HIGH1 RESORT, South Korea (June 1) – A record number of U.S. World Cup events are on tap as the International Ski Federation (FIS) announced its 2013 World Cup ski and snowboarding event schedule. Seven experienced American resorts will play host to 33 World Cup competitions in alpine, freeskiing, freestyle and snowboarding. Many of the events will kickoff the initial phases of international qualifying for the 2014 Sochi Olympic Winter Games and will set the stage for U.S.

PARK CITY, UT (May 1) – Veteran regional cross country coach Jason Cork has been named as an assistant coach for the U.S. Cross Country Ski Team. Cork will work primarily with the men’s World Cup team under the leadership of Cross Country Head Coach Chris Grover. Grover will serve as interim men’s head coach following the resignation of Pete Vordenberg, who left the team this spring after more than a decade as an athlete and coach. Cork comes to the Team after several very successful seasons at Central Cross Country (CXC Team) with his athletes dominating the USSA SuperTour.

TOBLACH, Italy (Jan. 4) - In a grueling stage five short distance classic race, Poland's Justyna Kowalczyk extended her Tour de Ski lead to more than a minute over Sweden's Charlotte Kalla and Norway's Therese Johaug with a huge 15 second margin over the short 3k course. American Kikkan Randall (Anchorage) moved up one spot to seventh and remained in close striking distance to fourth as the Tour heads into its final two days in Val di Fiemme. 

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FRANCONIA, NH (May 15) - The North American Snowsports Journalist Association East has named Sam Morse (Carrabassett Valley, ME; Carrabassett Valley Academy) and Alice Merryweather (Hingham, MA; Stratton Mountain School) the Don A. Metivier Golden Ski Award winners for 2014. Each spring, the organization - formerly known as the Easter Ski Writers Association - presents the honor to the most promising male and female junior alpine racers in the Eastern U.S.

WHISTLER, BC (April 24) – A crew of U.S. Freeskiing athletes took the top spots of the final AFP world rankings list after the season came to a close Saturday at the AFP World Championships. Once the final results were in, The Sarah Burke Overall Champion Trophy was awarded to Olympic medalist Gus Kenworthy (Telluride, CO) for the fourth-straight year, while Olympic medalist Devin Logan (West Dover, VT) earned the women’s overall trophy for the third time. The weekend’s event marked the official end of the competition season for 2014.

If 2013 is any indication of Taylor Fletcher’s skill and potential, the nordic combined world needs to be on notice. The Steamboat Springs native earned his first World Cup podium and then went on to earn his first team World Ski Championships medal with a bronze at Val di Fiemme, Italy. In addition, Fletcher started the 2012-13 World Cup circuit by posting the fastest time in the season’s opening race, showing his prowess in cross country. Fletcher’s 16th-place finish in the overall World Cup standings ranks him highest among U.S.

PARK CITY, UT (July 24) – The title of U.S. Champion is on the line in the upcoming U.S. Ski Jumping Championships at the Utah Olympic Park (UOP) in Park City Sunday, Aug. 4. The event on the HS134 meter large hill, taking place in the summer for the sixth straight year, will be part of the Utah Olympic Park’s annual Springer Tournee. Among the favorites will be World Champion Sarah Hendrickson (Park City, UT), who sat out last year’s event while recovering from knee surgery, and large hill women’s titlist from 2012 Jessica Jerome (Park City, UT).

PARK CITY, UT (June 11) – With its sights set on Sochi, the U.S. Nordic Combined Ski Team has named Marc Nlke, an Olympian and highly-regarded ski jumping coach, to oversee its jumping program. Nlke, a German coach who has worked with both Austrian and German national jumping teams, has joined the Team for its summer training at the USSA's Center of Excellence and Utah Olympic Park in Park City.

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VALMALENCO, Italy (April 4) – At the FIS Freestyle Junior World Championships last week, U.S. junior freestyle and freeskiing athletes won the overall medal count for the USA with nine medals. Topping the list was 17-year-old Keaton McCargo (Telluride, CO) with two gold medals in single and dual moguls. The tremendous performance by all the U.S. junior athletes earned them the Marc Hodler Trophy. They won the prestigious award with 119 points over Russia and France, who finished with only 65 and 64 points.

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VALMALENCO, Italy (April 4) – At the FIS Freestyle Junior World Championships last week, U.S. junior freeskiing and freestyle athletes won the overall medal count for the USA with nine medals. Topping the list was U.S. Freeskiing Rookie Team and USSA Team Academy member Alexi Micinski (Meridian, ID), who took silver in slopestyle. The tremendous performance by all the U.S. junior athletes earned them the Marc Hodler Trophy. They won the prestigious award with 119 points over Russia and France, who finished with only 65 and 64 points.

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