Decorated veterans lead U.S. nordic combined

World Championships silver medalist Bill Demong and former sprint world champion Johnny Spillane — the only two U.S. skiers to earn a World Championships or Olympic medal in nordic combined — top a 10-member U.S. nordic combined team for 2008.
    "It's full steam ahead with nordic combined. We're really happy with the path we've chosen for nordic combined, which is leading us to 2010 [Olympics] in Vancouver," U.S. Nordic Director Luke Bodensteiner said. "Billy's in a great spot after his medal at the World Championships and already has his sights set on even bigger achievements. And now that Johnny's healthy, we expect him to come back quickly to where he was when he was winning at the top level."
PARK CITY, Utah — World Championships silver medalist Bill Demong and former sprint world champion Johnny Spillane — the only two U.S. skiers to earn a World Championships or Olympic medal in nordic combined — top a 10-member U.S. nordic combined team for 2008.
    "It's full steam ahead with nordic combined. We're really happy with the path we've chosen for nordic combined, which is leading us to 2010 [Olympics] in Vancouver," U.S. Nordic Director Luke Bodensteiner said. "Billy's in a great spot after his medal at the World Championships and already has his sights set on even bigger achievements. And now that Johnny's healthy, we expect him to come back quickly to where he was when he was winning at the top level."

The 2008 nordic combined team (including date of birth, hometown and club program; * indicates Olympian):

A Team
Brett Camerota (1/9/85; Park City, UT; National Sports Foundation)*
Eric Camerota (1/9/85; Park City, UT; National Sports Foundation)*
Bill Demong (3/29/80; Vermontville, NY; Lake Placid Ski Club/Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club)*
Johnny Spillane (11/24/80; Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club)*

B Team
Bryan Fletcher (6/27/86; Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club)
Alex Glueck (11/9/82; Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club)
Willy Graves (9/10/86; Putney, VT; Putney Ski Club/National Sports Academy)
Skyler Keate (11/13/87; Salt Lake City; National Sports Foundation)
Alex Miller (12/24/85; Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club)
Davis Miller (12/24/85; Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club)

    Demong, a three-time Olympian, became only the second American to medal at the Olympics or World Championships last season as he put on a furious surge over the final 150 meters of a 15-kilometer race to capture the silver medal in the individual event at Sapporo, Japan.
    A week later, he won the second World Cup event of his career — in another individual competition — in Finland before completing the World Cup schedule a week later with another podium, finishing third in a sprint in Norway . As a blazing finish to the season, he swept the U.S. combined championship and both the large hill and normal hill ski jumping titles at the U.S. Championships.
    While he and Spillane, who is recovering from successful shoulder surgery in the spring, are the heart of the World Cup squad, the team has expanded its involvement at the World Cup-B level, just below the World Cup.
    "We gave the nordic combined B team its first full season of international competition last year knowing that it'll take some years to build up their training volume and to get more international experience. Everyone scored World Cup-B points last winter and that shows we have some good talent with this group," Bodensteiner said.
    "We've demonstrated that we know how to be successful in nordic combined, and with this group of athletes, we have the time and the capacity to help them build into top-level competitors."
    In the preseason, the team trains primarily in Park City. The team also will have a camp in Europe in conjunction with the Summer Grand Prix in Europe, beginning in August. The World Cup season opens Dec. 1-2 in Kuusamo, Finland, in the annual, self-styled "Nordic Opening" festivities, which bring cross country, jumping and combined together for World Cup competitions.