Friday, February 10, 2006 Volume 1, Issue 5

UPCOMING TEAM USA SCHEDULE FOR SATURDAY, FEB. 11

Time Sport Event (Americans Participating) Venue 10:00 Nordic Combined Individual Gunderson Trial Round (Bill Pragelato (Jump) Demong/Vermontville, N.Y.; Todd Lodwick/Steamboat Springs, Colo.; Johnny Spillane/Steamboat Springs, Colo.; Brett Camerota/Park City, ) 11:00 Nordic Combined Normal Hill Individual Gunderson First Round (Demong, Pragelato (Jump) Lodwick, Spillane, Camerota) 12:00 Men’s Downhill Training (Scott Macartney/Redmond, Sestrière Wash.; (Bretton Woods, N.H.; Steve Nyman/Orem, Utah; /Sugar Bowl, Calif.; /Squaw Valley, Calif.) 12:08 Nordic Combined Normal Hill Gunderson Final Round (Demong, Lodwick, Pragelato (Jump) Spillane, Camerota) 13:00 Biathlon Men’s 20km Individual (Lowell Bailey/Lake Placid, N.Y.; Tim Burke/Paul Smiths, N.Y.; Jay Hakkinen/Kasilof, ; Jeremy Teela/Anchorage, Alaska) 13:00 Press Conference Figure Skater (Los Angeles, Calif.) Main Press Center Sala 500 15:00 Ladies Moguls Qualification (Shannon Bahrke/Salt Lake Sauze d’Olux Jouvenceaux City, Utah; /Norwich, Vt.; Michelle Roark/Winter Park, Colo.; Jillian Vogtli/Ellicotville, N.Y.) 15:00 Nordic Combined Individual Gunderson 15km Cross Country (Demong, Pragelato (Cross Country) Lodwick, Spillane, Camerota) 15:30 Long Track Men’s 5000m (/, Ill.; Chad Speedskating Hedrick/Spring, Texas; K.C. Boutiette/Tacoma, Wash.) 16:00 Luge Men’s Singles – Run 1 (Tony Benshoof/White Bear Lake, Minn.; Jonathan Myles/Rumney, N.H.; Christian Niccum/Woodinville, Wash.) 17:00 Normal Hill Individual Qualification Round (Clint Pragelato Jones/Steamboat Springs, Colo.; Alan Alborn/Anchorage, Alaska; Tommy Schwall/Steamboat Springs, Colo., Jim Denny/Duluth, Minn.) 18:00 Ice Hockey Women’s Prelim. Round – USA vs. Torino Esposizoni 18:00 Ski Jumping Normal Hill Individual Qualification Round (Alborn, Jones, Pragelato Schwall, Denny) 18:30 Luge Men’s Singles – Run 2 (Benshoof, Myles, Niccum) Cesana Pariol 19:00 Freestyle Skiing Ladies Moguls Final Sauze d’Olux Jouvenceaux Athletes TBD after qualifying round – (20 skiers) 19:00 Pairs Short Program (Rena Inoue and John Baldwin/Santa Palavela Monica, Calif.; Marcy Hinzmann/Columbus, Ohio and Aaron Parchem/Auburn Hills, Mich.) *Bold Denotes Medal Competition Friday, February 10, 2006 Volume 1, Issue 5

Inoue and Baldwin, Parchem and Hinzmann Kick Off U.S. Figure Skating

The last won a medal in pairs figure skating when and Peter Oppegard collected the bronze in 1988. Since then, U.S. teams have finished just off the podium, including a fourth-place finish by and in 1998 and a fifth-place finish by Ina and partner John Zimmerman in 2002.

Whether or not the U.S. medals this year will depend on the execution of one of the most technically demanding free skates currently being done in the world. Reigning U.S. champions Rena Inoue (Santa Monica, Calif.) and John Baldwin (Santa Monica, Calif.) are chasing that potential medal, and they have in their arsenal a move that no other pairs team has ever accomplished – the throw triple Axel. Inoue and Baldwin landed the high- scoring move for the first time at the 2006 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, and since then the team has been aiming high.

“Before, I [wasn't] even thinking about getting into the top 10 or thinking about bringing a medal back to the U.S.,” Baldwin said after he and Inoue won the gold at the Four Continents Figure Skating Championships in late January. “With the score at nationals, is a bronze medal possible? No question about it. If we skate a clean program there’s maybe a few other teams in the entire world that can get a better technical score.”

Marcy Hinzmann (Columbus, Ohio) and Aaron Parchem (Oak Park, Ill.) earned a trip Baldwin and Inoue to Torino by finishing second at the U.S. Championships – their highest placement ever. They’re relatively inexperienced competing against the elite international field, having paired up for the first time in 2003.

Their first Grand Prix event was last October, where they finished fifth in an impressive debut. Even more impressive was the fact that Hinzmann had reconstructive surgery for a torn ACL just a year ago. She suffered the injury during practice in August 2004 but skated through the 2004-05 season, finishing third with Parchem at the 2005 U.S. Championships.

Hinzmann had surgery in January 2005 and was off the ice for four months, resuming skating in mid-May. The team won the bronze medal at the 2005 five months later.

He wasn’t, as the team displayed a solid program to upset defending U.S. champions Katie Orscher and Garrett Lucash to take the second Olympic spot.

Among the medal favorites in pairs are 2005 World champions Tatiana Totmianina and of , who captivated the world after coming back from a dangerous and dramatic fall just five months earlier at the 2004 event. Joining them in Torino are 2005 World silver medalists and Russian teammates Maria Petrova and Alexei Tikhonov. Parchem and Hinzmann Also battling the Russians will be the strong Chinese teams, including 2005 World bronze medalists Dan Zhang and Hao Zhang, 2005 World fourth-place finishers Qing Pang and Jian Tong, and 2003 World champions and 2002 Olympic bronze medalists Xue Shen and Hongbo Zhao, who are back on the world scene after Zhao snapped his Achilles tendon in late summer.

The pairs short program takes place Saturday, Feb. 11, at 19:00. at Torino’s Palavela. Inoue and Baldwin skate fourth, in the first warm-up group. Hinzmann and Parchem skate 10th, in the third warm-up group.

Torino Weather High/Low Sestrière Weather High/Low Sat., Feb. 11 Partly Cloudy 38°/23° Sat., Feb. 11 Partly Cloudy 31°/11° Sun., Feb. 12 Mostly Sunny 37°/24° Sun., Feb. 12 Partly Cloudy 29°/16°

Friday, February 10, 2006 Volume 1, Issue 5

Hakkinen Leads U.S. Team in Saturday’s 20km Biathlon

The U.S. Olympic Biathlon team begins its quest for their first medal on Saturday with the men’s 20K competition.

The 20K Individual is by far the most grueling event in biathlon and especially so here in San Sicario. Five challenging 4K loops and four shooting stages await the field of approximately 90 men. With its mountainside location, the San Sicario tracks promise two things: uphills and downhills. The downhill stretches which nearly graze the Bobsled/Luge run require a good technical skiing and management of the sweeping turns where time can be gained or lost. The uphill stretches which seem endless are through an open meadow, which snakes up to the stadium. Once in the stadium, the planners added another surprise: a short, but steep hill in the final 400 meters before reaching the shooting range. Combining these tracks at an altitude of 1600 meters will definitely challenge the athletes’ fitness and focus.

Most focused of the U.S. biathletes is Jay Hakkinen (Kasilof, Alaska). The 1997 Junior World Champion comes to the 2006 Olympic Winter Games with a single focus: to win a medal. Hakkinen is the all time top U.S. finisher in Olympic competition, placing 13th in the pursuit competition at in 2002. As he said in an earlier interview, “I have been to the Olympics twice—once for experience and then getting the 13th place in . The next step is a medal. I have focused all of my training on these Games.”

Close behind Hakkinen is high school friend and roommate Jeremy Teela (Anchorage, th Alaska). Teela was the surprise 14 place finisher in this event in 2002. Jay Hakkinen

The two other U.S. men, Tim Burke (Paul Smiths, N.Y.) and Lowell Bailey (Lake Placid, N.Y.), are first-time Olympians. Both Burke and Bailey have good experience at both Biathlon World Championships and in World Cups.

Benshoof Heads Up U.S. Luge Team’s Medal Hopes in Men’s Singles

Only one slider has ever raced to more than one men’s singles Olympic title and that’s ’s Georg Hackl, who has captured three. ’s Armin Zoeggeler will try to become the second, and the first ever to defend his Olympic title in front of his home crowd, on his home track Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 11-12, in Cesana Pariol, Italy.

Also considered a possible medal contender is U.S. Team member Tony Benshoof (White Bear Lake, Minn.). The 30-year-old, 2002 Olympian slid to bronze during November’s World Cup race and gold during the Challenge Cup event and believes that the 19-curve course fits his style of sliding.

Tony Benshoof “This track is a high speed track which is a good thing for me,” remarked Benshoof, who also holds the track record of 52.070 seconds. “I’ve got a very good aerodynamic position on the sled and that’s a very good advantage for me. Also, I’ve been a very good starter. Historically, I’ve been in the top-five and this track has a very long, drawn out start and that should give me a good advantage.”

Benshoof, USA Luge’s all-time leader in singles medals won, is also looking to rebound from a 17th-place finish four years ago. “I’m looking at these Olympics as an entirely new race and I’m not trying to top anything and I’m not trying to prove anything,” added Benshoof. “I’m going to approach this race like I do any other race, and that’s to have fun and do what I do best and really try to enjoy the moment.”

In addition to Benshoof, the U.S. squad will also field two Olympic rookies, Jonathan Myles (Rumney, N.H.) and Christian Niccum (Woodinville, Wash.). Myles finished 27th in November’s World Cup event, while Niccum sat out the race, recovering from a concussion suffered while training on the 1,435-meter long track.

The first of four men’s luge runs begins at 16:00 on Saturday at Cesana Pariol. Friday, February 10, 2006 Volume 1, Issue 5

Hedrick, Deep Field Highlight Men’s 5000m

Chad Hedrick (Spring, Texas) renews his rivalry with of the and of as the three lead the field for Saturday’s 5,000-meter speedskating competition at 15:30 Saturday on the Oval Lingotto sheet.

Hedrick leads the current 5,000-meter and 10,000-meter World Cup standings after four of the five races with of the Netherlands in second place. Ervik set a world record in a World Cup race last November, but Hedrick broke the mark the next day. The following weekend though, Kramer took ownership of the record, showing the depth of talent across the globe in the 5,000-meter distance.

Shani Davis (Chicago, Ill.) and K.C. Boutiette (Tacoma, Wash.) are also scheduled to compete for the United States.

Boutiette placed fifth in the event at the 2002 Games in Salt Lake City as Team USA’s (San Bernardino, Calif.) was second behind of the Netherlands. Davis specializes in the 1,000-meter and 1,500-meter races, but begins his Olympic foray with the second-longest distance event on the program.

Women’s Hockey Team Opens Against Switzerland

The United States women’s hockey team will play its first of three Pool B games in a four-day period Saturday when the Americans are challenged by Switzerland at 18:00 at Torino Esposizoni.

The meeting will mark the first-ever Olympic match-up between the teams, which last met at the 2004 International Ice Hockey Federation Women's World Championship with Team USA defeating the Swiss, 9-1. All-time, the teams have met four times with Team USA holding a 4-0 series record and a 48-4 goal differential in those games.

A power on the world stage when it comes to women's ice hockey, the U.S. appears capable of continuing its elite status in Torino. The U.S. is coming off a silver medal effort in the 2002 Olympic Winter Games after claiming the first-ever gold medal awarded in women's ice hockey at the 1998 Games Natalie Darwitz and Krissy Wendell

With the top two countries in each pool advancing to next Friday’s semifinals, the Americans face Germany at 19:00 Sunday and Finland on Tuesday at 19:30. Canada, the defending Olympic gold medalists, will be competing in Pool A against Italy, Russia and Sweden.

“We’re here because we want to win,” said forward Tricia Dunn-Luoma (Derry, N.H.), who is participating in her third . “If we were here to just go through the motions that would be something different. We’re here to compete.”

Since its silver medal performance in Salt Lake City, the U.S. has captured four medals in international competition, most recently winning the gold medal at the 2005 IIHF World Championship in April and the silver medal at the 2004 Four Nations Cup in Lake Placid, N.Y. In March of 2004, the U.S. took silver at the International Ice Hockey Federation Women's World Championship in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The U.S. also claimed silver and gold respectively at the 2002 and 2003 Four Nations Cup tournaments.

February 10: On this Date in U.S. Olympic Winter Games History…

…1968 – Peggy Flemming won the gold medal in figures skating in Grenoble, France. It was the only gold for Team USA out of seven medals that year. …1992 – Bonnie Blair won gold in the women’s 500m speedskating event, one of five gold medals for the U.S. in Albertville, France. …2002 – Kelly Clark became the first American ever to win a snowboarding gold medal with a victory in the halfpipe competition in Salt Lake City. *All Photos Getty Images Friday, February 10, 2006 Volume 1, Issue 5

’02 Silver Medalist Bahrke Looks to Upgrade in Women’s Freestyle Moguls

The U.S. Women’s Freestyle Moguls Team will air it out Saturday as the Olympic moguls competition will be held in Sauze d’Oulx.

The four U.S. competitors are Shannon Bahrke (Tahoe City, Calif.), Hannah Kearney (Norwich, Vt.), Michelle Roark (Winter Park, Colo.) and Jillian Vogtli (Ellicotville, N.Y.). Two have prior Olympic experience and two are first-timers.

Bahrke, the 2002 Olympic silver medalist in moguls, has posted four top-10 finishes on the World Cup tour this season. Most recently, she was seventh in Spindleruv Mlyv, Czech Republic Feb. 4. For her career, she’s racked up five World Cup victories to date.

Kearney was the first U.S. skier to qualify for the 2006 Olympic Winter Games, her first trip. Just 19 years old, she’s the reigning world champion and has put up some major World Cup results. The Vermonter didn’t waste any time getting into it this season as she won the opening World Cup in Tignes, France in December. She also stood on the podium in second at the end of January in Madonna di Campiglio, Italy.

Shannon Bahrke “This is my first Olympic Games, so I guess you could say there aren’t really any expectations, but that’s sort of a lie,” said Kearney. “I’m here to do well, I’m not here to lose. It’s the same competitors you see week after week.”

Roark is the second Olympic rookie on the squad, but she’s certainly no stranger to big time events. A World Cup veteran, Roark won the duals title in 1999 and got a pair of wins in 24 hours at Whistler, British Columbia.

Vogtli is a U.S. Team veteran, this being her 10th season as part of the program. In her first Olympic go-around in 2002, she ended up 18th and is looking forward to improving on that. She didn’t make it easy for herself as she waited until the last possible moment to qualify for the Torino Games with a third at Lake Placid on Jan. 22. It was her first podium of the season and first since taking third in Japan in February.

To get what they want from the Games, the U.S. skiers will have to get around one troublesome roadblock.

Norwegian standout Kari Traa is the reigning Olympic champion and she’s turned it on as of late. After finishing 20th in the opening World Cup in Tignes, she went on to win three times and podium four times. She’s coming off a win in the Czech Republic on Feb. 4th.

The women’s qualification runs begin Saturday at 15:00 in Sauze d’Oulx. The finals will be held under the lights beginning at 19:00.

Nordic Combined Represents First Medal Event

The U.S. Nordic Combined Ski Team has named its starters for its first Olympic event, the NH Individual Gundersen/15km, which will be held Sat., Feb. 11th in Pragelato.

The four-member squad consists of Brett Camerota (Park City, Utah), Billy Demong (Vermontville, N.Y.), Todd Lodwick (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) and Johnny Spillane (Steamboat Springs, Colo.).

Lodwick enters his fourth Olympic Winter Games (1994, 1998, 2002, 2006) as the most successful U.S. Nordic combined skier in history. He owns the best Olympic finishes ever posted by a U.S. athlete as he had a fifth and a seventh in ‘02. Speaking of U.S. records, Lodwick is also tops with 15 national titles (eight combined, seven jumping) and 13 straight top-10s in ‘04.

(cont. on next page)

Friday, February 10, 2006 Volume 1, Issue 5

Nordic Combined…Cont

Demong is also no Olympic rookie as he’s competing in his third Games (1998, 2002, 2006). He was a member of the team that posted a U.S.-best fourth place finish in ’02. No surprise as Demong had a breakout season that included his first World Cup win and seven top-10 finishes. Spillane was a teammate of both Lodwick and Demong at the ’98 and ’02 Olympic Winter Games. He didn’t compete in ’98 but helped the U.S. gain its fourth-place finish in Utah.

Camerota is getting his first major international championship start after competing primarily on the World Cup B tour. A three- time Junior World Championship qualifier, Camerota competed in his first World Cup event Jan. 29 in Seefeld, where he placed 28th in the individual.

On the international front, three-time World Cup champion of Finland will be a favorite, as will Finland’s Jaakko Tallus.

The opening medal event of the 2006 Olympic Winter Games gets underway with the first round of jumping at 11:00 with the final round scheduled for a 12:08 start. The 15km begins at 15:00.

An Athletic Career in

With 1992 Olympic bobsledder Herschel Walker traveling to Torino with First Lady Laura Bush as part of the U.S. White House Delegation, one wonders if the 1982 Heisman Trophy winner will seek out aspiring pro footballer and U.S. Ski Team member Jeremy Bloom (Loveland, Colo.).

With a ninth-place finish at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Bloom will be competing Wednesday in the men’s freestyle moguls, a week before he returns to the United States to compete in the National Football League combine in Indianapolis.

While Walker played professional football for 15 seasons before competing in the 1992 Olympic Winter Games in Albertville, Bloom has earned his status as a skier before playing two seasons at the University of Colorado where he was a freshman All-American for the Buffaloes in 2002.

"My focus right now is the Olympics," said the 23-year-old Bloom, "but I am always ready to talk football. If my skiing career ended today, I could say I'm very satisfied. Football Bloom has not one athletic career… is the unknown, the last missing block, you know. I need to answer that question."

At 5-9 and 170 pounds, Bloom doesn't look like a football player. However, his speed, acceleration and quick feet will help as he seeks to run a 4.2-second 40-yard dash in Indianapolis.

Bloom hasn't played football for two seasons, but he has cross-trained when possible. He has also received encouragement from NFL legend John Elway and current Denver Bronco starting quarterback Jake Plummer.

“I think the thing that probably helps me the most, looking back at the last four years, is football,” Bloom said Thursday when asked about preparing for the 2006 Games.

“Playing college football is very similar to all this. Every week, you are playing before 80,000 people. Just the pressure of that helps. It is much different than skiing.”

A model when not competing, Bloom added that skiing is such an individual sport.

“When you win, you don't have anybody to celebrate with. You just pat yourself on the back. In football, in the locker room, we'd sing the fight song and talk about how to build on a win for the next week." …but two