Check out today’s Athlete Spotlight featuring Ice Dancers Melissa Gregory & Denis Petukhov

For Immediate Release

January 4, 2006

Week of: December 28, 2005 - January 3, 2006

Baseball: (Jan. 2) USA Baseball announced competition dates of June 23-July 1 for the 2006 Junior Olympic Baseball Championships. In addition, online team registration is now available on the official USA Baseball website at: http://www.usabaseball.com/ot/usab-joly-home.html. The JO West will be back for its third year in Peoria and Surprise, Ariz. (72 teams), and Palm Beach County, Fla. (72 teams) will again be the host for the JO East. The 2006 USA Baseball Youth National Team (16-U) will be selected exclusively from the pool of more than 2,400 participants in the Junior Olympics. The YNT's pool of candidates (36 total between both tournaments) will be announced June 30. The 2006 YNT will compete in the COPABE 'AA' Youth Pan American Championships in Barquisimeto, Venezuela Aug. 4-13. (Jan. 3) USA Baseball announced that the organization has reached a long-term partnership agreement with Musco Lighting LLC of Oskaloosa, Iowa. The agreement calls for Musco to equip the USA Baseball National Training Center at Thomas Brooks Park in Cary, N.C The four-field complex is due to be completed in the spring of 2007. For more information, log on to www.usabaseball.com.

Biathlon: (Dec. 28) Thirty inches of new snow and hard work by the staff and volunteers at the Maine Winter Sports Center created excellent conditions for the opening of the TD Banknorth Festival at Fort Kent, Maine. (Dec. 29) Two U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program athletes, Denise Teela (Anchorage, Alaska) and Jacob Beste (Minneapolis, Minn.), captured the Individual competitions on the opening day of the TD Banknorth Festival at Fort Kent. (Dec. 30) Two experienced biathletes, Rachel Steer (Anchorage, Alaska) and Lowell Bailey (Lake Placid, N.Y.), prevailed in the Sprint competitions at the TD Banknorth Festival at Fort Kent as a blizzard blasted through the area, bringing with it falling temperatures and heavy snow driven by a strong north wind. (Jan. 2) Sarah Konrad (Laramie, Wyo.) and Tim Burke (Paul Smiths, N.Y.) took similar routes to the top of the podium, fast skiing which balanced out their average shooting, in the Pursuit format competitions. (Jan. 3) The winners of the two Sprint competitions were Anchorage, Alaska natives Jeremy Teela and Rachel Steer. Finishing second were Lowell Bailey and Sarah Kamilewicz (Proctor, Minn.). For more information, log on to www.usbiathlon.org.

Bowling: (Jan. 3) For weeks, Lynda Barnes (Flower Mound, Texas) went back and forth on whether she would attempt to defend her U.S. Amateur title. If not for 12 stubborn pins, Barnes would have called it a career. But those 12 pins – the amount Team USA missed team gold by at the Women's World Championships – are ultimately the reason Barnes has decided to compete in the 2006 United States Bowling Congress Team USA Championships Jan. 9-13 at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev. For more information, log on to www.bowl.com.

Curling: (Jan. 2) In a preview to the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Torino, Italy, U.S. skips Pete Fenson (Bemidji, Minn.) and Cassie Johnson (Bemidji, Minn.) will square off against Canada's Olympic teams in Winnipeg, Manitoba Jan 7-8. Fenson and teammates Shawn Rojeski (Chisholm, Minn.), Joe Polo (Cass Lake, Minn.), and John Shuster (Chisholm) will face Canada's Brad Gushue rink during round-robin play at the 2006 BDO Classic Canadian Open Jan. 7 while USA's Cassie Johnson rink will play Canada's Olympic women's team skipped by Shannon Kleibrink in an exhibition game during the men's semifinals of the BDO Classic on Jan. 8. For more information, log on to www.usacurl.org.

Equestrian: (Dec. 29) In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the USEF Hurricane Equine Relief Fund received a total of just over $283,000, all of which has been sent to relief organizations. The donations came in the form of a single dollar from young children, small collections made by 4-H clubs, and checks for thousands from generous individuals and foundations. The USEF has distributed all of the funds to agencies and organizations on the front lines of the assistance effort in the Gulf area that either played a vital role in the rescue of horses and ponies in the immediate aftermath of the hurricanes or that were created specifically to assist in the longer-term care of the equine victims. (Jan. 3) The Appaloosa Horse Club has joined the national federation’s equestrian family for the first time as a 2006 United States Equestrian Federation Affiliated Association. For more information, log on to www.usef.org.

Figure Skating: (Dec. 29) U.S. ice dancer Sergey Magerovskiy (Moscow, Russia) was sworn in as a U.S. citizen during a ceremony at an immigration office in downtown Detroit, Mich. Magerovskiy and his partner, Tiffany Stiegler (Manhattan Beach, Calif.), are now eligible to compete at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Torino, Italy should they make the 2006 U.S. Olympic Team. (Dec. 31) U.S. ice dancers Tanith Belbin (Kingston, Ontario, Canada) and Maxim Zavozin (Ashburn, Va.) have become U.S. citizens and are now eligible to represent the United States at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Torino. Belbin and her partner, Ben Agosto (Chicago, Ill.), are the reigning World ice dancing silver medalists and U.S. champions. Zavozin and his partner, Morgan Matthews (Fairfax, Va.), are the reigning World Junior ice dancing champions and placed fifth at the 2005 State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships. For more information, log on to www.usfigureskating.org.

Luge: (Dec. 29) Winter sports fans will do more than experience the exhilarating sport of luge Jan. 21-22 at Thunder Ridge Ski Area, Patterson, N.Y. As part of Verizon’s countdown to Torino celebration, the 2006 Verizon Luge Challenge event at Thunder Ridge will feature USA Luge athletes and coaches scouting participants and inviting the top youth performers to take part in screening camps at the USA Luge training facility in Lake Placid, N.Y. The top-performing adults at Thunder Ridge will be entered into a drawing to win a 50-inch HDTV, courtesy of Panasonic. (Dec. 29) The 10-member U.S. Olympic Luge Team will combine experience and youth during February’s Olympic Winter Games in Torino, Italy. Four sliders are returning to Olympic competition, while six will get their first taste of the Olympic experience. At the XX Olympic Winter Games, Feb. 10-26, the four-heat, two-day men’s singles competition is scheduled for Feb. 11-12, while the four-heat, two-day women’s singles race is slated for Feb. 13-14. The doubles event, a one-day, two-heat race, will take place Feb. 15. All three races will be held in Cesana Pariol. (Jan. 3) The second half of the luge World Cup series begins Jan. 6-7 in Koenigssee, Germany. Absent will be the U.S. doubles team of Mark Grimmette (Muskegon, Mich.) and Brian Martin (Palo Alto, Calif.). During the holiday break, Grimmette developed back spasms and has been undergoing medical treatment. Grimmette said he will travel to Europe Jan. 6 and re-join the team in time to begin training for the Jan. 13-15 World Cup series stop in Igls, Austria. For more information, log on to www.usaluge.org.

Sailing: (Jan. 3) US SAILING, national governing body for the sport, has recognized six athletes as Athletes of the Year for 2005 for outstanding performance in competition. In the four categories, the athletes have five world championship titles between them, as well as numerous additional podium-finishes. Team of the Year is the Yngling team of Sally Barkow (Nashotah, Wis.), Debbie Capozzi (Bayport, N.Y.), and Carrie Howe (Grosse Pointe, Mich). Laser sailor Andrew Campbell (San Diego, Calif.) and Laser Radial sailor Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fla.) are Male and Female Athlete of the Year, respectively. US SAILING has also named 2.4mR sailor Nick Scandone (Fountain Valley, Calif.) as Paralympic Athlete of the Year. For more information, log on to www.ussailing.org.

Skiing: (Dec. 28) In a World Cup giant slalom competition at Lienz, Austria, Lindsey Kildow (Vail, Colo.) was 24th and Kristina Koznick (Eagan, Minn.) placed 25th. (Dec. 29) Kristina Koznick was fourth and led four U.S. women into the top 20, with two more in the 20s, in a World Cup slalom event at Lienz. (Dec. 29) Daron Rahlves (Sugar Bowl, Calif.), gathering speed as he came down the hill on new skis, collected the second World Cup victory of his glittering career in Bormio, Italy – and his 11th win – as he took the World Cup overall points lead while Bode Miller (Bretton Woods, N.H.) finished ninth and is second in the points. (Jan. 3) For Andrew Johnson (Greensboro, Vt.) and Rebecca Dussault (Gunnison, Colo.), 2006 is starting off on the right foot after capturing the first U.S. titles in the opening races of the 2006 U.S. Cross Country Championships at Soldier Hollow, site of the 2002 Olympic Nordic events. Johnson celebrated his 28th birthday by taking the title in the men’s mass start 30K freestyle event, while Dussault captured her eighth U.S. title – her fifth at Soldier Hollow – with a win in the women’s 15K freestyle race. (Jan. 3) Two-time Olympian Bill Demong (Vermontville, N.Y.) had the sixth-fastest 7.5K race and moved up to 11th place in light snow at Ruhpolding, Germany while Austrian Felix Gottwald turned-in the fastest time to win a World Cup sprint event that was the second stop on the annual German Grand Prix. For more information, log on to www.usskiteam.com.

Soccer: (Jan. 2) More than 100 of the top female players in the United States will train at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. in January as all six U.S. Women’s National Teams will conduct training camps to kick off their year of activity. For more information, log on to www.ussoccer.com.

Speedskating: (Dec. 28) On the second day of the 2006 U.S. Long Track Championships at the Utah Olympic Oval, Catherine Raney (Elm Grove, Wis.), who already qualified for the 2006 Olympic Winer Games in Torino in the ladies’ 3000 meters, set a new American record in the same distance. Finishing in 4:01.98, Raney beat her previous American record of 4:03.35. Kristine Holzer (Boise, Idaho) finished second and Maria Lamb (River Falls, Wis.) finished third in 4:12.79. (Dec. 30) A new American record was set at the 2006 U.S. Championships in the 1500 meters when 17-year-old Brent Aussprung (Waunakee, Wis.) skated to a new Junior B group mark by clocking an impressive 1:53.01. The former record of 1:53.58 was set by Tyler Goff (Madison, Wis.) in Salt Lake City more than three years ago. Aussprung finished 18th in the 1500 meters at the 2006 U.S. Long Track Championships. (Dec. 31) On the last day of the year, the last day of the 2006 Long Track Championships, the last event and the last pairing, Chad Hedrick (Spring, Texas) ended it all with a bang - a new world record in the men’s 10000 meters. With his 12:55.11 time, Hedrick broke the 12:57.92 record set by Dutch skater Carl Verheijen on Dec. 4, 2005 in Heerenveen, Netherlands. Additionally, Catherine Raney set a new American record in the ladies’ 5000 meters after posting 6:56.92 to break her previous record of 7:03.23. For more information, log on to www.usspeedskating.org.

Taekwondo: (Jan. 3) Seventeen-year-old lightweight Jamie Seyler (Arlington, Texas) will be competing in the National Team Round-Robin Fight-Off Jan. 7 in Colorado Springs, Colo., then will celebrate her 18th birthday on Jan. 8. For more information, log on to www.usa-taekwondo.us.

Track and Field: (Jan. 2) Track fans can now purchase a limited-edition, autographed poster featuring 2005 Jesse Owens Award winners and World Outdoor champions Allyson Felix (Los Angeles, Calif.) and Justin Gatlin (Raleigh, N.C.) at www.usatf.org. The poster, exclusive to USA Track & Field, was distributed at the 2005 Jesse Owens Awards and Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. The original artwork was created by two-time Olympian and internationally recognized artist Roald Bradstock (Atlanta, Ga.). (Jan. 3) The new AT&T and USA Track & Field announced that AT&T, as an Official Partner of USA Track & Field, will immediately begin providing significant financial support, products and services to aid in the training of America’s top track and field athletes. This partnership is in conjunction with the recently announced sponsorship by AT&T of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams. (Jan. 3) Walt Henning, a junior at St. Anthony's High School in South Huntington, N.Y., has been named USA Track & Field's Athlete of the Week after setting a national junior class record in the 25-pound weight throw at the Brown Invitational in Providence, R.I. Henning tossed 23.45 meters/76 feet, 11.25 inches, bettering the previous record of 23.21m/76-1.75 set in 2003 by Leif Arrhenius (Orem, Utah). (Jan. 3) A pair of 2005 World Championships gold medalists - sprinter Lauryn Williams (Miami, Fla.) and shot putter Adam Nelson (Athens, Ga.) - have been added to the field for the 11th annual Reebok Boston Indoor Games Jan. 28, the first stop of the 2006 Visa Championship Series. For more information, log on www.usatf.org.

UAF: (Jan. 3) The Utah Winter Games is holding a free biathlon clinic at Soldier Hollow Jan. 14. Participants can enjoy the challenge of hitting all five targets at the Olympic Range. For more details and online registration, visit the website at www.utahwintergames.org. (Jan. 3) The Utah Olympic Park is now offering one-, two- or four-day bobsled driving schools. The Stephan Bosch Bobsled Driving School is your opportunity to learn how to drive a bobsled from an experienced coach. Bosch is the current America’s Cup champion, a four-time Junior World champion and World Cup medalist. For more information, log on to www.olyparks.com

USOC: (Dec. 29) Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes announced its sponsorship of six U.S. Olympic athletes who are training to compete in the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Torino, Italy. The athletes are partnering with the Kellogg Earn Your Stripes program to raise kids’ awareness about the importance of keeping fit, staying active and working hard to achieve their goals. Kellogg will sponsor snowboarders Ross Powers (Stratton, Vt.) and Lindsey Jacobellis (Stratton Mountain, Vt.), skiers Toby Dawson (Vail, Colo.) and Resi Stiegler, (Jackson Hole, Wyo.), and speedskaters Derek Parra (San Bernardino, Calif.) and Jennifer Rodriguez (Miami, Fla.) as they train and prepare for Torino. All of the dedicated athletes will be featured either on boxes of Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes or in television advertising during the Olympic Winter Games. For more information, log on to www.usocpressbox.org.

Volleyball: Dr. Murray M. Koorhan, a long-time leader of the United States Volleyball Association, passed away Dec. 29 in Mesa, Ariz. after a long illness. He was 95. For more information, log on to www.usavolleyball.org.

Coming to a venue near you:

1/3-10 SKIING: U.S. Cross Country Championships, Soldier Hollow, Utah

1/5 LUGE, Challenge Cup, Koenigssee, Germany

1/5-7 LUGE, World Cup, Koenigssee, Germany

1/5-8 CURLING, World Trials Men's Qualifying Round, Brookline/Wayland, Mass.

1/5-8 CURLING, World Trials Women's Qualifying Round, Wash./Minn./N.Y./Ill.

1/5-8 SNOWBOARDING, Chevrolet Grand Prix, Mt. Bachelor, Ore.

1/6-8 SPEEDSKATING, World Junior Short Track Championships, Miercurea Ciuc, Romania

1/8-15 FIGURE SKATING, State Farm U.S. Championships, St. Louis, Mo.

1/13 LUGE: Challenge Cup, Igls, Austria

1/13-15 SKIING: Chevrolet Freestyle International, Deer Valley, Utah

1/13-15 LUGE: World Cup, Igls, Austria

1/20-22 SKIING: Nature Valley Freestyle Cup, Lake Placid, N.Y.

1/20-22 SKIING: U.S. Jumping/Nordic Combined Championships, Steamboat Springs, Colo.

1/20-22 LUGE: European Championships, Winterberg, Germany

1/20-22 SNOWBOARDING: Chevrolet Grand Prix, Mountain Creek, N.J.