Three skiers named to U.S. Freestyle Ski Team

PARK CITY, UT (Jan. 11) – The U.S. Freestyle Ski Team just got more stacked with talent as Heidi Kloser (Vail, CO), Ashley Caldwell (Lake Placid, NY) and Nevin Brown (Streetsboro, OH) join the roster’s ranks after qualifying for the Team at U.S. Freestyle Selection events in December. The athletes qualified for spots on the C Team.

The annual Selections events are held each December, providing athletes who have not otherwise qualified for the U.S. Ski Team on prior season results with a chance to make the Team.

Both Caldwell and Brown won Selections events for aerials, which were held in Park City just days before each went on to compete in the U.S. Olympic Trials events in Steamboat Springs, CO.

At the competition in Steamboat Springs, Brown finished fourth for the men while Caldwell was just over three points shy of landing a spot on the 2010 U.S. Olympic Team for aerials.

“I was surprised to be that far ahead, but I’m just excited to be here and hopefully later in the season I’ll make it to the Olympics,” Caldwell said at the event in Steamboat.

A gymnast throughout her youth, Caldwell began her ascent into the world of aerials a mere three years ago when she began training with the Elite Aerials Program out of Lake Placid, NY.

Brown, who swept both aerials Selection events held at Utah Olympic Park, had never had a top-10 result on the NorAm circuit until his showing at Selections.

Ski and Snowboard Club Vail’s Kloser, who qualified for the U.S. Team when she finished second at Selections in Winter Park, has been working her whole life to take the step up to the Team. With an eighth-place finish at the Olympic Trials event Kloser is poised to have a great future skiing bumps.

“Historically, we’ve had some great success stories come onto the Team through our December Selections events,” said Freestyle Head Coach Jeff Wintersteen. “These athletes now have an opportunity to step up to the next level in their sport.”

The U.S. Freestyle Ski Team’s season continues Jan. 8-10 in Calgary with both moguls and aerials competitions.

USSA Release