Sapporo: Camerotas to complete U.S. team in NC

The Camerota twins, Brett and Eric, will join veterans Bill Demong and Johnny Spillane in the nordic combined individual event Saturday at the World Championships.
THE CAMEROTA TWINS, Brett and Eric, will join veterans Bill Demong and Johnny Spillane in the nordic combined individual event Saturday at the World Championships.
    The traditional combined event mixes two rounds of jumping on the normal hill — in this case, Miyanomori, a 100-meter hill — and a 15-kilometer race at Shirahata.
    Coaches Lasse Ottesen and Dave Jarrett named the final foursome Friday night following the final day of training. After the championships, Demong, Spillane and Eric Camerota will return to the World Cup for the four final competitions of the season (March 9-10 in Lahti, Finland, and March 17-18 in Oslo, Norway) while Brett Camerota and Bryan Fletcher head back to World Cup-B for the last six events in Norway, Finland and Germany.
    “It was close. Bryan’s been jumping well but Brett really turned things around today with his jumping,” Jarrett said Friday night. “The winds have been inconsistent but, really, this is an outdoor sport and you can’t make everything perfectly equal, so …
    “They told us [in the team captains meeting] it’s thumbs-up, but we all know things can change fast here. It’s been pretty stable — only that small storm for half an hour during [men’s 15 km Wednesday] … but the winds are so inconsistent. The guys are ready. Johnny’s been jumping well, Billy’s jumping isn’t where we hoped it would be but even his worst jumps now are so much better than last year, and his cross-country is so strong … so we’ll keep looking for some good things.”
    COMPTON GETS START: Caitlin Compton, the Cross Country SuperTour overall leader who is racing in her first World Championships, will be the lone U.S. entry Saturday in the women’s 30 km mass-start classic technique race at the 2007 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships.
    The race is the final women’s event at the championships, which conclude Sunday with the men’s 50 km classic. The final jumping event will be held Saturday night on the Miyanomori hill, where Japanese skiers swept the medals podium at the 1972 Olympics in Sapporo. No U.S. jumpers will compete.