*** The latest news from the USOC - June 22 ***

(Courtesy of United States Olympic Committee)

Salt Lake City, UT (My Sportsbook) - The following is a recap of events from the United States Olympic Committee.

Archery: (June 15) USA Archery announced the selection of Larry Skinner (Moberly, Mo.) as the full-time archery coach at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif. Skinner will serve as the interim resident athlete program coach until the new national coach comes on board later this fall, at which time Skinner will continue as the assistant to the national coach. (June 15) Sixteen men and women in both the recurve and compound bow categories will represent the U.S. June 20-26 at the 43rd FITA World Target Championships in Madrid, Spain. (June 16) The Disney Wide World of Sports Complex, in Orlando, Fla., is hosting the 24th Annual Junior Olympic Archery Development National Championships June 23-26. More than 200 young archers from around the country, ranging in age from six to 18, will gather to compete for a JOAD national title. The event will feature many of the top juniors from around the United States, including Junior United States Archery Team members and junior world champions. (June 21) The first day of competition at the 43rd FITA World Target Championships came to a close with Dave Cousins (Standish, Maine) and Erika Anschutz (Grand Island, Neb.) in first place in their respective compound bow categories. Braden Gellenthien (Hudson, Mass.) is right behind Cousins in second. Kevin Polish (Carmichaels, Pa.) finished the day in 21st place. Polish is the first United States wheelchair archer to shoot at a FITA World Target Championship. Dee Wilde (Pocatello, Idaho), a 2003 world target team gold medalist, is in 35th place. Sixteen-year-old Anschutz is in first place for the compound women. Reigning World Target Champion Mary Zorn (College Station, Texas) is in fourth place, while Jamie Van Natta (Toledo, Ohio) finished seventh and Christie Colin (Cape May, N.J.) is in 49th place. Four-time Olympian Butch Johnson (Woodstock, Conn.) leads the way for the U.S. recurve men in sixth place. Joe McGlyn (Floral Park, N.Y.) is 24th, while two- time Olympian Vic Wunderle (Mason City, Ill.) is 39th and Guy Krueger (Blessing, Texas) is in 99th place. For the recurve women, 2004 Olympian Jennifer Nichols (Cheyenne, Wyo.) is top for the USA in sixth place. Khatuna Lorig (Bloomfield, N.J.) is in 22nd, while three-time Olympian Janet Dykman (El Monte, Calif.) holds 62nd place and Ashley Kamuf (New Albany, Ind.) is in the 87th spot. For more information, log on to www.usarchery.org.

Baseball: (June 16) Through an agreement with USA Baseball, ESPNU, the new 24- hour college My Sportsbook, will conclude its first season of comprehensive college baseball coverage - a total of 55 regular season and NCAA Championship regional and super regional games - with the exclusive announcement of the 28th Annual Golden Spikes Award June 24 at 1 p.m. EDT. The telecast, presented in conjunction with the Major League Baseball Players Association, will also highlight some of the various organizational youth baseball initiatives supported by USA Baseball and the MLBPA. (June 17) USA Baseball announced the list of 16 additional collegiate players who have accepted invitations to participate in the 2005 USA Baseball National Team Trials to be held June 27-30 at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. The 2005 National Team will be selected from a pool of 39 players, with the official 20-man team roster announced on July 1. (June 21) Eight teams have gathered and more than 150 of the top high school players in America are ready to compete in the 2005 USA Baseball Tournament of Stars in Joplin, Mo., June 21-26. The athletes are vying for spots on the 18-under USA Baseball Junior National Team. (June 21) The 72 teams at the 2005 USA Junior Olympic West Baseball Championships completed their first day of seeded play and the third day of overall competition in Peoria and Surprise, Ariz. With each squad now having four games under its belt, six teams remain undefeated. The Star Maker Sharks (Calif.), Thousand Oaks Bombers (Calif.), Orange County Angels (Calif.), Arizona Pilots, Arizona Firebirds, and South Texas Sliders each won their first game of seeded play to remain a perfect 4-0. (June 21) A rain-shortened third day of the 2005 Junior Olympic East Championship came to a close in Palm Beach County, Fla., with 130 games played and a full slate of games scheduled. All teams will be vying for the top 32 spots in the tournament to advance to the championship bracket. For more information, log on to www.usabaseball.com.

Basketball: At the 2005 USA Basketball Women's Youth Development Festival, USA Blue finished with the gold medal and a 5-0 record after defeating USA White. USA Red earned the bronze medal in their match against the Canadian team. (June 17) 2005 USA Basketball Women's Youth Development Festival preliminary play got underway at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., and the USA Blue Team, behind Bridgette Mitchell's (Trenton, N.J.) 16 points, recorded a 73-58 win over Canada, while center Tina Charles (Jamaica, N.Y.) scored 28 points and grabbed a Festival-record 21 rebounds to lead the USA Red Team to an 89-78 win over the USA White Team. (June 17) The USA Blue squad improved to 2-0 after relying on team play in its 85-68 pounding of the USA Red Team, while the USA White Team chalked up its first win by disposing of Canada, 97-76, as Jacki Gemelos (Stockton, Calif.) poured in 22 points. (June 18) The USA Blue Team remained perfect but it took a strong surge in the final five minutes and a 22-point effort from guard Dymond Simon (Avondale, Ariz.) as the Blue rallied to take a 76-64 decision over the USA White Team. The USA Red squad, behind 19 points from Brittainey Raven (Fort Worth, Texas) and a 16-point and 15-rebound double-double from Tina Charles, took control in the final two quarters to upend Canada, 84-68, in Youth Development Festival preliminary-round action. (June 18) The USA Blue Team continued on cruise control at the Youth Development Festival and, behind Dymond Simon's 16 points, rolled to its fourth consecutive victory and into the gold medal game with a 77-55 semifinals victory over Canada. In the other semifinal, USA White, receiving 17 points from Jacki Gemelos and 16 more from Cait McMahan (Maryville, Tenn.), earned revenge and a rematch with the Blue squad in the gold-medal game after battling to a 76-63 win over USA Red. (June 19) The USA Blue Team capped its run at gold with an 88-76 victory over USA White to finish a perfect 5-0 and claim gold at the Youth Development Festival. In the bronze medal contest, USA Red Team forward Tina Charles scored 24 points as the Red fought off Canada, 74-64, to take home the bronze medal. (June 20) Highlighted by 2005 consensus All-American J.J. Redick (Roanoke, Va.), 21 of the country's top basketball players 21-years-old and younger have accepted invitations to attend the July 21-23 USA Basketball Men's U21 National Team Trials in Dallas, Texas. Trials will be used to select the final 12-member U.S. U21 squad that will look to defend the USA's gold medal at the 2005 FIBA U21 World Championship in Mar de Plata, Argentina, Aug. 5-14. For more information, log on to www.usabasketball.com.

Bobsled: (June 15) William H. Napier (Schenectady, N.Y.), 66, passed away June 12 after a courageous battle with cancer. Napier, who competed in national and international races as a driver of both 2-man and 4-man bobsled teams, was a past president of the United States Bobsled and Skeleton Federation, and served as a jury member of the Federation Internationale Bobsleigh and Tobogganing. (June 16) Officials and athletes from the U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Federation are currently looking for the next generation of athletes to represent the United States in international competition. The 2005 Verizon USBSF Athlete Recruitment Tour is designed to identify potential athletes, ages 16 and up, for the U.S. bobsled and skeleton development teams. The top athletes from the program will be invited to Lake Placid, N.Y., to participate in a developmental training camp. (June 17) The 2005 Verizon USBSF Athlete Recruitment Tour will visit Icahn Stadium on New York's Randall's Island on World Olympic Day, June 23, from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. (June 20) The 2005 Verizon USBSF Athlete Recruitment Tour will visit the University of Pennsylvania's Franklin Field, June 26, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. (June 21) The 2005 Verizon USBSF Athlete Recruitment Tour will visit Baltimore's Prince George's Sports and Learning Complex, June 29, from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. For more information, log on www.usbsf.com.

Bowling: (June 16) Christopher Dunbar (Billings, Mont.) and Valerie Pittser (Huntersville, N.C.) have been named 2005 Youth Leaders of the Year for outstanding service and proven leadership to Young American Bowling Alliance/United States Bowling Congress youth programs. (June 16) Youth bowlers from around the United States as well as Canada, Puerto Rico and U.S. military zones will compete in Indianapolis, Ind., July 9-15 at the 2005 USA Junior Gold Bowling National Championships. More than 1,500 entrants - the highest number in the event's history - will compete for spots on Junior Team USA 2006 and more than $55,000 in scholarships. (June 17) The United States Bowling Congress has tabbed Director of USBC Collegiate Jeanne Klescewski to hold the dual responsibilities of Director of USBC High School and USBC Collegiate. (June 17) New names dot the leader board at the Women's International Bowling Congress Championship Tournament. Michelle Roberts (Tama, Iowa) threw a total score of 1,645 to take over the lead in the all- events competition of Division 3 (average 131 thru 149). Nita Redding (Dallas, Texas) used a strong singles set to catapult her into the all-events lead of Division 4 (average 130 and under). Rachel Anthony (Broussard, La.) had a 589 series that put her and her doubles partner in second place in Division 4. Anthony and her partner, Kaye Anthony (Jeanerette, La.), shot a combined score of 941. The Division 3 doubles competition has two new pairs in third and fourth place. Diane Waldon (Wilmington, Ill.) and Bena Jennings (Bolingbrook, Ill.) are in third place with 1,050 total pins while Tracy Tratz (Conway, Ark.) and Angel Moix (Conway, Ark.) are right behind them in fourth with a 1,049 score. (June 18) Bowlers participating in the WIBC Tournament may have thought there was a lock on the Division 2 (average 299 thru 338) doubles competition. After all, Kansans Linda Kelsey (Hiawatha, Kan.) and Mary Herbster (Morrill, Kan.) have held onto the top spot in that division since April 11, the opening week of the tournament. That changed as a pair of Texans took over the top spot deep into tournament competition. Marsha Goforth (Burleson, Texas) and Jeanne Hester (Arlington, Texas) are the new doubles leaders, shooting a combined score of 1,169. (June 20) An Ohio doubles team charged onto the leader board at the WIBC Championship Tournament. Tina Dillon (Loveland, Ohio) and Donna Evans (Milford, Ohio) now hold second place in the competition among Division 1 (average 339 thru 378) bowlers. The pair shot a score of 1,212 to jump into second place. (June 20) The United States Bowling Congress is the newest national governing body in the United States Olympic Committee family. USBC received its official letter of acceptance from the USOC on June 17 confirming the USBC's status as the national governing body of bowling in the United States. For more information, log on to www.bowl.com.

Boxing: (June 21) The 2005 Junior Olympic National Championships kicked off at the University of Texas at Brownsville. More than 200 of the nation's top 15-16-year-old boxers traveled to the event, which is being held for the second straight year in the border town. For the first-time ever, 15- and 16- year-old females will compete alongside their male counterparts. For more information, log on to www.usaboxing.org.

Cycling: (June 16) All levels of competitive cycling will be contested in Park City, Utah at the Park City Cycling Festival, USA Cycling's designated event for the national championship road cycling competition. Scheduled for June 21- July 2, the Festival will feature the nation's top riders at the junior, U23, elite, master and Paralympic levels as they battle it out for national titles in road racing, time trials and criterium events over a 12-day span. (June 18) Round three of the 2005 Shimano NORBA National Mountain Bike Series continued as two-time New Zealand Olympic team member Kaschi Leuchs and defending NORBA Champion Shonny Vanlandingham (Durango, Colo.) captured wins in the cross country event. (June 21) Chris Baldwin (Boulder, Colo.) rode to his second career elite men's national time trial championship as USA Cycling kicked off the 2005 Park City Cycling Festival. Baldwin obliterated the 57-rider field with a time of 42 minutes 44.43 seconds over a 34 kilometer course that wound its way along the shores of the Great Salt Lake. The 2003 National Champion, Baldwin was the only rider to crack the 44 minute barrier as runner-up Jeff Louder (Salt Lake City, Utah) posted a 44:00.23 to take the silver medal and Bernard Van Ulden (Belmont, Calif.) rode a 44:00.58 to take third. For more information, log on to www.usacycling.org.

Equestrian: (June 15) Due to construction at the Lake Erie College Equestrian Center, the Central Ohio Reining Horse Association announced a change of venue for the NRHA Reining Competition CORHA Circuit #3 and CORHA Circuit #4 scheduled for July 9-10 at the facility. Both events will now be held at the Eden Park Equestrian Center in Sunbury, Ohio and both competitions will host USEF Youth Reining Qualifying classes for the USEF Youth Reining Championship. (June 15) The United States Equestrian Federation is accepting bids for the 2006 FEI North American Young Riders Championship. Bids must be received by Aug. 19 to be considered. The NAYRC must take place no earlier than the second week of August 2006. (June 16) Newlywed sweethearts Shannon and Steffen Peters (San Diego, Calif.) wowed fans with their strong, smooth performances, finishing side by side in first and second place, respectively, during the first phase of the 2005 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF National Intermediaire I Dressage Championship, presented by Paul Miller Auto Group, Inc. Shannon rode Luxor to a final score of 71.85% in the USEF Prix St. Georges and she finished just a few tenths of a point ahead of Steffen, who was awarded a 71.50% on Marlando. (June 16) Riding his tried-and-true comeback partner, Rocher, George Williams (Delaware, Ohio) leads the scoreboard for the first phase of competition at the National Grand Prix Dressage Championship. (June 17) The U.S. team had a tough day at the 2005 Samsung Super League series in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The American riders finished the day in last place, but managed to hold on to second place in the overall league standings, only 0.5 points behind Switzerland. (June 17) Steffen and Shannon Peters continued to top the score sheets on the second day of the National Intermediaire I Dressage Championship. Steffen brought in the top ride on Marlando, with 73.10%. Shannon and Luxor finished second with 71.75%. (June 17) Once again, George Williams and Rocher are drawing a clear line and setting themselves apart from the rest in the National Grand Prix Dressage Championship. They earned a 73.84% in the USEF Grand Prix Special, which set the pair a full six points ahead of the closest competitor. (June 18) In their first national competition riding together, husband and wife team Steffen and Shannon Peters placed first and second respectively, in the National Intermediaire I Dressage Championship. Steffen earned a cumulative score of 73.425% and Shannon was awarded a 71.695% overall. (June 18) George Williams and his mount Rocher claimed the title at the National Grand Prix Dressage Championship. For more information, log on to www.usef.org.

Fencing: (June 17) The United States Men's Sabre Team of Ivan Lee (Brooklyn, N.Y.), Timothy Morehouse (New York, N.Y.), Jason Rogers (Los Angeles, Calif.) and Timothy Hagamen (New York, N.Y.) took the silver medal in a Grand Prix World Cup in Barquisimeto, Venezuela. They lost the gold to France, 45-41. (June 20) Competition at the 2005 Las Vegas World Cup came to a close with the U.S. earning two medals - one individual and one team. Mariel Zagunis (Beaverton, Ore.) earned the silver medal in the individual competition. She lost the gold medal match to Aleksandra Socha of Poland, 15-13. The only other U.S. fencer to reach the round of eight, World Cup leader Sada Jacobson (Dunwoody, Ga.), was defeated in the quarterfinals by Gioia Marzocca of Italy. Emily Cross (New York, N.Y.) was the highest U.S. finisher in the foil competition, reaching the round of 32 before falling to 12th-seeded Eugyenia Lamonova of Russia. The U.S. women's saber team of Mariel Zagunis, Sada Jacobson, Rebecca Ward (Portland, Ore.) and Caitlin Thompson (Portland, Ore.) earned the bronze in the women's saber team competition. The U.S. women's foil team of Andrea Ament (Gates Mills, Ohio), Susan Jennings (New York, N.Y.), Hanna Thompson (Rochester, N.Y.) and Iris Zimmermann (Rush, N.Y.) finished ninth in the women's foil team competition. For more information, log on to www.usfencing.org.

Figure Skating: (June 16) 2005 World Ice Dancing silver medalists and U.S. Champions Tanith Belbin (Kirkland, Quebec, Canada) and Ben Agosto (Chicago, Ill.) received the honor of SKATING magazine's Readers' Choice Award for Skaters of the Year in 2005. This was the first year that skating fans were able to vote exclusively online. The 2005 Readers' Choice Award also marks the first time that a pairs or dance team has won. For more information, log on to www.usfigureskating.org.

Gymnastics: (June 20) 2004 Olympic team silver medalist Brett McClure (Mill Creek, Wash.) is one of six Men's National Team members competing in the 2005 U.S. Men's Qualifier, June 25, at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. The U.S. Qualifier, which has two sessions and a 76-man field, is the final opportunity for gymnasts to advance to the 2005 Visa Championships, Aug. 10-13 in Indianapolis, Ind. For more information, log on to www.usa-gymnastics.org.

Hockey: (June 15) Thirteen players from the World Champion 2005 U.S. National Under-18 Team are among the group of 43 players invited to the 2005 U.S. National Junior Evaluation Camp in Lake Placid, N.Y., Aug. 5-14. Participating players are candidates for the 2006 U.S. National Junior Team that will compete in the 2006 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship, Dec. 26-Jan. 5 in Vancouver, B.C., Canada. The camp will feature eight international scrimmages with a split squad of the best American players under the age of 20 facing off against Sweden and Finland. (June 15) USA Hockey's five-day Annual Congress concluded with the Board of Directors making few changes to the playing rules. (June 20) More than 500 USA Hockey coaches from around the country will gather in Grand Rapids, Mich., for the 2005 National Hockey Coaches Symposium, presented by USA Hockey and sponsored by Easton Sports and Labatt Blue. The event, which runs June 22-26 at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel, will give attendees the opportunity to learn from some of hockey's most outstanding teachers, including top coaches from the National Hockey League as well as several elite coaches from the college ranks. For more information, log on to www.usahockey.com.

Luge: (June 20) Young athletes who want to experience the thrill of luge, The Fastest Sport on Ice®, and train under the guidance of USA Luge national team coaches and athletes can do so when the Verizon-USA Luge Slider Search rolls into Old Westbury, N.Y., July 9-10. The Verizon-USA Luge Slider Search, the official athlete recruitment tour of USA Luge, will be looking for boys and girls ages 11-14. The event will be held on the campus of SUNY Old Westbury. (June 21) USA Luge will be conducting its second summer camp of the off-season when the top U.S. sliders report to Lake Placid, N.Y., July 17-24. The camp is designed to prepare the squad for the upcoming 2005-06 World Cup and Challenge Cup series, as well as February's 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Torino, Italy. (June 21) The 2006 Olympic Winter Games competition highlights the 2005-06 international luge-racing schedule announced during the recent International Luge Federation annual congress in Torino, Italy. For more information, log on to www.usaluge.org.

Rowing: (June 17) Men's single sculler Wyatt Allen (Portland, Maine) advanced to the semifinals on the first day of competition at the 2005 BearingPoint Rowing World Cup stop in Munich, Germany. (June 21) USRowing has been named as a new partner of the 2005 Head Of The Charles Regatta. This year's Head Of The Charles is scheduled for Oct. 22-23. First held in 1965, the world's largest two-day rowing event now attracts more than 8,000 athletes and up to 300,000 spectators. (June 21) Four crews have accepted berths on the 2005 World Championships Team. The crews earned the spots following their victories at the 2005 National Selection Regatta 2. NSR 2 winners of the men's double sculls, women's double sculls, men's pair, women's pair, lightweight men's double sculls and lightweight women's double sculls who met their event's time standard had until June 20 to accept bids to the national team. (June 21) The International Rowing Federation (FISA) Council has selected the city of Gainesville, Ga., and the venue of Lake Lanier to host the 2009 World Rowing Junior Championships. It will be the first time that the junior world championships will be held in the United States and only the second time that the event will be held in North America. More than 700 athletes, plus hundreds of coaches, officials and visitors, are expected to attend the four-day event. For more information, log on to www.usrowing.org.

Sailing: (June 15) US SAILING announced that Team McLube, a division of McGee Industries in Aston, Pa., has renewed its decade-long partnership with US SAILING as the "Official Lubricant Supplier" to the US Sailing Teams. Under the multi-year agreement, which runs through 2009, team members will receive high performance lubricants specifically designed for marine use. (June 21) US SAILING recently awarded its Arthur B. Hanson Rescue Medal to the crew of Balder for its quick response to rescue a fellow crew member. The rescue took place during the McAllister Creek Regatta in January 2004, hosted by the South Sound Sailing Society in Olympia, Wash. For more information, log on to www.ussailing.org.

Shooting: (June 15) University of Nevada - Reno senior Ryan Tanoue (Honolulu, Hawaii) took the gold medal at the recent World Cup Munich. Tanoue was neck- and-neck with the other competitors throughout the qualifying rounds, but kicked it up in the finals with a 102.5 and finished with just a tenth of a point lead on the next competitor. In women's air pistol, Colorado Springs Olympic Training Center resident athlete Rebecca Snyder (Grand Junction, Colo.) made the finals with a 384. Snyder finished in sixth after shooting a 98.6, finishing just under three points out of medal contention. Emily Caruso (Fairfield, Conn.) put up a 397 in women's air rifle in the qualifying round, just missing the finals and finishing tenth overall. (June 18) USA Shooting named its first champions of the 2005 Rifle and Pistol National Championships at Fort Benning, Ga. In women's air pistol, three-time Olympian Rebecca Snyder walked away with the title. Diana Nee (Arcadia, Calif.) placed second and Michelle Lacko (Amarillo, Texas) took third. Nee and Lacko also won a spot on their first National Team, and both will be headed to the Championship of America's later this year. In men's air pistol, SFC Daryl Szarenski (Saginaw, Mich.), of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, clinched first, four points above Jason Turner (Rochester, N.Y.). Thomas Rose, also of the USAMU, finished in third, placing himself on his first National Team and winning a spot for the CAT Games. Brian Beaman (Selby, S.D.) also won a spot on the CAT Team. At the 50m range, the men's prone rifle heated up. University of Alaska-Fairbanks graduate Joe Hein (Mason, Mich.) finished in first. U.S. Naval Reservist Eric Uptagrafft (Spokane, Wash.) came in second and SFC Tom Tamas (Columbus, Ga.) wound up in third. Joseph Hall (Carrollton, Ga.) and Chris Abalo (Glendora, Calif.) will be going to the CAT Games in this event. Men's three-position rifle finished up with Matt Emmons (Browns Mills, N.J.) taking the gold. Joseph Hall finished in second and Eric Uptagrafft took third. Hall will be joining Jason Dardas (Essexville, Mich.) on the CAT team. (June 21) USA Shooting named another batch of national champions at the 2005 National Championships. In the first event to finish up, men's 50m free pistol, Keith Sanderson (San Antonia, Texas) won the gold. Sanderson will join AMU teammate Thomas Rose at the Championship of the America's Games. Men's free pistol is the second event Rose has qualified to compete in at these games. Jason Turner took second in men's free pistol while SFC Daryl Szarenski took the bronze. In the women's 25m sport pistol event, it didn't surprise many that Rebecca Snyder walked away with the win. Elizabeth Callahan (Upper Marlboro, Md.) finished second. Teresa Meyer took third place, along with a spot on the CAT Team and a gold medal in the junior division. On the 10m range, both the men's and women's air rifle events finished up, with Matt Emmons as the National Champion. SFC Jason Parker (Cusseta, Ga.) took second with a 1,290.5, whereas the Ryan Tanoue placed third. The men's air rifle CAT Team will be made up of brothers Joseph and Jonathan Hall (Carrollton, Ga.). Colorado Springs Olympic Training Center athletes dominated the women's air rifle event, as well. Emily Caruso took first place and Amber Darland (Delta Junction, Alaska) clinched second. University of Alaska - Fairbanks junior Jamie Beyerle (Lebanon, Pa.) did break into the top three, however. But then it was the OTC's Sarah Blakeslee (Vancouver, Wash.), who finished in fourth and rounded out the National Team in this event after winning the junior gold. Going to the CAT Games will be Shasta Little (Redmond, Ore.) and Kari Baldwin (Verbena, Ala.). For more information, log on to www.usashooting.com.

Skiing: (June 16) Clint Jones (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) may be feeling a bit like the Lone Ranger during training at Utah Olympic Park, but he got some good news this week: two-time Olympian Alan Alborn (Anchorage, Alaska), the other half of the U.S. ski jumping squad for the Olympic season, has been cleared to resume jumping in early July following knee surgery. (June 18) More than 70 promising alpine racers - faced with deep snow, blue skies and a high- energy coaching staff - are going through the paces of the third annual National Development System 10-day training camps at California's Mammoth Mountain. For more information, log on to www.usskiteam.com.

Soccer: (June 18) The U.S. Under-20 Men's National Team earned its third straight shutout with a 1-0 victory over Egypt in Enchede, Holland, to win the "Group of Death" and advance to the second round of the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship. Jacob Peterson (Portage, Mich.) headed home a deflected shot from Freddy Adu (Potomac, Md.) in the 56th minute and the defense held Egypt to just one shot on goal for the entire 90 minutes to give the U.S. the victory in its final group match. (June 19) U.S. Soccer announced the third- round pairings for the 2005 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Four teams from the United Soccer Leagues First Division and four from Major League Soccer will play the winners of the June 29 second-round games. (June 21) The U.S. Under-20 Men's National Team's strong run through the World Youth Championship ended after falling 3-1 to Italy in the round of 16. The U.S. was the better team in the first 45 minutes and took a 1-0 lead into the half on a Hunter Freeman (Allen, Texas) penalty kick, but Italy stormed back with a formidable attack and a bit of luck as two of their three scores were officially ruled own goals. For more information, log on to www.ussoccer.com.

Softball: (June 20) The Amateur Softball Association and USA Softball announced the selection of the 2005 Women's National and Elite Teams. The National Team, an 18-member roster, takes the field July 12 in Irvine, Calif. for an exhibition game against Australia before heading to the first ever World Cup of Softball in Oklahoma City, July 14-18. On July 26, the team will travel to Yokohama, Japan to defend its Japan Cup title. For more information, log on to www.usasoftball.com.

Synchronized Swimming: (June 20) Synchronized swimming returns to Buffalo, N.Y., for the world's largest synchronized swimming meet: the 2005 esynchro Age Group Championships, June 25-July 2. On hand for the national grassroots competition will be up-and-coming junior athletes representing the world's top-rated clubs, along with several reigning age group national champions. More than 1,000 athletes will be competing for titles in the solo, duet, trio and team events in four different age groups: 12-13, 14-15, 16-17 and 18-19. National Team I will perform a special exhibition before traveling to Montreal to compete at the XI FINA World Championships. The team will provide a sneak peak at its routines June 27, during 12-13 finals, which run from 3:30-8:30 p.m. For more information, log on to www.usasynchro.org.

Table Tennis: (June 19) Gao Jun (Gaithersburg, Md.), a member of the USA Women's National Team, swept the 2005 Chinese Taipei Open, winning the women's singles and doubles events. This is the first time in history that a U.S. player finished first in an international singles event and only the third time a U.S. player has claimed the doubles event at an International Table Tennis Federation Pro Tour event. Gao Jun defeated Li Jia Wei of Singapore, 4-2, after losing the first two games. (June 19) The 2005 Liebherr U.S. Open will fill the Greater Ft. Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., July 7-10 for a four-day professional and recreational table tennis competition. For more information, log on to www.usatt.org.

Tennis: (June 16) The USTA announced that it will invest an unprecedented $1.5 million in new funding to support public parks tennis facility enhancements, renovations and new construction projects to provide more and enhanced tennis venues for increased playing opportunities. The funding of the "Tennis in the Parks" initiative follows the USTA's recent announcement of a $10 million "Grow the Game" fund created to develop new programs to increase player participation and raise the profile of tennis in the U.S. (June 20) The 79th Annual National Public Parks Tennis Championships will be hosted by the Greater Stamford Tennis Association, July 25-31, at Scalzi Park in Stamford, Conn. On-line registration for the event is available through July 15. For more information, log on to www.usta.com.

Track and Field: (June 15) Darold Williamson (San Antonio, Texas) was named USA Track & Field's Athlete of the Week after setting a world-leading mark in the men's 400m semifinals at the 2005 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Sacramento, Calif. (June 17) The Nike Run Hit Wonder taps into the unifying force between music and athletes in training. It has created a following of fitness runners who celebrate a common love of running to music. The 2005 tour kicks off in New York's Central Park July 20 and then continues on to Portland (July 24), Chicago (Sept.13) and Los Angeles (Sept. 24). (June 17) Wartburg College's cross country/track & field standout Missy Buttry (Shenandoah, Iowa) will receive the 2005 Honda's Division III Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year Award during a June 29 press conference in the Low Library Rotunda at Columbia University in New York City. The award honors the top woman athlete from colleges and universities competing in NCAA Division III. In recognition of the award, American Honda Motor Co., Inc., will donate $5,000 to the Wartburg women's athletic program. (June 17) Olympic 4x400m relay gold medalist Monique Henderson (San Diego, Calif.), a senior at the University of California - Los Angeles, has been voted the nation's top collegiate female track & field athlete. The honor was based on the results of national balloting among 1,000 NCAA member schools as part of the Collegiate Women Sports Awards program, now in its 29th year. Henderson's victory will earn her the Honda Award, given annually to the top women athletes in 12 NCAA- sanctioned sports, as well as an automatic nomination for the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year. (June 20) The USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships presented by Visa June 23-26 will be make-or-break time in the Race for the Visa Championship as the Visa Championship Series comes to a close. At the Reebok Grand Prix, Michelle Perry (Palmdale, Calif.) launched into the lead in the women's Race for the Championship. Her world-leading time of 12.45 seconds in the women's 100-meter hurdles (1,212 points) gives her a one-point lead over Olympic 200m silver medalist Allyson Felix (Los Angeles, Calif.), whose 200m time of 22.14 at the adidas Track Classic (1,211 points) also is a world- leader. Sanya Richards (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) is currently in third with her 50.00 in the 400 meters at the adidas Track Classic (1,201 points). (June 21) The next stop on the USA Running Circuit is the New Alliance New Haven Road Race on Sept. 5. Hosting the 2005 USA 20 km Championships for the 13th year for men and the fifth year for women, the prize purse offered for this year's race will total $36,650 for U.S. athletes. The event will also be used as the final selection race for the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships, which will be held in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada on Oct. 1. (June 21) Road Race Management Newsletter, MarathonFoto and Running Times will again honor the outstanding race director of the year. The 2005 award winner will be announced at the Road Race Management Race Directors' Meeting in October. Nominations must be received by Sept. 2. For more information, log on www.usatf.org.

Triathlon: (June 20) USA Triathlon announced that its annual membership exceeded a record 60,000 during the month of May 2005. USAT's annual membership at the beginning of 2005 was 53,254. (June 20) Rankings for 2005 are now being posted to the USA Triathlon web site as event results are received from race directors. (June 20) Jen O'Day has been promoted to membership manager for USAT. O'Day started at USA Triathlon in May of 2004 as the membership assistant. (June 20) Nominations for appointments to the 2005 USA Triathlon Board of Directors from three districts are due to the USAT National Office by July 11. The nominees will be voted on by members of the Board of Directors who were elected by the membership in March 2005 and will be seated on July 1. (June 21) U.S. elite Logan Wealing (Fowler, Ind.) took gold and Doug Friman (Tucson, Ariz.) and Jasmine Oeinck (Littleton, Colo.) won silver at the International Triathlon Union Rincon Triathlon Caribbean Cup in Puerto Rico. Wealing, an athlete in USA Triathlon's resident program at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., won his first ITU Continental Cup race in 1 hour, 48 minutes, 53 seconds. Friman was second in 1:49:13. The U.S. men, particularly those who are part of the USAT Development Program, dominated the top 10 as Under-23 National Team members Jarrod Shoemaker (Sudbury, Mass.) and Matt Seymour (Pleasanton, Calif.) finished sixth and seventh, respectively. U.S. elite Mark Fretta (Portland, Ore.) was eighth and Derek Kite (Malibu, Calif.) was ninth. In the women's race, U23 triathlete Oeinck was second in 2:06:35. The U.S. women also had a strong showing in the top 10, as U23 team member Kelsey Withrow (Woodinville, Wash.) was fourth and Jenna Shoemaker (Sudbury, Mass.) was sixth. Sarah Haskins (Boulder, Colo.), a resident athlete at the Colorado Springs OTC, finished seventh. For more information, log on to www.usatriathlon.org.

Volleyball: The Women's National Volleyball Team finished the Pan American Cup in fourth place with a 3-5 record. (June 16) The Women's National Team qualified for the 2006 World Grand Prix following a 3-1 win over Puerto Rico in the quarterfinals of the Pan American Cup. Nancy Metcalf (Hull, Iowa) scored a match-high 19 points, Jennifer Joines (Milpitas, Calif.) added 16 points and Jane Collymore (Englewood, Colo.) pitched in with 14 points as Team USA overcame a slow start to post a victory. (June 16) Yudelkys Bautista and Cosiris Rodriguez each scored 18 points to lead the Dominican Republic to a 3-1 win over the Women's National Team in the semifinals of the Pan American Cup. (June 18) Brazil defeated the National Team in the third-place match at the Pan American Cup. Nancy Metcalf and Jennifer Joines each scored a match- high 18 points to lead Team USA. Metcalf earned Pan American Cup "Best Scorer" honors after leading all players in total points, while setter Lindsey Berg (Honolulu, Hawaii) captured "Best Setter" accolades for the third-straight year. (June 21) The City of Anaheim, Calif., along with more than a dozen local businesses, announced that the USA Men's National Volleyball Team will make a training visit to Anaheim July 2-17. The team will train at the Anaheim-based American Sports Center, the largest indoor training facility in the United States. This training visit is to ascertain whether the team could permanently move to Anaheim on a full-time basis to begin training for the next two Olympic Games in 2008 and 2012. (June 21) From June 29-July 6, approximately 40,000 people from all over the nation are expected to file into the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City for the 26th Annual 2005 USA Junior Olympic Girls Volleyball Championships. There are 756 teams (more than 9,500 girls) competing in this year's event, up from 724 teams last year. The teams will vie in their respective age categories, 12-18, and have been competing since January in order to earn a bid to the Junior Olympics. (June 21) From June 30-July 3, 172 teams will descend upon the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center in Louisville, Ky., for the fourth annual USA Junior Olympic Girls Invitational Volleyball Championships. The invitational tournament provides those teams that did not qualify for the USA Junior Olympics in Salt Lake City a chance to compete in a USA Junior Olympic volleyball event. For more information, log on to www.usavolleyball.org.

Water Skiing: (June 20) The U.S. Elite Water Ski Racing Team won its fourth consecutive world title at the 14th Water Ski Racing World Championships at the Searles Leisure Resort in Hunstanton, England. The United States finished with 14,392.60 points in securing its ninth world team title in the biennial tournament's 14 occurrences. Four U.S. athletes also won individual world titles. Todd Haig (Redlands, Calif.) took the Men's Open title; Justin Soller (Walnut, Calif.) earned the Men's Formula 2 title; Sam Frey (Los Alamitos, Calif.) captured the Junior Boys' title; and Mallory Nordblad (Claremont, Calif.) won the Junior Girls' title. For more information, log on to www.usawaterski.org.

Wrestling: (June 15) During last summer's Olympic Games in Athens Greece, FILA announced that Beach Wrestling would be added as a new international wrestling style. The first national-level event in the United States, the ASICS 2005 East Coast National Beach Wrestling Championships, will be held in the city of Long Beach, N.Y., Aug. 13. The competition will be sanctioned by USA Wrestling. (June 16) Stan Zeamer (Manheim, Pa.) has been named team leader for the United States' women's freestyle team at the 2005 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, Sept. 28-30. (June 18) Five Olympic gold medalists from different eras were honored as Iowa State University and the entire wrestling community celebrated "Iowa State Wrestling's Golden Legacy" at a special dinner at the Gateway Center Hotel in Ames, Iowa. The program honored Iowa State alumni who went on to win Olympic gold medals for the United States: Glen Brand (London, 1948), Dan Gable (Munich, 1972), Ben Peterson (Munich, 1972), Kevin Jackson (Barcelona, 1992) and Cael Sanderson (Athens, 2004). (June 18) The wrestling was outstanding and competitive in the Challenge Tournament portion of the USA Wrestling World Team Trials in Ames, Iowa. However, there were few upsets, as the wrestlers expected to advance were able to win their bouts. Only three No. 1 seeds among the 21 weight classes lost matches in the session, which went through the Challenge Tournament semifinal bouts. In men's freestyle, Eric Akin (Lincoln, Neb.) defeated No. 1 seed Matt Azevedo (San Luis Obispo, Calif.), in the semifinals. In men's Greco-Roman, the top seed was defeated at 60 kg/132 lbs., when Willie Madison (Metairie, La.) edged U.S. Nationals runner-up Jacob Hey (Colorado Springs, Colo.). In women's freestyle, the No. 5 seed in the tournament, Tina Pihl (Colorado Springs, Colo.) upset No. 1 Sharon Jacobson (El Cajon, Calif.). (June 18) Olympic medalist Sara McMann (Iowa City, Iowa) was among the 21 winners of the Challenge Tournament. The winners in each weight class advance to compete in the best-of-three Championship Series against the 2005 U.S. Nationals champion. The winner of the series will represent the United States at the World Wrestling Championships. (June 19) The U.S. team for the 2005 World Wrestling Championships was determined during the Championship Series at the World Team Trials. All but two of the Championship Series were completed in two straight matches. The only two series to be extended to three bouts occurred in men's Greco-Roman wrestling. In both of those series, the athlete who lost the first match came back with two wins in a row to win the series, two matches to one. For more information, log on to www.themat.com.