U.S freestyle skiers and nordic combined athletes will get a one shot, winner-takes-all chance at making their way to Vancouver in 2010 on the U.S. Olympic Team starting tomorrow. Ski Town USA is hosting the 2010 U.S. Olympic Trials from Dec. 23-24. A total of five U.S. Olympic Team spots in moguls, aerials and nordic combined will be up for grabs on those two days.
Scheduled to air on NBC at 2:30 p.m. ET on Dec. 26, the 2010 U.S. Olympic Trials event, which complements the season-long selection process for the remainder of the Team, offers athletes a direct ticket to the Games should they be skilled enough to win against a field of the nation's best.
The likes of World Champions and hometown heroes Todd Lodwick and Johnny Spillane (both Steamboat Springs, CO) as well as World Champion and former Steamboat resident Billy Demong (Vermontville, NY) will each look for a wildcard spot on the U.S. Olympic Team prior to the official team selection. The combined events will be held at Steamboat's historic Howelsen Hill in the heart of the city and home to the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club.
After the nordic combined competition, the Trials moves to the moguls event on the afternoon of Dec. 23 at nearby Steamboat Ski Resort. World Cup moguls champion Hannah Kearney (Norwich, VT), Olympic silver medalist Shannon Bahrke (Tahoe City, CA) and moguls World Champion Patrick Deneen (Cle Elum, WA), local favorite Emiko Torito (Denver, CO) and their teammates will all be going after their shot at being named to the 2010 U.S. Olympic Team.
The party continues after the awards are made on Dec. 23 with a night of live music by Big Head Todd & the Monsters and celebration in the heart of the mountain village.
The event wraps up on Christmas Eve morning as Colorado native, SSWSC athlete and aerials World Champion Ryan St. Onge (Winter Park, CO), Olympian and executor of the highest scored trick on the World Cup aerials circuit Jeret "Speedy" Peterson (Boise, ID) and World Cup winner and U.S. Ski Team veteran Emily Cook (Belmont, MA) fly, flip and stick their chance at landing a place on the 2010 U.S. Olympic Team.
2010 U.S. OLYMPIC TRIALS - FREESTYLE SKIING/NORDIC COMBINED EVENTS
Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2009
- 8:30am: Nordic Combined Trial Jumps, Howelsen Hill
- 9-9:30am: Nordic Combined Competition Jumps, Howelsen Hill
- 11:30am-Noon: Nordic Combined 10-kilometer cross-country race, Howelsen Hill Rodeo Grounds
- 12:45pm: Moguls showcase, Voodoo on Steamboat Ski Resort
- 1-1:45pm: Men's & Women's moguls Run 1, Voodoo on Steamboat Ski Resort
- 2-2:45: Men's & Women's moguls Run 2, Voodoo on Steamboat Ski Resort
- 3:30pm: Awards, Gondola Square @ Steamboat Ski Resort Base Area
- 4pm: Free Concert w/ Big head Todd & The Monsters, Gondola Square @ Steamboat Ski Resort Base Area
Thursday, Dec. 24, 2009
- 10-10:30am: Aerials Run 1, Steamboat Ski Resort
- 10:40-11:10am: Aerial Run 2, Steamboat Ski Resort
- 11:30am: Awards, Voodoo on Steamboat Ski Resort
For more information visit: www.steamboat.com.
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