Torin Koos of Leavenworth made the U.S. roster again making a likely candidate to make his third Olympic team in January.

From the U.S. Ski Team:

World Championship silver medalist Kikkan Randall (Anchorage, AK), along with World Cup sprint medalist Andy Newell (Shaftsburry, VT), Kris Freeman (Andover, NH) and three-time U.S. champion Liz Stephen (East Montelier, VT) are among the athletes headlining the newly named 2010 U.S. Cross Country Ski Team.

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From the U.S. Ski Team:

Torin Koos (Leavenworth, WA) led the way for U.S. sprinters in Saturday's World Cup in Lahti, finishing 12th. Petter Northug of Norway won, sprint leader Ola Vigen Hattestad, also of Norway, was second and Nikolay Morilov of Russia took third.

"For Torin, it was a good race. Had things gone more his way, it would have been a pretty different outcome," U.S. Cross Country Coach Patrick Casey said. "He was skiing top six, but ended up getting turned around on a pretty scrappy course."

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From the U.S. Ski Team:

Kikkan Randall (Anchorage) made it to the finals in the women's race, finishing sixth in a freestyle sprint at Vadidentro, Friday. Torin Koos (Leavenworth, WA) sprinted to eighth, marking his and Randall's best finishes of the season.

"Like usual, it was a good and bad day," Cross Country Sprint Head Coach Chris Grover said.

Andy Newell was on target to have one of the fastest qualifying times of the day when he crashed on the final downhill, just 100 meters from the finish. Even though the course was one of the longest on the sprint World Cup, Newell lost crucial momentum and could not make up enough time, finishing 47th.

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From the U.S. Ski Team:

The U.S. Ski Team's Liz Stephen (East Montpelier, VT) and Leif Zimmermann (Bozeman, MT) skied their way to titles in the pursuit event during the U.S. Cross Country Distance Championships on Friday evening in Fairbanks. The events were held in the late evening twilight in Fairbanks.

The event also served as the finale of the USSA SuperTour. Russian Ivan Babikov took the win, with Zimmermann the top American in fourth to grab his third U.S. Championship gold of the season. Zimmermann was a double winner at the U.S. Cross Country Championships in Houghton, MI in January.

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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.

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Just in from the U.S. Ski Team:

Andy Newell (Shaftsbury, VT), who ended a two-decade World Cup podium drought for U.S. skiers in 2006, showed Sunday he was ready for the upcoming World Cup season by dominating the final loop to capture Mora's annual Oktobersprint despite sluggish, slow snow conditions.

Teammate Torin Koos (Leavenworth, WA) led the quarterfinal and semifinal heats of the classic technique race, but Newell took charge on the final uphill and breezed to victory over the last few hundred meters; Koos finished fourth. It was a 1,200-meter course over snow which had been stockpiled last winter and then covered with wood chips to preserve it through the summer.

Here's the latest on the 2010 games:

LOCAL ATHLETES
- Two-time Olympian Torin Koos, 27, of Leavenworth was named to the U.S. cross country team again on July 12.
- Laura Valaas, 23, of Wenatchee was named to the cross country B team.

TEAMS USA UPDATES
-The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association broke ground July 16 in Park City, Utah, on its $22.5 million Center of Excellence. The training facility should be complete by 2009.
- Bill Demong and Johnny Spilane, medalists at the world championships, were named to the Nordic combined team July 13.
- Skiing aerialist Kate Reed, 23, of Colorado retired July 12 after nine years on the U.S. Ski Team. She narrowly missed the 2006 Olympic team.
- Gretchen Bleiler of Colorado and Scott Lago of New Hampshire won the Abominable Snow Jam on Mount Hood on July 10-11.
- Lindsey Van of Utah, winner of three Continental Cup events last season, headlined the 2008 ski jump team roster when it was announced July 10.

FACILITY UPDATES
- At it’s July 18 meeting, The Vancouver Organizing Committee announced construction is on schedule in Whistler despite slow snow melt.
- At the same meeting, VANOC was authorized to award and finalize a contract for the design services and construction of foundation work for the Whistler Athletes' Center lodge and town homes.
- The first prefabricated portion of the ski jump was delivered to Whistler this month.
- Grading for the halfpipe at Cypress Mountain is underway.

OTHER OLYMPIC NEWS
- VANOC announced it was still on budget when it hosted the International Olympic Committee on July 5.
- Sochi, Russia, was named host of the 2014 Olympics at the IOC’s meeting in Guatemala City on July 4.

COMING UP
- The next meeting of VANOC directors is Sept. 19.

TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets for the 2010 Winter Olympics do not go on sale until 2008. Ticket sale information will be announced this fall. To receive an e-mail notification when tickets go on sale, sign up vancouver2010.com.

Once again Laura Valaas of Wenatchee and two-time Olympian Torin Koos of Leavenworth are on the U.S. Cross Country Ski Team. Got this release from the team this morning:

PARK CITY, Utah (July 12) - World Cup podium performers Andy Newell (Shaftsbury, VT), Torin Koos (Leavenworth, WA) and Kikkan Randall (Anchorage, AK) lead a 16-member U.S. Cross Country Ski Team named for the 2008 season.
The Team of six men and 10 women includes eight Olympians, U.S. Nordic Director Luke Bodensteiner said. It's the largest cross country squad since the 18-member Team named for the 1992 Olympic season.
Newell posted the first U.S. podium in 23 years after the 2006 Olympics in Torino, finishing third in the first World Cup race in China and ended the 2007 season sixth in World Cup sprint standings. Randall tore over an icy, sprint course in Russia last January for the first World Cup podium by a U.S. woman and Koos was third the next weekend in Estonia. Together, they marked the first time since 1984 that the U.S. Ski Team had three podium athletes in cross country.
"We have a dedicated group of talented athletes, and we feel we're on the right path as we continue to prepare for the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver," Bodensteiner said. "We've been predominantly a men's team for several years, and Andy and Torin as well Kris Freeman [Andover, NH] and Chris Cook [Rhinelander, WI], have given us some outstanding results, but now we're seeing that dynamic change a bit.
"Even our rookies are performing..."
"We have more women on the Team than men now, and every one of these athletes has had strong international results at their level. Kikkan, of course, had the first World Cup top-3 for an American woman in cross country last season and we had strong results at the U-23s [Under-23 World Championships] and Junior Worlds...so even our rookies are performing at a high level."

The 2008 U.S. Cross Country Ski Team
(* indicates Olympian):
A Team
Chris Cook (6/15/80; Rhinelander, WI; Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation)*
Kris Freeman (10/14/80; Andover, NH; Andover Outing Club)*
Torin Koos (7/19/80; Leavenworth, WA; Leavenworth Winter Sports Club)*
Andy Newell (11/30/83; Shaftsbury, VT; Stratton Mountain School)*
Kikkan Randall (12/31/82; Anchorage, AK; Alaska Pacific University Nordic)*
B Team
Morgan Arritola (5/13/86; Fairfield, ID; Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation)
Rosie Brennan (12/2/88; Park City, UT; National Sports Foundation)
Lindsey Weier Dehlin (7/2/84; Mahtomedi, MN; Northern Michigan University)*
Matt Gelso (7/18/88; Truckee, CA; Auburn Ski Club/University of Colorado)
Taz Mannix (6/14/86; Talkeetna, AK; Alaska Pacific University Nordic)
Morgan Smith (2/10/86; Vernon, VT; Northern Michigan University)
Liz Stephen (1/12/87; East Montpelier, VT; Burke Mountain Academy)
Alexa Turzian (8/13/88; Sun Valley, ID; Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation)
Laura Valaas (3/2/84; Wenatchee, WA; Alaska Pacific University Nordic)
Lindsay Williams (6/16/84; Hastings, MN; Northern Michigan University)*
Leif Zimmermann (10/3/83; Bozeman, MT; Bridger Nordic)*

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From U.S. Ski Team:
Wenatchee's Laura Valaas took silver yesterday in the under-23 cross country championships in Italy.
Read the US Ski Team release here.
Valaas led three Americans in the top 13.

In Today's action, Andy Newell of Vermont finished 12th in a World Cup race in Oslo. Leavenworth's Torin Koos made the quarterfinals.

FROM US NORDIC TEAM:
Andy Newell of Vermont earned the best U.S. sprint finish at the Worlds or Olympic level Thursday night, finishing fifth in the 1.4K classic technique to open the 2007 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships.

Torin Koos of Leavenworth was the second best American, finishing 22nd. Laura Valaa of Wenatchee was 24th in the women's race.

Newell celebrates after the race with his parents. (Photo: usskiing.com)

Result below:

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