Lodwick wins July 4 Extravaganza
Nordic Combined
Mon, Jul 5, 2010 - By US Ski Team
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, CO (July 4) – With cheering crowds covered in red, white and blue, the U.S. Nordic Combined Team took to the stage for the July 4th Ski Jumping Extravaganza in Steamboat Saturday and Sunday. The competition showcased hometown favorites and Olympic medalists Johnny Spillane (Steamboat Springs, CO) and Todd Lodwick (Steamboat Springs, CO) and 2010 Olympian Taylor Fletcher (Steamboat Springs, CO) along with Olympic medalist Brett Camerota (Park City, UT). Lodwick won the race.
The extravaganza opened on Saturday, July 3 with the jumping competition, where the first of two jumps counted for the nordic combined. The 2K roller-skating portion of the combined was on Sunday morning, July 4, followed by the elimination jump competition before the parade. The events were held in downtown Steamboat Springs, with the roller-skating section taking over Lincoln Ave.
"The race was awesome and there was a good crowd. It was a great weekend for the Fourth of July and a good competition," said Nordic Combined Head Coach Dave Jarrett. "Everybody in Steamboat did a great job putting the competition on and I'm looking forward to one of the biggest firework shows in the nation tonight."
Brothers, Brett and Eric Camerota (Park City, UT) landed solid jumps on Saturday, but could not out last team veteran Lodwick, who caught Eric in the roller-skate race beating him out on the line.
"It's awesome that we get to showcase our sport on the Fourth of July and get to have a little fun with it," said Lodwick. "The competitors including myself had smiles on their faces, we were just happy to be doing something downtown on the Fourth of July."
Fletcher won the elimination jump competition, but experienced some bad luck in the roller-skate race, breaking a pole pushing off the starting line. Although Fletcher wasn't able to completely redeem himself from last year's race, his skate came off forcing him to crash, he shined on the jumping hill. Spillane also jumped well in the elimination competition, after posting one good and one not-so-good jump on Saturday.
"The problem today was right after I pushed off the start line my pole broke, so things didn’t really go the way I was hoping, but I had a good race," said Fletcher. "I just came out this afternoon looking at it as a no pressure situation and just had fun. It was good, can't complain."
Steamboat's Fourth of July festivities will wrap up tonight with an over-the-top fireworks show. The Team's next stop is Park City, UT for the 2010 U.S. Nordic Combined Championships, July 29 – August 1.
For complete results, go to http://www.sswsc.org/. Results are scheduled to be posted in the near future.
The extravaganza opened on Saturday, July 3 with the jumping competition, where the first of two jumps counted for the nordic combined. The 2K roller-skating portion of the combined was on Sunday morning, July 4, followed by the elimination jump competition before the parade. The events were held in downtown Steamboat Springs, with the roller-skating section taking over Lincoln Ave.
"The race was awesome and there was a good crowd. It was a great weekend for the Fourth of July and a good competition," said Nordic Combined Head Coach Dave Jarrett. "Everybody in Steamboat did a great job putting the competition on and I'm looking forward to one of the biggest firework shows in the nation tonight."
Brothers, Brett and Eric Camerota (Park City, UT) landed solid jumps on Saturday, but could not out last team veteran Lodwick, who caught Eric in the roller-skate race beating him out on the line.
"It's awesome that we get to showcase our sport on the Fourth of July and get to have a little fun with it," said Lodwick. "The competitors including myself had smiles on their faces, we were just happy to be doing something downtown on the Fourth of July."
Fletcher won the elimination jump competition, but experienced some bad luck in the roller-skate race, breaking a pole pushing off the starting line. Although Fletcher wasn't able to completely redeem himself from last year's race, his skate came off forcing him to crash, he shined on the jumping hill. Spillane also jumped well in the elimination competition, after posting one good and one not-so-good jump on Saturday.
"The problem today was right after I pushed off the start line my pole broke, so things didn’t really go the way I was hoping, but I had a good race," said Fletcher. "I just came out this afternoon looking at it as a no pressure situation and just had fun. It was good, can't complain."
Steamboat's Fourth of July festivities will wrap up tonight with an over-the-top fireworks show. The Team's next stop is Park City, UT for the 2010 U.S. Nordic Combined Championships, July 29 – August 1.
For complete results, go to http://www.sswsc.org/. Results are scheduled to be posted in the near future.