U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s 2020 Youth Olympic Games Selections

U.S. Ski & Snowboard has announced its 2020 team for the Winter Youth Olympic Games Lausanne 2020 set for January 9-22 in Switzerland. Nominations include those age-eligible athletes who qualified based on published selection criteria in the 2019 winter season.

Lausanne is known as the “Olympic Capital,” and has been the home of the modern Olympic Movement for more than 100 years. More than 50 international sporting organizations are based in this region. The Youth Olympic Games (YOG) serves to inspire the next generation to embody the Olympic values of Respect, Friendship and Excellence. Competing in a location so steeped in Olympic history and tradition will set the tone for what is sure to be an awesome few weeks of competition. America’s next generation of ski and snowboard greats will compete for youth Olympic glory and put the world on notice. 

Since the last YOG, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) increased alpine quotas for major nations to two athletes per-gender. The U.S. finished top-eight in the Hodler Cup at the Junior World Ski Championships, qualifying alpine for a third spot per gender.

 “We have a good group of young athletes on our [alpine] team,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard Alpine Development Director Chip Knight. “These are all U18 athletes, so it will be the first major international championship event of their careers. They are all really excited to participate, and to compete for medals with the best athletes their age in the world.”

Because of a fourth overall team performance in the Marc Holder Award standings in 2018, the International Federation du Ski (FIS) and the IOC awarded the United States three Youth Olympic starts per gender in the disciplines of cross country, ski jumping and nordic combined – a step up from the usual one per gender in previous years. The Marc Hodler Award is based on total Junior World Nordic Ski Championships, including a nation’s points awarded for cross country, ski jumping and nordic combined. 

Snowboard and Freeski athletes will compete in halfpipe, slopestyle/big air and ski/snowboardcross events. Quota spots for U.S. athletes were earned based on the team’s performance at FIS Junior Worlds in 2019. Some of the standout performances at the 2019 FIS Junior Worlds events included a men’s podium sweep in Freeski halfpipe, two podium finishes in Freeski slopestyle, two podium finishes in Freeski big air, one podium finish in Snowboard halfpipe, and one podium finish in Snowboard slopestyle. 

“We have a really strong team of development athletes nominated to this team and we are looking forward to a fun and exciting event and experience in Switzerland,” said Sport Development Senior Manager for Freeski and Snowboard Ashley Deibold. 

2020 U.S. Ski & Snowboard Youth Olympic Team(Hometown; Club; USASA Series (if applicable); Year of Birth)

Alpine Women

• Nicola Rountree-Williams (Edwards, Colo.; Independent/Private; 2002)
• Emma Resnick (Vail, Colo.; Ski and Snowboard Club Vail; 2003)
• Lauren Macuga (Park City, Utah; Park City Ski & Snowboard Club; 2002)

Alpine Men

• Daniel Gillis (Guilford, Conn.; Burke Mountain Academy; 2002)
• Maxx Parys (Bethel, Maine; Gould Academy; 2002)
• Trent Pennington (Shalimar, Fla.; Ski and Snowboard Club Vail; 2002)

Cross Country Women

• Kendall Kramer (Fairbank, Alaska; Nordic Ski Club of Fairbanks; 2002) 
• Sydney Palmer-Leger (Park City, Utah; Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation; 2002)
• Nina Seemann (Bondville, Vt.; Stratton Mtn School, 2002)

Cross Country Men

• Will Koch (Peru, Vt.; Stratton Mtn School; 2002)
• Brian Bushey (Montpelier, Vt.; Green Mtn Valley School; 2002)
• Kai Mittelsteadt (Bozeman, Mont.; Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation; 2002)

Snowboard Halfpipe Men

• Jack Coyne (Edwards, Colo..; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; Rocky Mountain Series; 2002)
• Kolman LeCroy (Mammoth Mountain, Calif.; Mammoth Mountain Ski and Snowboard Team; Mammoth Unbound Series; 2002)

Women

• Tessa Maud (Carlsbad, Calif.; Mammoth Mountain Snowboard Team; Unbound Series; 2003)
• Athena Comeau (Rutland, Mass.; New Hampshire Series; 2002)
  

Slopestyle/Big Air Men

• Jake Canter (Evergreen, Colo.; Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club; Aspen Snowmass Series; 2003)
• Dusty Henricksen (Mammoth Lakes, Calif; Mammoth Mountain Snowboard Team; Unbound Series; 2003)

Snowboardcross Men

• Connor Schlegel (Highlands Ranch, Colo.; Vail Ski & Snowboard; Rocky Mountain Series, 2002)
• Theo McLemore (Pittsburg, Penn; ISTC; Rocky Mountain Series, 2002)

Snowboardcross Women

• Acy Craig (Stowe, Vt.; Carrabassett Valley Academy, Southern Vermont Series, 2002)
• Madeline Lochte-Bono (Durango, Colo.; ISTC; Rocky Mountain Series, 2003)

Freeski Halfpipe Men

• Connor Ladd (Lakewood, Colo.; Rocky Mountain Series; 2003)
• Hunter Carey (Winter Park, Colo.; Winter Park Competition Center; Rocky Mountain Series; 2002)

Freeski Halfpipe Women

• Svea Irving (Winter Park, Colo.; Winter Park Freeride Team; Rocky Mountain Series; 2002)
• Hanna Faulhaber (Carbondale, Colo.; Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club; Rocky Mountain Series; 2004)

Slopestyle/Big Air Men

• Kiernan Fagan (Brownfield, Maine; Wy’East Mountain Academy; Rocky Mountain Series; 2002)
• Hunter Henderson (Madbury, N.H..; Waterville Valley BBTS; New Hampshire Series; 2002)

Slopestyle/Big Air Women

• Montana Osinski (Darien, Conn.; Stratton Mountain School; Southern Vermont Series; 2003)
• Jenna Ricciomini (Port Matilda, Penn.; Team Summit; Rocky Mountain Series; 2004)

Skicross Men

• Eli Derrick (Harrisonburg, Va.; Carrabassett Valley Academy; Maine Mountain Series; 2002)

Ski Jumping Men

• Erik Belshaw (Steamboat Springs, Colo.; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club / USANS; 2004)
• Landon Lee (Eau Claire, Wisc.; Flying Eagles Ski Club / USANS; 2002)

Ski Jumping Women

• Annika Belshaw (Steamboat Springs, Colo.; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club / USANS; 2002)
• Paige Jones (Park City, Utah; Park City Ski & Snowboard / USANS; 2002)

Nordic Combined Men

• Niklas Malacinski (Steamboat Springs, Colo.; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club / USANS; 2003) 
• Carter Brubaker (Anchorage, Alaska; Team Alaska / USANS; 2003) 

Nordic Combined Women

• Tess Arnone (Steamboat Springs, Colo.; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club / USANS; 2003)
• Alexa Brabec (Steamboat Springs, Colo.; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club / USANS; 2004) 

Release courtesy of U.S. Ski & Snowboard.