From the Associated Press:

Nancy Swider-Peltz Jr. won the women’s 3,000 meters at the U.S. Speedskating Championships on Sunday, clinching a spot on the Olympic team.

Swider-Peltz is the daughter of four-time Olympian Nancy Swider-Peltz and will join Jilleanne Rookard and Catherine Raney Norman in the 3000 at the Vancouver Games. Rookard and Norman had already qualified for the Olympics.

Trevor Marsicano clinched a berth on the American roster by winning the 5,000 meters in 6:21.02 Sunday. He had already clinched spots in the 1,000 and 1,500 and will skate with American favorites Shani Davis and Chad Hedrick in the

…

Read more »

Sorry to be a day late posting this (Holiday festivities.)

The U.S. Men’s 500m Olympic Team consists of:
Tucker Fredricks
Shani Davis
Nick Pearson
Mitchell Whitmore

The U.S. Ladies 500m Olympic Team consists of:
Elli Ochowicz
Jen Rodriguez
Heather Richardson
Lauren Cholewinski

I listed my picks for the Top 5 Winter Olympians in this morning’s TNT. Who made your list?

1. Bjorn Daehlie, Norway, Cross-country: He won his eight golds and four silvers at the ’92, ’94 and ’98 Olympics.
2. Kjetil Andre Aamodt, Norway, alpine skiing: In four Olympics from 1992-2006 he won four golds, two silvers and two bronzes.
3. Vladislav Tretiak, Soviet Union, hockey: The legendary goalie led the USSR to gold medals in ’72, ’76 and ’84. It took the 1980 Miracle on Ice to keep him from a fourth.
4. Janica Kostelic, Croatia, ski racing: In three Olympics between 1998

…

Read more »

Two more athletes have qualified for the Winter Olympics, both in aerials. Boise’s Jeret “Speedy” Peterson and Utah’s Lacy Schnoor.

Vancouver will be the third Olympics for Peterson and the first for Schnoor.

From the U.S.  Ski Team:

It was a Christmas come early for Jeret “Speedy” Peterson (Boise, ID) and Lacy Schnoor (Draper, UT) as they flipped and twisted their way to a nomination for the U.S. Olympic Team in aerials at Olympic Trials in Steamboat on Christmas Eve.

“I can’t believe that I’m going to go to the Olympics and I can’t wait to represent our country. I hope I go out there and do well,” Schnoor said.

Schnoor laid out a double-full, full, which is two flips with two twists on her first flip and one on her second, and full, double-full, which is a full twist on her first flip and two twists on her second. The double full full, however, happened to be a jump she had only first landed on snow a day prior.

“That was my fifth one on snow ever, so I am so glad I landed it,” Schnoor said. “The first one yesterday – I was nervous, but I’m actually more comfortable doing that trick than full double full, so I’m glad I did it and I’ll be happy to continue doing it.”
Read more »

Vancouver’s neighbors to the south could make some serious noise during the Olympics. Washington state is putting together a strong team for the games.

…

Read more »

Thirty years after the Miracle on Ice – Team USA’s 4-3 win over the Soviet Union in the Olympic semifinals – the Vancouver Olympics still has plenty of ties to the game.

• Mark Johnson: Johnson scored two goals for the U.S. against the USSR at Lake Placid, N.Y., in 1980. He’s now the coach of the U.S. women’s hockey team.

• Ryan Suter: Suter, a defensemen for the Nashville Predators, will try to help the U.S. win gold in Vancouver just like his dad, Bob, did in 1980. His uncle, Gary, was on the U.S. team that won silver in 2002. …

Read more »

Patrick Deneen of Cle Elum won the Olympic trials race to earn a spot to compete in moguls in Vancouver. Hannah Kearney won the women’s event.

From the Associated Press:

Defending moguls world champion Patrick Deneen and World Cup titlist Hannah Kearney have won Olympic trials to earn spots on the U.S. freestyle team.Deneen scored 26.68 points Wednesday to edge out Jeremy Cota for the automatic spot. Kearney scored 26.30 to top Emiko Torito on a snowy day at Steamboat ski resort.

Kearney already had a first-place finish on the World Cup this season, which made her a near lock

…

Read more »

Good story on Jill Bakken from Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press.

BY TIM REYNOLDS

Jill Bakken’s golden moment remains frozen in time.

On an icy track in Park City, Utah, nearly eight years ago, the former National Guard member hopped into her bobsled — painted red, with white Olympic rings and blue U-S-A across the chassis — and teamed with Vonetta Flowers to bring a gold medal home.

Talk about a perfect tale. A United States soldier, no less, having her national anthem blare in her homeland, in her honor.

“The moment, I’ll always remember,” Bakken said.

This February in Vancouver, Bakken’s help could lead someone else to an unforgettable Olympic moment.

Only it won’t be an American. Read more »