Jeret Peterson - headed to Vancouver (AP: Luca Bruno)
During this holiday break, most of the qualifying events for the Vancouver Olympics took a hiatus this week - to allow the Olympics hopefuls to enjoy time with their families.
With just seven weeks before the torch is lit at the Vancouver Winter Olympics opening ceremonies, only a few events were held. And the athletes who took advantage of this break, when many others opted to stay home, gained valuable ground on in their quest for the Vancouver Games.
U.S. Team Trials
On the U.S. home front, Christmas came early for five victors who competed in the U.S. Skiing Association's Winter Olympics Team Trials in Steamboat Springs, CO last week.
This world-famous resort welcomed aspiring American freestyle skiers and nordic combined athletes to an event where the winner clinched a spot on the USA Vancouver Olympics Team, leaving the rest to qualify for these Games during other FIS World Cup events in January.
Freestyle Skiing
Seeking to avenge disappointing finishes at the Turin 2006 Winter Olympics, a handful of Olympians competed for the chance to win a golden ticket to Vancouver in the moguls and aerials contests. With the likes of Shannon Bahrke, Michelle Roark, Emily Cook, and Ryan St Onge in the mix, the field of hopefuls was exceptional.
In the freestyle moguls event where speed, turns, and jump skills are evaluated by judges, the reigning world champion, Patrick Deneen, won handily. While Hannah Kearney, who recently won an international FIS World Cup event, swept the competition to return to the Winter Olympics.
And two aerialists are now soaring to Vancouver. Jeret Peterson punched his ticket to Vancouver - his third Olympic Games. Having finished in ninth in the Salt Lake City and seventh in the Turin Olympics, he has his sights on the podium in February.
In contrast, the newcomer Lacy Schnoor out-tricked Cook and Lindsey off the kicker jump, to win a berth on the U.S. squad.
Nordic Combined
In the battle of three past Olympians, Johhny Spillane won this men's only dual event involving ski jumping and cross country skiing. Now, two seasoned veterans (both FIS 2009 World Champions), Bill Demong and Todd Lodwick, have their eyes on a few international competitions to earn berths on the American team.
World Cup Skiing
While these athletes celebrated Christmas early with these mid-week triumphs, a dozen Olympics aspirants competed overseas in Alpine and Ski-Cross races.
Among them, the technically-skilled Ted Ligety, a Turin 2006 gold medalist, is destined to make the U.S. team, as he continues his success in the slalom races. In Alta Badia, Italy, Ligety maneuvered the gates to a seventh place giant slalom finish earlier in the week.
Nearby in the Italian town of San Candida, the four-time Olympian Alpine skier, Casey Puckett, is now testing his skills in the less physically demanding, yet more mentally challenging ski-cross event. He lead a few other Americans by speeding to a bronze medal podium finish.
Get caught up on: Past USA Team successes over the last several weeks in this exciting Vancouver Olympics season.
Comments