Ever wonder what the criteria are to make it to the US Olympic Team (for snow sports)?

A US Ski and Snowboarding Association document ran across my desk recently that details how they select their squad, and I thought I'd share it with our shredders out there who are either jonesing to some day make the team OR for people who are just curious.

This multi-part blog series highlights what the requirements are in the various disciplines...

How to Make the Olympic Team - Part 1
by Tom Kelly

PARK CITY, UT (Nov. 6) – The eyes of the world will be on Vancouver this February for the Olympic Winter Games. But ski and snowboarding athletes who hope to be Vancouver Bound already began scrapping and fighting their way to Olympic Team spots beginning in September. The final Olympic ski and snowboarding teams will be named in January, as close as possible to the Olympics.

Olympic selection events kicked off with the Sept. 12 FIS Snowboard World Cup snowboardcross opener in Chapelco, Argentina where Seth Wescott (Sugarloaf, ME) was second and Graham Watanabe (Sun Valley, ID) was third. Major U.S. selection events will include alpine World Cups in Aspen and Beaver Creek, CO, freestyle World Cups at Deer Valley Resort in Park City, UT and Lake Placid, NY, snowboarding World Cup in Telluride, CO, plus the U.S. Snowboard Grand Prix in Copper Mountain, CO, Mammoth Mountain, CA and Park City. Freestyle and nordic combined will also pick a single team member with the winner of an Olympic Trials event in Steamboat Springs, CO Dec. 23-24.

In general, qualifying for Olympic ski and snowboarding teams is based on existing international competitions that take place throughout the entire season. According to USSA Vice President, Athletics Luke Bodensteiner, nominating the best athletes from a series of events provides the most accurate opportunity to select the athletes who are at the top of their sport and have the greatest chance of winning medals.

"Our goal as an organization is to win medals in Vancouver," said Bodensteiner. "The selection criteria speaks to that. We have some great opportunities and we want to be sure that we have the best athletes on our Teams who have proven they can be contenders through their international performance against the best in the world."

The competition for Olympic spots on some Teams will be especially intense. For example, the USA has a half-dozen men's snowboardcross athletes who have been on World Cup podiums but only four can be named to the Team. Similar situations exist in men's and women's moguls.

Athletes in all sports are also competing internationally to earn quota spots for the USA. Each nation is allocated a maximum start quota by gender based on international rankings over a two-season period leading up to the Games. Optimizing that quota is an important part of the selection process. Athletes in each sport must also have achieved a specified ranking or point standing in order to compete.

A complete summary of the Olympic selection process, including details of eligibility, pre-qualification, selection events and process, tiebreaking procedures and grievance process is available on the USSA Web site at:
http://www.ussa.org/magnoliaPublic/ussa/en/special/olympic-criteria.html

Didier Cuche Rockin' the Slytech Nervous Arm Guards

First off, a hearty congratulations to the Slytech Shredder Ted Ligety for his 2nd place finish in the season opener in Solden, Austria. He's an established Slytech rider who's been loving his protection for years now.

What you may not have known is that Didier Cuche, the winner of the steep hill Soelden GS race, ALSO rocks the Slytech Protection! Check out this pic from the race...

That's some serious fire-power right there! Cuche # 1, Ligety #2, both relying on Slytech to protect them. And it's never been more important than in an Olympic year to keep your body protected. If you get injured now, your 2010 Vancouver Olympic dreams are toast.

CONGRATULATIONS BOYS!

Patrick Deneen, Sprint U.S. Freestyle Championships, Moguls, Deer Valley, Photo: Jen Desmond/U.S. Ski Team

I just got this new release from the US Ski Team... check out what a next a World Champion Freestyle Mogul skier and 2010 Olympic hopeful has to tell...

One year after being named the FIS World Cup Rookie of the Year, Patrick Deneen (Cle Elum, WA) took the freestyle moguls world by storm when he won gold at the 2009 World Freestyle Championships in moguls. Now with a landmark season wrapped up, Deneen reflects on what his win meant to him and how he's shifted his focus to the 2010 year.

You're back at home in Washington now. How are things there and what have you been up to?
I'm just hanging out at home, which is nice because I just got back from spending the last month in Colorado where I was training and coaching some kids. So, it's good to be back in Washington and be home with the dogs and the horses.

Will you be spending your whole summer in Washington or are you ramping up your training schedule elsewhere?
I am planning on spending a lot of my summer in Washington. It's great because I am so close to Mt. Hood and with this time of year also being the time I do physical training, for me, this is the best type of training environment - in Washington and with my family on the ranch.

You might be a World Champion now, but when you head back to the ranch does a long list of chores wait for you?
I'm gone so often that my mom pretty much has it covered. But, when I am here I do normal chores like mowing the lawn and feeding horses. Luckily this time of year the grass is getting long, so I don't have to do a whole lot of feeding.

When you won your gold at Worlds, things were a whirlwind for you. Now that the dust has had a chance to settle, how do you reflect on what you accomplished?
The World Championship medal really means a lot to me. When you're skiing at the biggest event, and for me having everything come together at the right moment, it's a real special time. What have you done with your gold medal? Right now I keep it in a cupboard in my living room. If I'm sitting down watching television I'll have a quick look at it. My mom plans on framing it with my bib.

With such a great season behind you, how do you plan out your training this summer as you look ahead for future success?
I really focus on my skiing, the task at hand and small goals that I can do. If I just keep moving down that path my skiing will work and the results will come.

Do you have any additional thoughts as you look ahead to the 2010 season?
I'm really excited for next season. All of us just really love to compete. It's such a short ski season and we don't get that many competitions to ski in, so I'm looking forward to getting in there and starting to compete again. I know it's only June, but it seems like it's coming up so fast.

Patrick Deneen watches the scoreboard in World Cup moguls at Olympic test event at Cypress Mountain, BC. (U.S. Ski Team - Tom Kelly)