Tuesday, February 02, 2010

2010 Steamboat Olympians - quick bios

2010 Olympians with Ties to Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club

CAROLINE CALVÉ, CANADA, ALPINE SNOWBOARD: First-time Olympian and SSWSC athlete for the past few years, Caroline Calvé, competed in two World Cups, with a top finish of 10th in parallel slalom. A World Cup silver medalist, she has six top-10 finishes on World Cup circuit and captured 21 Nor-Am Cup medals.

BRETT CAMEROTA, USA, COMBINED (2006): Park City resident, Brett Camerota, who trained with SSWSC for a year, has been having a consistent season leading up to Vancouver. He's had a top 20 finish and several top 35 finishes in the 2010 World Cup tour. In his young career, he's gone on to compete in the 2006 Olympics and three Junior World Championships.

BILL DEMONG, USA, COMBINED (1998, 2002, 2006): Demong was literally unstoppable throughout the 2009 season as he amassed an astounding 10 World Cup podium finishes for third in the overall standings and took his medal count up a notch when he won gold and bronze at 09 World Championships. Demong has put forth a stellar Vancouver Bound effort with a World Cup win and a fourth place finish.

PATRICK DENEEN, USA, MOGULS: The newest full-time member of the SSWSC (12/2009), Deneen (09 World Champion) heads into his first Olympics under the watchful eye of SSWSC coach Timmy Meagher. He tallied one more top five and two top 10 finishes in his season long campaign as well as secured his Olympic spot right here in Ski Town, U.S.A.

TAYLOR FLETCHER, USA, COMBINED: Born in Steamboat Springs, CO, Fletcher grew up skiing and competing with the SSWSC until named to the U.S. Ski Team. Fletcher started the season off solid on the Continental Cup circuit before getting called up to the big leagues. Since competing on the World Cup, he has made an impact, landing a top 30 finish and three other top 35 finishes.

MICHELLE GORGONE, USA, ALPINE SNOWBOARD (2006): Lowell Whiteman class of 2001 & multi-year SSWSC athlete, Michelle Gorgone burned her way through the junior ranks scoring five Junior World Championship Teams ('98, '99, '01, '02, '03) before making the jump to the World Cup and the 2006 Olympic Team. She hopes to beat her success in 2010 as she makes a bid on her second Olympic team.

TYLER JEWELL, USA, ALPINE SNOWBOARD (2006): The untraditional athlete, Tyler gave up snowboarding in the late Nineties in favor of an education degree from Boston College. He picked it back up in an effort to make the '02 Olympic Team. Tyler didn't make the '02 squad, but continued competing with his eyes set on the '06 Olympic run where he became the only man to represent the U.S. in alpine racing. This winter, Jewell will make his second appearance at the Winter Games.

ELLIE KOYANDER, GREAT BRITIAN, MOGULS: A new SSWSC athlete and coached Timmy Meagher, Ellie Koyander is one of the youngest members selected for Team GB. Currently competing on the FIS World Cup Freestyle circuit, Ellie has been awarded her place after being one of the elite top 30 athletes in the world who achieved the International Olympic Committee’s qualifying criteria. She is recognised by the BOA as a contender for the 2010 Olympics, and as a medal prospect for Sochi 2014.

JANA LINDSEY, USA, AERIALS, (2006): A multi-year SSWSC member, Jana Lindsey had one of the best seasons of her career when she increased the degree of difficulty in her competition moves, resulting in a career best fifth-place finish at the World Championships in Japan. She put forth a solid effort in hopes of winning an Olympic Bid earlier this season, just missing the podium in China. Lindsey stayed strong adding two more top 15 finishes to her resume.

TODD LODWICK, USA, COMBINED (1994, 1998, 2002, 2006): After a retirement from the sport, Lodwick returned in 2009 to become a two-time World Champion. Born in Steamboat springs, Todd Lodwick redefined the idea of U.S. success in nordic combined right from his first international meet. Lodwick started off the 2010 Olympic campaign with a bang, winning two Continental Cups and added two World Cup podiums to his resume. “If you believe it's possible, then anything is possible." Lodwick plans to take that attitude with him as he works toward the 2010 Olympics.

ADAM MCLEISH, GREAT BRITAIN, ALPINE SNOWBOARD: Adam McLeish will compete in snowboard parallel giant slalom at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games, his first Olympics. McLeish comes from British roots, but grew up in Canada. He has been skiing since he was three years old; competing to a high level, but only took to snowboarding when he was 20. But once he had tried it, there was no going back and McLeish set his sights on competing at World Cup, and then Olympic, level.

MICHAEL MORSE, USA, MOGULS: Michael Morse compiled a solid set of results with sights on winning an Olympic Bid to Vancouver. He posted one top five in Lake Placid, NY and three top 10 finishes, creating a hopeful resume. According to coaches he should be able to produce more of those results this winter as he puts his focus on working on speed and perfecting his current jumps in order to push the competition in Vancouver.

JOHANNA SHAW, AUSTRALIA, ALPINE SNOWBOARD (2006): Two-time Olympian and long-time SSWSC athlete, Johanna Shaw, came of age as one of the world’s elite alpine snowboarders during the 2008/09 season, lifting her ranking to 10th on the World Cup standings. Johanna first came to the attention of the Australian public at the 2006 Olympics, where she finished 29th in the Parallel Giant Slalom.

CALLAN CHYTHLOOK SIFSOF, USA, SNOWBOARDCROSS: Raised in Bristol Bay, Callan Chythlook-Sifsof is a Yupik/Inupiaq Eskimo, who after earning a spot on the U.S. C Team in '06, jumped directly to the A Team in '07 after winning the U.S. Snowboardcross Championships and taking third in the first World Cup of her career. Chythlook-Sifsof, coached by SSWSC Thedo Remmelink, is looking strong and poised to be one of the tough competitors
on the World Cup SBX circuit as well as at the 2010 Olympics.

JOHNNY SPILLANE, USA, COMBINED (1998, 2002, 2006): Johnny Spillane grew up two blocks from Steamboat's Howelsen Hill and fell in love with ski jumping. He was part of a Junior World Championships gold-medal team and became the first American nordic skier to win a gold medal at the Olympics or World Championships in 2003. Aiming for his fourth Olympics, Spillane's Vancouver journey has been nothing less than impressive, tallying a World Cup win and two fourth place finishes.

RYAN ST. ONGE, USA, AERIALS, (2006): Lowell Whiteman Class of 2001 and three-year SSWSC member, Ryan St. Onge - who made the U.S. Ski Team at 14 - has taken things one step, one flip, one turn, one World Championships medal and one World Cup and U.S. championships victory at a time. He secured his first trip to the Olympic at Howelsen Hill in 2006. St. Onge, a crowd favorite, has been putting down a solid season as the Vancouver Games
approach. He's posted two top 20 results with sights set high for February.

KIMIKO ZAKRESKI, CANADA, ALPINE SNOWBOARD: First-time Olympian and SSWSC athlete for the past few years, Kimiko Zakreski, is a World Cup silver and bronze medalist and three-time gold medalist on Nor-Am Cup circuit, with 17 medals overall. She also holds three FIS race medals, including one gold; a National Championship bronze medal; as well as a medalist on the Continental Cup, Europa Cup and South American Cup circuits.

For more click back to the Steamboat Springs blog main page or click on the Steamboat Olympian label below.

1 comment:

Calypso Bay said...

Steamboat Springs is definitely where it is at! Congratulations to all!