World Champions Johnny Spillane, Billy Demong and Todd Lodwick are strong contenders for more Olympic medals

Steamboat Springs has a long history of sending athletes to the Olympics in the sport of Nordic Combined. Nordic athletes have been training at our historic ski area, Howelsen Hill since it opened in 1915. The ski area, Colorado’s oldest in continuous use, has an entire ski jumping complex and has hosted World Cup events, and is the home of long line of Nordic Combined skiers.

Nordic Combined has been an event at the Olympics every year since the Winter Games began in 1924. The sport originated in Norway and combines ski jumping and cross-country disciplines into one combined competition. This year there are three events in the Winter Games:

Johnny Spillane makes history by winning USA's first ever Olympic medal in Nordic Combined in the Individual Normal Hill AP Photo/Alessandro Trovati

Sunday, February 14 - Individual Normal Hill
This consists of one jump on the HS106 in the morning followed by a 10 kilometer-race in the afternoon.  Johnny Spillane became the first US Olympic Medalist in this discipline winning the Silver Medal in a thrilling race that was decided in just the last 100 yards. Todd Lodwick and Bill Demong both finished in the top 6 highlighting that the US Team is probably the strongest present and a serious contender for the Team Event.

Tuesday, February 23 - The Team Event
Teams of four skiers will compete for the best combined finishes from both events. Each athlete gets one jump on the HS140 and then the four scores are combined into one. The cross-country race is a relay, each skier races 5 kilometers.

This medal event will be televised on NBC in primetime.

Thursday, February 25 - Individual Large Hill
Skiers are scored on one jump in the HS140 followed by a 10-kilometer cross-country race.

This medal event will be televised on NBC in primetime.

This year’s U.S. Nordic Combined Ski Team features 5 athletes, three of whom grew up here in Ski Town, U.S.A. and all five have trained with the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club.

• Brett Camerota, Park City, UT
• Billy Demong, Vermontville, NY
• Taylor Fletcher, Steamboat Springs, CO
• Todd Lodwick, Steamboat Springs, CO
• Johnny Spillane, Steamboat Springs, CO

Todd Lodwick jumps at the 2009 US Olympic Trials in Steamboat Springs

Steamboat Springs is very proud of all their Nordic Combined athletes, past and present, native or part-time resident. Whenever a Nordic Combined competition is held in Steamboat, it seems like the entire town shows up.

This year’s Nordic Combined team has already made history may have a great chance for several medals. You can bet the entire town of Steamboat Springs will be watching the competition. We will even have a jumbo tron set up in Gondola Square across from the entrance to One Steamboat Place. If you are not going to be at the Olympics, Ski Town, U.S.A is the best place to be!

The U.S. Olympic team trials were held in Steamboat last December

Steamboat Springs was the site for the U.S. Olympic trials in December, and just before these Olympic games the whole team trained here. This year there are three mogul skiers from Steamboat and two aerialists with Steamboat ties:

Moguls: Patrick Deneen, Michael Morse and Ellie Koyander (Great Britain)

Aerials: Ryan St. Onge and Jana Lindsey

Check your local listings for details on the freestyle mogul events coming up this weekend, the women compete Saturday and the men on Sunday.

The women’s aerials competition is February 20 & 24
The men’s aerials February 22 & 25

Did you know that Steamboat Springs has played a large role in the sport of freestyle skiing?

Here’s a a few reasons how Ski Town, U.S.A. has helped put freestyle skiing on the map:

1. Park Smalley, considered the “godfather of freestyle skiing” has made his home in Steamboat Springs since 1976. Back when the sport was still referred to affectionately as “hot dogging.” A competitor, coach, TV-commentator and now Ski Hall-of-Famer, Park was instrumental in helping the sport gain its status as a competitive sport. The freestyle complex at the Steamboat Ski Area is named after him.

A skier goes inverted at the Park Smalley Freestyle Complex in Steamboat

2. Park Smalley Freestyle Complex training ground for 2002, 2006 and 2010 Olympic Freestyle teams. It’s the last stop for our US Freestyle teams before going to the winter games. It is also the site of several Wold Cup events as well as Olympic qualifying events. In 2002 the Canadian Freestyle team also trained there before heading to Deer Valley, Utah for the Olympics.

3. Nelson Carmichael, the first U.S. athlete to earn an Olympic medal in men’s moguls, 1992 Albertville, France. Nelson grew up in Steamboat Springs, attended Park Smalley’s freestyle camps, and made his hometown very proud by being the first athlete from Steamboat to bring home an Olympic medal. Today anyone can pick up free tips on bump skiing from Nelson- he offers a free bumps clinic most Sundays on Nelson’s Run at the Steamboat Ski Area.

4. Ann Battelle, four-time Olympian and two-time World Champion. Anne only began her skiing career after graduating from Middlebury College and moving to Steamboat Springs. Although she started her mogul career somewhat late, she also made a remarkable four appearances in the Olympics in 1992, 1994, 1998 and 2002.  She was also crowned Wold Champion in 1999 and 2000. Not bad for a 10-year career!

Travis Meyer brought home silver from the 2002 Olympic games

5. Travis Meyer, Olympic silver medalist, 2002 Salt Lake. Travis moved to Steamboat Springs in high school to attend the Lowell Whiteman School and train with the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club.  After claiming his spot on the Olympic team at the Gold Cup here in Steamboat, Travis captured the silver medal!

If you are not going to be at the Olympics, Ski Town, U.S.A is the best place to be! We will even have a jumbo tron set up in Gondola Square across from the entrance to One Steamboat Place.