USA DAILY FOLLOWING TEAM USA INNSBRUCK WEATHER MEDAL EVENTS (5) THANK YOU, INNSBRUCK U.S. MEDALS (9) WHERE TO WATCH

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1 THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE 2012 U.S. YOUTH OLYMPIC TEAM USA DAILY SUNDAY, JANUARY 22 Issue 10 FOLLOWING TEAM USA WEB TeamUSA.org/YOG MEDIA USOCPressBox.org FACEBOOK Facebook.com/USOlympicTeam (#2012YOG) INNSBRUCK WEATHER FORECAST HIGH/LOW Morning Rain 38/34 MEDAL EVENTS (5) Bobsled Two-Man (M), Two-Woman (W) Curling Mixed NOC Doubles (Mixed) Ice Hockey Team (M/W) THANK YOU, INNSBRUCK As the first-ever winter edition of the Youth Olympic Games come to a close in Innsbruck, Austria, Team USA joins the rest of the world in celebrating a successful 10 days of friendly competition, cultural experiences and new friendships. While the 57 athletes who made up the 2012 U.S. Youth Olympic Team enjoyed athletic accomplishments, they also gained an invaluable international experience outside of the competition, thanks to the robust Culture & Education Program that fostered interaction among the 1,000-plus participating athletes. I m proud of our entire delegation, said Todd Allison, chef de mission for Team USA. In addition to pouring their hearts out on the ice and snow, our athletes truly embraced the spirit of the Winter Youth Olympic Games and Olympism. They have been great supporters of the Culture & Education Program and made friends from around the world. With U.S. athletes still to compete in two events during today s final day of competition, Team USA owns nine medals, including three golds, three silvers and three bronzes. At this point, Team USA has competed in 47 events, earning 50 top-20 finishes, 31 of which were top-10 results and 19 of which were top five. Snowboarder Ben Ferguson (Bend, Ore.), who celebrated his 17th birthday yesterday, was the most decorated U.S. athlete of the Games, earning both a gold and silver medal. Fellow snowboarder Arielle Gold (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) joins Ferguson as a multi-medalist, as she captured two silvers. It s been a great experience to compete at the Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck, said Ferguson. The event was very well run and we ve all had a really good time making friends and competing on the world stage this will definitely help prepare all of us for future competitions. Also earning multiple medals were lugers Ty Anderson (Alpine, Utah) and Pat Edmunds (Park City, Utah). The pair garnered bronze in doubles, then helped the mixed relay team to gold. U.S. MEDALS (9) GOLD (3) Jordan Bauth, figure skating mixed NOC team (1/21) Mixed Relay Team, luge (1/17) Ben Ferguson, snowboard halfpipe (1/15) SILVER (3) Arielle Gold, snowboard slopestyle (1/19) Ben Ferguson, snowboard slopestyle (1/19) Arielle Gold, snowboard halfpipe (1/15) BRONZE (3) Mixed Relay Team, biathlon/cross country (1/21) Ty Anderson/Pat Edmunds, luge doubles (1/16) Aaron Blunck, freestyle skiing halfpipe (1/15) WHERE TO WATCH UniversalSports.com offers daily highlights coverage from 2-3 p.m. ET. In addition, highlights can be viewed at YouTube.com/Innsbruck2012. TEAM USA 2012 Youth Olympic Games 1

2 TOP-10 MOMENTS - Click here for the photo gallery Emilee Anderson (Eau Claire, Wis.) made history on the first day of U.S. competition at the YOG, becoming the first-ever U.S. female ski jumper to compete at an International Olympic Committee event. She put up a solid performance, finishing ninth overall. On Jan. 15, Arielle Gold (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) won Team USA s first medal of the Games, a silver in the snowboard halfpipe. Ben Ferguson (Bend, Ore.) then added the first U.S. gold with a standout performance in the same event, landing the double crippler for the first time in competition. The pair followed their halfpipe success with silver medals in slopestyle on Jan. 19. Also on Jan. 15, as freestyle skiers made their IOC debut in the halfpipe, American Aaron Blunck (Crested Butte, Colo.) rose to the historic occasion by winning the bronze medal. Following their bronze medal in doubles luge, Ty Andersen (Alpine, Utah) and Pat Edmunds (Park City, Utah) joined singles athletes Summer Britcher (Glen Rock, Pa.) and Tucker West (Ridgefield, Conn.) on Jan. 17 for a near-perfect set of slides to win gold in the luge mixed team relay. Reaching the bottom of his first run in men s giant slalom on Jan. 19, Alex Leever (Vail, Colo.) was met by fellow Vail native and Olympic champion Lindsey Vonn. He went on to finish 11th in the field of 64 skiers. Clare Jeong (Tacoma, Wash.) participated in the first-ever speedskating mass start event at an IOC event on Jan. 20. She reached the front of the pack of 26 skaters on lap four and held the lead for two laps before finishing 13th. After skipping the U.S. curling team to a 7-1 record in team play, Korey Dropkin (Southborough, Mass.) joined with Marina Verenich of Russia in mixed NOC doubles. In their first game together on Jan. 20, the pair made history with the first perfect end of the Games. The mixed gender, mixed NOC curling competition was one of three such events in Innsbruck. Cross-country skiers Patrick Caldwell (Lyme, N.H.) and Heather Mooney (Peru, Vt.), along with biathletes Sean Doherty (Center Conway, N.H.) and Anna Kubek (Duluth, Minn.), earned the bronze medal in the cross-country skiing/biathlon mixed relay on Jan. 21, finishing just a half-second behind the silver-medal winners in the multi-sport event unique to the YOG. The men s hockey team showed perseverance by battling back in two consecutive games. In the Jan. 20 semifinal against Russia, the Americans rebounded from a four-goal deficit in the third period to come within two. The following day in the bronze-medal game against Canada, Team USA again fought its way to within two goals after starting the final period in a 7-2 hole. Jordan Bauth (Lancaster, N.Y.) showcased her international spirit by participating in the figure skating mixed NOC team event, in which she joined athletes from Japan and Belarus. Her clutch second-place performance in ladies gave the team seven points and helped secure the gold medal. CULTURE & EDUCATION The Youth Olympic Games Culture & Education Program forms the counterpart to the sport events and is an important element in the YOG concept for Innsbruck The CEP aims to engage and inspire participants to be true champions and to embrace the Olympic Values of excellence, friendship and respect. Through interactive, fun and educational activities, the CEP encourages the athletes to reflect on their behavior and on how they can live and share the Olympic Values everyday. The Innsbruck Youth Olympic Games Organizing Committee developed a CEP that consists of learning more about global issues, the Olympic Movement, Olympism and sport; contributing to a positive impact on the environment and tackling global issues; interacting with other athletes; and celebrating the Olympic Values and the diversity of the world s cultures. The CEP activities will be explained more fully in future editions of USA Daily, including the media lab, World Mile, Festival 2012 and projects in sustainability, arts and competence. FOREIGN LANGUAGES CHINESE Pat Edmonds (luge), Will Rhoads (ski jumping) FRENCH Nate Billitier (ice hockey), Tom Howell III (curling), Heather Mooney (cross-country skiing), Michael Parsons (figure skating), Rachel Parsons (figure skating), Aleksandra Zakrzewska (biathlon) GERMAN Sean Doherty (biathlon), Jake Peterson (bobsled), Nick Proell (biathlon), Aleksandra Zakrzewska (biathlon) KOREAN Thomas Hong (short-track speedskating), Clare Jeong (speedskating) POLISH Aleksandra Zakrzewska (biathlon) SPANISH Codie Bacue (bobsled), Caitlin Belt (figure skating), Nate Billitier (ice hockey), Ryan Bliss (ice hockey), Patrick Caldwell (cross-country skiing), Blake Clarke (ice hockey), Jared Fiegl (ice hockey), Arielle Gold (snowboarding), Logan Halladay (ice hockey), Colton Kissell (cross-country skiing), Alex Leever (alpine skiing), Lizzy Maxwell (skeleton), Julia Mueller-Ristine (alpine skiing), Max Raymer (snowboarding), Will Rhoads (ski jumping), Joe Wegwerth (ice hockey), Lesley Wilson (freestyle skiing) TEAM USA 2012 Youth Olympic Games 2

3 with the boys, said Mooney, 17, who is on the nordic ski team at Middlebury College in Vermont and the only U.S. Youth Olympian currently in college. The race began with Kubek skiing three 2km sections with prone and standing shooting. Then was Mooney, who skied the 2km loop twice. Team USA was in ninth place after the girls finished their sections. Doherty took the third leg, skiing three 2.5km loops with prone and standing shooting in between. Incurring no penalty loops, he finished his leg with the fastest time in the competition and put Team USA in the No. 2 spot. The last competitor for Team USA was Caldwell, who was chased by Alexander Selyaninov of Russia throughout both of the 2.5km loops, and it was a close finish between the U.S. and Russia. OUTSIDE THE BOX Team USA found success in two non-traditional events at the Innsbruck 2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games figure skating mixed National Olympic Committee team and cross-country skiing/biathlon mixed relay. Winning gold not only for Team USA, but also for Belarus and Japan was Lancaster, N.Y., native Jordan Bauth who competed in the ladies portion of the figure skating mixed NOC team event. Bauth was paired with ice dancers Eugenia Tkachenka and Yuri Gulitski from Belarus and men s figure skater Shoma Uno of Japan. I think this was a really fun, very different event, said Bauth, who wasn t sure what to expect from the mixed format. I met so many different skaters from different countries, and now I m friends with them. I m glad I was able to skate well and we won gold. Bauth and Uno took second place in ladies and men s, while Tkachenka/ Gulitski placed seventh in ice dancing for a combined total of 16 points. The Olympic Anthem played as they received their gold medals. With nearly 16 inches of snow accumulating on the Seefeld cross-country skiing course in less than 24-hours, 24 Youth Olympic cross-country skiers and biathletes competed in the first-ever cross-country skiing/biathlon mixed relay, and the U.S. won an unanticipated bronze medal. Team USA, comprised of cross-country skiers Patrick Caldwell (Lyme, N.H.) and Heather Mooney (Peru, Vt.), and biathletes Sean Doherty (Center Conway, N.H.) and Anna Kubek (Duluth, Minn.), finished the course in 1:05:23.0 just a half-second behind the silver-medal winners from Russia. This was a great format to race and it was fun to mix things up and race TEAM USA EMBRACES CEP Reaching out to someone from a different country who speaks a different language and lives a different lifestyle can be a little intimidating for people of all ages. One of the main goals of the Youth Olympic Games, however, is to provide ways for young athletes from around the world to step out of their comfort zones and connect with one another, thereby spreading the Olympic Values of excellence, friendship and respect. Innsbruck 2012 has provided multiple ways for the 1,000+ participating young athletes from around the world to live and share these values, and Team USA has embraced these opportunities. Language is definitely the biggest barrier to the kids approaching each other, but you don t, for instance, need to speak the same language to dance or to start a friendly international snowball fight, said Charlie Paddock, 25, who is in Innsbruck as one of 33 Young Ambassadors invited by the International Olympic Committee to get the athletes involved in the Culture & Education Program. Of the 27 total CEP programs offered throughout the Games, Mountain Awareness, Be the Chef!, Band Night and the Athlete Role Models have been noted among Team USA s favorites. Here are some highlights from Team USA s cultural experiences: Ladies figure skater Jordan Bauth was entered into a mixed National Olympic Committee event with an ice dancing couple from Belarus and a men s figure skater from Japan. Bauth used her yogger a device which combines a USB key with social media functions, to trade contact information with her new teammates. It s pretty cool to be able to share information so easily, said Bauth about the yogger, which when touched to another yogger, transfers self-loaded information, much like a digital handshake. TEAM USA 2012 Youth Olympic Games 3

4 Now I ll be able to connect with them after the Games. YOG bronze medalists in the cross-country skiing/biathlon mixed relay, skiers Patrick Caldwell and Heather Mooney participated in a mountain awareness class with athletes from Belgium and Poland at Innsbruck s scenic Nordkette ski resort. There were really awesome views; we were with fun people and it was a great experience, said Caldwell. It was about getting to know each other and enjoying the weather up there. Several Team USA athletes attended Band Night in the Athletes Lounge at the CEP hub and were able to share a dance with IOC president Jacques Rogge. The whole CEP program has been a great way to meet a lot of different people, said Nick Proell, a biathlete from St. Cloud, Minn. It was also pretty cool to meet the president of the IOC. By the end of the Games, international interactions were happening without the help of formal programs. With nearly a foot of snow falling in downtown Innsbruck on Jan. 20, there weren t many people athletes and chaperones alike who could resist a little playtime. Short-tracker Thomas Hong and speedskater Clare Jeong were joined by two Ukrainian coaches in building a six foot snowman in the Youth Olympic Village. We started building the snowman by ourselves, but pretty soon two coaches from Ukraine stopped by and helped us with the finishing touches, said Jeong. It was pretty fun. MUELLER-RISTINE CHOSEN AS FLAG BEARER Alpine skier Julia Mueller-Ristine was selected as the flag bearer for Team USA at the Closing Ceremony of the 2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games, which takes place upon completion of competition here tomorrow night (Jan. 22). I ve had a really great experience here in Innsbruck and to know I get to carry my flag at the end of the Games is awesome, said Mueller-Ristine of Aspen, Colo. I really look forward to representing my country, my teammates and my sport. Mueller-Ristine, who skis out of Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboarding Club, was selected as flag bearer following a nomination and voting process by the U.S. athletes. The 16-year-old competed in four events at the Youth Olympic Games super-g, super combined, giant slalom and slalom. Her best finishes came in slalom (12th) and super combined (17th). In addition, the Aspen High School junior got to meet her idol Lindsey Vonn during the Games. RESULTS BIATHLON/SKIING CROSS COUNTRY Cross-country skiers Patrick Caldwell (Lyme, N.H.) and Heather Mooney (Peru, Vt.), along with biathletes Sean Doherty (Center Conway, N.H.) and Anna Kubek (Duluth, Minn.), earned the bronze medal in the mixed relay. The U.S. finished just a half-second behind the silver-medal winners, clocking in at 1:05:23.0. CURLING Korey Dropkin (Southborough, Mass.) and his partner advanced to the semifinals of the mixed NOC doubles event after he and Marina Verenich (RUS) posted a 9-3 quarterfinal victory over CAN/ AUT. Also in the quarterfinals, Taylor Anderson (Broomall, Pa.) and Duncan Menzies (GBR) fell to JPN/KOR, 7-4. In Round of 16 action action earlier in the day, Dropkin and Verenich came away with a convincing 10-3 victory over SWE/NZL and Anderson and Menzies earned a 6-4 win over a pair from EST/SWE. Tom Howell III (Brick, N.J.) and his Chinese partner Ying Yang lost to KOR/NOR, 10-4, in the Round of 16. FIGURE SKATING Jordan Bauth (Lancaster, N.Y.) earned gold in the mixed NOC team event. She earned second place in ladies with a 77.84, while Shoma Uno (JPN) took second in men s and Eugenia Tkachenka/ Yuri Gulitski (BLR) placed seventh in ice dance for a total of 16 points. ICE HOCKEY Despite outshooting Canada, 40-19, the men s hockey team fell to Canada, 7-5, in the bronze-medal game to finish fourth with a (W-OTW-OTL-L) overall record. SKELETON Anthony Herringshaw (Schenectady, N.Y.) put up a two-heat total time of 1:58.16 to finish seventh in the men s individual race, while Lizzy Maxwell (Draper, Utah) and Timi Earl (Heber City, Utah) were seventh and ninth on the women s side with times of and 1:01.04 in the one-heat event (the first heat was cancelled due to weather). SKI JUMPING The U.S. team of ski jumpers Emilee Anderson (Eau Claire, Wis.) and Will Rhoads (Park City, Utah), and nordic combined athlete Colton Kissell (Park City, Utah) combined for an 11th-place finish in the mixed team competition with a score of SKIING ALPINE After posting a to sit fifth after the first run of men s slalom, Alex Leever (Vail, Colo.) fell near the top of the second run for a DNF. SKIING FREESTYLE The quarterfinal, semifinal and final of the skicross competition were canceled due to inclement weather, thus the final standings were based off the qualification round, where Lesley Wilson (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) placed 10th with a time of 1: SPEEDSKATING SHORT TRACK In the mixed NOC team relay, Thomas Hong (Laurel, Md.) combined with athletes from Germany, Japan and Chinese Taipei to win the B final and place fourth overall with a time of 4:23.141, while Sarah Warren (Willowbrook, Ill.) teamed with skaters from Japan, Chinese Taipei and the Netherlands to place sixth with a 4: TEAM USA 2012 Youth Olympic Games 4

5 USA DAILY SATURDAY, SUNDAY, JANUARY OCTOBER DAILY SCHEDULE BOBSLED M Two-Man (Heat 1 & 2)^ Olympic Sliding Center 11:30a/1p Codie Bascue, Jake Peterson CURLING Mixed Mixed NOC Doubles GER/SUI vs RUS/USA (SF) IEC Curling Hall 9a Korey Dropkin Mixed Mixed NOC Doubles (Bronze- & Gold-Medal Games) IEC Curling Hall 1p ^Medal Event TEAM USA Youth Pan American Olympic Games 5