When it comes to competition involving skis and boards, the United States' strength this Olympic year seems to be in the late-generation competitions - the Generation X events, if you will.
At the upcoming Nagano Games, medals seem as out of reach as ever for the U.S. in Nordic-style events, while the U.S. may struggle in the Alpine events after a strong showing four years ago in Lillehammer, Norway.That means that U.S. successes will have to come in the Olympic events of the 1990s - freestyle skiing and snowboarding - where Americans may garner as many as a double-digit total in four events.
Calling freestyle skiing a child of the '90s is a stretch, since its roots can be traced back to the mid-1970s. But freestyle competition wasn't embraced by Olympic powers until this decade.
Freestyle moguls were introduced in France at the 1992 Albertville Olympics, with the freestyle aerials added two years later at Lillehammer. Two snowboarding competitions - giant slalom and halfpipe - have their debut this year at the Nagano Games.
In those events, athletes with strong Utah ties could be among those sporting precious medals within the next two weeks.
Meanwhile, U.S. success in the more traditional ski-related events aren't expected to be as high.
In the Alpine events, the U.S. may be hard-pressed to win half as many as the two golds and two silvers captured on the Lillehammer slopes.
And the U.S. drought in the Nordic-related events - cross country, ski jumping, Nordic combined and biathlon is expected to continue.
Women's alpine skiing
- Events: Downhill, slalom, giant slalom, super G, combined.
- Dates and venues: Feb. 10, 14-17, 19-20; at Hakuba (Happo'one) and Shiga Kogen (Mt. Higashidate and Mt. Yakebitai).
- 1994 revisited: Diann Roffe-Steinrotter won the gold in the super-G, while Picabo Street captured not only the downhill silver but the hearts of Americans.
- Medal history: The U.S. has claimed six golds - all in the slalom and giant slalom - and 17 medals overall.
- Outlook: Kristina Koznick, who has been the most consistent slalom skier this season, picked up her first World Cup victory just last week. Coming off a knee injury in Vail, Street missed the entire 1996-97 season and started this year slowly. After prepping for the Olympics with some dazzling downhill times in World Cup races and practices, she suffered a mild concussion in a crash just last weekend.
- Medal prospects: Koznick could sneak into the top three in slalom. And while appearing to having reached "Picabo" form, Street may not repeat as a downhill medalist because of the latest mishap.
Men's alpine skiing.
- Events: Downhill, slalom, giant slalom, super G, combined.
- Dates and venues: Feb. 8-9, 11-13, 18, 21, at Hakuba (Happo'one) and Shiga Kogen (Mt. Higashidate and Mt. Yakebitai).
- 1994 revisited: Tommy Moe won the downhill gold and added the silver - a birthday present to himself - in the super G. He also finished fifth in the combined.
- Medal history: The three U.S. golds came from Moe and Bill Johnson in the downhill and Phil Mahre in the slalom. Americans have garnered eight medals overall.
- Outlook: Moe is the defending Olympic downhill champ, and A.J. Kitt becomes the first U.S. male alpine skier to compete in four Winter Games, but both are coming off injuries the past two seasons.
- Medal prospects: Hardly a chance - but that was the knock going into Lillehammer, too.
Biathlon
- Events: men's 10- and 20-kilometer races; women's 7.5- and 15-kilometer races; 4x7.5-kilometer relays for both men and women.
- Dates and venue: Feb. 9, 11, 15, 17, 19, 21; at Nozawa Onsen.
- 1994 revisited: The U.S. posted its top biathlon finishes in the 4x7.5-kilometer relays - the men placing 14th and the women eighth.
- Medal history: Neither the U.S. men nor women have ever medaled in biathlon.
- Outlook: The U.S. men have never placed in the top eight in individual, and the Americans are inexperienced in Olympic competition again. Jay Hakkinen is a former world junior champion, while Dan Skinner won two U.S. trials races. The top U.S. women are Ntala Skinner, who has the most Olympic seasoning, and Stacey Wooley, who has trained with the powerful German women's team.
- Medal prospects: The U.S drought continues.
Cross country skiing
- Events: Classical - 10- and 30-kilometers for men, 5- and 15-kilometers for women; free - 15- and 50-kilometers for men, 10- and 30-kilometers for women; relays - 4x10K for men, 4x5K for women.
- Dates and venue: Feb. 8-10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22; at Hakuba.
- 1994 revisited: The U.S. finished 13th in the men's 4x10-kilometer relay. John Aalberg, who heads up Utah's 2002 cross country and biathlon venues at Soldier Hollow, placed 34th in the men's 15K pursuit, while Nina Kemppel was 27th in the women's 30K classical.
- Medal history: The U.S. women have never medaled, and the sole men's medal was Bill Koch's silver in the '76 30K free at Innsbruck.
- Outlook: University of Utah student Justin Wadsworth, who's coming off a back injury, is the only returning Olympian for the men. Suzanne King, a school teacher who once taught in Japan, was a double winner at the U.S. trials and is among four women - including Kemppel - with Olympics experience. Another skier with Utah ties is second-time Olympian Laura McCabe, a former Smithfield resident who attended the U.
- Medal prospects: It's one of several U.S. squads gearing up more for the 2002 Games in Utah than expecting medal success in Nagano.
Freestyle skiing
- Events: men's and women's aerials; men's and women's moguls.
- Dates and venue: Feb. 8, 11, 16, 18; at Iizuna Kogen.
- 1994 revisited: Liz McIntyre grabbed the silver medal in women's moguls, while Park City's Trace Worthington placed fifth in aerials for the top men's finish.
- Medal history: With the moguls added in 1992 and the aerials making their debut at Lillehammer, the U.S. three moguls medals - a '92 men's bronze, McIntyre's silver and a '92 gold by Donna Weinbrecht.
- Outlook: A lingering case of vertigo prematurely ended Worthington's career, but Eric Bergoust - who finished seventh at Lillehammer - seems set to lead the American aerial assault. And there's a Utah flavor in the air - aerialists Matt Chojnacki and Mariano Ferrario are current U. students, while Tracy Evans is a Utah grad and Nikki Stone resides in Park City. Weinbrecht, winner of 46 World Cup events since 1989, is hoping to rebound from a disappointing seventh-place finish in 1994.
- Medal prospects: Look for Bergoust to medal in the men's aerials, with another coming from Jonny Mosely in the men's moguls. Stone seems a likely candidate in the women's aerials, while the U.S. trio of Ann Battelle, McIntyre and Weinbrecht should be good for perhaps two medals in the women's moguls.
Nordic combined
- Events: Men's individual - jumping (90-meter) and cross country (15 kilometers); men's team - jumping and cross country (4x5-kilometer relay).
- Dates and venue: Feb. 13-14, 19-20; at Hakuba.
- 1994 revisited: The U.S. posted its best-ever finish with a seventh-place showing.
- Medal history: An American individual or team has never medaled in Nordic combined.
- Outlook: It's a matter of quality, not quantity, for the small U.S. squad. Todd Lodwick, who won the 1996 world junior championship, and Tim Tetreault have Olympic experience to lead the six-man squad.
- Medal prospects: Lodwick may sneak in for a first American medal.
Ski jumping
- Events: Men's individual - normal hill (90 meters), large hill (120 meters); men's team - large hill.
- Dates and venue: Feb. 11, 15, 17; at Hakuba.
- 1994 revisited: American Tad Langlois finished 33rd in the normal hill and 35th in the large. The U.S. team placed 11th.
- Medal history: The United States has received only one medal - a bronze - in ski jumping, and that came 50 years after the fact. Andres Haugen appeared to finish fourth in the inaugural 1924 Olympics, but an error in the results tabulation was discovered 50 years later. Haugen, who by then was 83 years old, received his medal in a special ceremony in Oslo.
- Outlook: A young, new-look squad represents the U.S., led by reigning national champion Casey Colby, a third-generation jumper, and four-time U.S. titlist Randy Weber. Three promising juniors join them in a squad that may make more noise in Utah four years from now.
- Medal prospects: The U.S. remains shut out well into a seventh decade.
Snowboarding
- Events: men's and women's giant slalom, and men's and women's halfpipe (freestyle).
- Dates and venue: Feb. 8-9; at Shiga Kogen (Mt. Yakebitai and Kanbayashi Snowboard Park).
- Medal history: Snowboarding is making its debut at the Nagano Games.
- Outlook: Reigning world giant slalom champs Mike Jacoby and Sondra Van Ert top the U.S. team, which also includes 1996 halfpipe titleholder Ross Powers. Van Ert, a former World Cup alpine ski racer who earned All-American honors while at the University of Utah, won the women's giant slalom title last season after collecting two medals at the 1996 World Championships.
- Medals outlook: Thanks to Todd Richards and Russ Powers, the U.S. could win one and possibly two medals in the men's halfpipe, while Mike Jacoby could add another from the men's giant slalom. Van Ert is a gold-medal favorite in the women's giant slalom, while teamamte Rosey Fletcher may add another. And watch for Michelle Taggart in the halfpipe.