After a great week of training on Golden Peak, the U.S. Ski Team introduced themselves to an excited crowd in Vail Square. Eager fans came from around the country to hear the announcement and for a chance to meet the team.
The Wolff family flew all the way from New Hampshire on Friday just for the announcement and to give their support to the team. They booked their tickets on Tuesday after finding out about the event from a neighbor.
"The kids race all winter long so this was our chance to meet [the athletes]," Kim Wolff said. "[My daughter] Kristina lives, breathes, and loves Lindsey Vonn."
The family watched the team train on Golden Peak on the morning of Nov. 6 and then came to the announcement in Vail Square to get their helmets autographed.
49 members are on the team this year, 22 of which are Olympians like Steve Nyman, Resi Steigler and Andrew Wiebrecht.
"I'm excited about the group we've put together," said third-year men's Head Coach Sasha Rearick. "There is an incredible diversity of experience with guys like Bode, Ted, Steven and Marco, then we have younger guys who are showing they have speed and are ready to take the next step."
Miller is excited for the new blood on the team, saying the old and new athletes will benefit from each other's strengths.
"It's good to have that transition," Miller said. "It's nice to have those older guys around that have had that experience that this group of young guys can benefit from."
Each athlete on the team is hoping to make it to the 2015 FIS Alpine World Championships to be hosted by Vail and Beaver Creek. New snowmaking technologies on training grounds like Golden Peak are being designed to help the U.S. Ski Team do well both this year and in 2015. Last year, the U.S. Forest Service approved the Ski & Snowboard Club Vail-funded installation of automatic snowmaking equipment on Golden Peak.
To see more pictures of this event, check out the U.S. Ski Team announcement photo gallery.
--Morgan Bast
The full roster of the 2011 U.S. Alpine Ski Team is as follows:
A TeamMenJimmy Cochran, Keene, NH
TJ Lanning, Park City, UT
Ted Ligety, Park City, UT
Bode Miller, Franconia, NH
Marco Sullivan, Squaw Valley, CA
Andrew Weibrecht, Lake Placid, NY
WomenStacey Cook, Mammoth Mountain, CA
Julia Mancuso, Squaw Valley, CA
Alice McKennis, Glenwood Springs, CO
Sarah Schleper, Vail, CO
Lindsey Vonn, Vail, CO
B TeamMenThomas Biesemeyer, Keene, NY
Will Brandenburg, Spokane, WA
Erik Fisher, Middleton, ID
Tommy Ford, Bend, OR
Travis Ganong, Squaw Valley, CA
Tim Jitloff, Reno, NV
Nolan Kasper, Warren, VT
Cody Marshall, Pittsfield, VT
Steven Nyman, Sundance, UT
WomenHailey Duke, Boise, ID
Chelsea Marshall, Pittsfield, VT
Megan McJames, Park City, UT
Laurenne Ross, Klamath Falls, OR
Leanne Smith, Conway, NH
Resi Stiegler, Jackson Hole, WY
C TeamMenMichael Ankeny, Deephaven, MN
Colby Granstrom, Lake Stevens, WA
Will Gregorak, Longmont, CO
Keith Moffat, Berkeley, CA
Andrew Phillips, Sandy, UT
WomenJulia Ford, Plymouth, NH
Kiley Staples, Park City, UT
Development TeamMenKeiffer Christianson, Anchorage, AK
Ryan Cochran-Siegle, Starksboro, VT
Nick Daniels, Tahoe City, CA
Jared Goldberg, Holladay, UT
Max Marno, Steamboat Springs, CO
Brennan Rubie, Salt Lake City, UT
Hunter Schleper, Vail, CO
Scott Snow, Sagle, ID
WomenVanessa Berther, Bellevue, WA
Rose Caston, Salt Lake City, UT
Devin Delaney, North Conway, NH
Abigail Fucigna, Hopkinton, MA
Abby Ghent, Edwards, CO
Lizzie Kistler, Santa Rosa, CA
Anna Marno, Steamboat Springs, CO
Foreste Peterson, Berkeley, CA