COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee today announced the finalists for the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame, Class of 2022, consisting of 15 Olympians, nine Paralympians, three Olympic teams, two Paralympic teams, six legends, three coaches and three special contributors. Team USA fans can cast their vote HERE for the Olympian, Paralympian, Olympic team and Paralympic team categories from today through May 16 to help determine the Class of 2022, which will mark the first class inducted into the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame since 2019.

“On behalf of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, it is an honor to unveil the finalists for induction into the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame, Class of 2022,” said USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland. “Each finalist has had a profound impact on Team USA, and on the greater Olympic and Paralympic movements. We are proud to honor their work in living out the Olympic and Paralympic ideals, and we look forward to celebrating the Class of 2022.”

The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame finalists for 2022 include:

Olympic
Kristin Armstrong, Cycling; Natalie Coughlin, Swimming; Shani Davis, Speedskating; Cammi Granato, Hockey; Mia Hamm, Soccer; Kayla Harrison, Judo; Michelle Kwan, Figure Skating; Eleanor ‘Elle’ Logan, Rowing; Julia Mancuso, Alpine Skiing; Bode Miller, Alpine Skiing; Michael Phelps, Swimming; John Smith, Wrestling; Dawn Staley, Basketball; Brenda Villa, Water Polo; Lindsey Vonn, Alpine Skiing

Paralympic
Steve Cash, Sled Hockey; Muffy Davis, Para Alpine Skiing, Para-cycling; Susan Hagel, Wheelchair Basketball, Para Archery, Para Track and Field; Trischa Zorn-Hudson, Para Swimming; David Kiley, Wheelchair Basketball, Para Track and Field, Para Alpine Skiing; Marla Runyan, Para Track and Field, Olympic Track and Field; Marlon Shirley, Para Track and Field; Andy Soule, Para Nordic Skiing; Cortney (Jordan) Truitt, Para Swimming

Olympic Team
1976 Women’s Swimming 4x100 Freestyle Relay Team; 1996 U.S. Olympic Women’s Basketball Team; 2010 Four-Man Bobsled Team

Paralympic Team
2002 U.S. Sled Hockey Team; 2008 U.S. Paralympic Sailing Team

Legend
Billy Fiske, Bobsled; Gretchen Fraser, Alpine Skiing; Roger Kingdom, Track and Field; Darrell Pace, Archery; Brad Parks, Wheelchair Tennis; Norbert ‘Norb’ Schemansky, Weightlifting

Coach
Bob Beattie, Alpine Skiing; James ‘Doc’ Counsilman, Swimming; Pat Summit, Basketball

Special Contributor
Walter Bush; Billie Jean King; David Wallechinsky

The finalists will be narrowed down to five Olympians, three Paralympians, one Olympic team, and one Paralympic team for induction into the class of 2022. In addition to the public vote, U.S. Olympians and Paralympians and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic family will also vote on the categories of legend, coach and special contributor. The Olympic and Paralympic family consists of the Athletes’ Advisory Council, National Governing Bodies, High Performance Management Organizations, USOPC board of directors, Paralympic Advisory Council members, and select members of the media.

“The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame is an important guardian of the rich history of Team USA,” said USOPC Board Chair Susanne Lyons. “My sincere gratitude goes to all the finalists for representing the United States with amazing skill and pride, for working in support of the Olympic and Paralympic values, and using sport to drive positive change in their communities and around the world.”

Starting in 2022, the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame will include the separation of one Olympic team and one Paralympic team.

The Class of 2022 will be announced on Wednesday, June 1, and inducted on Friday, June 24, during a ceremony at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Red carpet arrivals, interviews and the induction awards dinner at the Museum, the permanent home for the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame, will be open to the media; credential information will be available in June.

“Congratulations to all the athletes and teams whose legacies and impact we celebrate today as finalists for the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame,” said Caryn Davies, U.S. Olympians & Paralympians Association president. “These finalists represent the larger body of Team USA athletes, and we thank them for their commitment to sport and inspiring the next generation of athletes.”

Visit TeamUSA.org/HallOfFame to explore the history and achievements of all current hall of fame members.

About the USOPC
Founded in 1894 and headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee serves as both the National Olympic Committee and National Paralympic Committee for the United States. The USOPC is focused on protecting, supporting and empowering America’s athletes, and is responsible for fielding U.S. teams for the Olympic, Paralympic, Youth Olympic, Pan American and Parapan American Games, and serving as the steward of the Olympic and Paralympic movements in the U.S. For more information, visit TeamUSA.org.

About the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame
The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame was established in 1979 to celebrate the achievements of America's premier athletes in the modern Olympic and Paralympic Games. The first U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame class was inducted in 1983 during a ceremony in Chicago and included Team USA greats such as Muhammad Ali, Bob Beamon, Peggy Fleming, Al Oerter, Jesse Owens, Wilma Rudolph, Mark Spitz, Jim Thorpe and the 1980 "Miracle on Ice" men’s hockey team.

Two-time Olympic champion and six-time world champion Mikaela Shiffrin still can't quite make sense of what happened in Beijing. She can, and did, put on a brave face to deliver what she called a "generic" answer, but, she said, she truly doesn't know.

Shiffrin penned a piece in "The Players' Tribune" published on Thursday largely about her late father Jeff, but also about coming up short at the Beijing Olympics. The piece is part of The Player's Tribune's new "Signature Series," and provides a parallel message to what she delivered in the finale of the Outside+ series "Passion & Purpose" that followed her life on and off the hill before and after the Games. The fifth and final episodes capture events and interviews at Beijing and in France for the World Cup.

In The Player's Tribune piece, entitled "I Want To Remember Everything," Shiffrin opens up about losing her father and the real nature of grief, writing, “We equate winning with being O.K., and failure with being not O.K. The real truth is that I’m neither O.K. nor not O.K.” It's a piece that everyone can relate to, especially those who have lost a loved one. 

She writes, 

I went into his closet and I just buried my face in his clothes.  

That was the first thing I did when I got home after my dad died.  

I stuffed myself in his shirts and I breathed in deep and I thought of him and sobbed.  

There’s a certain smell that everyone has, you know? It’s not cologne or anything like that. It’s something indescribable. It’s what you smell when they give you a big hug. It’s in their favorite sweatshirts, embedded in the fibers forever. You can’t wash it out. It’s eternal. It’s them.  

I just wanted to smell his smell. I wanted to hear his voice. I wanted to remember everything — everything.  

He left us without warning. An accident. A tragedy. Like something you see in the movies and you cry your eyes out and you think, “God, that’s so sad. But that’ll never happen to us.”  

Then one day, out of the blue, we were living the movie. Me and my mom were in Italy. I had training early, so we watched half an episode of Schitt’s Creek and called it a night. Right as my mom went down the hall to her room, my brother called me, and he never calls me — not like that. It was weird.  

“Hey, I need to talk to Mom.”  

“Mom went to her room. Why do you need to talk to Mom?” 

“I need to talk to Mom.”  

“What’s going on?” 

“Dad had an accident.”  

Dad had an accident. Ha. O.K., did he cut himself doing something stupid? Did he burn his legs making a fire pit again? What did he get himself into this time?  

“I just need to talk to Mom right now.”  

When you hear those words, you just know. When I got to my mom’s room and handed her the phone, I immediately broke down in tears in the corner of the room. I was hysterical. But Mom went into full Nurse Mode. It’s an old reflex. She calmly told my brother that he had to follow the ambulance to the hospital. He had to get as much information as he could. And he just had to stay by Dad’s side, no matter what. We were coming.  

The last thing the doctors told us before we got on the flight was, “We’re going to do everything in our power to keep him alive until you can get here.” 

Read the full piece at ThePlayersTribune.com. 

U.S. Ski & Snowboard Director of Alpine Sports Science, Per Lundstam, worked as the U.S. Alpine Ski Team's head strength coach from 1994 to 2010, before taking on an exciting new opportunity with Red Bull as Director of Performance. Lucky for the U.S. Ski Team, Lundstam returned to the team last fall after an 11-year stint with Red Bull. 

Ski Racing's Edie Thys Morgan recently caught up with Lundstam to discuss his background, work with Red Bull and the U.S. Ski Team, vision for the alpine program, and beyond. 

Lundstam grew up in Sweden as a ski racer, with the dream of racing in the World Cup. At the time, in the late 80s, the Swedish team was very competitive, and Lundstam’s personality seemed more suited to helping his competitors rather than crushing them. His mother, in fact, saw his coaching talent before he did, but as his competitors leaned on him more and more for training guidance, Lundstam also saw the writing on the wall. He quit racing at age 24 and quickly transitioned into a position as conditioning coach for the Swedish national team, a position he held from 1990-94. From there, Lundstam moved across the pond to start working with the US Ski Team in 1994. 

What followed was a time of unparalleled success on the US Ski Team, from a range of athletes across both genders and all disciplines. This included the rise of superstars like Bode Miller, Lindsey Vonn, Julia Mancuso, Ted Ligety and Daron Rahlves, as well as an army of athletes with medals and World Cup success, all supported by a cohesive staff. The success fed on itself. “We had incredible athletes that showed everybody the way and broke down all those paradigms that we were behind the Europeans,” says Lundstam. “You get this momentum and then the biggest piece of all is belief.” 

Lundstam is positively fired up about connecting the clubs, academies, colleges, regions, and High Performance Centers (HPCs) from across the nation with the national team. If that sounds like a big undertaking, that's because it is. But, if anyone can do it, it's Lundstam. As the article says, 

Lundstam is fascinated by how a group of people get to that place and believes much of it lies in creating a cohesive system where all stakeholders feel valued and invested. That is what he hopes to build on now, not only at the elite level, but throughout the American ski racing community, encompassing clubs, academies, colleges, regions, High Performance Centers (HPCs) and the national team. 

Central to this is a shared understanding of the absolute codependence between the elite system and the development system. Says Lundstam: “Without a healthy development system we are nothing at the elite level; and without us moving forward and breaking down every barrier, [developing athletes] don’t have a path either. We need each other and need to be integrated and understand how we work together at a higher level.” 

Lundstam and his team have already started physical testing at the USANA Center of Excellence in Park City, Utah, and the testing he's implementing at the elite level is something he hopes will translate to U.S. clubs, academies, colleges, regions, and High Performance Centers (HPCs). "By sharing testing, establishing concrete pathways and even involving clubs, academies, and colleges in the research, the goal is to create more of a national systematic feel than just an elite feel," as Thys Morgan writes. 

Read the full article at SkiRacing.com.  

Outside Interactive, Inc., the world’s leading creator of outdoor content, today released the fifth and final episode of its documentary series featuring the three-time Olympic Gold Medalist and four-time Overall World Cup champion, Mikaela Shiffrin. All five episodes of the series, titled Passion & Purpose, can now be viewed on Outside+.

This final episode is an exclusive view inside Shiffrin’s challenging experience at the 2022 Olympic Games. In never before seen interviews and footage, Shiffrin grapples with the very public disappointment and controversy surrounding her performance in Beijing and her struggle to bounce back at the Olympics.

“There were a lot of really, really tough days at the Games,” said Mikaela Shiffrin. “Life is not a linear journey, and amongst all of the negative stories that came out of my performance at the Games, I am grateful that this series captures my personal experience in such a raw and authentic way.”

The final episode of Passion & Purpose recounts the intense pressure from fans and media during and following the Games. We also see Shiffrin’s resilience in preparing for and ultimately winning her fourth Overall title – the biggest annual prize in ski racing – at the World Cup in Courchevel/Meribel, France. This win led Shiffrin to tie former World Cup alpine skier, Lindsey Vonn, for the second-most overall wins in women’s FIS Alpine Ski World Cup history – a satisfying redemption following the Games.

“Outside+ is the platform for outdoor athletes to tell their stories and inspire viewers to have their own adventures,” said Robin Thurston, Outside CEO. “We hope that by telling Mikaela’s story, we can remind people that it’s not always about winning. The outdoors isn’t a video game – it’s real-life with all of its joys and setbacks.”

The full series documents Shiffrin’s journey both on and off the hill leading up to and following the 2022 Olympic Games. In the past two years, Shiffrin has experienced her fair share of mental and physical struggles, including the unexpected loss of her father, the loss of her grandmother, a severe back injury, and she was diagnosed with COVID-19 during the peak of her Olympic training season. Shiffrin walked into the Olympics with high expectations set on her by the fans and the media based on her prior career success. However, her performance wasn’t as strong as she had hoped, and she left Beijing without receiving any medals – a surprise not only to Shiffrin but also to her team and to anyone watching the Games.

Directed and produced by Jalbert Productions, all five episodes are now available for Outside+ members. Episodes have been released to non-members for 30-day intervals, with the fourth episode still available. To watch the full series, sign up to become an Outside+ member here.

About Outside
Outside is the premier destination for active lifestyle enthusiasts and home to leading brands in the endurance sports, outdoor, and healthy living spaces. Each month, Outside reaches 70 million of the most active consumers in the world across its 30+ media, digital, and technology platforms, creating an experience for both longtime adventurers and those just getting started. Outside believes life is best spent outdoors, experiencing healthy, connected, and fulfilling lives. Outside’s membership offering, Outside+, bundles best-in-class storytelling, meal plans, gear reviews, online courses, discounted event access, magazines, and more. Learn more at OutsideInc.com and by following on Twitter.

About Mikaela Shiffrin
Double Olympic champion, six-time world champion, and winningest slalom skier of all time, Mikaela Shiffrin has elevated women’s ski racing globally – both on and off the mountain. At a mere 27-years-old, Mikaela has 74 World Cup victories across six disciplines to her name and is the only athlete to win in all six disciplines. Philanthropically, Mikaela is passionate about ending plastic waste through initiatives with sponsor Adidas, cancer research, the Kelly Brush Foundation, and so much more. She has raised millions of dollars through the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Jeff Shiffrin Athlete Resiliency Fund (in her late father’s name) to help support up-and-coming athletes on the cusp of breaking through as they’ve dealt with challenges associated with the pandemic.

Release provided by Outside, Inc.

Olympian Luke Winters' journey to the top 25 in the world has been a steady progression, one step at a time. In what was his career-best season, Winters finished ranked 23rd in the world in slalom and was highlighted by three top-10 FIS Ski World Cup finishes. Ski Racing Media recently featured Winters' "one step at a time" approach to the top ranks. 

In the piece, Peter Lange writes, 

U.S. Ski Team’s Luke Winters is currently the most successful male American World Cup SL skier. Winters, a quiet man, is talented, but his success has come one step at a time. 

This season Winters broke the U.S. men’s five-season slalom World Cup finals drought when in the last regular-season slalom, Winters finished seventh, earning him his first finals invitation. Previously, the most recent male U.S. athlete to qualify was the retired David Chodounsky in 2016.

Winters’ story begins in Portland, Oregon. Like many, the 25-year-old started skiing young at age three, with his first experience in the spring at the Summit in Government Camp on Mount Hood. However, as a kid, Winters loved other sports as well.  

Keep an eye on Winters and his offseason training via his Instagram account.

Read the full article at SkiRacing.com.

After a series filled with every weather pattern imaginable, the Toyota U.S. Alpine Championships wrapped at Sugarloaf, Maine with the women’s giant slalom on Thursday. Canada’s Britt Richardson impressed, grabbing the victory, while Olympian Paula Moltzan was second to lead the way for the Americans. 

The challenging weather persisted, as the women were met with icy conditions for the final event of the Toyota U.S. Alpine Championships series. The 18-year-old Richardson won both runs, for a combined time of 2:01.89, with Moltzan right on her heels, .15 seconds back. Teammate AJ Hurt rounded out the podium in third, 1.91 seconds off the pace. Katie Hensien was in third after the first run but finished behind Hurt in fourth, 2.31 seconds back. 

“I’m really excited to take the win in this race,” commented Richardson, who was also the top junior of the day. “The conditions were a little soft, second run especially…but I just tried to do what I could. I knew the course was going to be a little bumpier the second run…so I just tried to keep that in my head and do what I could.” Up next, Richardson will head back to Panorama, Canada for a spring series race.”

Moltzan, who grabbed her career-first national title in the slalom on Monday, was happy to be competing and pushing in Thursday’s giant slalom. “It was fun…it was definitely a challenging start to the day,” Moltzan reflected. “No one really had any idea if it was actually going to happen, it got a little icy last night. So, they did the best they could with the slope, it wasn’t perfect but there was some great skiing…obviously, Britt pushed through, and all of the girls behind us as well.”

Rounding out the junior podium behind Richardson was Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club’s Tatum Grosdidier in second place and the U.S. Ski Team’s Allie Resnick in third. 

Moltzan gave a big shout-out to the volunteers and course workers for all of their hard work during the event, saying “Thank you guys so much for putting hours upon hours of time, effort, and love into the hill because without you guys we wouldn’t be here. I just want to let them know that there really appreciated by all of the staff and athletes on the U.S. Ski Team.” 

In the 2022 Tom Garner Regions Cup, an award for the top region based on results from the Toyota U.S. Alpine Championships, the Western Region prevailed, with 1,068 points. The Eastern Region followed with 923 points, and Rocky/Central had 750 points. 

Up next for the U.S. Ski Team athletes are spring camps, as the 2022-23 season has already kicked off. Stay tuned to our social media accounts to see what the athletes are up to in the offseason. 

RESULTS
Women’s giant slalom

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Olympian Paula Moltzan led both runs of the U.S. Alpine Championships in Sugarloaf, Maine, to dominate the women’s slalom on Tuesday. Moltzan, 27, finished with a combined time of 1:32.28, an impressive 2.81 seconds ahead University of Denver Pioneer Katie Hensien, who moved up from fourth place in the first run to finish second on the day.

Moltzan shed light on what it’s like racing this late in the competition season, despite the weather challenges. “It’s fun to be out here in Sugarloaf with friends and family, the conditions are definitely challenging, the conditions are not the easiest,” Moltzan said. “It’s nice to be back in the U.S. and competing this late in the season.” 

U.S. Ski Team member AJ Hurt was third with a combined time of 1:35.13 to best Canada’s Amelia Smart and Norway’s Kristiane Bekkestad. Allie Resnick of Vail, who was sitting in fifth after the first run, did not finish her second slalom run of the day. 

Eighty women started the race which was held in windy, cold, and tilled ice conditions. Ten women did not finish the second run. The men’s slalom, which was also held on the Narrow Gauge Trail, saw 55 finishers out of 89 who started the day.

In the men’s slalom, Steamboat Springs native U.S. Ski Team member and 2019 NCAA slalom champion Jett Seymour, 23, held off teammate and runner-up Ben Ritchie, whom he led by .16 seconds after the first run.

Seymour gave his input on being the leader in today’s slalom and what the course and conditions were like for him.“It feels amazing, it was a bit of a tough year so it was nice to end on a positive note,” said Seymour. “The surface was great and the course was a lot of fun.”

George Steffey, who had the fastest second run of the day, finished in third after sitting eighth after the first run. Steffey, 24, and a Stratton Mountain School graduate posted a combined time of 1:28.98.

Luke Winters, the four-year veteran of the national team and Beijing 2022 Olympian, finished fourth, and Justin Alkier of Canada took fifth. Aspen native Bridger Gile, like Steffey, notched a big jump in run two, moving up from 10th to sixth place.

Unsettling weather has wreaked havoc on the Toyota U.S. Alpine Championships schedule, with the giant slalom races now set for Wednesday and Thursday and the overall event shortened by one day. This is the eighth time in Sugarloaf’s history that it has played host to the U.S. Alpine Championships.

RESULTS
Women’s slalom
Men’s slalom

U.S. ALPINE CHAMPIONSHIPS - REVISED SCHEDULE
March 30 - U.S. Alpine Championships Men's Giant Slalom 
March 31 - U.S. Alpine Championships Women's Giant Slalom 

Due to ongoing challenging weather conditions at Sugarloaf, Maine, the upcoming Toyota U.S. Alpine Championships tech schedule has changed. 

While the organizers were able to host successful U.S. Alpine Championship downhill and HomeLight Foundation Series NorAm downhill events, super-G events were canceled. Despite being able to get a men's giant slalom NorAm Cup Final race off on Saturday, conditions were challenging yet again on Sunday, and the women's giant slalom NorAm Cup Final was canceled. 

After looking at the weather for the upcoming week—along with team travel plans—and discussing with the jury, organizers have decided to change the schedule and move the entire U.S. Alpine Championships tech series up one day. The new U.S. Alpine Championships schedule is below. The HomeLight Foundation Series will wrap with the men's and women's NorAm Cup Finals slalom on Monday, March 28th. 

U.S. ALPINE CHAMPIONSHIPS - REVISED SCHEDULE
March 29 - U.S. Alpine Championships Men's and Women's Slalom 
March 30 - U.S. Alpine Championships Men's Giant Slalom 
March 31 - U.S. Alpine Championships Women's Giant Slalom 

HOMELIGHT FOUNDATION SERIES RESULTS
NorAm Cup Overall
Women
Men

NorAm Cup Downhill
Women
Men

NorAm Cup Super-G
Women
Men

NorAm Cup Giant Slalom
Women
Men

NorAm Cup Slalom
Women
Men

2022 Olympic silver super-G medalist Ryan Cochran-Siegle and the famous "Skiing Cochrans" were recently featured in HBO Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel. 

As the description says under the trailer, 

Sixty years ago, a schoolteacher named Mickey Cochran and his wife Ginny bought some overgrown farmland in northern Vermont and began to transform their backyard into a tiny ski hill for their four young kids. Mickey used his background in engineering to construct a rope tow and snapped off saplings to use as gates. The point wasn’t to beat anyone, he believed, but to have fun and get a little bit faster and a little bit faster with every run. Soon the neighborhood kids were coming to bomb the hill after school once Mickey installed lights on the back of their home, which had become a lodge for the community to gather in. All four children became among the very best ski racers in the country; they all went to the Olympics, son Bob won the prestigious and infamous Hahnenkamm, and middle daughter Barbara won gold in slalom at the 1972 Olympics. The next generation of Cochrans began making the US Ski Team as well, totaling TEN Cochrans in all. The youngest is Ryan Cochran-Siegle who was having the best year of his skiing career in 2020 when he fractured his neck in a harrowing fall at the Hahnenkamm and had to be airlifted to the hospital. He had fusion surgery on his C6 and C7 vertebrae and, miraculously, was able to represent the US last month in Beijing. 365 days after starting a new life after surgery, he unexpectedly won silver in Super G, almost 50 years to the day after his mother’s win in Sapporo. Today, Cochran’s Ski Area has grown to four main trails and a T-bar in addition to the rope tow - but is far from cry from the mountains in the Alps other Olympians train on. The ‘Skiing Cochrans’ as they are affectionately known, are continuing to carry out the vision of their late parents by allowing the kids of Northern Vermont, no matter their parents’ means, the opportunity to ski and have fun.