Olympic hopeful Laura Valaas of Wenatchee finished 57th at Nordic Worlds today. Here's an update from the U.S. Ski Team:

Kikkan Randall (Anchorage) led the way for the U.S., finishing 26th as the 2009 Nordic Ski World Championships kicked off with a women's 10K classic Thursday in Liberec. Aino-Kaisa Saarinen of Finland won the event.

"This race wasn't a key race for any of our women and they did really well - as well as we hoped they would do," U.S. Cross Country Head Coach Pete Vordenberg said. "It was a really good start, especially for Kikkan. It's a great sign for her fitness for the races that are coming up, which are her key races."

According to Vordenberg, Morgan Arritola's (Ketchum, ID) 40th-place finish is an indicator of things to come for the young athlete.

=> Read more!

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.

=> Read more!

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

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)*

=> Read more!

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:

=> Read more!