*** The latest news from the USOC - October 5 ***

(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.

Bobsled: (Sept. 30) The United States Bobsled & Skeleton Federation and Rival Films announced the final two films in the My Story collection, featuring bobsled pilot Shauna Rohbock (Orem, Utah) and brakeman Valerie Fleming (Foster City, Calif.). For more information, log on to www.usbsf.com.

Bowling: (Sept. 29) Robert Way (Sanford, N.C.) and Robin Crawford (Grand Rapids, Mich.) earned the American Bowling Congress and Women's International Bowling Congress (now United States Bowling Congress) Sport Bowling high average awards. Ashly Galante (Palm Harbor, Fla.) and Derek Roseberry (Louisville, Ky.) earned the Young American Bowling Alliance (now USBC Youth) Sport Bowling high average honors. (Sept. 30) The USBC debuted USYouthBowler.com as part of its continuing efforts to serve the needs of USBC Youth members. (Oct. 3) The USBC Bowling Ball Specifications Task Force discussed bowling ball performance issues at its first meeting. (Oct. 4) The Kingpin Million Dollar Challenge, originally scheduled to take place Oct. 22-30 in Reno, Nev., has been postponed until 2006 due to a slowdown in entries and increasing cancellations. For more information, log on to www.bowl.com.

Canoe/Kayak: (Sept. 29) The International Canoe Federation cancelled the first qualifying round at the ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships due to strong winds. (Sept. 30) In the men's canoe class at the ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships, Benn Fraker (Peachtree City, Ga.) placed 41st, one spot short of qualifying for the semifinals. (Oct. 1) In the men's canoe class, Austin Crane (Marietta, Ga.) led the way for the United States with a solid run that left him in 25th place, while Jeff Larimer (Marietta, Ga.) finished 38th. In women's kayak, Jamie Tidmore (Bryson City, N.C.) finished 30th. (Oct. 2) In men's kayak at the ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships, Brett Heyl (Bethesda, Md.) was the top finisher for the United States in 16th place. Scott Parsons (Bethesda, Md.) finished 26th and Scott Mann (Bryson City, N.C.) placed 35th. (Oct. 3) The men's canoe team of Benn Fraker, Austin Crane and Jeff Larimer finished eighth at the ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships, while the men's kayak team of Brett Heyl, Scott Parsons and Scott Mann placed ninth. For more information, log on to www.usack.org.

Curling: (Oct. 4) Pete Fenson (Bemidji, Minn.) and Cassie Johnson (Bemidji, Minn.) will lead their teams back to the ice at the Allied Windows West Coast Classic Oct. 7-10 in New Westminster, Canada and the Autumn Gold Classic Oct. 7-10 in Calgary, Canada, respectively. For more information, log on to www.usacurl.org.

Cycling: (Sept. 29) Robert Lea (Mertztown, Pa./Penn State) and Anna Lang (San Diego, Calif./University of California-San Diego) won all of the men's and women's events, respectively, contested at the opening day of the National Collegiate Cycling Association Track National Championships. Lea clocked a time of 1:07.9 in the 1k time trial and 3:35.337 in the 3k time trial, while Lang recorded a time of 38.055 in the 500m time trial and defended her 2k time-trial championship in 2:39.05. (Oct. 1) Sarah Uhl (Perkasie, Pa./Penn State) took first in the women's 20k point race with 44 points, eight points ahead of runner-up and Penn State teammate Erica Allar (Fogelsville, Pa.). The pair also won the women's team sprint event in a time of 1:28.1, while Tom Hanley (Dublin, Ohio/Marian College) won the men's sprint title. (Oct. 1) Penn State, Bobby Lea and Sarah Uhl successfully defended their team, men's and women's omnium titles, respectively, at the 2005 National Collegiate Track National Championships. Lea and Uhl earned a combined seven national championships for Penn State. For more information, log on to www.usacycling.org.

Equestrian: (Sept. 30) Highlighting the schedule at the 2005 Fair Hill International Festival in the Country Oct. 13-16 in Fair Hill, Md. are the U.S. Equestrian Federation CCI*** Championship, the North American Endurance Championship and Advanced Level Combined Driving events. For more information, log on to www.usef.org.

Figure Skating: (Oct. 3) In an effort to raise money for survivors of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, U.S. Figure Skating and the Xcel Energy Center announced a donation of $2 from every ticket sold to the 2005 Campbell's International Figure Skating Classic Oct. 8 in St. Paul, Minn. The proceeds will be given to the United Way Local Recovery Fund, which aids survivors arriving in the Minnesota area. (Oct. 4) Three-time U.S. champion Michael Weiss (McLean, Va.) has been added to the roster for the 2005 Campbell's International Figure Skating Classic to replace Brian Joubert of France, who was forced to withdraw due to conflicts. (Oct. 4) U.S. figure skaters at the 2005 Nebelhorn Trophy and 2005 JGP Bulgaria won 10 medals, including four of eight gold medals. (Oct. 4) The road to the 2006 State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships Jan. 8-15 in St Louis, Mo. begins Oct. 6-9 in Phoenix, Ariz. with the Southwest Pacific Regional, the first of nine regional competitions. For more information, log on to www.usfigureskating.org.

Gymnastics: (Oct. 3) Veterans Chellsie Memmel (West Allis, Wis.) and Alicia Sacramone (Winchester, Mass.) headline the five-woman squad selected to compete in the 2005 Pan American Gymnastics Championships Oct. 6-9 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The other three members are Jana Bieger (Coconut Creek, Fla.), Bianca Flohr (Creston, Ohio) and Natasha Kelley (Katy, Texas). (Oct. 3) Ashley Priess (Hamilton, Ohio), Kassi Price (Plantation, Fla.), Melanie Sinclair (Orlando, Fla.) and Shayla Worley (Orlando, Fla.) will represent the United States in the 2005 Massilia Gym Cup Oct. 15-16 in Marseilles, France. For more information, log on to www.usa-gymnastics.org.

Judo: (Oct. 2) Valerie Gotay (Temecula, Calif.) defeated Marti Malloy (San Jose, Calif.) to win gold at 57kg at the U.S. Open Judo Championships. Veronica Prado (North Lauderdale, Fla.) also won gold, defeating Daimisy Porras (North Lauderdale, Fla.) at 44kg. Winning silver were Ryan Reser (Colorado Springs, Colo.), Taraje Williams-Murray (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and Andrew Taylor (Plano, Texas). Ann Shiraishi (Elk Grove, Calif.), Sayaka Matsumoto (El Cerrito, Calif.), Carrie Chandler (Scotia, N.Y.), Hiram Cruz (Jacksonville, Fla.), Kenny Hashimoto (Northglenn, Colo.) and Radu Brestyan (Medway, Mass.) all won bronze medals. Complete U.S. Open Judo Championships results are available on USA Judo's Web site. For more information, log on to www.usjudo.org.

Luge: (Sept. 29) USA Luge will complete its 15-member International Racing Team roster, consisting of five men, four women and three doubles teams, through a series of race-offs Oct. 16-21 in Lake Placid, N.Y. For more information, log on to www.usaluge.org.

Sailing: (Sept. 28) U.S. Sailing is accepting nominations through Nov. 30 for the Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year awards. (Sept. 29) U.S. Sailing announced that it has created a simple certification program for cruising sailors seeking to charter sailboats in European Union waters. The International Proficiency Certificate, an extension of U.S. Sailing's current Keelboat Certification System, allows sailors who have completed a U.S. Sailing Bareboat Cruising course to charter sailboats without a captain in EU waters. (Oct. 3) Mike Ingham (Rochester, N.Y.) finished with 59 points in 19 races to earn U.S. Sailing's Championship of Champions title. Eduardo Cordero (Sayville, N.Y.) placed second with 69.6 points and 13-year-old Matt Wefer (Glen Head, N.Y.) finished third with 75 points. (Oct. 3) U.S. Sailing announced the ranking system for the 2006 U.S. Disabled Sailing Team. (Oct. 4) U.S. Sailing announced that the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Sailing Team Trials for the 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Games will be held in October 2007 in Southern California and Rhode Island. For more information, log on to www.ussailing.org.

Skiing: (Sept. 30) The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association will support an anticipated proposal requesting the inclusion of women's ski jumping in the Nordic Ski World Championships and Olympic Winter Games. A proposal from the Canadian Snowsports Association is expected to be presented to the May Congress session of the International Ski Federation. (Oct. 1) Clint Jones (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) finished third in a large hill Continental Cup ski jumping meet. Lindsey Van (Park City, Utah) won the women's Continental Cup. (Oct. 2) Clint Jones stood on the podium for the second time in 24 hours by finishing second in a Continental Cup jumping meet to move up to second place in the overall standings with two meets remaining on the first-period schedule. Skyler Keate (Park City, Utah) finished 20th, Jim Denney (Duluth, Minn.) was 27th and Tommy Schwall (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) was disqualified for a uniform violation. Jessica Jerome (Park City, Utah) and Lindsey Van placed second and third, respectively, in the women's competition on the normal hill (HS100). For more information, log on to www.usskiteam.com.

Soccer: (Sept. 28) U.S. Women's National Soccer Team head coach Greg Ryan named 24 players to attend a training camp prior to the match against Australia Oct. 16 in Fullerton, Calif. Eighteen players will be named to the final roster. (Oct. 3) U.S. Men's National Team manager Bruce Arena selected 18 players to prepare for the World Cup qualifier against Costa Rica Oct. 8 in San Jose, Costa Rica. (Oct. 4) Tickets are still available for the U.S. Men's National Team's final 2006 World Cup qualifier against Panama Oct. 12 in Foxboro, Mass. (Oct. 4) The U.S. Soccer Foundation established the Soccer United Recovery Fund, to help rebuild soccer programs in Gulf Coast communities. For more information, log on to www.ussoccer.com.

Speedskating: (Sept. 30) Apolo Ohno (Seattle, Wash.), the only U.S. speedskater to qualify for the final, won gold in a time of 2:20.146 in the men's 1,500m at the World Cup in Hangzhou, China. J.P. Kepka (St. Louis, Mo.) was eliminated after finishing fourth in the semifinals in a time of 2:19.867 and Travis Jayner (Midland, Mich.) failed to advance past the quarterfinals due to a disqualification. In the women's competition, Hyo-Jung Kim (Fullerton, Calif.) narrowly missed a berth in the 1,500m final after finishing third in her semifinal in a time of 2:26.447. Allison Baver (Sinking Springs, Pa.) finished fourth in her semifinal in 2:29.635 and did not advance, while Kimberly Derrick (Caledonia, Mich.) did not move on to the semifinal round, but set a new personal best in the 1,500m with her time of 2:29.600. The men's 5,000m relay team of Ohno, Kepka, Jayner and Rusty Smith (Long Beach, Calif.) won its heat in a time of 7:03.998 and the ladies' 3,000m relay team of Kim, Baver, Caroline Hallisey (Natick, Mass.) and Kristen Biondo (Broadview Heights, Ohio) also qualified in the second position in a time of 4:24.066. (Oct. 1) In the semifinals of the 500m, Apolo Ohno was disqualified and Travis Jayner was forced out of the race with a damaged blade. J.P. Kepka placed third in a time of 43.345 and did not qualify for the final. In the men's 5,000m relay, the U.S. team of Ohno, Kepka, Rusty Smith and Alex Izykowski (Bay City, Mich.) qualified first in its semifinal in a time of 6:48.233. Allison Baver placed third in the 500m in a time of 45.485 and failed to advance to the semifinals. Hyo-Jung Kim was eliminated in her heat after placing third in 44.878 and Kimberly Derrick did not qualify out of her preliminary round after placing third in 47.601. In the ladies' 3,000m relay, Baver, Kim, Kristen Biondo and Caroline Hallisey skated to an American record of 4:18.752 and finished in second place. (Oct. 2) At the World Cup in Hangzhou, China, J.P. Kepka was disqualified in the men's 1,000m for cross- tracking. Apolo Ohno was eliminated from the men's 1,000m and was forced to withdraw from the rest of competition-including the men's 3,000m and 5,000m relay-due to an ankle injury. Alex Izykowski was eliminated in the heats after a disqualification for impeding another skater. In the men's 5,000m relay, the team of Kepka, Rusty Smith, Travis Jayner and Izykowski finished fourth in a time of 7:02.477. In the men's overall standings, Ohno placed fourth with 34 points and Kepka placed eighth. On the women's side, Allison Baver set an American record of 1:31.134 in the ladies' 1,000m, but failed to advance to the final after finishing fourth in the semifinals. Hyo-Jung Kim was eliminated in the quarterfinals after finishing fourth in a time of 1:33.016, while Kimberly Derrick was unable to qualify out of her preliminaries and finished fourth in a time of 1:37.467. The ladies' 3,000m relay team of Baver, Kim, Caroline Hallisey and Kristen Biondo skated to another American record in a time of 4:17.724 to finish fourth in the final. In the ladies' overall standings, Baver finished seventh and Kim finished eighth. For more information, log on to www.usspeedskating.org.

Swimming: (Sept. 28) USA Swimming announced the largest charitable donation program in the history of the organization to support hurricane relief, committing its projected Swim-A-Thon revenue for the next year by guaranteeing a minimum donation of $130,000. (Sept. 29) USA Swimming announced the members of the 2005-06 National A and B Teams based on performances in 2005. For more information, log on to www.usa-swimming.org.

Taekwondo: (Oct. 4) Competition at the Pan American Junior Taekwondo Championships continues through Oct. 7 in Oranjestad, Aruba. For more information, log on to www.taekwando.us.

Tennis: (Oct. 4) The 2005 USA League Tennis National Championships continue through Oct. 30 in Palm Springs, Calif. and Tucson, Ariz. (Oct. 4) The United States Davis Cup Team will host Romania in the first round of the 2006 Davis Cup World Group Feb. 10-12. (Oct. 4) The 2005 USA Team Tennis Regional Championships continue through Oct. 9 in El Paso, Texas and Wilmington, Del. More than 400 players in two age divisions-14 and under and 18 and under-will be competing at the intermediate level. For more information, log on to www.usta.com.

Track and Field: (Sept. 29) Abdi Abdirahman (Tucson, Ariz.), Ryan Shay (East Jordan, Mich.), Matt Downin (Norwood, N.J.) and Peter Gilmore (San Mateo, Calif.) became the latest additions to the field for the ING New York City Marathon 2005 Nov. 6. (Sept. 29) USA Track & Field is seeking a candidate to work in its Elite Athlete Programs department focusing on USA National Team support. (Sept. 30) USA Track & Field announced that the Twin Cities Marathon has signed as a charter member of the Team USA Distance Project as a Silver Level member for the next five years. (Oct. 1) Team USA's men placed sixth in the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships with a cumulative time of 3:11:38. Ryan Shay earned the highest finish ever by an American at the race in 15th with a time of 1:03:13. Jason Hartmann (Boulder, Colo.) and Matt Downin finished 20th in 1:03:50 and 30th in 1:04:53, respectively, rounding out the American scorers. Jason Lehmkuhle (Minneapolis, Minn.) finished 33rd in 1:04:58 and Mike Morgan (Rochester Hills, Mich.) placed 49th in 1:06:46. On the women's side, Team USA finished ninth in a total time of 3:49:50 as Laura Turner (Tacoma, Wash.) led the Americans in 38th place with a personal best of 1:16:11. Jenny Spangler (Lake Villa, Ill.) placed 43rd in 1:16:41, Stephanie Bylander (Alamosa, Colo.) finished 46th in 1:16:58, Dot McMahan (Rochester Hills, Mich.) placed 48th in 1:18:44 and Michelle LaFleur (Savannah, Ga.) finished 53rd in 1:20:36. (Oct. 2) In the USA Marathon Championships, Nicole Aish (Gunnison, Colo.) won her debut at the distance, running 2:40:21, while Mbarak Hussein (Albuquerque, N.M.) captured both the men's open and masters' titles in 2:18:28. (Oct. 4) The USA Women's 10k Championships will be held Oct. 10 in Boston, Mass. (Oct. 4) The USATF National Club Co-Ed 10 km Team Challenge is being held in conjunction with the 10th anniversary of the EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival Oct. 9 in Orlando, Fla. (Oct. 4) The USATF Metropolitan Cross Country Championships will take place Nov. 5 in Bronx, N.Y. and will include the men's 8k and the women's 5k races. (Oct. 4) Ryan Shay has been named USA Track & Field's Athlete of the Week after posting the best finish ever by an American man and leading Team USA to its highest place ever at the 2005 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships. For more information, log on www.usatf.org.

Volleyball: (Sept. 29) At a recent meeting, the FIVB Volleyball World League Council selected the USA Men's National Volleyball Team to participate in the 2006 World League, taking place over the course of six weekends from July 14 to Aug. 20. Team USA has not competed in the international event in four years. (Sept. 29) College Sports Television has partnered with USA Volleyball as the official and exclusive broadcaster of the World League in the United States and will broadcast at least seven matches throughout the season. For more information, log on to www.usavolleyball.org.

Water Skiing: (Oct. 3) USA Water Ski selected Bill Furbish (Atlanta, Ga.) and Heather Johnson (Orlando, Fla.) as its Male and Female Athletes of the Month for September. The U.S. Wakeboard Team was selected as Team of the Month. For more information, log on to www.usawaterski.org.

Wrestling: (Sept. 28) In men's competition at the World Wrestling Championships, Tolly Thompson (Cedar Falls, Iowa) won the bronze medal at 120 kg/264.5 lbs in freestyle wrestling by winning three straight matches after losing his first bout. Jenny Wong (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Stephanie Murata (Colorado Springs, Colo.) each lost quarterfinal matches to place seventh at 48 kg/105.5 lbs. and 51 kg/112.25 lbs., respectively. (Sept. 29) Sally Roberts (Colorado Springs, Colo.) defeated Anna Zwirydowska of Poland, 7-0, 6-2, at 59 kg/130 lbs. and Sara McMann (Iowa City, Iowa) beat Anna Polovneva of Russia, 1-2, 2-1, 4-2, at 63 kg/138.75 lbs. to win bronze medals in women's competition at the World Wrestling Championships. Tina George (Colorado Springs, Colo.) was eliminated from medal contention at 55 kg/121 lbs. when her second-round opponent, 2004 Olympic silver medalist Tonya Verbeek of Canada, failed to reach the gold-medal finals. (Sept. 30) Iris Smith (Colorado Springs, Colo.) won a gold medal at the World Wrestling Championships by defeating five-time world champion Kyoko Hamaguchi of Japan, 3-1, 1-1, 1-0, at 72 kg/158.5 lbs. Competing in her first World Championships, Katie Downing (Colorado Springs, Colo.) earned a bronze medal after defeating Ashlea McManus of Great Britain, 6-0, 7-0. In men's Greco-Roman competition, Lindsey Durlacher (Colorado Springs, Colo.) was eliminated from competition at 55 kg/121 lbs. when his second-round opponent, Istvan Majoros of Hungary, failed to reach the gold-medal final. (Oct. 1) Harry Lester (Akron, Ohio.) at 66 kg/145.5 lbs., TC Dantzler (Colorado Springs, Colo.) at 74 kg/163 lbs. and Brad Vering (Colorado Springs, Colo.) at 84 kg/185 lbs. lost first-round matches at the World Wrestling Championships. (Oct. 2) At 120 kg/264.5 lbs., 2002 World champion Dremiel Byers (Colorado Springs, Colo.) fell to 2004 Olympic silver medalist Georgiy Tsurtsumia of Kazakhastan, 3-0, 1-1. Justin Ruiz (Colorado Springs, Colo.) won a Greco-Roman bronze medal at 96 kg/211.5 lbs. at the World Wrestling Championships, defeating Margulan Assembekov of Kazakhstan by disqualification at 1:30. Joe Warren (Colorado Springs, Colo.) placed ninth at 60 kg/132 lbs. losing his quarterfinal match and then falling in a tight 2-0, 1-1 repechage match to Vahan Juharyan of Armenia. (Oct. 2) The U.S. Wrestling Team placed second in the medal count at the 2005 World Wrestling Championships with seven overall medals behind Russia's nine. (Oct. 2) Toni Copeland (McDonough, N.Y.), a first-year member of the women's freestyle wrestling program at the U.S. Olympic Education Center and student at Marquette (Mich.) Senior High School, passed away in a tragic drowning accident. For more information, log on to www.themat.com.