U.S. Freeskiing finalizes Olympic team for slopestyle, halfpipe, ski cross

John Teller (GEPA/Daniel Goetzhaber)

PARK CITY, Utah – Five additional freeskiing athletes were nominated by the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association to be a part of the Olympic debut of halfpipe and slopestyle skiing. In addition, ski cross athlete John Teller was nominated to the team following his win in the final Olympic qualifying World Cup race last week. With the confirmation of quotas within freestyle skiing, the USSA added two skiers in halfpipe and three in slopestyle to round out the full team. The formal naming of the 2014 U.S. Olympic Team by the United States Olympic Committee is set for Jan. 27.

“Each of the freeskiing athletes added to our nominations brings the potential for success in Sochi,” said  Jeremy Forster, USSA’s director of freeskiing and snowboarding. “They each distinguished themselves during the Grand Prix qualifying series with some amazing performances, all the way through the last qualifying events this past weekend.”

X Games champion Torin Yater-Wallace, 18, who won the pre-Olympic event at Sochi last February, was nominated in halfpipe. Yater-Wallace was injured in December and missed the qualifying events. He has returned to training and is anticipated to be a contender in the Olympics. Joss Christensen was named in slopestyle following his huge victory in the final qualifier Saturday on his home course at Park City Mountain Resort. Julia Krass was added following her win at Park City, as was Maggie Voisin, 15, who started off the qualifying series with a Dew Tour podium.

The U.S. Olympic Committee will formally name the 2014 U.S. Olympic Team on Jan. 27.

2014 OLYMPIC NOMINATIONS 

Men’s Skicross

John Teller, Mammoth Lakes, Calif.

Men’s Halfpipe

Aaron Blunck, Crested Butte, Colo.

Lyman Currier, Boulder, Colo.

Torin Yater-Wallace, Aspen, Colo.

David Wise, Reno, Nevada

Women’s Halfpipe

Maddie Bowman, S. Lake Tahoe, Calif.

Annalisa Drew, Andover, Mass.

Brita Sigourney, Carmel, Calif.

Angeli VanLaanen, Bellingham, Wash.

Men’s Slopestyle

Bobby Brown, Breckenridge, Colo.

Joss Christensen, Park City, Utah

Nick Goepper, Lawrenceburg, Ind.

Gus Kenworthy, Telluride, Colo.

Women’s Slopestyle

Julia Krass, Hanover, N.H.

Devin Logan, W. Dover, Vt.

Keri Herman, Bloomington, Minn.

Maggie Voisin, Whitefish, Mont.

Release courtesy of USSA