Bend’s Ross named to U.S. Alpine Ski Worlds team

Bend-based Alpine racer Laurenne Ross has been named to compete in the upcoming FIS Alpine Ski World Championships in Austria, Mt. Bachelor Sports Education Foundation officials said Friday.

The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association named 19 athletes to compete in the 2013 FIS Alpine Ski World Championships Feb. 4-17 in Schladming, Austria.

The team has placed nine different athletes on the Audi FIS Alpine World Cup podium this winter for a total of 24 top three results, including 15 victories. The Best in the World women’s speed team has placed five different athletes on the World Cup podium this winter including downhill wins by Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO) and Alice McKennis (Glenwood Springs, CO) and podiums by Julia Mancuso (Squaw Valley, CA), Stacey Cook (Mammoth Mountain, CA) and Leanne Smith (N. Conway, NH). Vonn is a double gold medalist from the 2009 World Championships and owns a downhill silver from 2011. Mancuso earned silver in super G in 2011. Reigning giant slalom World Champion Ted Ligety (Park City, UT) has amassed four World Cup GS wins this season, all by large margins and leads the GS standings. Teen sensation Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, CO) has won three World Cup slalom races and leads the slalom standings. Steven Nyman (Sundance, UT) has won a World Cup downhill this season and Marco Sullivan (Squaw Valley, CA) has also been on the downhill podium. Race starters will not be finalized until the Team Captains meeting the evening prior to each event. NBC will air three hours of programming from Schladming with Universal Sports Network broadcasting the entire championships.

2013 FIS Alpine Ski World Championships Team
Men
(Name, hometown, birthdate, USSA club, past World Champs)
Travis Ganong, Squaw Valley, CA, 7/14/88, Squaw Valley Ski Team (2011)
Tim Jitloff, Reno, NV, 1/11/85, Park City Ski Team (2007, 2009, 2011)
Ted Ligety, Park City, UT, 8/31/84, Park City Ski Team (2005, 2007, 2009, 2011)
Steven Nyman, Sundance, UT, 2/12/82, Park City Ski Team (2007, 2009, 2011)
Andrew Weibrecht, Lake Placid, NY, 2/10/86, New York Ski Education Foundation (2009)
Thomas Biesemeyer, Keene, NY, 1/30/89, New York Ski Education Foundation
Will Brandenburg, Spokane, WA, 1/1/87, Schweitzer Alpine Racing (2011)
David Chodounksy, Crested Butte, CO, 6/25/84, Crested Butte Ski Team (2011)
Ryan Cochran-Siegle, Starksboro, VT, 3/27/85, Cochran’s/Mt. Mansfield Ski and Snowboard Club
Robby Kelley, Starksboro, VT, 5/26/90, Cochran’s Ski Club/Mt Mansfield Ski Club
Marco Sullivan, Squaw Valley, CA, 4/27/80, Squaw Valley Ski Team (2003, 2007, 2009)

Women
Stacey Cook, Mammoth Mountain, CA, 7/3/84, Mammoth Mountain Ski Team (2007, 2009, 2011)
Julia Mancuso, Squaw Valley, CA, 3/9/84, Squaw Valley Ski Team (2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011)
Alice McKennis, Glenwood Springs, CO, 8/19/89, Rowmark Academy
Laurenne Ross, Bend, OR, 8/17/88, Mt. Bachelor Ski Education Foundation (2009, 2011)
Mikaela Shiffrin, Eagle-Vail, CO, 3/13/95, Burke Mountain Academy
Leanne Smith, North Conway, NH, 11/28/87, Mt. Washington Valley Ski Team (2011)
Resi Stiegler, Jackson Hole, WY, 11/14/85, Jackson Hole Ski Club (2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011)
Lindsey Vonn, Vail, CO, 10/18/84, Buck Hill/Ski and Snowboard Club Vail (2005, 2007, 2009, 2011)

QUOTES
Patrick Riml, U.S. Ski Team Alpine Director
This is a special group of athletes who have worked incredibly hard with this staff to be in a position for success at these World Championships. Whether it was training in the summer at the Center of Excellence in Park City, on snow at the U.S. Ski Team Speed Center at Copper Mountain or at our European base in Soelden, each one of these athletes has put in the effort to do something special in Schladming.