Winter Youth Olympic Team to be Named in Lake Placid

By Published On: October 5th, 2011Comments Off on Winter Youth Olympic Team to be Named in Lake Placid

The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) will make a special announcement Oct. 9 during the Flaming Leaves Festival in Lake Placid, nominating 15 young athletes to represent America at the inaugural Winter Youth Olympic Games to beheld in January in Innsbruck. The YOG event will feature alpine skiing, halfpipe and slopestyle skiing and snowboarding, skicross, cross country, ski jumping and nordic combined on.

The Flaming Leaves Festival weekend will serve as the final chance for ski jumping and nordic combined athletes to qualify before the nominees are announced late Sunday morning at the Olympic Jumping Complex during a special presentation.
 
Though not vying for spots in Innsbruck, top athletes expected to compete in Lake Placid include 2010 Olympians Peter Frenette, Taylor Fletcher, Anders Johnson and Nick Alexander.

The Winter Youth Olympic Games is an international multi-sport event held under the authority of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that will take place every four years, consistent with the current format of the Olympic Winter Games. The Innsbruck 2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games will run from Jan. 13-22, with an expected 1,057 athletes between the ages of 14-18 from more than 80 countries participating.

Two-time Olympic medalist and 12-time Audi FIS Alpine World Cup title winner, Lindsey Vonn will serve as a Winter Youth Olympic Games Ambassador. The role of the ambassadors is to inspire and mentor the athletes competing at the Games while encouraging young people to become more active in sport.

Two-time Olympic medalist in freestyle skiing Shannon Bahrke Happe will serve as an Athlete Role Model.

For more information and a complete schedule of the Flaming Leaves Festival, go to https://www.whiteface.com/ or check out Facebook and Twitter.

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About the Author: Eric Williams