Category Archives: Freestyle Skiing

Alpine Skiing, Cross-Country Skiing, FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup, FIS Cross-Country World Cup, FIS Freestyle Ski World Cup, Freestyle Skiing, ISU World Cup, Paralympics, Sochi 2014, Speed Skating, The Melting Pot

The Melting Pot: Gold for the US in Ice Sledge Hockey at the Paralympics, Strong Results at Speed Skating World Cup Finals

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2014 Winter Paralympics – Sochi, Russia

In the men’s giant slalom on Saturday Mark Bathum took a DNF on the first run of the visually impaired division while Jonathan Lujan was a DNF in the standing division as was Scott Meyer in the sitting division while Stephen Lawler did not start the event. James Stanton was a did not start on the second run in the standing division. Christopher Devlin-Young did not finish the second sitting run.

As for those who completed two runs, Ralph Green was 16th, Joel Hunt 24th, and Tyler Carter 27th in the standing division. In the sitting division Heath Calhoun notched a top-ten finish for the US as he was sixth. Jasmin Bambur was 17th as well for the US in the sitting division.

In cross-country’s 4×2.5km mixed relay the US team of Tatyana McFadden and Jacob Adicoff (they both went twice) finished sixth, 1:31.1 off the lead. The US also had a team in the 4×2.5km open relay. Augusto Jose Perez, Omar Bermejo, Bryan Price, and Kevin Burton finished ninth, 5:35.5 behind the winners.

Finally, and most excitedly, the US ice sledge hockey team won the gold medal with a 1-0 win over Russia. The US avenged an earlier 2-0 loss to Russia in the group stage as Joshua Sweeney had the only goal and Steve Cash made six saves for the US.

The Paralympics will wrap up tomorrow. The US has seven athletes in the women’s giant slalom event as well as ten men in the men’s 10km free cross-country skiing and four athletes in the women’s 5km free cross-country skiing event.

NBCSN will have live coverage of the women’s giant slalom from 4:30-6:30 AM ET.

Schedule:

  • March 16th
    • 1:30 AM ET – Women’s Alpine Skiing – Giant Slalom – Run 1 – Visually Impaired
      • Lindsay Ball
      • Staci Mannella
    • 1:55 AM ET – Women’s Alpine Skiing – Giant Slalom – Run 1 – Standing
      • Stephanie Jallen
      • Melanie Schwartz
      • Allison Jones
    • 2 AM ET – Men’s Cross-Country Skiing – 10km Free – Standing
      • John Oman
      • Omar Bermejo
    • 2:20 AM ET – Men’s Cross-Country Skiing – 10km Free – Visually Impaired
      • Kevin Burton
      • Jacob Adicoff
    • 2:35 AM ET – Women’s Alpine Skiing – Giant Slalom – Run 1 – Sitting
      • Alana Nichols
      • Laurie Stephens
    • 4:30 AM ET – Women’s Cross-Country Skiing – 5km Free – Sitting
      • Beth Requist
      • Monica Bascio
      • Tatyana McFadden
      • Oksana Masters
    • 4:45 AM ET – Men’s Cross-Country Skiing – 10km Free – Sitting
      • Travis Dodson
      • Aaron Pike
      • Jeremy Wagner
      • Andrew Soule
      • Sean Halsted
      • Daniel Cnossen
    • 5 AM ET – Women’s Alpine Skiing – Giant Slalom – Run 2 – Visually Impaired
    • 5:15 AM ET – Women’s Alpine Skiing – Giant Slalom – Run 2 – Standing
    • 5:45 AM ET – Women’s Alpine Skiing – Giant Slalom – Run 2 – Sitting

Speed Skating World Cup Final – Heerenveen, Netherlands

The US continued to have success at the Speed Skating World Cup Final on Saturday. Starting things off Shani Davis finished fifth in the men’s 1500m with Brian Hansen in seventh. Both were within 0.6 seconds of the winner and 0.3 seconds of the bronze. It was a disappointing fifth though for Davis who would have won the season title with a second place finish but instead ends up third in the season standings. Hansen placed fifth for the season.

Heather Richardson placed second in the women’s 500m, 0.12 seconds back, with Brittany Bowe back in 10th. There is one last women’s 500m race tomorrow and Richardson has the co-most points on the season standings. If she can better Olga Fatkulina of Russia’s result tomorrow she’ll win the season title. Fatkulina won today’s event.

In the men’s 500m Mitchell Whitmore was 11th and Tucker Fredricks was 13th. Fredricks is still sixth in the season standings but needs a good finish tomorrow in the final men’s 500m of the season to lock down a top finish.

Finally in the men’s team pursuit the US team of Brian Hansen, Patrick Meek, Mitchell Whitmore finished fourth and were 11.54 seconds behind the winners (Netherlands) and 6.46 seconds behind Norway. The US finished second in the season long standings behind the Netherlands.

Things wrap up on Sunday with the second race in both the men’s and women’s 500m as well as the women’s 1000m event with both Bowe and Richardson. Richardson leads the season standings by 70 points over Bowe so a good result will give her the season title and the US could easily go 1-2 for the year.

Schedule:

  • March 16th
    • 8:30 AM ET – Women’s 500m Division A (Race 2 of 2)
      • Brittany Bowe
      • Heather Richardson
    • 11 AM ET – Women’s 1000m Division A
      • Brittany Bowe
      • Heather Richardson
    • 11:49 AM ET – Men’s 500m Division A (Race 2 of 2)
      • Mitchell Whitmore
      • Tucker Fredricks

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

The start list is in for the dual moguls event tomorrow in Voss-Myrkdalen, Norway. Six women will represent the US with Eliza Outtrim (6th), Heather McPhie (5th), Hannah Kearney (2nd) and Sophia Schwartz (9th) all in the top ten of the World Cup standings. On the men’s side there are seven US competitors and Bradley Wilson (5th) and Patrick Deneen (3rd) currently sit in the top ten.

There is another dual moguls event next week in La Plagne, France so there are still a lot of points up for grabs in the season standings.

Schedule:

  • March 16th
    • 3:15 AM ET – Women’s Dual Moguls Qualifying
      • Ali Kariotis
      • Heather McPhie
      • Hannah Kearney
      • Keaton McCargo
      • Eliza Outtrim
      • Sophia Schwartz
    • 4:45 AM ET – Men’s Dual Moguls Qualifying
      • Patrick Deneen
      • Troy Murphy
      • Jeremy Cota
      • Joseph Discoe
      • Bryon Wilson
      • Bradley Wilson
      • Dylan Walczyk
    • 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

Alpine Skiing World Cup – Lenzerheide, Switzerland

The start lists have been released for the final Alpine Skiing World Cup events of the year. The men wrap up with the slalom and Ted Ligety, Bode Miller, and Tim Jitloff will represent the US. The women will wrap up with the giant slalom and the only one in the event for the US is Mikaela Shiffrin. The US has been so strong this week and it’d be great to see a medal on the final day. Unfortunately the top skiers for the US in these events were doing their better event on Saturday so there’s less chance of medals here. Still both Ligety and Shiffrin are in great form and are good enough to medal on Sunday to wrap up the year.

Schedule:

  • March 16th
    • 4 AM ET – Men’s Slalom Run 1
      • Ted Ligety
      • Bode Miller
      • Tim Jitloff
    • 5 AM ET – Women’s Giant Slalom Run 1
      • Mikaela Shiffrin
    • 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 start lists are finally in as well for the final Cross-Country Skiing World Cup event of the season. Kikkan Randall will be the first American across the start line. She’s 14th to start and 2:54 behind the leader. Elizabeth Stephen starts 18th, 3:13 back, with Sadie Bjornsen right behind her in 19th at the same time. Jessica Diggins, Ida Sargent, Sophie Caldwell, and Caitlin Gregg are also in the event but start at least four minutes back.

On the men’s side Noah Hoffman will start 21st, 4:19 back, with Reese Hanneman starting 38th, 9:56 back, and Andrew Newell starting 39th, 10:15 back.

Schedule:

  • March 16th
    • 8:30 AM ET – Women’s 10 km Free Pursuit
      • Kikkan Randall
      • Sophie Caldwell
      • Sadie Bjornsen
      • Ida Sargent
      • Jessica Diggins
      • Elizabeth Stephen
      • Caitlin Gregg
    • 11 AM ET – Men’s 15km Free Pursuit
      • Andrew Newell
      • Reese Hanneman
      • Noah Hoffman
Basketball, Biathlon, Biathlon World Cup, FIS Freestyle Ski World Cup, FIS Nordic Combined World Cup, FIS Ski Jumping World Cup, Freestyle Skiing, Nordic Combined, Ski Jumping, The Melting Pot, World Championships

The Melting Pot: Lowell Bailey 3rd at Biathlon World Cup in Sprint Event, Jessica Jerome 8th at Ski Jumping World Cup

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Biathlon World Cup – Kontiolahti, Finland

The Biathlon World Cup held some great results for the US on Saturday. Lowell Bailey was the main noisemaker as he was perfect in shooting in the men’s 10km sprint and finished with the bronze! He was only a second back of grabbing the silver. Tim Burke was also strong as he finished 19th, 1:10 back, while Leif Nordgren was 27th, 1:23 back. All three will now be in the men’s 12.5 km pursuit on Sunday with a real chance for another medal as they will all be starting near the front.

In the women’s 7.5km sprint Susan Dunklee was 21 spots better than on Thursday as she finished eighth, within 36 seconds of the winner and 24 seconds of the bronze. Hannah Dreissigacker was 41st with Sara Studebaker in 58th and Annelies Cook in 76th. Dunklee, Dreissigacker, and Studebaker will all be in the women’s 10km pursuit on Sunday with Dunklee in good position to challenge for a medal.

Schedule:

  • March 16th
    • 4:45 AM ET – Men’s 12.5km Pursuit
      • Lowell Bailey
      • Tim Burke
      • Leif Nordgren
    • 6:15 AM ET – Women’s 10km Pursuit
      • Hannah Dreissigacker
      • Susan Dunklee
      • Annelies Cook
      • Sara Studebaker

Nordic Combined World Cup – Falun, Sweden

The final team event of the season was supposed to be held at the Nordic Combined World Cup today but plans changed and instead of the team event the individual event was held today with the team event pushed until Sunday. It was no matter for Taylor Fletcher and Bryan Fletcher as they both knew they would be in action today either way. Taylor Fletcher had the better day of the two with a 24th best jump leaving him 54 seconds back and then a 12th best cross-country time that gave him an 11th place finish for the day, one minute behind the winner. Bryan Fletcher was 44th in the ski jumping and a 17th best cross-country time meant he finished 28th overall.

The team event tomorrow will feature both Taylor and Bryan along with Nick Hendrickson and Brett Denney representing the US.

Schedule:

  • March 16th
    • 7 AM ET – Team Ski Jumping Round
      • Taylor Fletcher
      • Brett Denney
      • Nick Hendrickson
      • Bryan Fletcher
    • 11:45 AM ET – Team 4x5km Cross-Country Round

Freestyle Skiing World Cup – Ski Cross – Are, Sweden

The first of two ski cross events to wrap up the year were held on Saturday. John Teller and Joe Swensson were competing for the US with both advancing from qualifying. Teller kept up the momentum by winning his 1/8 final while Swensson finished last in his heat and was eliminated. Teller won his quarterfinal as well but finished last in the semifinals to end up in the small final. A second place finish in the small final gave him a final finish of sixth place.

The two will try to improve on their Saturday results when the second event is held on Sunday to wrap up the season.

Schedule:

  • March 16th
    • 7 AM ET – Men’s Ski Cross Qualifying
      • John Teller
      • Joe Swensson
    • 9:20 AM ET – Men’s Ski Cross Round of 32
    • 9:52 AM ET – Men’s Ski Cross Quarterfinals
    • 10:12 AM ET – Men’s Ski Cross Semifinals
    • 10:29 AM ET – Men’s Ski Cross Final

2014 FIBA World Championship for Women Draw – Turkey

The draw was held today for this year’s FIBA World Championship for Women. The tournament will be held from September 27th through the 5th of October in Turkey. The US was drawn into Group D with Serbia, China, and Angola. The US is currently ranked #1 in the world with China 8th, Angola 20th and Serbia 29th. The US won the event in 2010 with only Australia coming within single digits of the US in nine games played. Serbia and Angola were not part of the event in 2010 with China going 0-3 in the group stage before two wins placed them 13th.

The US will start things off with China on September 27th with Serbia to follow the next day and Angola on the 30th. The top team in the group gets a bye into the quarterfinals while the next two teams will be in the first elimination round. The US is on the same side of the bracket with Australia and assuming both won their groups and quarterfinal games they would meet in the semifinals on October 4th.

Schedule:

  • September 27th – USA vs. China – Group D – TBD
  • September 28th – USA vs. Serbia – Group D – TBD
  • September 30th – USA vs. Angola – Group D – TBD

Women’s Ski Jumping World Cup – Falun, Sweden

Jessica Jerome is the only one representing the US this weekend at the Women’s Ski Jumping World Cup and she had a strong day on Saturday. Jerome had a 7th best first jump score of 100.8 and followed it up with a 12th best second jump score of 100.7 as she totaled 201.5 to finish eighth in the overall standings. She’ll compete again on Sunday in what will be the second to last event of the year.

Schedule:

  • March 16th
    • 5 AM ET – First Round/Final Round (Separate Event)
      • Jessica Jerome
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
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
FIS Freestyle Ski World Cup, Freestyle Skiing

John Teller Eliminated in 1/8 Finals of Men’s Ski Cross World Cup Event in Arosa

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Previous Arosa – FIS Freestyle Ski World Cup Coverage

John Teller’s day in the men’s ski cross in Arosa, Switzerland didn’t last long. Teller finished third in his heat behind Andreas Matt and Christopher Wahrstoetter of Austria and was eliminated in the 1/8 finals. Matt went on to finish seventh in the event.

Arosa - Mens Ski Cross - 1-8 Finals 

Teller will (I assume) be back in action next weekend when ski cross is contested again on the World Cup tour with two races in Are, Sweden. Qualifying will begin for that event on Friday and WeSupportTheUS.com will have coverage.

FIS Freestyle Ski World Cup, Freestyle Skiing

John Teller Advances From Ski Cross Qualifying in Arosa World Cup Event

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Previous Arosa – FIS Freestyle Ski World Cup Coverage

On the first day of competition in Arosa four Americans were competing in the qualification round for the ski cross. John Teller was able to advance to the elimination rounds tomorrow after finishing 19th and within a second of the leader. The top 32 all ended up being within 1.23 seconds of the fastest and everyone from 2-32 were within a second of each other so it looks like a wide open set of races tomorrow. Brant Crossan was the highest finishing American not to qualify as he was 41st and missed out on a spot by 0.31 seconds.

Arosa - Mens Ski Cross - Qualifying

 

Tomorrow Teller will start the elimination round in the fifth 1/8 final heat. In each round a top two finish in the heat of four is necessary to move on to the next round. WeSupportTheUS.com will have coverage of the results tomorrow.

Schedule:

  • March 7th
    • 7:52 AM ET – Men’s Round of 32
      • John Teller
    • 8:26 AM ET – Men’s Quarterfinals
    • 8:46 AM ET – Men’s Semifinals
    • 9:03 AM ET – Men’s Final
FIS Freestyle Ski World Cup, Freestyle Skiing

Four US Men to Compete in FIS Ski Cross World Cup Event in Arosa, Switzerland

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Previous FIS Freestyle Ski World Cup Coverage

A field of 61 men will start the ski cross event on Thursday with a qualification round. The round is very important as only 32 men will advance to the head-to-head races tomorrow, so having a good time is very important. John Teller is in the field after an Olympics where he got eliminated in the round of 32. Also in the field are Joe Swensson, Tyler Wallasch, and Brant Crossan.

Tomorrow night WeSupportTheUS.com will have coverage of the qualification round results and a preview of the elimination rounds.

Schedule:

  • March 6th
    • 7:45 AM ET – Men’s Qualification Round
      • John Teller
      • Joe Swensson
      • Tyler Wallasch
      • Brant Crossan
Freestyle Skiing, Olympics, Recaps, Sochi 2014

Sochi Freestyle Skiing Recap: Great Success as Nine Events Produces Seven Medals and Three Golds

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Freestyle skiing was a major success story for the US in Sochi. It’s not the traditional Winter Olympic sports at all, but freestyle skiing is a growing discipline that debuted four new events in Sochi. The US won three of those four events and took a silver in the other.

Men’s Aerials

Mens Aerials

Men’s aerials was not expected to be a strong event for the US but Mac Bohonnon had a great Olympics. After squeaking into the finals field with the sixth and final spot on the second qualification jump Bohonnon went on to advance in the first round of the final and finished fifth overall after narrowly missing out on a spot in the final four with his best jump of the day. The fifth place finish was a bit of a bump back down from 2010 but with Bohonnon still not yet 19 he’ll be a big time challenger in 2018.

Mens Aerials Yearly Best

Women’s Aerials

Womens Aerials

The US women started off the aerials competition great with both Ashley Caldwell and Emily Cook advancing on their first jump. They couldn’t duplicate those marks later on though as Caldwell was eliminated on the first jump of the final and Cook was eighth of eight on the second jump. Still the eighth place finish by Cook was the best for the US in the event since Nagano when Nikki Stone won gold.

Womens Aerials Yearly Best

Men’s Halfpipe

Mens Halfpipe

Making it’s Olympic debut was the freestyle skiing version of halfpipe. The US only had one skier perform really well in the qualification round, David Wise. He was second in the qualification round with Aaron Blunck also sneaking into the final in 12th. Both improved with Blunck finishing seventh and Wise winning the first ever gold in the event.

Women’s Halfpipe

Womens Halfpipe

On the women’s side all four of the US women advanced to the final with three in the top five (Brita Sigourney, Angeli Van Laanen, and Maddie Bowman). In the final only one of them could make a run at the medals, Maddie Bowman, and her two runs were both good enough to win the first ever gold in the event.

Men’s Moguls

Mens Moguls

Moguls had produced a men’s medal for four straight Olympics for the US. They couldn’t quite make that five as Patrick Deneen came up short in the last round of the final. After a poor first run Deneen had a good event overall moving steadily up the field and reaching the final six. Bradley Wilson was the other competitor for the US and after a good first run in qualifying couldn’t duplicate it in run one of the final and was eliminated there. It was the first time since 1994 that the US didn’t medal.

Mens Moguls Yearly Best

Women’s Moguls

Womens Moguls

the women’s moguls event saw a bit more success for the US than the men’s side. Heather McPhie was eliminated in run one of the final but missed out on moving on by a single spot. Both Eliza Outtrim and Hannah Kearney made the final with Outtrim ending up sixth and Kearney taking home a bronze. It was a bit of a letdown after Kearney’s gold in 2010 but it was only the second time that the US had medaled in back-to-back Olympics in the event and the first since the first two moguls competitions in 1992 and 1994.

Womens Moguls Yearly Best

Men’s Slopestyle

Mens Slopestyle

Of all the events debuting in Sochi, heck of all the events in Sochi, none went better for the US than men’s slopestyle. The US placed three of their four in the top five on the qualification round and all four into the final. Then in the final the US went even better grabbing all three medals in a sweep of the podium by Joss Christensen, Gus Kenworthy, and Nick Goepper. In most events in Sochi Bobby Brown’s ninth place finish would have been strong for the US, in this event if was the fourth best among his countrymen. It was the third ever medal sweep by the US and first since sweeping halfpipe snowboarding in 2002.

Women’s Slopestyle

Womens Slopestyle

The US placed all three of their women into the final in women’s slopestyle as well. They couldn’t duplicate the 1-2-3 of the men though as Keri Herman and Julia Krass finished 10th and 11th. Devin Logan did add another medal to the US count with a silver as the US medaled in all four of the new freestyle skiing events in Sochi.

Men’s Ski Cross

Mens Ski Cross

The only event in freestyle skiing where the US didn’t have a top-eight finisher was men’s ski cross. Well, they didn’t have anyone in women’s ski cross so that’s not totally true. Still men’s ski cross didn’t go as well. Ski cross can be very hit or miss and for John Teller what was a decent run that had him in contention to move on into the quarterfinals quickly turned into a DNF as he and another skier were vying for position and he was forced off course. Hopefully the US will have some success in ski cross in the future but part of the issue is the lack of competitors as seen by the US only having one man and no women in Sochi.

Mens Ski Cross Yearly Best

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Figure Skating
Ski Jumping
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