Park City, UT – The U.S. Ski Team assembled its 2012 freestyle squad yesterday to introduce them to the media and fans in an event held at Deer Valley Resort’s Silver Lake Lodge in Park City.
Highlighting the team this winter are Olympic and World Champion moguls skier Hannah Kearney, who was notably absent from the event as she trains at home in Vermont, as well as Olympic bronze moguls medalist Bryon Wilson, of Butte, Mont., and teen World Cup winner Ashley Caldwell, of Ashburn, Va. , who announced on Tuesday that she has perfected two new maneuvers for aerials competition this season, both triples.
Athletes used the event as an opportunity to showcase their new 2011-12 Columbia Sportswear uniforms to both media and fans gathered for the announcement. The athletes will be wearing the blue Columbia gear for all competitions, including the World Cup season kick-off on Dec. 10 in Ruka, Finland as well as the Visa Freestyle International at Deer Valley on Feb. 2-4.
The Team named 32 athletes to the roster. Among those athletes, the U.S. Freestyle Ski Team has eight Olympians, including two medalists Kearney and Wilson, and two 2010 FIS Rookie of the Year athletes, moguls skier Heidi Kloser, of Vail, Colo., and aerialist Caldwell.
“The veteran leadership this year will create depth to the program and secure our success over the next three seasons,” said Freestyle Director, Todd Schirman. “Our preparation was successful this summer and the rookies are coming into their own, the combination of veteran winners and enthusiastic newcomers will pave the way to an exciting year.”
Two-time moguls medalist and freestyle alum, Shannon Bahrke was on hand introducing the athletes that included her younger brother, Scotty Bahrke, and serving her Silver Bean Coffee and hot chocolate to accompany Deer Valley’s famous homemade cookies.
The first domestic event of the season will be the Lake Placid FIS Freestyle World Cup on Jan. 19 in Lake Placid, N.Y.
2011-12 U.S. Freestyle Ski Team Roster
(Name, Team, Hometown, Club, Skis, Boots, Bindings, Poles Date of Birth)
*Denotes Olympian
A Team
Men
Scotty Bahrke, aerials, Tahoe City, CA (Volkl, Full Tilt) 7/19/1985*
Jeremy Cota, moguls, Carrabassett Valley, ME, Carrabassett Valley Academy (Volkl, Tecnica, Marker) 10/24/1988
Patrick Deneen, moguls, Cle Elum, WA (Hart, Swix/180’s) 12/25/1987*
David DiGravio, moguls, Farmington, ME, Carrabassett Valley Academy/Planet Ski International (Volkl, Tecnica, Marker, Swix) 11/26/1986
Bryon Wilson, moguls, Butte, MT, Wasatch Freestyle (Hart, Tecnica, Marker, Swix) 4/7/1988* **
Women
Ashley Caldwell, aerials, Charleston, SC (Volkl, Full Tilt, Salomon) 9/14/1993*
Emily Cook, aerials, Belmont, MA, FLY Freestyle (Volkl, Full Tilt, Salomon) 7/1/1979*
Hannah Kearney, moguls, Norwich, VT, Ford Sayre/WVBBTS (Volkl, Tecnica, Marker) 2/26/1986*
Heather McPhie, moguls, Bozeman, MT, Bridger Ski Foundation (Full Tilt) 5/28/1984* **
Eliza Outtrim, moguls, Steamboat Springs, CO, Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club (Volkl, Tecnica, Marker, Swix) 7/18/1985
B Team
Men
Joe Discoe, moguls, Telluride, CO, Telluride Freestyle Club (Volkl, Tecnica, Marker) 2/23/1987
Dylan Ferguson, aerials, Amesbury, MA, WVBBTS (Volkl, Full Tilt) 8/10/1988 **
Women
Heidi Kloser, moguls, Vail, CO, Ski and Snowboard Club Vail (Volkl, Dalbello, Marker, Leki) 9/18/1992
C Team
Men
Alex Bowen, aerials, Springville, NY, Buffalo Ski Club, 5/21/1992
Nevin Brown, aerials, Streetsboro, OH, Mont Chalet (Volkl, Full Tilt, Salomon) 4/19/1989
Shane Cordeau, moguls, Sun Valley, ID, Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation (Nordica, Nordica, Marker, Swix) 12/16/1986
Jimmy Discoe, moguls, Telluride, CO, Telluride Freestyle Club (Volkl, Tecnica, Marker) 5/15/1989
Hans Gardner, aerials, Orchard Park, NY, Buffalo Ski Club (Volkl, Full Tilt, Rossignol) 6/7/1989**
Ryan Dyer, moguls, Steamboat, CO, Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club (Hart, Tecnica, Marker) 6/29/1991
Landon Gardner, moguls, Missoula, MT, Missoula Freestyle (Volkl, Tecnica, Marker, Swix) 8/2/1985**
Sho Kashima, moguls, South Lake Tahoe, CA, Heavenly Valley Ski Foundation (Tecnica) 11/1/1986
Jonathon Lillis, aerials, Rochester, NY, Bristol Mountain Freestyle Team (Full Tilt, Rossignol) 8/20/1994
Nate Roberts, moguls, Park City, UT, Park City Freestyle Team (Hart, Lange) 3/24/1982*
Mike Rossi, aerials, Long Valley, NJ, (Dalbello, Salomon) 2/25/1994
Bradley Wilson, moguls, Butte, MT, Wasatch Freestyle (Hart, Tecnica, Marker) 6/5/1992
Bryan Zemba, moguls, Killington, VT, Killington Mountain School (Hart, Full Tilt, Swix) 12/17/1991
Women
Alexa Devereaux, aerials, Park City, UT, Fly Freestyle (Volkl, Full Tilt, Rossignol) 12/6/1991
Ali Kariotis, moguls, Tiburon, CA, Squaw Valley Freestyle Team (Tecnica) 4/29/1995
Allison Lee, aerials, Manchester, CT, Waterville Valley (Volkl, Full Tilt, Salomon) 11/13/1989
Brittany Loweree, moguls, Point Lookout, NY, Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club/Stratton Freestyle Team (Hart, Tecnica, Rossignol) 8/23/1990
Mikaela Matthews, moguls, Frisco, CO, Team Summit (Dalbello) 12/24/1991
KC Oakley, moguls, Piedmont, CA, Park City Freestyle (Volkl, Tecnica, Marker, Leki) 5/5/1988