2014 National Team Announced
September 7, 2013, Steamboat Springs, CO— The United States Telemark Ski Association (USTSA) announces the roster for the 2013-2014 US Telemark National and Development teams.
Telemark racers from the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club and other Colorado locations fill ten of the spots on the US Telemark National and Development teams. Ten racers from New England, a region that has seen resurgence in telemark racing, also earned team nominations. The team roster is rounded by racers hailing from Montana, Idaho and Utah.
Returning to the A team is Madi McKinstry of Steamboat Springs, CO. McKinstry was the 2013 National Champion, and also had great success at the World Cup level last season with two fifth place finishes in the Parallel Sprint event and a bronze medal at the Junior World Championships in the Sprint Classic event. Zoë Taylor of Atlanta, GA and Steamboat Springs, CO, returns to the A team. She was the 2012 National Champion and has experienced success on the world stage with a World Cup win in 2012. Both US women will be strong competitors nationally and internationally this season. Both are college students, with McKinstry returning to Montana State University for her second year and Taylor entering Williams University as a freshman. Each plan to race portions of the World Cup circuit as their schedules allow, including five World Cup races scheduled for February in Steamboat Springs.
At age 21, Cory Snyder is the veteran racer leading the A team this season. This will by Snyder’s season on the A team and he spent 2 winters living in Europe and racing the full world Cup circuit. Joining him will be Tommy Gogolen of Breckenridge, Colorado. For the third year in a row, Gogolen is recovering from knee surgery and spending hours in rehab so that he can compete this next season. Tanner Visnick, age 17, of Steamboat Springs rounds out the men’s A team with his dramatic move from the Development team two years ago, to the B team last season and he is now a strong contender on the A team. Devon Wright of Campton, New Hampshire joins the A team, moving from the Regional Team. Wright is a former alpine racer and has recently discovered telemark ski racing and has trained hard this last season to improve his skills and earn his way onto the A team.
Sarah Carley of Brentwood, New Hampshire joins the B team again this year after a successful first season on the team capturing third place at the 2013 National Championships. She is joined by Sara Godek of Gilford, New Hampshire and Lyta Foulk of Steamboat Springs. Returning to the B team for the men are Josh Lanzetta of Rye, New Hampshire; Birk Larsen of Salt Lake City, Utah; Chris Henery of McCall, Idaho; Garrett Long of Summit, New Jersey, and Andy Minier of Eden, New York. Joining them are Dylan Weglarz of Durham, New Hampshire who moved up from the Development team as well as Mark Haberle of Waitsfield, Vermont, a veteran of the US National Team from 1996-2000 who returned to racing a few years ago.
The Development team, created for competitors aged 17 and under, has seven members this season that include Jack Rosenthal, Bailey Wallisch and Brendan Durham from Steamboat Springs, Colorado; Taylor Finn of Colorado Springs, Colorado, Farli Boden of Sandpoint, Idaho; Henry Barth of Glenwood Springs, Colorado; and Cedar Mattole of Whitefish, Montana and Honeydew, California.
Notably missing from this year’s lineup include Steamboat Springs, CO veteran Charlie Dresen and last year’s men’s National Champion, Jeffrey Gay. Also taking the year off are Cole Schneider and Maggie Doherty of Whitefish, Montana. None have announced their retirement, but they have other responsibilities this season that kept them from accepting their team position.
The US National team athletes will compete in regional, national and World Cup Telemark events this coming winter. Dates for regional races and the National Championships will be determined at a later date.