LOCAL ATHLETES
- Cle Elum mogul skier Patrick Deneen was named the FIS rookie of the year and celebrated March 15 by finishing third in a race in Italy.
- Federal Way native Apolo Anton Ohno finished his season with a strong performance at the World Short Track Speed Skating Championships in South Korea. He won gold at 500 meters and overall. He also took the 1,000- meter silver and bronze at 3,000 meters. Ohno has won 18 world championship medals – six of each hue.
- Yakima’s Phil Mahre, a gold medalist in the 1984 Olympics, fell short of his goal of qualifying for this month’s U.S. Alpine Nationals. He turned down special invitations to compete because he wanted to qualify on his own.
- Crystal Mountain’s Scott Macartney finished 26th in the World Cup’s downhill standings this season despite not racing since January because of an injury. A ski team spokesman said he’s hoping to return to racing speed this summer.
- Crystal’s Libby Ludlow finished 32nd in the giant slalom and 36th in the Super G. She participated in the NorAm Finals in New York despite knee injuries.

TEAMS USA UPDATES
- March was an historic month for the U.S. Ski Team as it finished one of its best World Cup seasons ever. Bode Miller and Lindsey Vonn took the overall titles. It’s the first time U.S. men and women have swept the titles since 1983 when Yakima’s Phil Mahre and Kentucky’s Tamara McKinney won the titles. Miller also claimed the season combined title and Vonn took the downhill title in February.
- Olympic gold medalist Ted Ligety won the World Cup season giant slalom title.
- Vonn and Jimmy Cochran each won slalom and combined titles at this week’s U.S. Alpine Championships.
- Miller did not compete in the U.S. Alpine Nationals.
- Katherine Ruetter won Team USA’s only women’s medal at the speed skating world championships. She took bronze at 3,000 meters.
- The 1998 Olympic Women's Hockey Team, which won the first-ever Olympic gold medal in the sport, is one of five finalists for the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame. It’s the only winter team nominated. Its competition includes the 1992 Men’s basketball team - the original Dream Team.
- Figure skater Brian Boitano and speedskater Sheila Young Ochowicz are among the 18 individuals nominated. Fans can vote at usolympichalloffame.com.

FACILITY UPDATES
- Testing at the sliding center on Blackcomb Mountain continued this month.
- Work is expected to be completed on the Hillcrest/Nat Bailey Stadium Park, the Whistler Athlete’s Centre, the UBC Winter Sports Centre and the Richmond Oval this year.

OTHER OLYMPIC NEWS
- Some members of the Canadian cross-country team have complained that the 2010 Nordic venue is too easy according to the Vancouver Sun.
- The 2010 day-by-day competition schedule can be viewed online at blogs.thenewstribune.com/adventure.

COMING UP
- The U.S. Freestyle Championships start today in Park City, Utah.

TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets go on sale Oct. 11, 2008. Tickets.com was selected as the games’ official ticket service.

This isn't necessarily Olympic related, but we'd love to have your help:

Help us determine the best ski area in the Northwest by voting for your favorite resort, lodge food, ski run and more.

Click below to take the quick survey. Your favorites will featured in 2008-09 Ski preview sections in newspapers across the Northwest. Voters from around the region - Idaho, Washington, Oregon and B.C. - are participating so make sure your favorites are well represented.

2008-09 Snow Ride Guide Survey

Dancing with the Stars will pick its finalists tonight on ABC and Seattle speedskater Anton Apolo Ohno is still among the favorites. Ohno scored a 59 out of 60 last night, good enough for third on the judges' ballot. Apparently, he missed perfection because his Latin dance was a little too sexy. (Man, I'm clearly running short on Winter Olympic news today.)

Seattle short track speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno advanced another round in the Dancing with the Stars competition on ABC and still looks like one of the favorites to win the competition with his partner Julianne Hough.

Leeza Gibbons, a 25-year-old looking 50-year-old, was the celebrity eliminated tonight.

Hough and Ohno

Seattle speedskater Apolo Anton Ohno plans to move to Utah with the U.S. Speedskating team later this year, according to the Associated Press.
The team is moving from Colorado Springs to Salt Lake City's Olympic oval.
According to the Associated Press, Ohno made the announcement Friday with his "Dancing with the Stars" partner Julianne Hough, who lives in Sandy, Utah.

Ohno says he's excited to move to Utah.
(Photo: usolympicteam.com)

Hey, if you want to see Olympic athletes compete against the best world on Network TV, good luck. You'll get your chance every four years. But if you want to see them do something else, today is your day.

While there is no TV coverage of U.S. Nationals, you can watch Apolo Anton Ohno and Toby Dawson.

- Olympic medalist Toby Dawson, 28, will be on The Oprah Winfrey Show today to tell his facinating story about how how he's been seperated from his father, Kim Jae-su, since he was lost in a street market 25 years ago. Dawson's story was told frequently during the 2006 Olympics. He hadn't found his birth father at that point, but was recently reunited with his dad. Read more about today's show at Oprah.com.

- And in a much less touching story, find out if Apolo Anton Ohno stays among the leaders on "Dancing With the Stars" tonight on ABC.

- American singles figure skaters cracked the top five at worlds, but couldn't find a spot on the podium. Evan Lysacek was fifth and Kimmie Meissner was fourth in the women's event.

- Canada beat Denmark for the women's curling world title.

- Adam Malysz of Poland won the World Cup season ski jump title for the fourth time in a row Sunday with another victory.

- The International Skating Union says Los Angeles will not lose the 2009 World Figure Skating Championships. There was talk a TV conflict could cost the city the games. Read the AP story here.

- Shelly Robertson and Sho Kashima of Nevada capped the U.S. Freestyle Championships with dual moguls titles today.

- Bill Demong, star of U.S. Nordic team, won golds at nationals for Nordic combined and large hill ski jumping.

- Watch video of a bandana-clad Apolo Anton Ohno competing in "Dancing with the Stars" at abc.com.

Apolo Ohno, the Northwest's most reconizable Olympic athlete, will be Dancing with the Stars starting March 19.
Jerry Springer announced the cast for this season of "Dancing with the Stars" today on Good Morning America.

Other athletes in the field include former NBA star Clyde Drexler and boxer Laila Ali.