Monthly Archives: March 2014

Alpine Skiing, Cross-Country Skiing, Curling, FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup, FIS Cross-Country World Cup, FIS Freestyle Ski World Cup, FIS Snowboard World Cup, Freestyle Skiing, Snowboarding, The Melting Pot, World Championships

The Melting Pot: Mikaela Shiffrin and Ted Ligety Both Win Gold and Season Titles In Alpine Skiing World Cup

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World Women’s Curling Championships – Montreal, Canada

The World Women’s Curling Championships start on Saturday and the US is one of 12 nations represented. The US team is not the same one that competed in the Olympics which may or may not be a good thing. This team is skipped by Allison Pottinger (the alternate on the Olympic team who was never used) with Nicole Joraanstad as third, Natalie Nicholson as second and Tabitha Peterson as lead. Tara Peterson is their alternate.

They start play with China on Saturday. China won the 2013 Pacific-Asia Curling Championships and were 11th at the 2012 World Women’s Championships and 7th in the Olympics.

Schedule:

  • March 15th
    • 6:30 PM ET – USA vs. China

Snowboard World Cup – La Molina, Spain

The Snowboard World Cup wrapped up the 2013-14 season on Saturday in La Molina, Spain with the finals of snowboard cross. Lindsey Jacobellis was the only US woman competing and she won both her quarterfinal and semifinal heats to advance to the big final. In the big final she placed second to grab silver in her final event of the season. She also finished second in the season standings. In the men’s event Mick Dierdorff, Nick Baumgartner, and Hagen Kearney all advanced from the 1/8 finals while Jonathan Cheever was fourth in his heat and didn’t advance. In the quarterfinals Dierdorff and Kearney were in the same heat with only Dierdorff moving on after he finished second and Kearney fourth in the heat. Baumgartner was also eliminated after placing fourth. Dierdorff missed out on spot in the big final after finishing third in his semifinal heat but did win the small final to secure a fifth place finish to wrap up the year. Baumgartner was the top finisher for the US in the season standings as he placed 14th.

Alpine Skiing World Cup – Lenzerheide, Switzerland

The Alpine Skiing World Cup is at its final stop in Lenzerheide, Switzerland and the US has as good a day as you can on Saturday. Ted Ligety took first in the men’s giant slalom edging out the second place finisher by 0.03 seconds. The US also placed Tim Jitloff in 14th and Bode Miller in 15th. In the women’s slalom event Mikaela Shiffrin was the only one representing the US but they didn’t need anyone else. Shiffrin smoked the field on run one by over one and a half seconds and even a tenth best run on the second was enough to win her the title by 1.44 seconds.

Ligety’s win, his fifth of the year in the giant slalom, gave him the season long title on a tiebreaker of most wins. Ligety would have wrapped up the title a while ago but only competed in six of the eight events this year. Shiffrin also won her fifth event of the year but she had clinched the season title last week.

Sunday will be the men’s slalom and the women’s giant slalom events. I’ll have an update on who will start those events for the US later today.

Schedule:

  • March 16th
    • 4 AM ET – Men’s Slalom Run 1
    • 5 AM ET – Women’s Giant Slalom Run 1
    • 6:30 AM ET – Men’s Slalom Run 2
    • 7:30 AM ET – Women’s Giant Slalom Run 2

Cross-Country Skiing World Cup Finals – Falun, Sweden

The second day of the Cross-Country Skiing World Cup Finals featured the skiathlon events. On the women’s side Elizabeth Stephen was the top finisher for the US in 15th about two minutes behind the winner. Kikkan Randall followed her in 20th with Sadie Bjornsen right behind her in 21st. The US also had Jessica Diggins in 36th, Ida Sargent in 37th, Caitlin Gregg in 40th, and Sophie Caldwell 41st.

In the men’s sprint event Noah Hoffman was the top American as he finished 18th. Reese Hanneman was 38th and Andrew Newell 39th to round out the field for the US.

The 2013-14 World Cup season wraps up with the pursuit events on Sunday. I’ll have more info on who will represent the US when the start lists are published.

Schedule:

  • March 16th
    • 8:30 AM ET – Women’s 10 km Free Pursuit
    • 11 AM ET – Men’s 15km Free Pursuit

Freestyle Skiing World Cup – Moguls – Voss-Myrkdalen, Norway

The final moguls event of the Freestyle Skiing World Cup was Saturday in Voss-Myrkdalen, Norway on Saturday. Heather McPhie, Hannah Kearney, Ali Kariotis, and Eliza Outtrim all advanced from qualifying for the US. Keaton McCargo was one spot short in 17th, 0.15 points short, while Sophie Schwartz did not start the event. Only Kearney advanced from the first round of the finals as Outtrim and McPhie just missed out in seventh and eighth both within 0.3 points of advancing in sixth. Kariotis was further back in 13th. In the final Kearney finished third in a tight battle for the top that saw her just a 0.48 points back of first and 0.15 points behind second.

On the men’s side Patrick Deneen and Troy Murphy were the only two Americans to advance from qualifying. Bradley Wilson was just outside in 17th, 0.04 points back of 16th, with Dylan Walczyk 19th, Jeremy Cota 23rd, Bryon Wilson 25th and Joseph Discoe 31st. Murphy had a rough run on his first final run and was eliminated in 15th while Deneen advanced in fifth. In the second final Deneen finished third to grab the bronze.

There will be a dual moguls event on Sunday with qualifying to start things off. I’ll have coverage of which Americans are in the field later today once the start lists are revealed.

Schedule:

  • March 16th
    • 3:15 AM ET – Women’s Dual Moguls Qualifying
    • 4:45 AM ET – Men’s Dual Moguls Qualifying
    • 7 AM ET – Women’s Dual Moguls Round of 16
    • 7:12 AM ET – Men’s Dual Moguls Round of 16
    • 7:24 AM ET – Women’s Dual Moguls Quarterfinals
    • 7:32 AM ET – Men’s Dual Moguls Quarterfinals
    • 7:40 AM ET – Women’s Dual Moguls Semifinals
    • 7:48 AM ET – Men’s Dual Moguls Semifinals
    • 7:59 AM ET – Women’s Dual Moguls Finals
    • 8:07 AM ET – Men’s Dual Moguls Finals
FIS Freestyle Ski World Cup, FIS Ski Jumping World Cup, Freestyle Skiing, Short Track Speed Skating, Short Track World Championships, Ski Jumping, The Melting Pot

The Melting Pot: Jessica Jerome Set for Women’s Ski Jumping World Cup This Weekend, No US Medals On First Day at Short Track World Championships

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Short Track Speed Skating World Championships – Montreal, Canada

The Short Track Speed Skating World Championships started today in Montreal with the US looking to rebound from a disappointing Olympics. In the women’s 1500m both Jessica Smith and Emily Scott moved on from their heats before Scott was eliminated in the semifinals after coming fourth in her heat. Smith made the final where she finished sixth.

In the men’s 1500m J.R. Celski and Chris Creveling both emerged from the heats easily but suffered disappointment in the semifinals. Creveling fell and finished a half minute behind the pack in his heat while Celski was in the pack but finished fourth in his heat, denying the US a berth in the final.

In the women’s 3000m relay the US team of Alyson Dudek, Jessica Smith, Emily Scott, and Brittany Salmon finished fourth, missing a spot in the final by over six seconds.

Smith and Scott will compete again in the women’s 500m on Saturday with Celski and Creveling in the men’s 500m. The men’s 5000m relay team will also take part in the semifinals.

Schedule:

  • March 15th
    • Women’s 500m
      • 12:35 PM ET – Preliminaries
        • Jessica Smith
        • Emily Scott
      • 2:15 PM ET – Heats
      • 3:03 PM ET – Quarterfinals
      • 3:40 PM ET – Semifinals
      • 4:07 PM ET – Final
    • Men’s 500m
      • 1:17 PM ET – Preliminaries
        • J.R. Celski
        • Chris Creveling
      • 2:32 PM ET – Heats
      • 3:14 PM ET – Quarterfinals
      • 3:46 PM ET – Semifinals
      • 4:13 PM ET – Final
    • Men’s 5000m Relay
      • 4:34 PM ET – Semifinals
        • USA Team

Freestyle Skiing World Cup – Moguls – Voss-Myrkdalen, Norway

The final moguls event of the Freestyle Skiing World Cup season is in Voss-Myrkdalen, Norway on Saturday. Qualification and the final rounds will all be held on the same day with 13 competitors from the US. Heather McPhie, Hannah Kearney, and Eliza Outtrim are the biggest names on the women’s side with Patrick Deneen, Bradley Wilson, and Bryon Wilson as big names on the men’s side.

Schedule:

  • March 15th
    • 4:45 AM ET – Women’s Moguls Qualifying
      • Ali Kariotis
      • Heather McPhie
      • Hannah Kearney
      • Keaton McCargo
      • Eliza Outtrim
      • Sophia Schwartz
    • 6:35 AM ET – Men’s Moguls Qualifying
      • Patrick Deneen
      • Troy Murphy
      • Jeremy Cota
      • Joseph Discoe
      • Bryon Wilson
      • Bradley Wilson
      • Dylan Walczyk
    • 7:30 AM ET – Women’s Moguls Final 1 (Top 16)
    • 7:55 AM ET – Men’s Moguls Final 1 (Top 16)
    • 8:25 AM ET – Women’s Moguls Final 2 (Top 6)
    • 8:35 AM ET – Men’s Moguls Final  (Top 6)

Women’s Ski Jumping World Cup – Falun, Sweden

The women are in Falun, Sweden this weekend for their second to last Ski Jumping World Cup event. There will be two separate events this weekend with the first one on Saturday. Jessica Jerome is the only one representing the US in the event.

Schedule:

  • March 15th
    • 9:15 AM ET – First Round/Final Round
      • Jessica Jerome
Cross-Country Skiing, FIS Cross-Country World Cup, FIS Freestyle Ski World Cup, Freestyle Skiing, ISU World Cup, Speed Skating, The Melting Pot

The Melting Pot: Shani Davis Second in the 1000m at World Cup Final, Kikkan Randall Fourth in Sprint at World Cup Final

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Cross-Country Skiing World Cup Finals – Falun, Sweden

The first day of the Cross-Country Skiing World Cup Finals saw some good finishes for the US skiers. On the women’s side Kikkan Randall and Sophie Caldwell both made the final of the women’s sprint event. Randall finished fourth and Caldwell sixth. Sadie Bjornsen also had a strong day as she made the quarterfinals and but missed out on the next round by one spot. Ida Sargent also made the quarterfinals while Jessica Diggins just missed out when she finished with the 34th best qualifying time and only the top 30 moved on. The final two Americans were Elizabeth Stephen in 44th and Caitlin Gregg in 48th.

In the men’s sprint event Andrew Newell made the semifinals before missing out on the final by less than than 0.4 seconds. He was the only American man to move on from qualifying after Reese Hanneman came up one spot short in 31st (0.45 seconds behind) and Noah Hoffman finished 46th.

Tomorrow is the skiathlon (half classic style half free style) with the same competitors as today for the US traveling a much longer distance, though only once.

Schedule:

  • March 15th
    • 5:30 AM ET – Women’s Skiathlon (7.5km Classic/7.5km Free)
      • Kikkan Randall
      • Sophie Caldwell
      • Sadie Bjornsen
      • Ida Sargent
      • Jessica Diggins
      • Elizabeth Stephen
      • Caitlin Gregg
    • 8:15 AM ET – Men’s  Skiathlon (15km Classic/15km Free)
      • Andrew Newell
      • Reese Hanneman
      • Noah Hoffman

Freestyle Skiing World Cup – Ski Cross – Are, Sweden

Things were supposed to get underway at the final ski cross event of the year with the qualification round on Friday but the weather didn’t cooperate so we’re stuck with everything happening in the next two days. Saturday will feature both the qualification round and the elimination rounds. John Teller and Joe Swensson are in the field for the US.

Schedule:

  • March 15th
    • 7:30 AM ET – Men’s Ski Cross Qualifying
      • John Teller
      • Joe Swensson
    • 10:20 AM ET – Men’s Ski Cross Round of 32
    • 10:52 AM ET – Men’s Ski Cross Quarterfinals
    • 11:12 AM ET – Men’s Ski Cross Semifinals
    • 11:29 AM ET – Men’s Ski Cross Final

Speed Skating World Cup Final – Heerenveen, Netherlands

The Speed Skating World Cup Final started on Friday. In the women’s 1500m Brittany Bowe finished 5th and got nipped for second in the season standings as she finished third for the year.

In the men’s 1000m Shani Davis finished second by 0.22 seconds with Brian Hansen in eighth and Mitchell Whitmore in 11th. Davis won the season long title with Hansen in sixth and Whitmore 12th.

Finally in the women’s mass start Maria Lamb finished seventh while Patrick Meek was seventh in the men’s event for the US.

Saturday will see things continue with six individuals skating for the US and the men’s team pursuit event.

  • March 15th
    • 10:22 AM ET – Men’s 1500m Division A
      • Brian Hansen
      • Shani Davis
    • 11:18 AM ET – Women’s 500m Division A (Race 1 of 2)
      • Brittany Bowe
      • Heather Richardson
    • 11:41 AM ET – Men’s 500m Division A (Race 1 of 2)
      • Mitchell Whitmore
      • Tucker Fredricks
    • 12:29 PM ET – Men’s Team Pursuit
      • Brian Hansen, Patrick Meek, Mitchell Whitmore
Alpine Skiing, FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup, FIS Nordic Combined World Cup, Nordic Combined, Paralympics, Sochi 2014, The Melting Pot

The Melting Pot: US Wins Eight More Paralympic Medals, Newly 19-Year Old Mikaela Shiffrin Set For Final Slalom Event of Year

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Alpine Skiing World Cup – Lenzerheide, Switzerland

The start lists are in for the Alpine Skiing World Cup events for Saturday. Mikaela Shiffrin is the lone US representative in the women’s slalom but she is the favorite every time they hold this event and has already won the season title. In the men’s giant slalom Ted Ligety won the last event held and will be joined in the field by Bode Miller and Tim Jitloff.

Schedule:

  • March 15th
    • 4 AM ET – Women’s Slalom Run 1
      • Mikaela Shiffrin
    • 5 AM ET – Men’s Giant Slalom Run 1
      • Ted Ligety
      • Bode Miller
      • Tim Jitloff
    • 6:30 AM ET – Women’s Slalom Run 2
    • 7:30 AM ET – Men’s Giant Slalom Run 2

Nordic Combined World Cup – Falun, Sweden

The Nordic Combined World Cup is holding their final team event of the year in Falun, Sweden on Saturday. The US is one of 12 countries in the event which will feature teams of four. The US is always strong in the cross-country portion so a strong ski jumping round is what they need to be relevant. Taylor Fletcher will jump first followed by Brett Denney, Nick Hendrickson, and Bryan Fletcher.

Schedule:

  • March 15th
    • 6 AM ET – Team Ski Jumping Round
      • Taylor Fletcher
      • Brett Denney
      • Nick Hendrickson
      • Bryan Fletcher
    • 10:45 AM ET – Team 4x5km Cross-Country Round

2014 Winter Paralympics – Sochi, Russia

The US was very strong at the Paralympics on Friday winning eight medals! The US won a medal in the women’s para snowboard cross when Amy Purdy finished third. Cristina Albert finished fourth for the US and Heidi Jo Duce was fifth to give the US three of the top five. Nicole Roundy finished eighth and Megan Harmon tenth as the US had half of the top ten. In the men’s para snowboard cross the US swept the medal stand! It was Evan Strong barely edging out Michael Shea for gold. The margin was just 0.57 seconds over two runs. Keith Gabel took bronze for the US. The other two US competitors in the field were Tyler Burdick who finished eighth and Daniel Monzo who was 18th.

The 15km men’s biathlon sitting division was stacked with US competitors, but none medaled with Andrew Soule coming closest in fourth, 6.4 seconds behind bronze. Daniel Cnossen was tenth with Sean Halsted 11th as they finished three seconds apart. Jeremy Wagner was 18th, Aaron Pike 19th, and Travis Dodson 21st to round things out for the US. In the standing division Omar Bermejo was 17th while in the visually impaired event Kevin Burton was 12th.

In the women’s super combined Danelle Umstead finished third in the visually impaired division and Stephanie Jallen was third in the standing division to give the US two more medals. Jallen beat out teammate Allison Jones for bronze as Jones finished fourth in the standing division.

In the men’s super combined Mark Bathum was second in the visually impaired division, James Stanton was 13th in the standing division, and Heath Calhoun grabbed a silver for the US in the sitting division.

On Saturday the men will be taking to the slopes for the giant slalom with 11 American men competing. Cross-country skiing will be holding the 4×2.5km mixed relay and the 4×2.5km open relay. I don’t know if the Americans will be involved, no start list is online yet. The cross-country skiing will be on NBCSN live from 3:30-5:30 AM ET.

Finally and perhaps most excitingly Saturday is the ice sledge hockey final. The US is getting a chance for revenge against Russia. The final will be shown LIVE on NBC starting at 12 PM ET.

Schedule:

  • March 15th
    • 1:30 AM ET – Men’s Alpine Skiing – Giant Slalom – Run 1 – Visually Impaired
      • Mark Bathum
    • 1:55 AM ET – Men’s Alpine Skiing – Giant Slalom – Run 1 – Standing
      • James Stanton
      • Ralph Green
      • Jonathan Lujan
      • Joel Hunt
      • Tyler Carter
    • 2 AM ET – Cross-Country Skiing – 4×2.5km Mixed Relay
    • 2:45 AM ET – Men’s Alpine Skiing – Giant Slalom – Run 1 – Sitting
      • Christopher Devlin-Young
      • Heath Calhoun
      • Jasmin Bambur
      • Stephen Lawler
      • Scott Meyer
    • 4 AM ET – Cross-Country Skiing – 4×2.5km Open Relay
    • 5:30 AM ET – Men’s Alpine Skiing – Giant Slalom – Run 2 – Visually Impaired
    • 5:50 AM ET – Men’s Alpine Skiing – Giant Slalom – Run 2 – Standing
    • 6:25 AM ET – Men’s Alpine Skiing – Giant Slalom – Run 2 – Sitting
    • 12 PM ET – Ice Sledge Hockey – Gold Medal Match – USA vs. Russia
ATP Tour, Tennis, WTA Tour

Sloane Stephens Bounced at BNP Paribas Open, Bob and Mike Bryan Win Battle of Americans to Advance to Men’s Doubles Final

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Previous BNP Paribas Open Coverage

Women’s Singles

Womens Singles - 3-14-14

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#17 Sloane Stephens saw her time in Indian Wells come to and end against #20 Flavia Pennetta Thursday. Pennetta took sets one and three 6-4 while Stephens did mange to nip the second set 7-5. As usual Stephens was fairly inconsistent in the match and at times looked like she’d get routed and would also come back to win easily. Sloane will now look forward to the Sony Open starting next week and another chance at a big tournament, though at this point we are all waiting for her first tournament win more than a semifinal run.

Men’s Singles

Mens Singles - 3-14-14

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#12 John Isner takes on #20 Ernests Gulbis on Friday with a chance to move into the semifinals. Gulbis leads 2-1 all-time with the two splitting a pair of meetings last season.

Men’s Doubles

Mens Doubles - 3-14-14

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In the men’s doubles semifinals John Isner/Sam Querrey put up a great fight against #1 Bob Bryan/Mike Bryan before eventually falling 6-7 (4), 6-1, 10-7. The Bryans move into the Saturday final where they await the winner of today’s second men’s semifinal.

Broadcasting Information:

The Isner match will be on Tennis Channel with ESPN3.com also having a live stream of the match.

Schedule:

  • March 14th – Tennis Channel – 6:30-11:30 PM ET
    • Men’s Quarterfinals
      • Approx. 6:45 PM ET – #12 John Isner vs. #20 Ernests Gulbis – ESPN3.com
Bobsleigh, Olympics, Recaps, Sochi 2014

Sochi 2014 Bobsleigh Recap: Another Successful Olympics, Bobsleigh At It’s Best in 60 Years

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The US hadn’t won four medals in bobsleigh since 1932. Back then it required winning medals by both of the two-man teams and both of the four-man teams, but of course the field was smaller and the event less developed. They duplicated that number in 2014 by winning medals in all three events and two in the two-woman.

Two-man

Two-man

The US team of Steve Holcomb and Steven Langton finished third in Sochi, the only US team in the top ten. It was the first medal for the US in the two-man since 1952! Cory Butner and Christopher Fogt finished 12th with Nick Cunningham and Dallas Robinson placing 13th.

Two-man Yearly Best

Four-man

Four-man

The US had one four man team in the medals and one outside the top ten. Christopher Fogt, Steve Holcomb, Steven Langton, and Curtis Tomasevicz finished third. It was the third straight Olympics with a medal for the US, the first time they’ve done that since 1948-1956. Nick Cunningham, Justin Olsen, Johnny Quinn, and Dallas Robinson finished 12th.

Four-man Yearly Best

Two-woman

Two-woman

 In the newer two-woman event the US had two teams medal. Elana Meyers and Lauryn Williams just missed out on gold (by a tenth of a second) and finished second. Aja Evans and Jamie Greubel finished third and took the bronze. Jazmine Fenlator and Lolo Jones finished 11th. The US has now medaled in all four Olympics but this was the first they’ve double medaled.

Two-woman Yearly Best

Previous Olympic Recaps

Speed Skating
Snowboarding
Biathlon
Alpine Skiing
Short Track Speed Skating
Freestyle Skiing
Curling
Nordic Combined
Figure Skating
Ski Jumping
Skeleton
Luge

Alpine Skiing, Biathlon, Biathlon World Cup, FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup, FIS Nordic Combined World Cup, FIS Ski Flying World Championships, FIS Snowboard World Cup, Nordic Combined, Ski Jumping, Snowboarding, The Melting Pot

The Melting Pot: Americans Winning Medals in Alpine Skiing World Cup, Qualifying Well at Snowboard World Cup

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Biathlon World Cup – Kontiolahti, Finland

The Biathlon World Cup had a men’s 10km sprint race and a women’s 7.5km sprint race on Thursday. The top American man in the 10km sprint was Lowell Bailey who finished 29th, 1:29.1 behind the winner. Tim Burke was 35th in the event, 1:32.3 back, while Leif Nordgren was 55th, 2:21.5 back.

In the women’s 7.5km sprint Hannah Dreissigacker and Susan Dunklee went 28th-29th with Dreissigacker about four seconds ahead. Dunklee was 29th and within 1:39 of the winner despite missing four targets. Annelies Cook finished 75th with Sara Studebaker in 80th.

The same athletes who competed on Thursday will compete in another set of sprint races on Saturday. Same distances, 10km for the men and 7.5km for the women, and a chance to rebound quickly from any disappointment on Thursday.

Schedule:

  • March 15th
    • 6:15 AM ET – Men’s 10km Sprint
      • Lowell Bailey
      • Tim Burke
      • Leif Nordgren
    • 8:45 AM ET – Women’s 7.5km Sprint
      • Hannah Dreissigacker
      • Susan Dunklee
      • Annelies Cook
      • Sara Studebaker

Ski Flying World Championships – Harrachov, Czech Republic

The US stay at the Ski Flying World Championships was not a long one. Anders Johnson finished 33rd and Nicholas Fairall 38th in the qualifying round where only the top 30 moved on. Johnson scored a 109.8 which was still well behind the 30th place score of 129.3. Fairall scored a 73.2.

Attention will turn back to the Ski Jumping World Cup where the final stop is set for Planica, Slovakia starting next Thursday. There will be two individual men’s events and a team event in Planica.

Alpine Skiing World Cup – Lenzerheide, Switzerland

The Alpine Skiing World Cup is at its final stop in Lenzerheide, Switzerland and the action has been going on for several days. The downhill events were held on Wednesday and the US grabbed a medal as Ted Lilly finished in a tie for second in the men’s downhill, just 11 hundredths of a second behind the winner. Travis Ganong followed with a strong sixth, 0.52 seconds back and Bode Miller was eighth, 0.62 seconds back. In the women’s downhill Julia Mancuso finished 10th, 1.34 seconds back, while Stacey Cook was 18th and nearly three seconds behind the winner.

The US medaled again on Thursday when the super-g events were held. It came on the men’s side as Bode Miller finished third, 0.57 seconds back. Ted Ligety did well again with a fifth place finish, 1.09 seconds back, while Travis Ganong was ninth and Andrew Weibrecht took a DNF. There were three US women in the women’s super-g and they all finished in a narrow window. Julia Mancuso led the way in tenth, 2.2 seconds back, with Stacey Cook two tenths of a second behind her in 11th and Leanne Smith about a second back in 14th.

Friday was the team event with the US represented by Julia Mancuso, David Chodounsky, Mikaela Shiffrin, and Tim Jitloff. The event involves a series of four head-to-head races between two countries with the team that wins more of the races advancing. Every matchup in the event ended tied two-to-two and went to the tiebreaker of the fastest combined time of the best men’s run and best women’s run in that series. The US won the first two tiebreakers against France (by 1.02 seconds) and against Austria (by 0.39 seconds) to advance to the final. In the final they lost to Switzerland by 0.14 seconds.

Saturday will be the men’s giant slalom and the women’s slalom events. I’ll have an update on who will start those events for the US later on Friday.

Schedule:

  • March 15th
    • 3 AM ET – Women’s Slalom Run 1
    • 4 AM ET – Men’s Giant Slalom Run 1
    • 5:30 AM ET – Women’s Slalom Run 2
    • 6:30 AM ET – Men’s Giant Slalom Run 2

Nordic Combined World Cup – Falun, Sweden

The Nordic Combined World Cup is at the final stop in Falun, Sweden and set to host a team and an individual event there this weekend. Friday was the provisional competition round with four American vying for spots in the main event. Two of them made it: Taylor Fletcher in 24th and Bryan Fletcher in 44th. Brett Denney came oh so close with a 51st place finish and missed out on the 50th spot by 0.4 points. Nick Hendrickson was further off the pace in 62nd and missed out by 7.6 points.

There aren’t any details on which teams will compete on Saturday yet but I would assume the US will be represented. I’ll have a further update on that later in the day.

Schedule:

  • March 15th
    • 6 AM ET – Team Ski Jumping Round
    • 10:45 AM ET – Team 4x5km Cross-Country Round

Snowboard World Cup – La Molina, Spain

The Snowboard World Cup is at the final stop in Lo Molina, Spain where a snowboard cross competition in underway. In the qualifying runs on Friday American Lindsey Jacobellis was the fastest and will have the #1 seed for the knockout rounds tomorrow. In the men’s event Mick Dierdorff was fourth, Nick Baumgartner tenth, Hagen Kearney 12th, and Jonathan Cheever 15th as they all qualified after the first run. Ross Andrews was the only other American in the field and he failed to qualify after finishing 40th.

Schedule:

  • March 15th
    • 5:30 AM ET – Men’s Finals
      • Nick Baumgartner
      • Jonathan Cheever
      • Hagen Kearney
      • Mick Dierdorff
    • 5:30 AM ET – Women’s Finals
      • Lindsey Jacobellis
FIS Freestyle Ski World Cup, Freestyle Skiing, ISU World Cup, Short Track Speed Skating, Short Track World Championships, Speed Skating, The Melting Pot

The Melting Pot: Short Track Speed Skating World Championships and Speed Skating World Cup Finals This Weekend

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Lots of World Cup action this weekend as the seasons continue to head quickly towards their wrap ups.

Freestyle Skiing World Cup – Are, Sweden – Ski Cross

The Freestyle Skiing World Cup hold a ski cross event for the second straight weekend with this one in Are, Sweden. Last weekend John Teller advanced from qualifying in 19th but was knocked out in the next round. He, along with Joe Swensson, will get things underway with qualification today.

Schedule:

  • March 14th
    • 9:30 AM ET – Men’s Ski Cross Qualifying
      • John Teller
      • Joe Swensson

Short Track Speed Skating World Championships – Montreal, Canada

Today is the start of the Short Track Speed Skating World Championships with the women’s and men’s 1500m events to be held as well as the semifinals of the women’s 3000m relay. The US is looking to rebound after a poor Olympics and could have a really nice end to the year with some success in Montreal. The US will have Jessica Smith and Emily Scott in the women’s 1500m with J.R. Celski and Chris Creveling in the men’s 1500m. I’m not sure who will be on the team for the women’s relay.

Schedule:

  • March 14th
    • Women’s 1500m
      • 12 PM ET – Heats
        • Jessica Smith
        • Emily Scott
      • 1:31 PM ET – Semifinals
      • 2:18 PM ET – Final
    • Men’s 1500m
      • 12:31 PM ET – Heats
        • J.R. Celski
        • Chris Creveling
      • 1:47 PM ET – Semifinals
      • 2:26 PM ET – Final
    • Women’s 3000m Relay
      • 2:49 PM ET – Semifinals
        • USA Team

Speed Skating World Cup Final – Heerenveen, Netherlands

The Speed Skating World Cup Final gets underway with races in the women’s 1500m, men’s 1000m, and both men’s and women’s mass start events. Brittany Bowe will compete for the US in the women’s 1500m and sits in second in the season standings, 66 points behind the leader. The gap is probably too large to make up but Bowe has a good shot at finishing second in the season standings.

In the men’s 1000m Shani Davis has already locked up the title but Brian Hansen is sitting in third with an outside shot at jumping into second. Mitchell Whitmore will also be in the field for the US and sits 13th in the season standings and could make a move into the top 10 with a big result.

The mass start events were held for the first time this year last weekend. Maria Lamb finished seventh in the women’s event while Patrick Meek and Brian Hansen went fifth and sixth for the US.

Schedule:

  • March 14th
    • 11:15 AM ET – Women’s 1500m Division A
      • Brittany Bowe
    • 12:12 PM ET – Men’s 1000m Division A
      • Mitchell Whitmore
      • Brian Hansen
      • Shani Davis
    • 1:05 PM ET – Women’s Mass Start
      • Maria Lamb
    • 1:20 PM ET – Men’s Mass Start
      • Patrick Meek
      • Brian Hansen
Paralympics, Sochi 2014

US Coming Close to Medals in Sochi Paralympics, Ice Sledge Hockey Into Gold Medal Match vs. Russia

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Previous 2014 Sochi Winter Paralympics Coverage

The US has won just a single medal in the last three days at the Sochi Paralympics, but several athletes have come very close for the US.

Wheelchair Curling

Round Robin #6Round Robin #7

Round Robin #8Round Robin #9

The US wheelchair curling team got hot winning three straight games in Sochi and nearly won their final game to qualify for the semifinals. Unfortunately up 6-2 in the 7th end they gave up a five spot to Great Britain. They rallied in the 8th end to force it to an extra end where Great Britain won and ended the US’ chances in Sochi. They finished 5th at 4-5.

Round Robin Standings - 3-13-14

Alpine Skiing – Men’s Combined

Mens Combined - SittingMens Combined - Standing Mens Combined - Visually Impaired

Only the first part of the men’s combined, the downhill, could be run on Tuesday. Mark Bathum in fifth in the visually impaired event and Health Calhoun in fourth in the sitting event both seem to be medal threats. James Stanton sits 15th in the standing event.

Alpine Skiing – Women’s Combined

Womens Combined - Visually Impaired Womens Combined - Standing Womens Combined - Sitting

The women’s super combined was also limited to just the first half on Tuesday. There are medal threats in all three events. Laurie Stephens sits fifth in the sitting while Danelle Umstead is third in the visually impaired. In the standing the US has Stephanie Jallen in third and Allison Jones in fifth.

Alpine Skiing – Men’s Slalom

Mens Slalom - SittingMens Slalom - Standing Mens Slalom - Visually Impaired

In the men’s slalom event the US only had one man in the top five (Mark Bathum, 4th in the visually impaired) and one more in the top ten (Gerald Hayden, 8th in the sitting). The top finisher in the standing event was Ralph Green in 17th.

Alpine Skiing – Women’s Slalom

Womens Slalom - SittingWomens Slalom - Standing Womens Slalom - Visually Impaired

In the women’s slalom the US came close to a medal in two divisions: the visually impaired with Danelle Umstead in fourth and the sitting division with Laurie Stephens in fourth. They weren’t quite as close in standing with Melanie Schwartz finishing tenth.

Biathlon – Men’s 12.5km

Mens 12.5km - Sitting Mens 12.5km - Standing

In the men’s 12.5 km biathlon the US had top finishers of Omar Bermejo (17th in the standing) and Andrew Soule (5th in the sitting).

Biathlon – Women’s 10km

Womens 10km - Sitting

In the women’s 10km biathlon Oksana Masters was the only one competing for the US and she finished eighth in the sitting division.

Cross-Country – Women’s 1km Free Sprint – Sitting

Womens 1km Sprint Free - Qualification - SittingWomens 1km Sprint Free - Semifinals - SitttingWomens 1km Sprint Free - Final- Sittting

Four US women competed in the sitting division of the 1km sprint free with only Oksana Masters and Tatyana McFadden moving on. Both reached the final where McFadden finished second, just a tenth of a second off the lead, and Masters finished fourth and missed out on a medal by one second.

Cross-Country – Men’s 1km Free Sprint – Sitting

Mens 1km Sprint Free - Qualification - SittingMens 1km Sprint Free - Semifinals - SitttingMens 1km Sprint Free - Final - Sittting

There were six US men competing in the sitting division of the 1km sprint free but only Andrew Soule and Daniel Cnossen moved on from qualifying. Both reached the final with Soule finishing fifth and Cnossen finishing sixth.

Cross-Country – Men’s 1km Free Sprint – Standing

Mens 1km Sprint Free - Qualification - Standing

In the standing division neither of the US athletes advanced from qualifying. Omar Bermejo finished 30th with John Oman right behind him in 31st.

Cross-Country – Men’s 1km Free Sprint – Visually Impaired

Mens 1km Sprint Free - Qualification - Visually ImpairedMens 1km Sprint Free - Semifinals - Visually Impaired

In the visually impaired division Jacob Adicoff was able to move on from qualifying but was eliminated after finishing fourth in his semifinal heat.

Ice Sledge Hockey

The Ice Sledge Hockey team wrapped up the group stage with a 2-1 loss to Russia on Monday.  The US fell down 2-0 before an Adam Page goal cut the deficit in half but the US could get no closer. The loss meant the US finished second in their group and would have to face Canada in the semifinals.

That matchup was Thursday and was all US! A 3-0 win behind two Declan Farmer goals in the first period and a Joshua Pauls goal near the end of the second. The win moved the US into the gold medal match where they will face a rematch with Russia on Saturday.

Upcoming:

The US will have 26 athletes competing in 11 events on Friday.

Broadcast Information:

TeamUSA.org will have live streaming of likely all of the events Monday while NBCSN will cover the snowboarding on delay from 3-6 AM ET and a daily coverage show will be on from 11:30 PM-1 AM ET Friday night

Schedule:

  • March 14th
    • 1:30 AM ET – Women’s Para Snowboard Cross – Standing
      • Christina Albert
      • Amy Purdy
      • Nicole Roundy
      • Megan Harmon
      • Heidi Jo Duce
    • 1:31 AM ET – Men’s Para Snowboard Cross – Standing
      • Evan Strong
      • Michael Shea
      • Tyler Burdick
      • Keith Gabel
      • Daniel Monzo
    • 2 AM ET – Men’s Biathlon – 15km – Sitting
      • Aaron Pike
      • Travis Dodson
      • Jeremy Wagner
      • Sean Halsted
      • Daniel Cnossen
      • Andrew Soule
    • 4:30 AM ET – Men’s Biathlon – 15km – Standing
      • Omar Bermejo
    • 7:20 AM ET – Men’s Biathlon – 15km – Visually Impaired
      • Kevin Burton
    • 6 AM ET – Women’s Alpine Skiing – Super Combined – Run 2 – Visually Impaired
      • Danelle Umstead
    • 6:15 AM ET – Women’s Alpine Skiing – Super Combined – Run 2 – Standing
      • Stephanie Jallen
      • Allison Jones
      • Melanie Schwartz
    • 6:40 AM ET – Women’s Alpine Skiing – Super Combined – Run 2 – Sitting
      • Laurie Stephens
    • 6:55 AM ET – Men’s Alpine Skiing – Super Combined – Run 2 – Visually Impaired
      • Mark Bathum
    • 7:20 AM ET – Men’s Alpine Skiing – Super Combined – Run 2 – Standing
      • James Stanton
    • 8 AM ET – Men’s Alpine Skiing – Super Combined – Run 2 – Sitting
      • Heath Calhoun
Soccer

US Women’s Soccer Rights Ship To End Algarve Cup With 3-0 Win Over North Korea

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Previous 2014 Algarve Cup Coverage

After a disappointing group stage where the US faced three of the better teams in the world and emerged with no wins they finally got an easier opponent and took advantage beating North Korea 3-0 to end their play at the Algarve Cup with a seventh place finish.

The US got a first half goal from Abby Wambach as well as a second by Wambach 13 minutes into the second half and one by Heather O’Riley to close things out. Jill Loyden started in goal and pitched the shutout without having to stop a shot as the US dominated possession.

USSoccer.com has a full recap of the game. The US will now have a bit of time off before they play China twice on April 6th and 10th. This disappointing tournament one year before the World Cup is probably not a bad thing. The team will get a bit of a wake-up call that they will be challenged next year at the World Cup in Canada and while the US might be favorites, it won’t come easy.