December 20, 2008

Julia Mancuso was the top American, finishing 13th. 

Anja Paerson of Sweden won a World Cup super-combined event on Friday in St. Moritz after defending her lead from the super-G race by posting the second-best time in the slalom.

Defending overall champion Lindsey Vonn was 14th in super-G, but skied out early in the slalom. The 24-year-old American still keeps her lead in the overall World Cup standings after nine races.

We’re snow happy for all the winners!!

A Canadian court could, however, if it rules in favor of a lawsuit filed by a group of jumpers trying to get women’s ski jumping into the next Winter Games.

Over the past three years, the athletes have gone from elation over expectations of an Olympic debut to the disappointment of being told that it wasn’t going to happen. Now the jumpers’ Olympic hopes appear to be somewhere between those extremes heading toward an April 20 date with the Supreme Court of British Columbia.

IOC president Jacques Rogge said during a visit to Vancouver last winter that women’s jumping probably has a future in the Olympics, but not yet because the sport doesn’t have enough competitors to meet Olympic standards.

So, should women be allowed to jump in the 2010 Olympics? Get the facts.  And once you do, sign the online petition.

With nearly every athlete on the roster making a return to competition this World Championship season, and the development of a (men’s) team for the Olympics newest winter sport - ski cross, the 2009 U.S. Freestyle Ski Team stands to have one of its most exciting years. 39 female and male athletes have been named to the team, which begins its season this weekend with competitions in France and China.

“It’s going to be an exciting winter as we continue to build toward Vancouver in 2010,” said Head Freestyle Coach Jeff Wintersteen.

Olympian Emily Cook (Belmont, MA), who won in Moscow last year, headlines the women’s roster, and the veteran is more determined and motivated than ever to push her way to success.

“She’s on a very strict and focused plan. Now she has the degree of difficulty to be competitive day in and day out,” Aerials Head Coach Matt Christensen said. “The goal is to put down good jumps. The results will come with that, but we just want to peak at competition in 2010 so that we’ll be on fire there.”

The moguls squad spent the summer training for what it hopes will be a season of success. Led by Olympic moguls silver medalist Shannon Bahrke (Tahoe City, CA), and moguls national champion Emiko Torito (Denver), the women’s squad looks to march its way to the tops of podiums.

“We have a really strong group of women. In Emiko’s case, she’s really hopped in and is probably in the best shape of her life physically,” Moguls Head Coach Scott Rawles said. “She doesn’t want to rest on her laurels on what she did last year. She wants to push herself into the top three in the world and continue to be on the podium.”

Check out moguls skier Shannon Bahrke silver medal finish last year.

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December 17, 2008

Start the New Year resolving to ski or ride because January is Learn a Snow Sport Month at many alpine resorts, Nordic centers, state and national parks all over the U.S. Sample deals include:

New York: Starting January 5 and available all month (except MLK weekend 1/17-1/19), you can learn to ski or ride for free or at a 50% discount depending on the resort you choose.  Think of it: you get a beginners package which includes a beginners lift pass, rental ski or board package and a professional lesson (resort participation varies).

Utah: Utah’s 13 alpine resorts have put together special learn to ski and snowboard packages for Utah residents that are fun and affordable. Lucky 13

Vermont: As the holidays draw closer in the Green Mountains, Ski Vermont has announced that its member ski resorts will offer first-time skiers and riders free lessons, rentals and limited access lift tickets from January 4-11, 2009.

Earlier we linked to a promotion for fourth graders who wanted free mountain time. January’s Learn a Snow Sport program allows skiers and riders of any age to partake. Yoohoo!

And for just as much fun without the adrenaline, on January 10, 2009, the 14th annual Winter Trails, an event organized by SnowSports Industries of America, offers free snowshoeing and/or cross country skiing for those new to snow sports. Venues and information on Winter Trails can be found at Wintertrails.org.

December 15, 2008

Just fill out an application form and send it to the Ski Areas of New York with a copy of your student’s 4th Grade report card, progress report or letter from the school stating that your child is in 4th grade, along with a $19 processing fee.  

You will receive a Ski & Ride Passport with three coupons per participating ski area. When an adult lift ticket is purchased the child presents the 4th Grade Passport booklet and a coupon for that ski area is redeemed for a free lift ticket for the day.

Participating Resorts:

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December 11, 2008

For the complete, updated list of Winter X Games 13 athletes, log on to www.expn.com.

*NOTE: The invited athlete list is constantly being updated and is subject to change.

Among the first wave of invited athletes:

•       Gretchen Bleiler: Three-time Winter X Games Snowboard SuperPipe gold medalist and 2006 Winter Olympic silver medalist
•       Lindsey Jacobellis: Four-time Winter X Games Snowboarder X gold medalist and 2006 Winter Olympic silver medalist
•       Sarah Burke: Two-time Winter X Games and defending Skiing SuperPipe gold medalist

All athletes receiving invitations to compete at Winter X Games 13 are chosen by a sport-specific selection committee. Criteria and timing of invitations varies by sport and discipline as it is based on the state and event schedules of that particular sport. The only exception is each gold medalist from Winter X Games 12 (2008) receives an automatic invitation to compete.

ESPN’s Winter X Games 13 will be held for its eighth consecutive year at Buttermilk Mountain in Aspen/Snowmass, Colo., January 22-25, 2009.

December 9, 2008

Polls are now open for the 2008 United States Sports Academy (USSA) Athletes of the Year awards presented by USAToday and NBC Sports. The USSA Athlete of the Year ballot is the culmination of the Academy’s year long Athlete of the Month program, which recognizes the accomplishments of men and women in any sport around the globe.

Who’s on the ballot this year?

Rebecca Adlington (United Kingdom - Swimming)
Kirsty Coventry (Zimbabwe - Swimming)
Tirunesh Dibaba (Ethiopia - Track and Field)
Yalena Isinbayeva (Russian Federation - Track and Field)
Guo Jingjing (China - Diving)
Nastia Liukin (United States - Gymnastics)
Lorena Ochoa (Mexico - Golf)
Candace Parker (United States - Basketball)
Paula Radcliffe (United Kingdom - Marathon)
Lindsey Vonn (United States - Skiing)
Chrissie Wellington (United Kingdom - Triathlon)
Serena Williams(United States - Tennis)

Cast your ballot at http://vote.ussa.edu/aoy.

December 8, 2008

The only problem? The Dew Tour didn’t feature any female competitiors.

Now that the tour has expanded into a winter action sports series, girls are finally invited to the party.  

The AST Winter Dew Tour is set to launch with a series of three events beginning this month and continuing into January and February 2009.  The Winter Tour will feature both freeskiing and snowboarding disciplines for both men and women.

The first stop is Dec. 18-21 at Breckenridge Ski Resort in Breckenridge, Colorado.  Renowned for its stellar parks and legendary halfpipe, Breck will host the world’s top snowboard and freeski athletes who will compete for the coveted Dew Cup and a share of the $1.5 million prize purse offered at the end of the three-stop tour. In additon to four packed days of competition there will be four equally packed nights of partying down on Main Street including a concert by The All-American Rejects.

The athlete roster reads like the who’s who of the modern freeski and snowboard movement, highlighted by multiple X Games and Olympic medalists including snowboard athletes Shaun White, Hannah Teter, Andreas Wiig, Travis Rice and Gretchen Bleiler. Freeskiing superstars Tanner Hall, Sarah Burke and Simon Dumont will join the snowboarders on the impressive roster of athletes.

Talking winter with Hannah Teter

“I feel like the Dew Tour is gonna be huge and I’m really looking forward to riding on the entire series this year,” said Teter. “The roster of athletes that will be competing on the Winter Dew Tour is sick. It’ll be a fun battle to see who comes away with Dew Cup at the end of the season.”

Get ready for real action. A partial list of pre-qualified athletes is as follows:

SNOWBOARD
Superpipe Women

• Molly Aguirre
• Jamie Anderson
• Clair Bidez
• Gretchen Bleiler
• Torah Bright
• Kelly Clark
• Elena Hight
• Ellery Hollingsworth
• Kjersti Ostgaard Buaas
• Hannah Teter
• Soko Yamaoka

Slopestyle Women

• Jamie Anderson
• Hana Beaman
• Torah Bright
• Faye Gulini
• Jenny Jones
• Cheryl Maas
• Janna Meyen-Weatherby
• Spencer O’Brien
• Kjersti Ostgaard Buaas
• Mary Sallah

SKI
Superpipe Women

• Sarah Burke
• Jessica Cumming
• Rosalind Groenewoud
• Jen Hudak
• Angeli Vanlaanen

Slopestyle Women

• Ashley Battersby
• Virginie Faivre
• Keri Herman
• Anna Segal
• Kaya Turski

The complete 2008/09 Winter Dew Tour schedule is as follows:  

Stop 1—Dec. 18-21, 2008—Breckenridge, Colo.—Breckenridge Ski Resort
Stop 2— Jan. 8-11, 2009 —West Dover, Vt.—Mount Snow Resort
Stop 3— Feb. 19-22, 2009— Lake Tahoe, Calif.—Northstar-at-Tahoe Resort

Coverage will be divvied up between several networks: NBC Sports USA and MTV2, check back for times.

Hey girls - see you on the hill!

Organizers twice delayed the start of the second downhill of the season and finally called it off with no sign of a reprieve.

It was not immediately clear whether the race would be rescheduled for a later date in Lake Louise or elsewhere.

American World Cup holder Lindsey Vonn won the first downhill of the winter in Lake Louise on Friday.

December 5, 2008

“It’s amazing. It’s awesome to have a feeling like I have on this hill. I know it so well,” Vonn told the press. “It seemed like such a short time ago that I was going for three wins here and now I’ve been able to win five.”

The win also breaks Isolde Kostner’s previous record of four wins on the course, and it makes Vonn the overall World Cup leader by 69 points over Tanja Poutianen of Finland.

On the surface the win seems easy, but the fact of the matter an incoming storm made it anything but. As winds picked up race officials bumped the start down the hill. It was snowing and the light was characteristically flat.

U.S. Ski Team Women’s Alpine Head Coach Jim Tracy said Vonn skied exceptionally well through tough conditions on the hill.

Vonn is off to an exceptional start this season as she aims to defend last year’s overall title. She was ninth in the opening giant slalom at Soelden, Austria, took first in the opening slalom at Levi, Finland, and was fourth in both the giant slalom and slalom at Aspen last week.

OFFICIAL RESULTS
2009 AUDI FIS WORLD CUP
Lake Louise, ALB - Dec. 5, 2008
Women’s Downhill
1. Lindsey Vonn, Vail, CO, 1:26.10
2. Nadia Fanchini, Italy, 1:26.71
3. Maria Riesch, Germany, 1:26.79
4. Gina Stechert, Germany, 1:27.00
5. Andrea Fischbacher, Austria 1:27.03