Vermont Talent Makes U.S. Freestyle Team,

Once again, Killington-trained skiers Hannah Soar and Alex Lewis are on the roster for nominees to the 2020-21 U.S. Freestyle Ski Team.

In 2019, Soar, a Connecticut native who has trained at Killington Mountain School earned two podiums on the World Cup in moguls as well as three fourth-place finishes and is currently ranked fifth in moguls.

Lewis, who finished third in the 2019 World Junior Championships, had his first World Cup mogul season in 2019.

Nominations include those active athletes who qualified based on published selection criteria in the prior season. Thirty-one athletes have been nominated to the U.S. Freestyle Ski Team, which includes aerials and moguls.

2020-21 will bring the freestyle skiers to the FIS Freestyle FIS World Cup Championships in Zhangjiakou, China, which will serve as test events for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games. Athletes will get a preview of what’s to come at their sports’ most prestigious events.

Each athlete accepting the nomination to U.S. Ski Team receives world-class program support, along with access to the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Center of Excellence, as well as athletic benefits including an elite coaching, sport science, sports medicine, high performance staff, and education opportunities.

Both Soar and Lewis trained at Killington Mountain School and have served as ambassadors for Vermont Adaptive and have been helping to raise money for the non-profit in the annual Vermont Adaptive  Charity ride, now a virtual event.

“I am super excited to get involved with Vermont Adaptive,” said Soar, who grew up skiing and training at Killington Resort. “I found it amazing how many ways this organization can help get people with various disabilities out on the hill. Now that I have some time off due to the Coronavirus pandemic, I thought it would be a great time to get involved and show my support. My friends and I joined together to do a 100-mile bike ride in support of Vermont Adaptive in April 25, we are super excited to support this amazing non-profit.

Now through June 20, participants in Vermont Adaptive’s virtual event are encouraged to set a personal goal and then ride a road or mountain bike, as well as walk, run, roll, join virtual exercise classes, horseback ride or any other active event while still social distancing. Weekly contests and prizes, plus fundraising incentives are in place to help motivate and incentivize participants to be active for an important cause. The goal for 2020 is to raise $300,000.

An official U.S. Freestyle Ski Team announcement will be made in the fall.

2020-21 Freestyle Nominations

(Hometown; Club; Birthdate)

U.S. Moguls Team

Men
Casey Andringa (Boulder, Colo.; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; 10/6/95)
Jesse Andringa (Boulder, Colo.; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; 12/15/97)
Joel Hedrick (Fort Collins, Colo.; Winter Park Competition Center; 5/30/97)
Alex Lewis (Carlisle, Mass.; Killington Mountain School; 11/16/99)
Nick Page (Park City, Utah; Wasatch Freestyle Foundation; 8/1/02)
Landon Wendler (Steamboat Springs, Colo.; Steamboat Winter Sports Club; 10/12/2000)
Brad Wilson (Butte, Mont.; Wasatch Freestyle; 6/5/92)

Women
Sabrina Cass (Cheshire, Conn.; Wasatch Freestyle Foundation; 3/27/02)
Nessa Dziemian (East Hampstead, N.H.; Park City Freestyle Ski Team; 4/14/94)
Olivia Giaccio (Redding, Conn.; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; 8/15/00)
Tess Johnson (Edwards, Colo.; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; 6/19/00)
Kasey Hogg (Park City, Utah; Wasatch Freestyle Foundation; 1/8/2003)
Madison Hogg (Park City, Utah; Wasatch Freestyle Foundation; 2/15/2001)
Jaelin Kauf (Alta, Wyo.; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; 9/26/96)
Kai Owens (Vail, Colo.; Ski and Snowboard Club Vail; 8/16/04)
Kenzie Radway (Steamboat Springs, Colo.; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; 6/22/03)
Morgan Schild (Pittsford, N.Y.; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; 8/25/97)
Hannah Soar (Somers, Conn.; Killington Mountain School; 6/4/99)
Avital Shimko (Manhattan, N.Y.; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; 4/24/96)

U.S. Aerials Team

Men
Quinn Dehlinger (Cincinnati, Ohio; Elite Aerial Development Program; 6/8/02)
Chris Lillis (Pittsford, N.Y.; Bristol Mountain Freestyle Team; 10/4/98)
Jon Lillis (Pittsford, N.Y.; Bristol Mountain Freestyle Team; 8/20/94)
Eric Loughran (Pelham, N.H.; Loon Mountain Freestyle; 12/4/95)
Justin Schoenefeld (Lawrenceburg, Ind.; Elite Aerial Development Program; 8/13/98)

Women
Ashley Caldwell (Ashburn, Va.; Elite Aerial Development Program; 9/14/93)
Kaila Kuhn (Boyne City, Mich.; Park City Ski and Snowboard; 4/8/03)
Dani (Karyl) Loeb (Pintlala, Ala.; Park City Ski and Snowboard; 8/10/2001)
Megan Nick (Shelburne, Vt.; Elite Aerial Development Program; 7/9/96)
Megan Smallhouse (Reno, Nev.; Park City Ski and Snowboard; 1/16/01)
Winter Vinecki (Gaylord, Mich.; Park City Ski and Snowboard; 12/18/98)
Madison Varmette (Stafford, Va.; Elite Aerial Development Program; 5/8/96)