January 13, 2010 (Winthrop, Washington) – The Methow Valley Sport Trails Association is excited to announce the confirmation of several Olympic athletes who will be competing in the Methow Valley SuperTour this weekend, January 16 & 17 in Winthrop Washington.

A few of the top athletes who will be competing this weekend are:

USA Ski Team member Torin Koos The 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver Canada will be Torin’s third Olympics. Torin is from Leavenworth, Washington. Torin’s specialty is sprint skiing, making Saturday’s 1.3k sprint heats very exciting to watch.

USA Ski Team member Leif Zimmerman Leif, from Bozeman Montana is currently third in the SuperTour point standings and was on the 2006 US Olympic Cross Country Team.

USA Ski Team member Chris Cook Chris, from Rhinelander, Wisconsin is currently forth in the SuperTour point standings and was on the 2006 US Olympic Cross Country Ski Team.

USA Ski Team member member Laura Valaas Laura is from Leavenworth, Washington and also will have many fans cheering her on at this race just 100 miles from her hometown. Laura is a sprint specialist and is currently leading the SuperTour sprint point standings. Laura has just returned from the US Nationals in Anchorage Alaska where she stood atop the podium in several races.

Canadian National Team member Shayla Swanson Shayla’s racing credentials include: Overall Canadian National Junior Champion 2000, 2001, 2002, World Junior Ski Championships 2001, 2002, World Championships 2009, and several podium finishes on the North American race circuit.

Canadian National Team member Drew Goldsack Drew finished 31st in the 2006 Turin Winter Olympic Games in the sprint event.

Africa Olympic Team member Philip Boit In the 2006 Winter Olympics Philip became the first athlete from Kenya to ever compete in the Winter Games. Despite being a long way away from his home country of Africa, Philip has a lot of friends in the Methow Valley as he trained here two winters ago. Philip’s story of switching disciplines from running to skiing and becoming an Olympic athlete is an inspiration for us all.

US World Cup Team Member Brian Gregg Brian Gregg is a member of CXC Ski Team and is working hard to secure an additional spot on the US Olympic Team. Brian is from Winthrop, Washington and maybe the hometown favorite for this race. Brian has won a SuperTour ski race before and his performance at US Nationals last week proves he could take the races next weekend in front of his hometown fans.

Iran Olympic hopeful Beejan Kangaloo Beejan Kangaloo will be racing both days at the Methow Valley SuperTour. Beejan, who goes by “Justin”, is hoping to earn an Olympic spot on Iran’s Cross Country Olympic Ski Team.

US World Junior Cross Country Team Members Members Sadie and Erik Bjornsen Erik and Sadie are from Mazama, Washington and are brother and sister. Sadie will represent the US on the U23 Team and Erik on the US Junior Team. Both siblings will be racing only at Saturday’s sprint races at the Methow Valley SuperTour as they leave for Europe the next day.

US World Junior Biathlon Member Casey Smith Casey Smith will be competing during both days of the Methow Valley SuperTour. Although not his main discipline of Biathlon, Casey will be preparing for his World Junior Biathlon appearance in Sweden later in the month. Casey is from Winthrop, Washington.

The SuperTour is a United States Ski Association (USSA) sanctioned ski race series and is the highest level of cross country ski competition in North America. The Methow Valley SuperTour is one of ten races in the nationwide SuperTour race circuit in which racers compete for US Olympic qualifying points, International Ski Federation (FIS) points and over $9000 in cash prizes. The Methow Valley SuperTour will be held Martin Luther King Weekend, one month before the 2010 Winter Olympics. It is expected that the best Nordic ski racers from the United States, Canada and other nations will attend.

Youth skiers will also compete this weekend in Junior Olympic Qualifying Races as part of the SuperTour weekend. This is a tremendous opportunity for junior skiers to race right alongside some of the best skiers in the world. We anticipate youth ski teams from across the West will take advantage of this incredible opportunity.

Collegiate ski teams, Senior and Master skiers will also be racing this weekend in their respective categories.

The race will be held on Methow Valley ski trails specifically created for competition. The race course is located next to Liberty Bell High School in Winthrop, Washington. Racers will compete in a 1.3k skate sprint race on Saturday. On Sunday, the men race a 15k classic distance race, and the women and juniors will complete a 10k classic distance race. The race course is very spectator-friendly allowing viewing from the stadium bleachers as well as alongside the race course.

MVSTA is honored to host a race of this caliber. Racers and spectators will be treated to the all best the Methow Valley has to offer. More information can be found at here.

Media may contact Danica Kaufman at danica@mvsta.com or call 509-996-3287 for media access to the race. A media press room will be available at the race venue as well as special access to the race course for qualified media.

The Methow Valley SuperTour title sponsors are AeroMech and Nordic Ultratune.

Additional race sponsors are

– Backcountry Coffee
– Bear Creek Lumber
– Central Reservations
– The Chewuch Inn
– KOZI Radio
– Methow Cycle & Sport
– The Methow Valley News
– Mazama Ranch House
– River’s Edge Resort
– Sun Mountain Lodge
– Wash Works
– Winthrop Mountain Sports
– Winthrop Red Apple Market
– Rossignol
– Swix
– Salomon
– Fischer Skis

The Methow Valley Sport Trails Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to developing and promoting environmentally sound recreation on or near the trail system in the Methow Valley. The trail system includes over 200 kilometers of groomed trails and is recognized as one of the finest trail systems in North America for cross-country skiing, off-road biking and hiking. The Methow Valley Ski Educational Foundation was founded in 1995 with the goal of developing, supporting and promoting Nordic skiing and related activities.