Park City, UT – Teen rocket Mikaela Shiffrin of Eagle, Colo., who landed her first Audi FIS Alpine World Cup podium result this winter, headlines a strong group of 14 athletes slated to compete at the Junior World Ski Championships March 1-9 in Roccaraso, Italy. The team was named on Thursday by the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association.
Shiffrin, 16, who has been competing at the World Cup level all season, returns for her second Junior Worlds after earning a slalom bronze medal in 2011. Overall NorAm Cup leader Abby Ghent, of Edwards, Colo., will also return for her second Junior Worlds, while NorAm downhill and super G points leader Ryan Cochran-Siegle, of Starksboro, Vt., who finished tied for fourth in Wednesday’s U.S. Downhill Championship, highlights the men’s team.
“Mikaela [Shiffrin] was a bronze medalist at last year’s Junior Worlds slalom and continued that success with a podium on the World Cup this season also in slalom. But I’m most impressed with the work she’s put into her giant slalom skiing. She scored her first World Cup giant slalom points just last weekend in Andorra with incredibly challenging conditions,” says U.S. Ski Team Alpine Director Patrick Riml. “Ryan [Cochran-Siegle] has been working with our men’s Europa Cup Team all season and has shown success at that level with a pair of Europa Cup top-10 finishes. He is also leading the NorAm standings for both downhill and super G to show incredible consistency with his skiing.”
Roccaraso, the site for this year’s Junior Worlds alpine events, is located roughly 125 miles east of Rome, Italy in the Alto Sangro mountains. Medals will be awarded for downhill, super G, giant slalom, slalom, a traditional combined, team event and the Marc Hodler Trophy for overall team performance.
“Our junior athletes have produced impressive performances on all levels,” says Riml. “I’m excited about the strength of the team we have selected and that I am confident that we’ll see a strong performance from the whole squad.”
For more information on the event visit www.roccaraso2012.org.
2012 FIS ALPINE JUNIOR WORLD SKI CHAMPIONSHIPS TEAM
Men
Bryce Bennett, Olympic Valley, CA, 7/14/92 (Squaw Valley Ski Team)
Ryan Cochran-Siegle, Starksboro, VT, 3/27/92 (Cochran’s/Mount Mansfield Ski and Snowboard Club)
Robert Cone, Killington, VT, 1/12/92 (Middlebury College Ski Team)
Kieffer Christianson, Anchorage, AK, 8/11/92 (Burke Mountain Academy)
Tanner Farrow, Ketchum, ID, 3/21/93 (Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation)
Scott Snow, Sagle, ID, 7/8/93 (Independence Racing Team)
Matthew Strand, Lakeville, MN, 5/14/93 (Buck Hill Ski Team)
Women
Abby Ghent, Edwards, CO, 2/25/92 (Ski and Snowboard Club Vail)
Anna Marno, Steamboat Springs, CO, 11/23/92 (Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club)
Foreste Peterson, Berkeley, CA, 10/9/93 (Squaw Valley Ski Team)
Katie Ryan, Aspen, CO, 1/3/93 (Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club)
Lauren Samuels, Golden Valley, MN, 10/13/92 (Rowmark Ski Academy)
Mikaela Shiffrin, Eagle-Vail, CO, 3/13/95 (Burke Mountain Academy)
Jacqueline Wiles, Aurora, OR, 7/13/92 (White Pass Ski Club)
2012 FIS ALPINE JUNIOR WORLD SKI CHAMPIONSHIPS SCHEDULE
March 1 – Women’s giant slalom
March 2 – Men’s downhill
March 3 – Women’s slalom
March 4 – Men’s super G
March 5 – Team event
March 7 – Men’s giant slalom
March 8 – Women’s downhill
March 9 – Men’s slalom and Women’s super G