Freestyle athletes from across the nation will again wrap up their winter season at Squaw Valley USA in Lake Tahoe, California as the 2010 Sprint U.S. Freestyle Championships makes its way to the Tahoe region during the 50th anniversary of the 1960 Squaw Valley USA Olympics. Moguls, dual moguls, aerials and skier halfpipe titles will be awarded to the best in the U.S. March 25-28.

"The Sprint U.S. Freestyle Championships are a great opportunity for the best U.S. athletes in freestyle skiing to be able to compete for a home crowd," USSA Vice President, Events, Calum Clark said. "In its 50th anniversary year since hosting the Olympics, Squaw Valley will be the ideal place for freestyle athletes to end the 2010 Olympic season in Tahoe. It will be a homecoming among many friends and family of freestyle skiing. We look forward to high quality competition for the Sprint U.S. Freestyle Championships at Squaw," said Clark.

Squaw Valley hosted both moguls and the skier halfpipe event in 2009, and is looking forward to celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Olympics at Squaw with freestyle athletes from across the nation.

"Given Squaw Valley's Olympic legacy, and the significance of our anniversary season, it is once again an honor to host the nation's top freestyle athletes and have them take part in Squaw's iconic heritage," said Tom Murphy, Squaw Valley USA Vice President.

One of the event's highlights will be moguls, which will feature the likes of Bahrke, World Champion Patrick Deneen (Cle Elum, WA), World Championship bronze medalist and World Cup moguls champion Hannah Kearney (Norwich, VT) and 2009 U.S. Champion Michelle Roark (Denver, CO).

"I am super excited and it's going to be awesome. Squaw did a great job last year," Bahrke, the hometown favorite, said. "The crowd was amazing, the weather was good and everyone did such a great job with the course. Also, with aerials there it will be a true freestyle championship event."

The tricks will be exciting as athletes including World Champion Ryan St. Onge (Steamboat Springs, CO) and World Cup winners Jeret "Speedy" Peterson (Boise, ID) and Emily Cook (Belmont, MA) each make their play for an aerials title.

In skier halfpipe, look for World Championship bronze medalist and three-time U.S. Champion Jen Hudak (Park City, UT) to fire things up for the women. And defending four-time U.S. Champ David Wise (Reno, NV) will aim to make it title number five as he goes head-to-head with fellow World Championship team member Taylor Seaton (Avon, CO).

To catch the event on TV, the Sprint U.S. Freestyle Championships will be broadcast by Versus on April 4, 2010 at 6 p.m. ET.

USSA Press Release