Friday, May 4, 2001
43 NAMED TO 2002 U.S. FREESTYLE SKI TEAM
PARK CITY, Utah (May 4) - Forty-three athletes
have been named to the
2002 U.S. Freestyle Ski Team. The announcement was
made Friday by the
United States Ski and Snowboard Association.
The specific 2002 U.S. Olympic Team will be named
Tuesday, January 22.
The U.S. enters the Olympic year with a lot of
confidence as the '01
season proved that the U.S. freestyle skiers were
the best in the world.
The U.S. again walked away with the Nation's Cup
as five different
athletes posted wins on the World Cup tour (three
of those were first
career wins) and one picked up his first career
World Cup title in
aerials.
The men's aerials team is stacked with talent as
five athletes were
named to the A Team for the '02 season. Eric
Bergoust (Missoula, MT)
will look to defend his '98 Olympic gold medal
after winning his first
ever World Cup title in '01. Breaking the world
record aerials score is
getting to be a habit for Bergoust, who topped his
own mark for the
third time last August in Australia.
Joining "Bergy" will be a trio of Park
City favorites: Brian "Curdog"
Currutt, Jerry Grossi and Joe Pack. Pack, the
perennial hometown hero,
finished second behind Bergoust in the World Cup
standings and picked up
his second bronze medal at World Championships as
well.
Shifting over to the bumps, the women's moguls
squad is highlighted by
Hannah Hardaway (Moultonborough, NH). Despite
missing the '98 and '99
seasons due to knee injuries, the East-Coaster lit
up the World Cup tour
this past season and won the first two events of
her career.
Three-time Olympian Ann Battelle (Steamboat
Springs, CO) returns for her
10th season with the Team after missing most of
'01 due to a shoulder
injury. Jonny Moseley (Tiburon, CA) will aim to
defend his '98 Olympic
gold, while veteran Donna Weinbrecht (Killington,
VT), the first ever
Olympic moguls champion, has her sights set on a
return to the Games.
Like Hardaway, Toby Dawson (Vail, CO) and Travis
Ramos (S. Lake Tahoe,
CA) also recorded the first World Cup wins of
their young careers in
'01.
The overall depth of the '02 Team could be the
most impressive ever.
Seven medals, including three golds, were won by
U.S. skiers at the '01
World Juniors. Two of the golds were won by U.S.
Team members as Matthew
"Marty" Odlin (Sunday River, ME) won the
men's moguls and Emiko Torito
(Englewood, CO) won the women's duals event.
The 2002 U.S. Freestyle Ski Team:
A Team - Men: Eric Bergoust (31; Missoula, MT;
aerials; '94, '98
Olympian); Brian Currutt (27; Park City, UT;
aerials); Toby Dawson (22;
Vail, CO; moguls); Evan Dybvig (25; Tunbridge, VT;
moguls; '98
Olympian); Jerry Grossi (27; Park City, UT;
aerials); Joe Pack (23; Park
City, UT; aerials); Travis Ramos (22; S. Lake
Tahoe, CA; moguls); Ryan
Riley (21; Steamboat Springs, CO; moguls) and
Britt Swartley (29; Blue
Bell, PA; aerials; '98 Olympian).
A Team - Women: Shannon Bahrke (21; Tahoe City,
CA; moguls); Ann
Battelle (33; Steamboat Springs, CO; moguls; '92,
'94, '98 Olympian);
Emily Cook (21; Belmont, MA; aerials); Hannah
Hardaway (22;
Moultonborough, NH; moguls) and Brenda Petzold
(27; Andover, MA;
aerials).
B Team - Men: Mariano Ferrario (27; Park City, UT;
aerials); Corey
Hacker (28; Buffalo, NY; aerials); Garth Hager
(31; Bothell, WA;
moguls); Chris Hernandez (22; S. Lake Tahoe, CA;
moguls) and Jonny
Moseley (25; Tiburon, CA; moguls; '98 Olympian).
B Team - Women: Kelly Hilliman (23; Tonawanda, NY;
aerials); Jillian
Vogtli (27; Ellicotville, NY; moguls) and Donna
Weinbrecht (36;
Killington, VT; moguls; '92, '94, '98 Olympian).
C Team - Men: Jeremy Bloom (19; Loveland,
CO; moguls); Travis Cabral
(17; S. Lake Tahoe, CA; moguls); Mike Friedberg
(22; Boulder, CO;
moguls); Caleb Martin (25; Telluride, CO; moguls);
Travis Mayer (19;
Steamboat Springs, CO; moguls); Matthew
"Marty" Odlin (19; Sunday River,
ME; moguls); Jeret Peterson (19; Boise, ID;
aerials); Parker Schmidt
(20; Steamboat Springs, CO; aerials); Ryan St.
Onge (18; Winter Park,
CO; aerials); Tim Warner (23; Oakland County, MI;
moguls); Alex Wilson
(26; Buffalo, NY; moguls; '98 Olympian) and Luke
Westerlund (23;
Breckenridge, CO; moguls).
C Team - Women: Marissa Berman (21; Mt. Kisco, NY;
aerials); Tracy Evans
(33; Hornell, NY; aerials; '94, '98 Olympian);
Sarah Horvitz (21;
Somerset, MA; aerials); Jana Lindsey (16; Rapid
City, SD; aerials); Kate
Reed (17; Montrose, CO; aerials); Michelle Roark
(26; Golden, CO;
moguls); Laurel Shanley (18; Squaw Valley, CA;
moguls); Emiko Torito
(18; Englewood, CO; moguls) and Justine Van Houte
(32; Telluride, CO;
moguls).
- Best in the World! -