Bloom, Peterson among 14 named to Olympic freestyle team

By Published On: January 25th, 2006Comments Off on Bloom, Peterson among 14 named to Olympic freestyle team

Bloom, Peterson among 14 named to Olympic freestyle team{mosimage}Park City, Utah – Defending World Cup champions Jeret “Speedy” Peterson and Jeremy Bloom and reigning moguls world champion Hannah Kearney, plus four former Olympic medal winners, are among 14 athletes nominated for the 2006 U.S. Olympic Freestyle Team.

The team was announced at Deer Valley resort, the 2002 Olympic freestyle venue and host of the 2003 World Freestyle Ski Championships.

Bill Marolt, president and CEO of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association, the national governing body for Olympic skiing and snowboarding, said the team will include eight men and six women. Seven of the athletes have been to previous Olympics.

All Olympic nominations submitted by the U.S. Ski Team and U.S. Snowboarding are subject to the approval of the U.S. Olympic Committee.

“This is our strongest Olympic freestyle team, across the board,” said Program Director Polly-Jo Clark. “I’m especially pleased with the mix of experience and depth … and proud of the intensity these athletes brought to the World Cup competitions to make this Olympic team.’

Aerialists will begin a pre-Olympic training camp at Utah Olympic Park by the end of the week, Clark said. Most moguls skiers will continue World Cup competitions in Europe before heading to Torino for the Winter Games, which run Feb. 10-26.

The 2006 U.S. Olympic Freestyle Team (age, hometown, previous Olympics):

MOGULS
MEN

Jeremy Bloom, 23, Loveland, Colorado (2002 Olympics)
Travis Cabral, 22, South Lake Tahoe, California
Toby Dawson, 27, Vail, Colorado
Travis Mayer, 23, Steamboat Springs, Colorado (2002 Olympics moguls silver medalist)

WOMEN
Shannon Bahrke, 25, Tahoe City, California (2002 Olympics moguls silver medalist)
Hannah Kearney, 19, Norwich, Vermont (2005 moguls world champion)
Michelle Roark, 31, Denver, Colorado
Jillian Vogtli, 32, Ellicotville, New York (2002)

AERIALS
MEN

Eric Bergoust, 36, Missoula, Montana (1994, ’98, 2002 ’98 aerials champion)
Joe Pack, 27, Park City, Utah (2002 aerials silver medalist)
Jeret Peterson, 24, Boise, Idaho (2002)
Ryan St. Onge, 22 (23 on Feb. 7), Steamboat Springs, Colorado

WOMEN
Emily Cook, 26, Belmont, Massachusetts
Jana Lindsey, 21, Black Hawk, South Dakota.

Courtesy USSA News Bureau

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