Issue 19 DAY 16 Sunday, February 28, 2010

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2 WINTER WONDERLAND With the 2010 U.S. Olympic Team poised to set an all-time record of medals won by a country at a single Olympic Winter Games, American speedskater Apolo Anton Ohno (Seattle, Wash.) took a deeper look at the achievement than just standing on the podium. Ohno, who won three Olympic medals in the Vancouver Games to become the most decorated American athlete in the Winter Games with a career eight, said it is about more than the medals. More important is how we stand up as warriors, Ohno said. For me, being an Olympian and what that embodies signifies something much bigger than the medals we bring home. Ohno went on to say that he has been on an incredible journey over three Games. He called the 2010 team s medal count, amazing. There s little question that this group of American men and women became the talk of the Vancouver Games. They did so by amassing 36 total medals heading into the final day, with another medal guaranteed in men s ice hockey as the U.S. faces Canada in the gold medal game. The previous high was 36 collected by Germany at the 2002 Games in Salt Lake City. From Lindsey Vonn s (Vail, Colo.) sensational run to gold in women s downhill and Johnny Spillane s (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) first-ever medal for the U.S. in nordic combined early in the Games, to Billy Demong s (Vermontville, N.Y.) gold -- the first for the U.S. in nordic combined -- and the gold medal by Steven Holcomb s (Park City, Utah) four-man bobsled team in the final days, the U.S. team made history throughout the Games. Along the way Ohno surpassed Bonnie Blair s six Olympic medals in speedskating that had been the American Winter Games record. Alpine skier Bode Miller (Franconia, N.H.) won three medals, including gold in the men s super combined, to bring his career total to five. The U.S. men s hockey team rocked the Olympic field with a 5-3 victory over favored Canada in the preliminary rounds, and figure skater Evan Lysacek (Naperville, Ill.) surprised Russia s Evgeni Plushenko for the gold medal. Moguls skier Hannah Kearney (Norwich, Vt.) hit a gold medal run as the last racer down the course, and Seth Wescott (Sugarloaf, Maine) and Shaun White (Carlsbad, Calif.) successfully defended gold medals in snowboardcross and halfpipe, respectively. So did speedskater Shani Davis (Chicago, Ill.) in the 1000m. There were nine gold medal performances going into the last day of competition Sunday. Our athletes have done fantastic things here, said Scott Blackman, chief executive officer of the USOC. They have represented our country very well on and off the field. Winning medals was contagious for the U.S. team throughout. Bill Marolt, CEO of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association, saw the same quality from the nordic skiers this year as he saw 46 years ago at the Innsbruck Winter Games. In Innsbruck, Marolt was a teammate of Billy Kidd and Jimmy Heuga and they won the first Olympic medals in alpine skiing for the U.S. just as Demong, Spillane and Todd Lodwick (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) did in nordic combined in Vancouver. Billy Kidd and Jimmie Heuga were great athletes, Marolt said. Billy Demong, Johnny Spillane and Todd Lodwick also are great athletes who have had a goal for themselves and their sport and achieved it through hard work and dedication. Spillane departs Vancouver with three Olympic medals. The words dedication and team were common in the appraisal of the success. Women s hockey player Angela Ruggiero (Simi Valley, Calif.) owns four Olympic medals, including gold from 1998 at the Nagano Games. The U.S. team won silver in Vancouver, but she talked more about the comradarie of the 2010 team. I was sad, but it wasn t because the current journey with this team was over, it was because this is the last time this team will be together, Ruggiero said. This team was special and teams change. continued...

3 VANCOUVER FORECAST HIGH/LOW Feb. 28 Partly Cloudy 49/40 F March 1 Mostly Cloudy 52/45 F March 2 Rain 50/42 F WHISTLER FORECAST HIGH/LOW Feb. 28 Partly Cloudy 43/32 F March 1 Mostly Cloudy 52/36 F March 2 Rain 47/36 F QUOTEABLE No more 62 years. We ll start the clock over. Now it s going to be four years. -- Steven Holcomb, Bobsled, on ending the USA s 62-year gold medal drought The fans here are so passionate about Canada and the Olympics, but when you get to hockey, there s a level above passionate where they almost live and die by it. -- David Backes, Ice Hockey THE TWEET SPOT Tweets from the U.S. Olympic Team Olympic Champion...no words Steve Mesler, Bobsled (@SteveMesler) Just got my silver medal in Vancouverthat s five medals now in five different distances in two Olympics- WOW! I m officially retired. -- Chad Hedrick, Speedskating (@chadhedrick) Thank You to all the fans in Vancouver for your support throughout these Games. I m sad that it s almost over -- Evan Lysacek, Figure Skating (@EvanLysacek) Just finished w/the gala.gonna miss the PAC!Great memories.can t wait to walk in closing tmw.i swear,if I cry one more games Tanith Belbin, Ice Dancing (@TanithJLB) Follow Team USA online at and on Twitter and Facebook. Receive breaking news via Twitter. On the Cover: Celebration Photos: Getty Images Ruggiero noted she was especially glad that Kerry Weiland (Palmer, Alaska) won a silver medal as a first-year player on the team. Lodwick was a prime example of the value of dedication. He came out of retirement to compete in his fifth Games. In four previous tries, he had not won an Olympic medal. I thought I was done after Torino, Lodwick said. But I knew I had left a few things on the table. I had competed for a long time and didn t have anything to show for it. Now I have my medals. Lodwick gained a team medal and plans to continue his career next year. The U.S. team will leave Vancouver with its record medal total. But those medals go on the shelf and it s on to Sochi, Russia, in four years. Regardless of where the Games are, there s a level of expectation and professionalism on this team, Demong said. We ll be there to win U.S. OLYMPIC TEAM BY THE NUMBERS 37 Medals guaranteed at the 2010 Games for the U.S., the most medals ever by a country in a single Olympic Winter Games. The last team to hold this record was Germany, with 36 medals in Salt Lake City in The last time the U.S. topped the medal count in the Winter Games was at the 1932 Lake Placid Games, when the U.S. brought home 12 medals. 3 American men who have repeated as Olympic champions in 2010 Seth Wescott (Sugarloaf, Maine) repeated with the gold in snowboardcross, Shani Davis (Chicago, Ill.) in the 1000m long track speedskating event and Shaun White (Carlsbad, Calif.) in the halfpipe. The only other man to repeat as a U.S. Olympic champion was Dick Button in men s figure skating in 1948 and Year of the last U.S. gold medal in four-man bobsled until Steven Holcomb (Park City, Utah), Steve Mesler (Buffalo, N.Y.), Curt Tomasevicz (Shelby, Neb.) and Justin Olsen (San Antonio, Texas) finished first at the Vancouver Games Goals scored by women s hockey Captain Natalie Darwitz (Eagan, Minn.) in the 2010 Winter Games, breaking the American record for most points scored in an Olympic tournament. Cammi Granato had the previous record with 10 goals in Salt Lake City in : New Olympic Record time set by speedskater Katherine Reutter (Champaign, Ill.) in the first heat of the women s 1000 m. 16 Years since the U.S. women s short track relay team won a medal (1994) until Katherine Reutter, Allison Baver (Sinking Spring, Pa.), Alyson Dudek (Hales Corners, Wis.), Lana Gehring (Glenview, Ill.) and Kimberly Derrick (Memphis, Tenn.) took bronze in the 3000m. continued...

4 8 Career medals won by short track speedskater Apolo Anton Ohno (Seattle, Wash.), the most decorated Winter Olympian in U.S. history. 5 Career medals won by 2010 Olympian Chad Hedrick (Spring, Texas), tying him with Eric Heiden for the most won by a men s U.S. long track speedskater. Hedrick won bronze in the 1000m and silver in the team pursuit in Vancouver. 12 Alpine skiers who have won three medals in a single Olympic Winter Games including Bode Miller (Franconia, N.H.), who won his first career gold medal, a silver and a bronze in Vancouver. 4 Nordic combined medals won by Team USA in Coming into the Vancouver Games, the U.S. had never won a medal in the nordic combined discipline. ADDING IOC MEMBER TO HER RESUME Angela Ruggiero (Simi Valley, Calif.) will be adding a very high honor to her already impressive resume -- this time courtesy of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). She s a four-time Olympic medalist in women s hockey with one gold ( 98), two silver ( 02 and 10), and one bronze ( 06). While racking up medals, she also graduated cum laude from Harvard, involved herself with numerous charitable organizations and is currently working on a master s degree in sports management. The list will grow Sunday when she is sworn in to the IOC Athletes Commission to serve an eight-year term as a full-fledged member of the IOC. I love having to juggle a million things, Ruggiero, 30, said. I love having more on my plate than less. I thrive in that situation. While most graduate students might complain about the workload from professors, Ruggiero managed to juggle her schoolwork with practice and travel for games with the U.S. Women s Hockey Team and campaigning for election to the commission. When I learned we were moving to Minnesota to train last year, beginning of September 2008, I looked into grad schools, she said. Ruggiero found the sports management program at University of Minnesota and dove right in. I thought it would be really interesting, and it s crazy how I was very adamant about athletes pursuing other interests outside their sport. She remembers how the timing felt right when she received an from the IOC asking for athletes who were interested in joining the commission to come forward. I was right in the middle of my master s it seemed like I was thinking about getting more involved with the Olympic level, or with federations, or USA Hockey, she said. Giving back in a way, and this was perfect. So I submitted my name and ended up as an American nominee at the Games. She became one of nine names on the ballot and the only American. Two athletes would be chosen. Ruggiero began campaigning the moment she landed in Vancouver. Starting day one when I got here all the way until the 23rd, I just went out and spoke with the athletes and told them what I was passionate about and why I thought I would represent them well. Her passion for prepping athletes for what she calls the real world provided a perfect platform while running for the commission, especially through her support of the IOC Athlete Career Programme (ACP), which was created in 2005 to promote education, life skills and employment among athletes. Her platform won athletes over. On Feb. 23, she found out that she and Great Britain s Adam Pengilly (skeleton) were the two athletes elected to the commission. However, she had little time to celebrate her victory because she was preparing for the goldmedal game against Canada. I kind of had to put it on hold for a day and focus on our goldmedal game the next day, she said. But, now it s really starting to sink in and I ve been able to meet a lot of IOC members. Ruggeiro is likely to become involved with the ACP. It s really interesting, because I really feel like this is a great position for me personally because of all the things I m passionate

5 There has been lots of conversation about it still, he continued. Nodar s memory hangs heavy and it s the No. 1 topic of converabout -- the Olympic Movement obviously, and giving back to that, and also from my education background. Her commitment with the IOC requires her to travel only two to three times a year to various places around the world. In between those travels, she will continue to build her resume, and the next addition will be in a few months when she will be able to include her master s degree. FINAL EVENT IN WHISTLER - MEN S CROSS COUNTRY The final race of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games will be the men s cross country 50k Sunday at 9:30 a.m. Watch for Team USA s Kris Freeman (Andover, N.H.) and James Southam (Anchorage, Alaska) to endure the challenging course at Whistler Olympic Park. HOCKEY NIGHT - PART II The U.S. Men s Olympic Hockey Team will face-off against Canada for the gold medal for the second time in the last three Olympic Winter Games when the teams meet Sunday at 12:15 pm in Canada Hockey Place. The game will be broadcast live on NBC. Sunday s match-up comes on the 50th anniversary of the 1960 U.S. Olympic Team capturing the country s first-ever hockey gold medal. This year s team will become the first U.S. squad to medal in a Games outside of the United States since The U.S. team enters Sunday s game with a record, the first U.S. team to win its first five Olympic games since the 1960 team that captured gold with seven consecutive wins. Team USA has outscored its opponents by a 22-6 margin, including a 16-2 count at even strength. Chris Drury (Trumbull, Conn./New York Rangers) and Brian Rafalski (Dearborn, Mich./Detroit Red Wings), both members of the silver medal-winning 2002 team, will become the seventh and eighth U.S. players to win two Olympic medals. Additionally, the last three U.S. hockey teams to medal have included a Suter -- Bob captured gold in 1980, Bob s younger brother, Gary, earned silver in 2002 and Bob s son, Ryan, will earn either a gold or silver in Ryan Miller (East Lansing, Mich./Buffalo Sabres) has allowed just five goals in nearly six full games (1.04 goals against average, best in tournament) while Rafalski enters the gold medal game as the team s top point getter with four goals and four assists. USA LUGE PAYS TRIBUTE TO FALLEN LUGE ATHLETE The U.S. Luge Team, crestfallen over the tragic death of Nodar Kumaritashvili of Georgia in a training accident on Feb. 12, is conducting a fundraiser in his memory. The Georgian Olympic Committee stated that the proceeds generated by USA Luge via an ebay auction will directly benefit Kumaritashvili s family. The Olympic race suit worn by Tony Benshoof (White Bear Lake, Minn.) in the men s singles event will be signed by all 10 members Tony Benshoof of the 2010 U.S. Olympic Luge Team. Benshoof finished eighth in the Olympic competition. I feel like it s the least I can do, said Benshoof. It s a small contribution, but we hope to collect a fair amount of money for his family.

6 sation. When I meet someone new and tell them what I do, that s the next question. A similar auction concept offered by Hannah Campbell-Pegg of Australia is now approaching $2,000. By auctioning one of our Olympic race suits, we hope we can in some small way show the Kumaritashvili family that Nodar will remain in the hearts and minds of those in the luge community, said USA Luge Team Manager Fred Zimny. We were saddened by his passing and wanted his family to know that the U.S. Luge Team honors Nodar as a fellow Olympian. Internet browsers can go to the following website to engage in the auction process: tem&item= The American sliders marched into the Opening Ceremony honoring Nodar s memory by wearing a black ribbon on the collar of their jackets affixed by a Republic of Georgia Olympic pin. A moment of silence was observed in Nodar s memory during the Ceremony. Kelly Underkofler Ralph Green 2010 U.S. PARALYMPIC WINTER GAMES TEAM ANNOUNCED The USOC announced the 50 athletes that will make up the U.S. Team set to compete at the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver, B.C., March 12-21, The U.S. Team, made up of athletes from 20 states, will compete in five sports (alpine skiing, biathlon, cross country skiing, sled hockey and wheelchair curling). A projected 600 elite athletes with a physical disability from more than 40 countries are expected to compete at the Games. The following roster is comprised of the 50 athletes who will represent Team USA at the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team (15) Joe Howard (Kingston, Mass.), forward Steve Cash (Overland, Mo.), goaltender Taylor Chace (Hampton Falls, N.H.), defense Jimmy Connelly (Galloway, N.J.), defense Andy Yohe (Bettendorf, Iowa), forward Brad Emmerson (Amherst, N.Y.), forward Tim Jones (Mt. Ephraim, N.J.), defense Taylor Lipsett (Mesquite, Texas), forward Alexi Salamone (Grand Island, N.Y.), forward Mike Blabac (Buffalo, N.Y.), goaltender Nikko Landeros (Berthoud, Colo.), defense Adam Page (Lancaster, N.Y.), defense Josh Pauls (South Plainfield, N.J.), defense Greg Shaw (Park City, Utah), forward Bubba Torres (Riverside, N.J.), forward 2010 U.S. Paralympic Wheelchair Curling Team (5) Augusto Goose Perez (East Syracuse, N.Y.), skip James Pierce (North Syracuse, N.Y.), vice skip James Jimmy Jam Joseph (New Hartford, N.Y.), second Jacqueline Kapinowski (Point Pleasant, N.J.), lead Patrick McDonald (Orangevale, Calif.), alternate 2010 U.S. Paralympic Alpine Ski Team (24 athletes, 3 guides) MEN (14) Mark Bathum (Seattle, Wash.), visually impaired Carl Burnett (Cape Elizabeth, Maine/Bend, Ore.), sitting Heath Calhoun (Grundy, Va./Aspen, Colo.), sitting Nick Catanzarite (Winter Park, Colo.), sitting Chris Devlin-Young (San Diego, Calif./ Campton, N.H.), sitting Ralph Green (Brooklyn, N.Y./ Vail, Colo.), standing Gerald Hayden (Winter Park, Colo.), sitting Ian Jansing (St. Louis, Mo./Winter Park, Colo.), standing Monte Meier (Park City, Utah), standing George Sansonetis (Fraser, Colo.), standing Joe Tompkins (Juneau, Alaska), sitting Tyler Walker (Franconia, N.H.), sitting Brad Washburn (Winter Park, Colo.), standing John Whitney (Towson, Md.), standing WOMEN (10) Allison Jones (Colorado Springs, Colo.), standing Ricci Kilgore (Reno, Nev.), sitting Luba Lowery (Cumberland Foreside, Maine/Denver, Colo.), sitting Alana Nichols (Farmington, N.M.), sitting Hannah Pennington (Winter Park, Colo.), standing Caitlin Sarubbi (Brooklyn, N.Y.), visually impaired Laurie Stephens (Wenham, Mass.), sitting Elitsa Storey (Sun Valley, Idaho), sitting Danielle Umstead (Taos, N.M.), visually impaired Stephani Victor (Park City, Utah), sitting

7 2010 U.S. Paralympic Biathlon Team Note: These athletes will also compete in cross country skiing. MEN (1) Andy Soule (Pearland, Texas), sitting WOMEN (1) Kelly Underkofler (St. Paul, Minn.), standing Of the 50 U.S. athletes, 33 have competed in a prior Paralympic Games; 17 athletes will be making their Paralympic Winter Games debut. Vancouver will mark five Paralympic Games competitions for dual sport athlete (alpine skiing & cycling) Allison Jones and alpine skier Monte Meier. GUIDES (3) Slater Storey (Sun Valley, Idaho) - guide for Mark Bathum Rob Umstead (Taos, N.M.) - guide for wife, Danelle Umstead Gwynn Watkins (Mt. Shasta, Calif.) - guide for Caitlin Sarubbi 2010 U.S. Paralympic Cross Country Skiing Team (6) MEN (4) Greg Mallory (Portland, Ore.), sitting Chris Klebl (Heber City, Utah), sitting Sean Halsted (Spokane, Wash.)/Twin Lakes, Idaho), sitting Andy Soule (Pearland, Texas), sitting WOMEN (2) Monica Bascio (Evergreen, Colo.), sitting Kelly Underkofler (St. Paul, Minn.), standing Augusto Perez Among the 50 athletes, five are U.S. military veterans: Heath Calhoun (Grundy, Va.), alpine skiing - retired U.S. Army (Iraq War Veteran) Chris Devlin-Young (Campton, N.H.), alpine skiing - retired U.S. Coast Guard Sean Halsted (Spokane, Wash.), cross country skiing - retired U.S. Air Force Patrick McDonald (Orangevale, Calif.), wheelchair curling - retired U.S. Army Andy Soule (Pearland, Texas), cross country skiing & biathlon - retired U.S. Army (Veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom) 2010 OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES SCHEDULE SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28 TIME SPORT EVENT VENUE 9:30 Cross Country Men s 50 km, Mass Start Classic Whistler Olympic Park U.S. Athletes: Kris Freeman, James Southam 12:15 Ice Hockey Men s Gold Medal Game - Game 30: United States vs. Canada Canada Hockey Place U.S. Athletes: David Backes, Dustin Brown, Ryan Callahan, Chris Drury, Tim Gleason, Erik Johnson, Jack Johnson, Patrick Kane, Ryan Kesler, Phil Kessel, Jamie Langenbrunner, Ryan Malone, Ryan Miller, Brooks Orpik, Zach Parise, Joe Pavelski, Jonathan Quick, Brian Rafalski, Bobby Ryan, Paul Stastny, Ryan Suter, Tim Thomas, Ryan Whitney 17:30 General Closing Ceremony BC Place (PPD) - Postponed; bold denotes medal round; *estimated start time