Andrew Weibrecht and Bode Miller after finishing bronze and silver in the super G (Doug Haney/U.S. Ski Team)

Andrew Weibrecht is usually a speed skier, putting his best foot forward at the most opportune time. Andrew smoked most of the competition, winning a bronze medal at the Vancouver Olympic Games in Super G.

Born February 10th, 1986 in Lake Placid, "War Horse" as many call him, has been on the World Cup tour for several years and every year has gained consistently better results.  In 07, you would have seen him hovering around 30th or even 40th position, then in 08/09 around 20, and in this current season, he's been in and around the top 10, making him a serious threat on any given day.

When he came through early in the Olympic Super G and waited through the long laundry list of racers to come after him, he probably would not have imagined that his time would stick. Only Bode and Aksel bested him by .03 and .31 respectively, basically a blink of an eye.

This is definitely someone to keep an eye in the future and if you happen to catch him in a tech event, you will see him wearing his Slytech Nervous Guards.

Congratulations Andrew!

Reduced Drag Destroyer Shin Guards

Today's Men's Alpine Ski Slalom is lining up to be a stacked field of competitors.  With tough tight technical turns, each requiring the athlete to slap the gate out of the way with the pole guard and shin guard, aerodynamics and reduced friction of the guard on the pole is of utmost importance.

Slytech's 3 raised fin concept does exactly that... it keeps the contact surface of the shin and arm guards to a minimum on the gate, thereby reducing drag.

Also important is the back protector. Often times, racers will catch an edge and literally get launched into the air several feet and slammed down hard on their back (that happened to Lindsey Vonn in the Women's GS a few days ago). Skiing is a dangerous sport and protective gear is an absolute must if you want ski another day.

Amongst today's Shredders who use or have used Slytech (either the guards or the back protector) are:

• Ted Ligety(USA)
• Jimmy Cochran (USA)
• Marc Gini (SUI)
• Reinfried Herbst (AUT)
• Marcel Hirscher (AUT)
• Nolan Kasper (USA)
• Sandro Viletta (SUI)
• and many more...

The first run starts at 10AM PST, so make sure to tune in to your country's TV coverage to see the drama and glory unfold!

If you checked out the alpine ski action at the Olympics, then you would have seen a whole lot of racers dawning Slytech Protective Gear.

Here's just a brief rundown:

1. Bode Miller used Slytech Nervous Arm Guards in his silver medal performance in the Super G.
2. Silvan Zurbriggen was on Slytech Nervous Shin Guards in his bronze medal super combined performance.
3. Ted Ligety rocked the Nervous Arm and Shin Guards in his 5th place Super Combined finish.
4. Julia Mancuso and most of the US Ski Team hittin' it with Slytech Nervous Shin Guards and Arm Guards. Julia got ANOTHER SILVER!

Racers on the start list for tomorrow's Giant Slalom who have worn Slytech in the past and are likely to use us again include:

• Ted Ligety (USA)
• Tommy Ford (USA)
• Jake Zemansky (USA)
• Bode Miller (USA)
• Silvan Zurbriggen (SUI)
• Marc Berthod (SUI)
• Didier Defago (SUI and winner of the Olympic Downhill Gold)
• Andre Myhrer (NOR)
• Sandro Viletta (SUI)
• And several more...

Keep an eye out for our boys tomorrow at 10:30 Pacific Time from Whistler Creekside. Giant Slalom, baby!

No explanation why Julia Mancuso decided to start using the Slytech 2nd Skin Back Protector she's been lugging around for a year or so now, but she did. An amazing game-day competitor, Julia is, and now she can be called...

"The Most Decorated Female American Olympic Alpine Skier with 3 Medals!"

And what back protector has she worn for the past 2 silver medal performances?

SLYTECH, BABY!

Check out this little video of the crowd going nuts as she crossed the finish line to take over the top spot at the Vancouver Olympic Super Combined.

Julia Straps on Slytech 2nd Skin

We're going to be seeing a lot of Slytech at the Vancouver Olympic Games in both the men's and women's GS & slalom races in form of arm guards and shin guards. You ask the athletes about why they use the Destroyer Guards, they'll tell you that they love the off-white look of the pre-preg fiberglass and because of the reduced surface area of the 3 gills, they are the fastest off the gate, bar-none.

What you won't see is what's under the athlete's ski suits. Back protection is absolutely essential in the world of ski racing. Injected hills (super hard and icey so that the later racers are not as much at a disadvantage) and super fast speeds (70, 80, 90 mph!) make for very dangerous conditions.

Without safety standard approved back protection the athletes would put themselves even more in to harm's way.

Racers need to go with equipment they trust. When you look around the ski huts where the skiers hang before a race, you'll see that a great number of racers trust Slytech.

Watch the Girl's Downhill race TODAY, Tuesday February 16th at 11AM PST! Olympic Fever is all over Whistler, so catch a glimpse wherever you are! It's lining up to be a nail-bighter. Will it be the favorite Lindsey Vonn with the busted shin (or so they say), or will it be the Victoria Secrets Vixen Julia Mancuso? Or will it be any one of the other powerhouses from Austrians to Germans to the hometown Canadians? You'll just have to tune it!

Were you able to check out the TRUTH IN MOTION broadcast on NBC yesterday? If not, you really missed something quite worthwhile.

Good news is, you can catch it again at the following times:

Universal Sports: Sunday January 31, 10-11pm
Monday February 8, 8-9pm
Thursday February 11, 9-10pm

While a lot of the story is about Ted Ligety's road to Vancouver as he fights for top spot on the squad and his 2006 Torino Olympic Gold, the heart of the story really centers around the Slytech crazy man Jake Zamansky.

It's Jake's dedication to even just make the US Olympic Squad and qualifying or else be faced with imminent retirement that helps make this documentary compelling. Stunning visuals (thanks to funding by Audi) and the directorial work of Brett Morgan, make this a must-see for any ski racing fan. Check it out!

Jake Zamansky Audi Birds of Prey in Beaver Creek Photo © Eric Schramm

Are you a ski speed freak? Then you have to see this teaser to the upcoming release of Truth In Motion: The U.S. Ski Team's road to Vancouver a documentary film to hit TV in the USA on January 30th.

It's scheduled to air on Jan. 30 at 8 p.m. on NBC, followed by an encore showing on USA Network on Feb. 6, the film chronicles the trials of select members of the U.S. Ski Team as they prepare for Vancouver in 2010.

If the visuals are anything like the teaser suggests, then this should be a MUST-SEE for any ski buff.

Check it...

Snowboarding has specific criteria for each of its three events, halfpipe, parallel giant slalom (PGS) and snowboardcross (SBX). Snowboarding's nation's quota (how many can be entered in an event) must be earned so team size will vary based on results of U.S. athletes on the FIS Snowboard World Cup. Athletes must also achieve a minimum FIS qualifying criteria of at least one top 30 finish in a FIS World Cup or World Championship between July, 2008 and Jan. 25, 2010, and have at least 100 FIS points at the time of nomination in the respective event. Athletes must be pre-qualified to enter selection events. The snowboading selection process contains many additional important details and dates that can be found in the official criteria document.

http://www.ussa.org/magnoliaPublic/dms/documents/2008-09/Snowboard-Criteria/Snowboard%20Criteria.pdf

Overall

Selection Period: Sept. 1, 2009-Jan. 25, 2010 (see each event for list of tryouts) Team Size: Maximum of 18 (max. 10 per gender); actual team size determined through nation's results on FIS Snowboard World Cup from Jan. 18, 2009-Jan. 18, 2010.

Team Nomination:  Jan. 25, 2010

Event Quota: Up to four U.S. athletes per event

Halfpipe

Up to three men and three women will be selected from individual results in five selection events as part of the 2009-20 U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix. Athletes must be pre-qualified to enter (see selection criteria document for details). Additional athletes will be named based on medal potential if overall Team quota spots are available. Scheduled dates are as follow:

Dec. 12, 2009 – Copper Mountain, CO (1 event) Jan. 6, 9, 2010 – Mammoth Mountain, CA (2 events) Jan. 22-23, 2010 – Park City, UT (2 events)

Top Criteria:

1. Up to three athletes per gender who have had a top-four finish against the full competition field (including non-USSA athletes) in selection events.

2. If no athletes selected by criteria point 1, one athlete per gender will be selected using the average of top two results in selection events (FIS 1,000 point system applied to only eligible USSA athletes) 3. If spots remain, discretion of head snowboarding coach

Parallel Giant Slalom

Up to two men and two women will be selected from individual results in four selection events as part of the 2009-20 FIS Snowboard World Cup. Athletes must be pre-qualified to enter (see selection criteria document for details). Additional athletes will be named based on medal potential if overall Team quota spots are available. Scheduled dates are as follow:

Dec. 6, 2009 – Limone Piemonte, Italy

Dec. 17, 2009 – Telluride, CO

Jan. 6, 2010 – Kreischberg, Austria

Jan. 17, 2010 – Nendaz, Switzerland

Jan. 24, 2010 – Stoneham, QUE

Top Criteria:

1. Up to two athletes per gender who have had a top-four finish against the full competition field (including non-USSA athletes) in selection events.

2. If no athletes selected by criteria point 1, one athlete per gender will be selected using the average of top two results in selection events (FIS 1,000 point system applied to only eligible USSA athletes) 3. If spots remain, discretion of head snowboarding coach

Snowboardcross

Up to two men and two women will be selected from individual results in five selection events as part of the 2009-20 FIS Snowboard World Cup. Additional athletes will be named based on medal potential if overall Team quota spots are available. Athletes must be pre-qualified to enter (see selection criteria document for details). Scheduled dates are as follow:

Sept. 12, 2009 – Chapelco, Argentina

Dec. 19, 2009 – Telluride, Colorado

Jan. 10, 2010 – Bad Gastein, Austria

Jan. 15, 2010 – Nandaz, Switzerland

Jan. 21, 2010 – Stoneham, Quebec

Top Criteria:

1. Up to two athletes per gender who have had a top-four finish against the full competition field (including non-USSA athletes) in selection events.

2. If no athletes selected by criteria point 1, one athlete per gender will be selected using the average of top two results in selection events (FIS 1,000 point system applied to only eligible USSA athletes) 3. If spots remain, discretion of head snowboarding coach

SPECIAL NOTES

Maximum event quotas must be earned by teams in each sport during selection period. Maximum team size within a sport with multiple events may impact use of maximum quote in some events. All athletes must also be U.S. citizens, members in good standing of the USSA and holding a valid FIS license at the time of nomination. The USSA presents its list of nominees to the USOC, which will announce the official Olympic Team.

Olympic freestyle athletes will be selected primarily from finishes on the 2009-10 FIS Freestyle World Cup plus winner of Olympic Trials events in moguls and aerials in Steamboat Springs, CO Dec. 23-24. Athletes must have placed in the top 30 in a World Cup or World Championships and have a minimum of 100 FIS points.

Selection Period: July 1, 2009-Jan. 25, 2010 Team Size: Maximum of 18 Team Nomination: Jan. 26, 2010 Event Quota: Up to four U.S. athletes per event Top Criteria:

1. Winner of moguls and aerials events at Olympic Trials
2. One top three World Cup finish
3. Two top five World Cup finishes

Click here for complete details of freestyle selection criteria.

http://www.ussa.org/magnoliaPublic/dms/athletics/alpine/docs/10-OWG-SKI-ATH-Freestyle-FINAL/10%20OWG%20SKI%20ATH%20Freestyle%20FINAL.PDF

Olympic alpine athletes will be selected primarily from individual race finishes on the 2009-10 Audi FIS Alpine World Cup. The top two athletes, by selection criteria, have a guaranteed start right in that respective event. Athletes must be ranked in the top 500 in the world on the FIS Points List to be eligible. In addition, athletes in speed events must have a maximum of 120 FIS points.

Selection Period: Oct. 23, 2009 – Jan. 25, 2010 Team Size: Maximum of 22 (max. 14 per gender) Team Nomination: January 25, 2010 Event Quota: Up to four U.S. athletes per event Top Criteria:

1. One or more top three World Cup finishes
2. One or more top 10 World Cup finishes
3. Total Audi FIS Alpine World Cup points in an event

Click here for complete details of alpine selection criteria.

http://www.ussa.org/magnoliaPublic/dms/documents/2008-09/10-OWG-SKI-ATH-Alpine-FINAL/10%20OWG%20SKI%20ATH%20Alpine%20FINAL.PDF