Today is likely to be the calm before the next storm. Here is the ski report from Curtis Fong, the Guy from Tahoe.

Bring out the fat skis — it’s a powder day in Lake Tahoe. Here is the ski report from Curtis Fong, the Guy from Tahoe.

By Chris Gabel, Reno Gazette-Journal

As was stated in (the) Prep Notebook, an NIAA committee’s proposal for realignment was to be made public Friday. That proposal, however, went out the state’s schools (Tuesday) morning, and the RGJ was able to obtain a copy.

You can find a link to the proposal below (in Word form), but first let me discuss the background behind the proposal and point out a few things within the plan that stuck out to me.

Background

Realignment has long been sought in Nevada, but how to do so has been a very difficult task. With so many competing interests and issues, it is impossible to make everyone happy.

Read the whole story

By Lindsey Sine, USSA

PARK CITY — The Olympic spirit will be ringing through the Wasatch Mountains as the 2010 Visa Freestyle International sets up shop at the 2002 Olympic venue, Deer Valley Resort Jan. 14-16 for aerials and two moguls events.

Athletes will be giving it their all in one of their last chances to make the 2010 Olympic team.

Joining Hannah Kearney (Norwich, VT), Patrick Deneen (Cle Elum, WA), Jeret “Speedy” Peterson (Boise, ID) and Lacy Schnoor (Draper, UT), who each already grabbed a ticket to Vancouver at Olympic Trials in December, will be the world’s best freestyle athletes, each looking to add the words 2010 Olympian to their resume as well.

Following the Deer Valley event, athletes will have one last chance in Lake Placid to land a spot on the Olympic team, which will be named back at Deer Valley Resort Jan. 26.

The action gets going with an exciting moguls competition featuring Kearney, Deneen, 2002 Olympic silver medalist Shannon Bahrke (Tahoe City, CA), World Cup podium performer Bryon Wilson (Butte, MT), World Champion Nate Roberts (Park City, UT) and World Cup aces Emiko Torito and Michelle Roark (both Denver).

With two World Cup podiums attributed to Wilson and one to Roberts thus far this season, as well as a slew of top-10 finishes on the women’s part, the Olympic moguls team looks to be one of the most challenging to make.

“Coming out of Olympic Trials and with only two World Cups left you’ve got a really motivated group of athletes,” U.S. Moguls Head Coach Scott Rawles said. “They know it’s going to take a lot to go to the Olympics and I think that everyone is bringing their A game to what we have going on. We’re really looking forward to it and we have a lot of great skiers ready to go.”

Hometown hero Roberts is geared up to reel in the second World Cup podium of his season, and nothing would make him happier than to do it in front of his home town.

“It’s the best event on our whole schedule and it brings in the most, and greatest fans in the world,” Roberts said. “It’s a skier’s course and every run is a challenge.”

Then, the aerialists will take the Olympic party to the air as Peterson, World Champion Ryan St. Onge (Winter Park, CO), World Cup winner Emily Cook (Belmont, VT), Dylan Ferguson (Amesbury, VT) and newcomer Ashley Caldwell (Lake Placid, NY) give the crowd some sky high acrobatics as the compete for a place in Vancouver.

“The Deer Valley World Cup is always exciting. It’s a premier stop and the best aerials site on tour,” U.S. Aerials Head Coach Matt Christiansen said. “It’s also a time where we’re trying to peak during the Olympics and we’re climbing and grabbing momentum there, and it’s exciting.”

After an entire summer of training in Park City, Cook, who resides in Park City, is excited to take her tricks to the snow for one of her last World Cup stops prior to the Olympics.

“I’m definitely looking forward to the event. It’s so nice to have a home crowd and a perfect site. Everything is perfect for us when we are here in Deer Valley,” Cook said. “I’ve had success here on the site in the past during Olympic Trials in 2006 and of course at the World Cup there last year. I’m super comfortable here and I’m excited to be able to compete.”

By KCRA-TV

SACRAMENTO — Dreams for Olympic gold could be dashed for Sho Kashima, as the skier from Lake Tahoe has become injured.

Kashima reported on Twitter Tuesday that doctors have diagnosed that he tore “at least” his ACL, which

Sho Kashima

means six months recovery and that he could be out for the Winter Games.

Read the whole story

By USSA

FLACHAU, Austria – The U.S. Ski Team’s Sarah Schleper (Vail, CO) took the lead for the U.S. Tuesday, taking 17th during a World Cup night slalom in Austria. Marlies Schild of Austria won. Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO) did not finish, but still leads the Audi FIS Alpine World Cup overall by 112 points.

Schleper, who was the only U.S. athlete to make it to the second run, was knifing the top of the Hermann Maier Streck and had a decent lead, but lost some time in the middle to match where she started the second run with 17th.

“I was supporting the whole team on the second run and I didn’t execute as well as I could have, a couple mistakes here and there,” Schleper said. “It was set like a highway again, so you had to go full-risk and I think I probably risked it 80 percent when I should have been going 120 but I’m psyched to get points.”

According to U.S. Women’s Alpine Head Coach Jim Tracy, the risk would have made a difference for Schleper.

“Sarah had a good first run and she was solid in the second run. I think that she could have probably let it go and attacked more in the middle of the course,” Tracy said. “But still, it’s a top 20 and we’re not complaining.”

The good news for Schleper was grabbing additional World Cup points, which will get her back inside the top 30 on the slalom start list.

After an incredible World Cup sweep in Haus, Vonn has a minor slip up in the night slalom, straddling a gate with her right ski midway down the course in the first run for a DNF.

The women now move on to races this weekend in Maribor – the last time they will be in action before the Olympic Team is named on Jan. 25.

Flachau, Austria, Jan. 12, Women’s Slalom

1. Marlies Schild, Austria, 1:37.89

2. Maria Riesch, Germany, 1:38.23

3. Kathrin Zettel, Austria, 1:38.31

4. Tanja Poutiainen, Finland, 1:38.70

5. Katharina Duerr, Germany, 1:39.23

–

17. Sarah Schleper, Vail, CO, 1:41.08

–

36. Sterling Grant, Amery, WI, 50.90

40. Hailey Duke, Boise, ID, 51.08

50. Julia Mancuso, Olympic Valley, CA, 51.87

55. Kaylin Richardson, Edina, MI, 52.49

–

DNF: Lindsey Vonn, Vail, CO

# # #

Call before you ski because lifts could be on wind hold today. Here is the ski report from Curtis Fong, the Guy from Tahoe.

The weather pattern is changing — supposedly. Fog, though, is still here — so much so that the Tahoe Queen has canceled today’s trips. A storm is supposed to roll in later this week. Here is the ski report from Curtis Fong, the Guy from Tahoe.

By USSA

MAMMOTH — After six days of sunny snowboarding, the Sprint U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix closed up shop at Mammoth Mountain on Sunday with Jamie Anderson (South Lake Tahoe, CA) and Chaz Guldemond (Reno, NV) winning the Paul Mitchell Progression Session.

Under bluebird skies and balmy temperatures, Anderson led the women followed by Isabelle Lalive (Breckenridge, CO) in second and Molly Wilson (Basalt, CO) third.

Jamie Anderson

Anderson threw out a frontside 3, back 180, tailpress to a 270 out of the box, ollie onto the down rail, indie over the step down, frontside 7 off the last kicker.

For Anderson, being able to throw a 7 was a huge step forward in her progression.

“I’m so happy. I don’t usually do 7s. I’ve been working on them, but they’re not one of my consistent tricks. So I was proud of myself to actually step it up and try because it wasn’t a guarantee that I was going to land,” Anderson said. “I was risking it. The first one I kind of fell on, but the second one I stomped, so I’m pumped.”

After landing her second set solidly, Anderson is ready to take on the rest of the season with a new level of confidence.

“I definitely want to step up my game and do bigger tricks at all the events this winter with X Games and the Dew Tours,” Anderson said. “Knowing that I have this trick dialed is a really good feeling.”

On the men’s side Guldemond put down cab 9, back12, half cab, 50/50 to back 3 out, gap to 50/50, backside rodeo, switchback 9.

Guldemond led with Tyler Flanagan (Encinitas, CA) in second and Brett Esser (Silverthorne, CO) in third.

For Guldemond, being on the podium, let alone winning, was a big step towards the success he’s been missing the last few months.

“I work really hard at what I do. Since last spring I haven’t been on the podium, let alone top 5, so I’m stoked to be back up here,” Guldemond said.

As for the second best reason for throwing a winning run, Guldemond has the spectators in mind.

“I just like to put on a good show for all the people around and it definitely boosts the confidence,” Guldemond.

Both Guldemond and Anderson now plan to fine tune their slope skills at the Winter Dew Tour, which will be Jan. 14-17 at Snowbasin resort in Utah.

As for the Grand Prix, it takes a little break prior to the two event finale at Park City Mountain Resort Jan. 22-23.

Men

1. Chaz Guldemond, Reno, NV, 49.40

2. Tyler Flanagan, Encinitas, CA, 46.70

3. Brett Esser, Silverthorne, CO, 45.30

4. Spencer Link, Corona, CA, 43.30

5. Ryan Stassel, Anchorage, 42.00

Women

1. Jamie Anderson, South Lake Tahoe, CA, 48.40

2. Isabelle Lalive, Breckenridge, CO, 36.20

3. Molly Wilson, Basalt, CO, 34.20

4. Lynn Neil, Ogden, UT, 32.40

5. Kaitlyn Farrington, Sun Valley, ID, 31.60

By USSA

CALGARY — The U.S. Freestyle Ski Team battled weather Sunday as it wrapped up three days of competition in Calgary Sunday with Emily Cook (Belmont, VT) finishing sixth and Dylan Ferguson (Amesbury, MA) seventh in World Cup aerials.

Chinese athletes Zongyang Jia and Nina Li won the event in what U.S. Freestyle Ski Team Aerials Coach Matt Christiansen said was changing weather, poor snow conditions and some of the lowest scores he has ever seen. Bright spots were few, but the performance of 15-year-old Ashley Caldwell (Lake Placid, NY) in her first World Cup brightened things on a difficult weather day.

“There was a weather change. No one was hitting good takeoffs, the snow turned into sugar. It wasn’t that hard packed snow we were aiming for,” Christiansen said. “The whole women’s and men’s events were not good just really bad. Not just from performance, but iIt was the lowest scoring semi-finals I have ever seen in my 12 years on the World Cup.”

In the men’s competition Ferguson was followed for U.S. results by Jeret “Speedy” Peterson (Boise, ID). According to Christiansen the two had the same trick on the first run and were in contention, but Mother Nature had different plans.

World Champion Ryan St. Onge (Winter Park, CO) also struggled with the slow snow, slapping back onto the hill and failing to qualify for finals.

The story was the same for the women who struggled with conditions.

“Emily [Cook; Belmont, MA] had a great first jump, but on the second jump she got caught in the sludgy snow and her jump wasn’t a very nice jump,” Christiansen said. “Ashley [Calldwell]; Lake Placid, NY] just slapped back on her second jump.”

The Team will be in front of the hometown crowd with a long track record of success. Up next for the team is the Visa Freestyle International at Deer Valley Resort Jan. 14-16 with night finals Friday Jan. 15 and a two-year win streak from Peterson and St. Onge.where he hopes the team will be able to find success again.

Olympic spots were wrapped up in December’s Olympic Trials in Steamboat Springs, CO by Peterson and Lacy Schnoor (Draper, UT). But the rest of the team is wide open.

Calgary, Jan. 10, Aerials

Men

1. Zongyang Jia, China, 253.40

2. Anton Kushnir, Belarus, 244.60

3. Alexei Grishin, Belarus, 230.73

4. Timofei Slivets, Belarus, 224.17

5. Stanislav Kravchuk, Ukrane, 213.22

–

7. Dylan Ferguson, Amesbury, MA, 206.27

12. Jeret Peterson, Boise, ID, 124.34

25. Ryan St. Onge, Winter Park, CO, 85.18

28. Scotty Bahrke, Tahoe City, CA, 78.73

Women

1. Nina Li, China, 195.63

2. Evelyne Leu, Switzerland, 178.99

3. Xinxin Guo, China, 167.73

4. Xin Zhang, China, 165.14

5. Lydia Lassila, Australia, 164.81

–

6. Emily Cook, Belmont, MA, 157.91

11. Ashley Caldwell, Lake Placid, NY, 133.86

16. Jana Lindsey, Black Hawk, SD, 63.80

18. Lacy Schnoor, Sandy, UT, 57.10