A statement released today from the U.S. Ski Team

One of the founding pioneers of the modern day U.S. Ski Team, William Bradford Briggs, died Nov. 1 at the age of 87 at his home in Vero Beach, FL. Briggs, was a driving force in the formation of the Team's fundraising arm, the U.S. Ski Team Educational Foundation, in the '70s and one of its staunchest supporters in the Team's heyday of the late '70s and early '80s.

"Much of the success our athletes have earned today can be attributed to the vision of early supporters like Brad Briggs," said U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association President and CEO Bill Marolt. "When Brad and others started our Foundation, they had no roadmap - they paved the way with their enthusiasm in mobilizing American skiers coast-to-coast to support their best athletes. It's a model that continues to serve us today, over three decades later."

Briggs made his mark in business teaming with Bill Ziff to build Ziff-Davis into one of the world's great publishing empires. Among its popular titles was Skiing Magazine. He parlayed his business savvy and contacts to help form a funding arm for the Team in the '70s. Until that time, the Team had been loosely organized. But the Foundation's funding and leadership helped to modernize the Team and establish a full time training center and office in Park City, Utah.

Through the '70s the Team developed as an international powerhouse led by Olympic and World Champions like Cindy Nelson, Barbara and Marilyn Cochran and Phil and Steve Mahre.

Briggs remained an honorary trustee of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team Foundation at the time of his death. He is survived by three sons, Scott, Peter and Barry, along with 11 grandchildren and one great-grandchild. His wife "Buffy" died two days earlier. A service for the two was held Nov. 3.

Friday is the last day to request tickets for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, B.C.

Ticket requests can be submitted at cosport.com or 877-457-4647. A credit card with an expiration date of February 2009 or later is required to request tickets, but no payments will be collected during this time according to the cosport.com website.

Tickets range in price from $25 to watch cross-country skiing to $1,118 for the opening ceremonies.

The ticket request period started Oct. 3, but regardless of when requests are submitted they will be considered equally when ticket sales are confirmed in December. Those who win the right to buy tickets will have their credit cards billed at that time. Tickets will not be shipped until January 2010.

If any tickets remain after requests are submitted they will go on sale on a first-come, first-served basis in February or March according to cosports.com.