Christophe Pallot)

The United States Olympic Committee, in conjunction with U.S. Ski & Snowboard, today announced the addition of alpine skier Alice Merryweather (Hingham, Mass.) to the 2018 U.S. Olympic Team.
 
Merryweather replaces the quota spot previously held by Steven Nyman, who was injured on Jan. 26 in competition at Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany.
 
Merryweather, 21, who skis out of Stratton Mountain School, won downhill gold last season at the FIS Junior World Ski Championships, then broke into the top 20 in downhill at the FIS World Cup Final in Aspen last March.
 
Team USA now stands at 243 athletes, including 135 men and 108 women. Updated rosters can be found at TeamUSA.org/2018Olympics.
 

Double Podium in Davos for Alpine Juniors

By Megan Harrod
February, 2 2018
River Radamus and Luke Winters Celebrate the Podium with their Team
River Radamus and Luke Winters celebrate their double podium with their entire team. (Michael Bingaman)

It was a big day at FIS Junior World Ski Championships in Davos, Switzerland for the Americans, who walked away from the super-G with a double podium. Three-time Youth Olympic Games gold medalist River Radamus (Edwards, Colo./Ski & Snowboard Club Vail ) grabbed the silver medal, while teammate Luke Winters (Gresham, Ore./Sugar Bowl Academy) snagged the bronze medal. Kyle Negomir (Littleton, Colo./Ski & Snowboard Club Vail) was also in the top 10, tying for seventh. Marco Odermatt of Switzerland took the victory. 

After a heavy amount of snowfall on Thursday, the men had to deal with weather delays but remained focused with their eyes on the prize. Alpine Development Director Chip Knight shared that the organizers made an impressive effort to get the race off, using snowblowers to move the new snow out of the race track, and snowcats to smooth out the berms on the side of the trail. He was very impressed with the performance of all three athletes. 

"River, Luke, and Kyle each did a tremendous job with their inspection, adapting to new information from the coaches’ course reports, and then executing a revised plan while flowing with the speed and terrain," noted Knight. "As with any speed event, it’s a team effort among the athletes, coaches, and service technicians. The whole group pulled together really well today, and the strong results are a reflection of that operation."

Winters, who is competing ath the Junior Worlds for the first time, was thrilled to land on the podium. "Today was definitely one to remember," he said. "This is my first and last time at world juniors, so getting a bronze medal early in the race series is a huge accomplishment for me. Sharing the podium on the world stage like that with your teammate was exciting."

Winters also commended the organizers for prepping the track well despite the challenging weather. "There were parts of the course today that were not easy. Starting second, I had to stick with the plan and ski aggressive, and it worked out. The course was in perfect condition, thanks to all the course workers, after receiving a foot of snow the day before."

He now looks ahead to the rest of the race series with optimism and confidence. "With that said, lots of racing to do here, team event tomorrow, followed by the alpine combined, then finishing off with slalom and giant slalom to end the trip. I can promise you there will be more of this to come!"

Matthew Macaluso (Vail, Colo./Ski & Snowboard Club Vail) and George Steffey (Lyme, N.H./Stratton Mountain School) also started in Friday's super-G, but did not finish. 

Earlier in the week, A.J. Hurt (Carnelian Bay, Calif./Squaw Valley Ski Team) finished eighth in the giant slalom and Katie Hensien (Redmond, Wash./Rowmark Ski Academy) followed that up with a fourth in slalom. Both athletes made their FIS Ski World Cup debuts in the 2017-18 season. 

Up next is the men's and women's team event on Saturday, February 3rd. Competition continues through the weekend and into next week. 

RESULTS
Men's Super-G

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

MORE INFORMATION
Davos 2018

Call for Entries: Youth Filmmakers Invited to Break Boundaries with 2019 World Championships

By U.S. Ski & Snowboard
February, 1 2018
2019 World Champs

The Park City Summit County Arts Council (PCSC Arts), the Park City Film Series and U.S. Ski & Snowboard (“the Partners”) have come together to present the Breaking Boundaries // 2019 Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Champs Youth Film Contest. The Partners are looking for young filmmakers (21 and under) to tell stories about breaking boundaries, wherever that may apply in their lives. In the world of elite competitive snowboarding, freestyle and freeskiing, athletes challenge themselves to push the boundaries of creativity and difficulty to be the best in the world in these sports. The best in the world challenge the expectations of what is possible and break boundaries to achieve their dreams whenever they can.

Local youth filmmakers are being asked to tell their boundary breaking stories in a short film format. Films do not necessarily need to be about skiing or snowboarding or competitive sport, but rather stories that are inspiring for the community and the athletes of the 2019 World Championships.

All entries must be appropriate for all audiences. Films referencing sex, drugs or violence will not be accepted. Any film that includes content that is deemed inappropriate, indecent or obscene, as determined by the Partners in their sole discretion, will not be eligible. Contestants must be residents of Salt Lake, Wasatch or Summit County, Utah, at the time of submission, and must be 21 years of age or younger.

Interested parties can submit as many videos as they would like. Submissions must be made in English or subtitled in English. Videos must be 10 minutes or less. All entries will be posted to the Breaking Boundaries // 2019 Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Champs Youth Film Contest Vimeo group.

Winners will be selected by a panel of judges. The judging panel will be comprised of the Partners, local freestyle/freeski athletes and other leaders in the arts and film community.

Contest winners will be announced on October 1, 2018. Contest details can be found at any of The Partner websites: pcscarts.org, parkcityfilmseries.com, usskiandsnowboard.org and 2019worldchamps.com.

The Breaking Boundaries // 2019 Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Champs Youth Film Contest is the kickoff program that the Partners have developed to connect arts and culture with sport and recreation. Stay tuned for more creative activations from the Partners as we get closer to the FIS World Championships in February 2019.

What:
Breaking Boundaries // 2019 Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Champs Youth Film Contest

When:
Deadline for submissions: 6/1/2018
Winners Announced: 10/1/2018
FIS World Championships: 2/1/2019 - 2/10/2019

Who:
Youth 21 and under living in Summit, Wasatch, and Salt Lake Counties

Promoting Partners:
U.S. Ski & Snowboard
Park City Summit County Arts Council
Park City Film Series

Cost:
There is no cost to enter the contest.

Winner:
Cash Prize of $2,500
One month exclusive experience embedded with U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s content department for the 2019 World Championships. Work with both the in-house content team as well as the host broadcaster feature team capturing behind the scenes stories of the Championships.
Media/Broadcast accreditation for the event including lift access for the Championships
Organizing Committee team uniform (Jacket/hat etc.).

Runner up:
Cash Prize of $500
Two VIP tickets for up to four event competition finals for the Championships

About the 2019 FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships
Park City, Utah, has a proud tradition of innovation and excellence in hosting international skiing and snowboarding events. The community has shown a tremendous commitment to celebrating elite skiing and snowboarding competition along with delivering some of the best competition venues in the world. 

Over the past 20 years, the Park City community has worked with FIS to innovate and modernize winter sports, from the America’s Opening at Park City Mountain Resort being one of the first FIS Alpine World Cup stops to offer prize money, to the introduction of the 18-foot halfpipe to the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, to Deer Valley Resort becoming the only site to host the FIS Freestyle World Ski Championships twice.  Now, with new partners at Solitude Mountain Resort, it is time for these world class resorts to come together with the Park City community to open the next chapter in this proud tradition as we host the 2019 FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships. 

The 2019 FIS Freestyle, Snowboarding and Freeski World Championships will be an opportunity for the resorts and the Park City community to return to the international winter sports spotlight and will once again reaffirm that the ski resorts of the Wasatch front are among the best destinations for freestyle skiing, freeskiing and snowboarding in the world. This World Championships will also provide the opportunity to continue the tradition of innovation in elite snowboarding and freestyle competition. We recognize that the traditions of these sports are based on individuality and creativity with different groups claiming to represent the true culture of each sport.

These World Championships will bring the best skiers and riders in the world to Utah to compete at Park City Mountain Resort, Deer Valley Resort and Solitude Resort. Solitude will host with snowboardcross, team snowboardcross and skicross. Park City Mountain will be home to the freeski and snowboard venues, including big air, halfpipe and slopestyle skiing. Deer Valley will host the freestyle events of moguls, dual moguls, aerials and team aerials. For more information, visit 2019worldchamps.com.

About U.S. Ski & Snowboard
U.S. Ski & Snowboard is an Olympic sports organization providing leadership and direction for tens of thousands of young skiers and snowboarders, encouraging and supporting them in achieving excellence. By empowering national teams, clubs, coaches, parents, officials, volunteers and fans, U.S. Ski & Snowboard is committed to the progression of its sports, athlete success and the value of team. Established in 1905, U.S. Ski & Snowboard receives no direct government support, operating solely through private donations from individuals, corporations and foundations to fund athletic programs to assist athletes in reaching their dreams.

About Park City Film Series
The Park City Film Series is Summit County’s only nonprofit Art House Cinema. A Park City staple since 1999, the Film Series has established itself as a vital, contributing member of the arts community. We accomplish this through the screening of independent, foreign and documentary films each weekend and our programming of post-screening Q&A’s and panel discussions that deepen the community dialogue around the issues raised by the films we screen. In addition, we support area non-profits through free community screenings and film-based fundraisers. Our vision is to use film as a medium to entertain, inspire and educate our patrons, helping Park City remain a well informed and engaged mountain community. Our mission is to create community through film.

About Park City Summit County Arts Council
Founded in 1986, the Park City Summit County Arts Council is one of the oldest arts and culture organizations in Park City. In the past three decades, we have advocated and secured significant funding for arts and culture. We have incubated numerous arts and culture organizations. We have built audiences for established and emerging artists. We have helped promote our world class cultural tourist destination. Most importantly, we have helped make art part of our community. Our mission is to promote, support, and strengthen arts and culture and the larger creative sector

Final World Cup before PyeongChang

By Megan Harrod
February, 1 2018
Lindsey Vonn
Lindsey Vonn has won seven FIS Ski World Cup races over her career in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany (Getty Images)

UPDATED 2-2-18: Due to weather conditions Friday, downhill training for the women's FIS Ski Alpine World Cup was canceled. The NEW program for Saturday is a morning downhill training run, followed by a one-run downhill from the super-G start. Thursday’s training run was also canceled due to snow and rain.

Downhill Training, Saturday, 03.02.2018 4:00 a.m. EST
Downhill 1-run, Saturday, 03.02.2018, 6:30 a.m. EST
Downhill, Sunday, 04.02.2018, 6:30 a.m. EST

While the men’s teams travel to PyeongChang, South Korea the women’s speed team has some unfinished business on the FIS Ski World Cup circuit in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany this weekend in the form of an exciting sprint downhill format on Saturday, followed by a classic downhill on Sunday.

Lindsey Vonn (Vail, Colo.) is coming off a double-podium weekend of downhill racing in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy two weeks ago, along with a solid performance in Lenzerheide, Switzerland last weekend, where she found her stride and speed in the super-G portion of the alpine combined. Last year in what was just her second race back since returning from the most painful injury of her career, Vonn grabbed her 77th career victory in the downhill on the Kandahar track.

Vonn has a long history with Garmisch, having podiumed 10 times and won seven times. She spent a lot of time in Garmisch throughout the years with best friend and former German skier/rival Maria Hoefl-Riesch, having dinner at her home and celebrating the holidays.

Fans can get excited about the new sprint downhill format FIS is introducing – which will include two shortened runs of downhill. This format requires a different approach, which could favor skiers who have technical experience and the mindset to compete in two runs, versus the one-run format. Vonn emerged victorious in the last sprint downhill, which was in Altenmarkt-Zauchensee, Austria in January of 2016. Stacey Cook (Mammoth Lakes, CA) finished eighth.

Keep an eye out for Jackie Wiles (Aurora, Ore.), who just snagged her second FIS Ski World Cup podium in Cortina d’Ampezzo, when she finished third, sharing the podium with teammate Vonn. Also watch for Laurenne Ross (Bend, Ore.), who has been making steady progress in this comeback season on the road to PyeongChang. The women’s speed team is deep, fast and furious.

 

Garmisch Military Base
The women’s speed team continuing a tradition with a much-needed taste of home at their annual visit to the Garmisch military base.

The women’s speed team carried the torch passed on from the men’s speed team, continuing the tradition with a much-needed taste of home at their annual visit to the Garmisch military base. The crowd was huge and the women were stoked to sign autographs for young fans and hang with their families at the base. Vonn’s dog Lucy even came out to hang. The women also plan to watch the Philadelphia Eagles vs. the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII on Sunday at the military base before heading to PyeongChang to represent Team USA on the big stage.

See who to watch and where to catch all the action below.

WOMEN’S STARTERS

  • Stacey Cook
  • Breezy Johnson
  • Alice McKennis
  • Alice Merryweather
  • Laurenne Ross
  • Lindsey Vonn
  • Jackie Wiles

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST

Saturday, Feb. 3
4:30 a.m. – Women’s downhill training run; Garmisch – Olympic Channel TV (LIVE)
6:30 a.m. – Women’s downhill, 1 run; Garmisch – Olympic Channel TV (LIVE)
10:30 p.m. – Women’s downhill, 1 run; Garmisch - NBCSN (same day delay)

Sunday, Feb. 4
6:30 a.m. – Women’s downhill; Garmisch – Olympic Channel TV (LIVE)
4:00 p.m. – Women’s downhill; Garmisch – NBCSN (same day delay)

Second Medal for Hailey Swirbul

By Tom Kelly
February, 1 2018
Hailey Swirbul
Hailey Swirbul skis to her second medal of the week at Junior Worlds in Switzerland.

Hailey Swirbul (Carbondale, Colo./Univ. of Alaska-Anchorage) skied to her second medal in three days at the FIS Nordic Junior World Ski Championships in Goms, Switzerland. Swirbul won bronze in the skiathlon.

The medal is the third of her career, including last year's bronze in the team event. Swirbul has now won more Junior Worlds medal than any other American skier.

Swirbul, who came out of the Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club, is a 2016 graduate of Basalt High School near Aspen. She is now a freshman skiing for the University of Alaska-Anchorage.

The skiathlon is a combination of classic and freestyle skiing with a pit stop midway to change skis. It will be the opening event in the upcoming Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang.

Swirbul opened the Junior Worlds winning silver in the 5k classic. In the skiathlon, she was only seven-tenths of a second away from silver.

“The race was very challenging, but the courses played to my strengths,” said Swirbul, who battled snow conditions that made things even more challenging. “I knew that finishing speed would not be my strength, so I tried to secure my spot on the podium well before the finish straight. The classic leg did not spread out as much as I had predicted, so it was challenging to conserve energy while striding in a frantic group.”

While Swirbul is the conduit for the accolades, she is quick to put it into perspective for the U.S. program.

"I feel honored that I've been given this chance to show how competitive the US is in cross country skiing beyond our amazing World Cup team,” said a humble Swirbul. “I’ve been part of Scandinavia Cup trips where a top 30 performance was a notable success. Now, four top 20s in the World Junior skiathlon is on track to become a regular thing for our nation.

"I've seen first hand how the level of competition in skiing had risen for us over the past five years. Earning these two medals has proven to the rest of the world that we are a force to be reckoned with at all levels of this sport. I'm very grateful that things aligned for me on the days it really mattered here at World Juniors.”

She was quick to acknowledge the fast skis she had thanks to skilled technicians.

“I’ve received so much support from friends, family and the ski community to get here,” she said. “But my generation of skiing is just getting started, and I know I can expect big things out of my peers in the future! I feel so lucky to take part in this powerful era for cross country skiing in the United States.”

Gus Schumacher (Anchorage/Alaska Winter Stars) was the top U.S. man in 15th. Ben Ogden (Landgrove, Vt./Stratton Mountain School) was 18th. 

RESULTS
Men's 10k/10k Skiathlon 
Women's 5k/5k Skiathlon 

Eighteen Westminster College Students and U.S. Ski & Snowboard student-athletes named to Team USA

By U.S. Ski & Snowboard
January, 31 2018
Maddie Bowman
Maddie Bowman is one of 18 Westminster College 18 U.S. Ski & Snowboard student-athletes who will compete for Team USA in South Korea next month. (U.S. Ski & Snowboard)

SALT LAKE CITY – Westminster College congratulates its 18 U.S. Ski & Snowboard student-athletes who will compete for Team USA in South Korea next month. All of campus will be watching and cheering them on as they pursue their athletic dreams. 

Westminster is proud to be an Official Education Partner of U.S. Ski & Snowboard, the national governing body for competitive skiing and snowboarding. U.S. Ski & Snowboard nominated 18 Westminster students for the 2018 team last week. The athletes will represent the United States next month in events like giant slalom, moguls skiing, snowboardcross and Nordic combined. Athletes train at the Center of Excellence in Park City, Utah, while studying 30 minutes away at Westminster College in Salt Lake City.

Together, Westminster and U.S. Ski & Snowboard help national athletes achieve excellence in the classroom and on the slopes. More than 140 U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes have attended Westminster College since the partnership began in 2005. The average GPA for all Westminster U.S. Ski & Snowboard students is 3.6. While they all compete in snow sports, they’re individually earning degrees in and exploring varied passions like art, entrepreneurship, physics and biology. They balance intense training schedules and rigorous coursework with inspiring determination.

QUOTES
Megan McJames, three-time Olympian, amateur baker, Westminster junior and finance major
“I think the type of person that I am — and most athletes are — is a little type-A. We like to do our best at everything. When you’re pursuing your best in sports, those skills translate into school and vice versa.

As an athlete, school has been a great outlet for me to take a break from thinking about skiing all the time and realize there is other stuff out there. It has given me skills that translate into making me who I am.”

Abby Rinquist, ski jumper and Westminster art major
“I’m super grateful to get one-on-one time with professors who appreciate what I do. They’re all supportive of the dreams that I have as a student, and the dreams that I have as a person and an athlete.”

Faye Guilini, three-time Olympian, Grand Prix champ, Westminster junior and accounting major
“I was the kid who was in summer school a lot. It took me an extra year to graduate high school and I didn’t really see secondary education as an option. Then I made the national team and thought ‘if I can be the best at my sport, I can get through college.’ I started at Westminster and saw that these professors are willing to be there when you’re in South America or halfway around the world. That’s very beneficial. I have a 3.9 GPA, something I never thought I would have.”

2018 Team USA members from Westminster College

Facts about Westminster’s U.S. Ski & Snowboard Students:

  • Thirty-three U.S. Ski & Snowboard alums have graduated from Westminster
  • Currently, 52 student-athletes are attending Westminster
  • More than 140 student-athletes have taken classes at Westminster
  • Westminster students have competed in two previous Winter Olympic Games:
    • 2010 Vancouver
      • 14 students
      • One bronze
    • 2014 Sochi
      • 23 students
      • Two gold, one silver, one bronze
  • U.S. Ski & Snowboard students compete in a variety of competitions throughout the year, including X Games, FIS World Cups and Grand Prix events

Visit www.westminstercollege.edu/us-ski-and-snowboard for more information.

Media Contacts:  Krista DeAngelis and Arikka Von, 801-832-2682
About U.S. & Ski Snowboard:

U.S. Ski & Snowboard is the Olympic sports organization based in Park City, Utah, providing leadership and direction for elite athletes competing at the highest level worldwide and for tens of thousands of young skiers and snowboarders in the USA, encouraging and supporting all its athletes in achieving excellence wherever they train and compete. By empowering national teams, clubs, coaches, parents, officials, volunteers and fans, U.S. Ski & Snowboard is committed to the progression of its sports, athlete success and the value of team. One of the oldest and most established sports organizations worldwide, directly tracing its roots back to 1905, U.S. Ski & Snowboard receives no direct government support, operating solely through private donations from individuals, corporations and foundations to fund athletic programs that directly assist athletes in reaching their dreams.

About Westminster:
Westminster is a private, independent and comprehensive college in Salt Lake City, Utah. Students experience the liberal arts blended with professional programs in an atmosphere dedicated to civic engagement. With the goal of enabling its graduates to live vibrant, just and successful lives, Westminster provides transformational learning experiences for both undergraduate and graduate students in a truly student-centered environment. Faculty focus on teaching, learning and developing distinctive, innovative programs, while students thrive on Westminster’s urban Sugar House campus within minutes of the Rocky Mountains. For more information, visit www.westminstercollege.edu or follow WestminsterSLC on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Double Medals at Junior Worlds

By Tom Kelly
January, 30 2018
Hailey Swirbul
Hailey Swirbul took silver in the 10k classic at the Junior World Championships in Goms, Switzerland.

Hailey Swirbul (Carbondale, Colo./Univ. Alaska-Anchorage) led a history-making day at the FIS Nordic Junior World Ski Championships in Switzerland Tuesday. Swirbul took silver in the women’s 5k classic in Goms while Olympian Ben Loomis (Eau Claire, Wis./Flying Eagles Ski Club) won bronze in the 10k nordic combined championship in nearby Kandersteg. It was the first double medal day ever for the U.S. Ski Team at Junior Worlds.

Swirlbul, who was part of the women’s bronze-medal-winning relay team a year ago, was five seconds out of second at the halfway mark but came charging back in the last 1.5 kilometers to pick up silver.

“Hailey skied tactically really well,” said U.S. coach Bryan Fish. “We had to wait for the later starters to finish, however none of their intermediary splits were matching up and it became clear that she would be on the podium.”

Her finish was the best ever for a U.S. man or woman at Junior Worlds and she becomes the second American to win two career Junior Worlds medals - a mark Katharine Ogden set a year ago.

On the men’s side, Ben Ogden had an impressive seventh-place finish in the 10k classic. His finish matches the best ever for a U.S. man at Junior Worlds, a mark held by Andy Newell from 2003 in the freestyle sprint and Rob Whitney in the 10k classic in 1999. 

Loomis, who won silver at the Youth Olympic Games two years ago, picked up the first nordic combined medal since 2002 when Alex Glueck and Nathan Gerhart were second and third. It was only the fourth U.S. individual medal ever.

"Jumping was pretty good today, but I know I can improve," said Loomis. "Overall it's been consistently getting better and better so I'm happy with the direction things are going."

Loomis began the race 38 seconds behind the leader. Within the first few kilometers, a pack was formed with places third through seventh, and the chase was on. Loomis skied smart, jockeying for position when necessary and trading off the lead in the chase pack, but never going out of his comfort zone.

"It was definitely a really hard race," said Loomis. "I had some ground to make up after the jumping, but I was able to push hard and ski a really smart race and I'm very happy with the outcome."

"I was able to finish on the podium which was my goal for this race," added Loomis. "It was a really tough course, but the race organizers did a really good job of keeping the course maintained."

Action continues in Goms and Kandersteg throughout the week.

Injury Sidelines Nyman Prior to Olympics

By Megan Harrod
January, 29 2018
Steven Nyman
Steven Nyman will miss the upcoming 2018 Olympic Winter Games in South Korea after suffering a knee injury in a downhill training run in Germany. (Getty Images)

Veteran downhiller Steven Nyman (Sundance, Utah) suffered an injury in Thursday’s FIS Alpine World Cup training run in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, which means he will miss the upcoming 2018 Olympic Winter Games in South Korea. Post-event assessments by a medical team in Garmisch confirmed that Nyman sustained an ACL tear on his right knee, which brings his season to an end.

Nyman will join teammate and Vail/Beaver Creek World Championship downhill silver medalist Travis Ganong (Squaw Valley, Calif.), unfortunately, both cheering for Team USA from the sidelines. Ganong, also one of U.S. Ski & Snowboard's primary men's Alpine speed athletes, also suffered a torn ACL, at the World Cup event in Bormio, Italy in December. 

"We’re disappointed Steven Nyman cannot compete in the downhill as he brings great leadership to that team," said U.S. Ski & Snowboard Chief of Sport Luke Bodensteiner. "His place in the downhill will be taken by one of the many great athletes we have on our Olympic Team."

This is not the first time the dark, bumpy Kandahar track has ended Nyman’s season. Last year, he had a season-ending left knee injuryACL, MCL, and PCL tear – in Garmisch when he crashed into the safety netting. He battled his way back through a grueling rehab process and took a conservative approach to his comeback, starting his first World Cup in Val Gardena, Italy in December. Steadily building towards PyeongChang, Nyman snagged top three training run times and splits before finishing 15th in last weekend’s downhill in Kitzbuehel prior to returning to Garmisch.

Nyman, who had just been named to his fourth Olympic team, has 11 FIS Ski World Cup career podiums, including three victories at Val Gardena, Italy. With a third place under his belt at the Olympic test event at Jeongseon, Nyman was expected to be a contender in the downhill at the Olympics.

I was really looking forward to not only representing our country at my fourth Olympics but trying to contend for a medal,” Nyman reflected. “Unfortunately, a year to the day from my left knee injury, I’ve learned that I’ve completely torn the ACL on my other (right) knee. The good news is that this injury is much more straightforward than last year, and will be much easier to come back from.”

A leader on and off the mountain, Nyman will be missed in PyeongChang, says Head Coach Sasha Rearick. “This injury is a huge loss to the ski racing community of America and the U.S. Ski Team. He’s the leader of our family; he’s been the leader of the downhillers for a long time,” Rearick said. “I think we take a lot of pride in all of the work he has done, and the leadership he has shown to the team about how to work hard and take it step by step over a 12-month period and actually be in a place where he was ready to compete at the elite level.”

In contrast to last year, this year Nyman sustained a simple ACL tear, and none of the other ligaments or cartilage are injured. He will turn 36 in February during the Olympic Games, and he will celebrate a day early by watching his teammates ski the downhill in PyeongChang on February 11th. While his short-term focus is on cheering for his teammates in South Korea, Nyman will be back on the mountain as soon as he is physically able.

If all goes well I should be back on snow for regular summer training camps, and in full form by the start of next season,” Nyman promised. “My focus is now on next year’s World Cup season and the 2019 World Championships [in Are, Sweden]. I’ll be cheering loudly for my teammates and all the athletes in Korea, and I know the whole American Downhiller crew has the potential to be right in there. I’d, of course, like to thank my sponsors, coaches, teammates, friends, and family for all of their support. Go Team USA!”

Rearick echoes Nyman – and does not doubt for a second that he will return, and he will return stronger, “The whole team is rooting for Steven. We know he’s going to be back on the World Cup. We know he’s going to be back competing under the American flag. It’s going to be some time, but we’re looking forward to the moment he’ll be back training and racing at full speed with the team. We wish him the very best.”

Rearick continues to bring optimism into the Games with the rest of the American downhill squad, including two young athletes who have been stepping up: Bryce Bennett (Squaw Valley, Cali.) and Jared Goldberg (Holladay, Utah).

“Steven paved the way for the guys. His spirit and his energy will be will be missed, but it is with us all of the time, and it has really inspired our two young downhillers, Bryce Bennett and Jared Goldberg,” noted Rearick. “Goldberg is showing us tremendous speed, skiing smart, clean, aggressive runs while Bennett has been showing consistency and his progress has been phenomenal. A big part of that is seeing the steps that Nyman made in coming back from his injury the last 12 months. Nyman has been helping both of these guys.”

Always thinking beyond himself and seeing the silver lining, Nyman wrote on Saturday after the race, “On another note, I’m super proud of Bryce! Crushed today. That didn’t look easy and he skied super well ¾ of the way down. Easily top 10 without the bobble.”

The future is bright for both Nyman and the downhillers, and Bennett and Goldberg will be two to watch in PyeongChang, not only according to Nyman, but also Rearick.

“Fortunately, the track in Jeongseon is one we’re familiar with, and we’ve gotten to train on it more than other teams, and Bennett and Goldberg are both skiing well,” assured Rearick. “The challenge for them will be to challenge each other as we go into the Games and support each other in a way that Steven supported them. Bode [Miller] and Daron [Rahlves] did it best – but we, as American downhill racers, pride ourselves on that family tie to support each other, challenge each other, and push each other.”

Believe in Steven. He will be back.

 

Ligety Returns to Podium in Garmisch

By Courtney Harkins
January, 28 2018

In the giant slalom in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, Ted Ligety (Park City, Utah) stepped back on the podium in third place.

With nearly two years off due to injury, Ligety has struggled to put two clean runs together this season in his return to the FIS World Cup circuit. But after a solid training block with teammates Lindsey Vonn (Vail, Colo.) and Andrew Weibrecht (Lake Placid, N.Y.) in Italy prior to Garmisch, Ligety was ready for action and crushed two strong runs in front of the cheering German fans. He finished third behind Austrian teammates Marcel Hirscher and Manuel Feller.

“It’s been really nice to finally be back on the podium,” said Ligety, whose last podium was at Beaver Creek in 2015. “It’s been a tough battle the last couple of years here with injuries and it’s nice to feel like I’m starting to ski better.”

Ligety has had success in Garmisch in the past—this was his third World Cup podium at the venue and he holds a gold from their 2011 World Championships. But the podium isn’t quite enough for Ligety, who is looking for his third Olympic gold next month. “There’s still some things to do,” Ligety continued. “It’s nice that we have a couple of weeks here before the giant slalom at the Olympics, so we can figure out those next steps. We’re still a little bit off and I have to find that next step and be really fast. I’m not going to sit here and be psyched on this—I’m going to move forward and keep working.”

Behind Ligety, Tim Jitloff (Reno, Nev.) finished 20th and Tommy Ford (Bend, Ore.) was 27th. 

The U.S. men will not race in the Stockholm city event on Tuesday, and will instead train for the PyeongChang Olympics in two weeks. Downhill training starts February 8.

RESULTS
Men’s giant slalom