January 25, 2002

PARK CITY, Utah (Jan 25) -- Olympic medalists Ross Powers (South Londonderry, VT) and Shannon Dunn (Carnelian Bay, CA) plus four other members of the inaugural U.S. Olympic Snowboard Team were named Friday to the 14-member squad for the 2002 Winter Games, the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association announced Friday. Selection was based on international results for the alpine (i.e., parallel giant slalom) riders and the five Chevy Truck U.S. Snowboard Grand Prix halfpipe events, Olympic Coach Peter Foley said. The top three qualifiers in each discipline automatically qualified for the team. U.S. officials had the ability to name four riders in two of the four disciplines, choosing to add J.J. Thomas (Golden, CO) as the fourth in men�s halfpipe and Sondra Van Ert (Ketchum, ID) as the fourth in women�s PGS.

The group includes seven men and seven women, seven PGS riders and seven halfpipe riders. Powers -- who turns 23 during the Olympics (Feb. 10) -- and Dunn, a two-time winner of the prestigious U.S. Open halfpipe contest, each earned the bronze medal in a rainy event at the '98 Games in Nagano, Japan. Other '98 Olympians on this season's Olympic Team include four PGS riders: Van Ert, who has earned four medals at the FIS World Championships; Rosey Fletcher (Girdwood, AK), the first snowboarder named to the first Olympic Snowboard Team; Chris Klug (Aspen, CO); and Lisa Kosglow.

Halfpipe rider Thomas (Golden, CO) won the recent Winter X Games while PGS Jeff Greenwood is a former world champion in giant slalom. Tricia Byrnes (Stratton Mountain, VT) is also an ex-U.S. Open halfpipe champion.

The 2000 U.S. Olympic Snowboard Team:

Men
Ross Powers, 22, South Londonderry, VT ; halfpipe (1998 Olympian)
Jeff Greenwood, 26, Hartford, CT; parallel giant slalom
JJ Thomas, 20, Golden, CO; halfpipe
Peter Thorndike, 24, Meredith, NH; PGS
Chris Klug, 29, Aspen, CO; PGS ('98 Olympian)
Tommy Czeschin, 22, Mammoth Lakes, CA; halfpipe
Danny Kass, 19, Hamburg, NJ; halfpipe

Women
Rosey Fletcher, 26, Girdwood, AK; PGS ('98 Olympian)
Sondra Van Ert, 37, Ketchum, ID; PGS ('98 Olympian)
Tricia Byrnes, 27, Stratton Mountain, VT; halfpipe
Shannon Dunn, 29, Carnelian Bay, CA; halfpipe ('98 Olympian)
Kelly Clark, 18, Mount Snow, VT; halfpipe
Lisa Kosglow, 28, Boise, ID; PGS; '98 Olympian
Lisa Odynski, 26, Reno, NV; PGS