*** The latest news from the USOC - November 9 ***

(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.

Baseball: (Nov. 3) USA Baseball announced the 24 players that will represent the United States at the 2005 CONCEBE Regional Olympic Qualifying Tournament Nov. 15-19 in Phoenix, Ariz. (Nov. 7) USA Baseball announced that Kansas City Royals righthanded pitcher Brian Bass (The Woodlands, Texas) will replace Clint Nageotte (Brooklyn, Ohio), who is unable to compete due to personal reasons, on the roster for the 2005 CONCEBE Regional Olympic Qualifying Tournament. (Nov. 7) Huston Street (Austin, Texas), a member of the 2002 and 2003 USA Baseball National Teams and the 2001 USA Baseball Junior National Team, was named the American League winner of the Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year Award. Ryan Howard (St. Louis, Mo.), a member of the 2000 USA Baseball National Team, was named rookie of the year for the National League. For more information, log on to www.usabaseball.com.

Biathlon: (Nov. 2) U.S. Biathlon's media guide for the 2005-06 season is available for distribution. For more information, log on to www.usbiathlon.org.

Bobsled: (Nov. 3) The 2-man bobsled team of John Napier (Schenectady, N.Y.) and TJ Burns (Emmitsburg, Md.) took gold with a combined time of 1:57.91 in the first AIT America's Cup race of the season. Tied for second was the team of Grayson Fertig (Oxford, Conn.) and Lorenzo Hill (Senoria, Ga.) and the team of Matt Anderson (Santa Rosa, Calif) and Peter Blumert (Paradise, Calif.), each finishing with combined times of 1:59.33. In sixth place were Michael Bradley (Westerly, R.I.) and John Caponio (Concord, Calif.) with runs of 59.80 and 59.94 for a combined time of 1:59.74. (Nov. 4) Taking the gold in the second AIT America's Cup 2-man race was John Napier and JP Davies (Lincoln, Neb.) with runs of 1:00.51 and 1:00.56 for a combined time of 2:01.07. Michael Bradley and John Caponio took silver in a combined time of 2:01.20. Rounding out the top six for the United States was the team of Matt Anderson and Peter Blumert in fifth with a combined time of 2:02.32 and the team of Grayson Fertig and Lorenzo Hill in sixth with a time of 2:02.69. (Nov. 5) In the first AIT America's Cup 4-man race of the season, the team of John Napier, Ben Fogel (Nevada City, Calif.), TJ Burns and JP Davies combined runs of 56.79 and 57.42 to win gold in 1:54.21. Taking the bronze in 1:55.70 was the team of Mike Bradley, Jeff Larkin (Penn Run, Pa.), John Caponio and Brian Spickler (Indiana, Pa.). (Nov. 6) In the second AIT America's Cup 4-man race, the team of John Napier, Ben Fogel, TJ Burns and JP Davies placed first. In second was the team of Mike Bradley, Jeff Larkin, John Caponio and Brian Spickler, while the team of Grayson Fertig, Will Person (St. Louis, Mo.), Ryan Wrisley (Peru, N.Y.) and Lorenzo Hill placed fourth. In sixth was the team of Matt Anderson, Mirjana Banic (Clark, N.J.), Jamia Jackson (Lake City, Fla.) and Peter Blumert. For more information, log on to www.usbsf.com.

Bowling: (Nov. 4) Twenty-two adult and youth bowlers who rolled perfect games earned United States Bowling Congress Sport Bowling national high game and series honors for the 2004-05 season. (Nov. 4) BowlFest will take place Nov. 19 in Milwaukee, Wis. and will feature some of the sport's greatest athletes. (Nov. 8) Elected into the USBC Hall of Fame were Rick Pollard (Versailles, Ind.) and Ron Pollard (Versailles, Ind.) and Nancy Fehr (Cincinnati, Ohio). John Sommer Jr. (Rockford, Ill.) and Fran Deken (Tulsa, Okla.) were elected for their meritorious service. For more information, log on to www.bowl.com.

Boxing: (Nov. 4) Eleven U.S. boxers will compete in the World Amateur Boxing Championships Nov. 12-21 in Mianyang City, China. For more information, log on to www.usaboxing.org.

Cycling: (Nov. 4) USA Cycling announced dates and venues for the 2006 National Mountain Bike Series. (Nov. 5) Colby Pearce (Boulder, Colo.) finished second in the men's points race, earning the U.S. its first medal at the Union Cycliste Internationale Track World Cup, while Erin Mirabella (La Habra, Calif.) finished seventh in the women's pursuit. In the men's flying 200m time trial, Michael Blatchford (Cypress, Calif.) rode a personal-best time of 10.412 for 23rd and Christian Stahl (Bethany, Conn.) placed 28th in 10.553. (Nov. 7) USA Cycling announced its 2006 National Championship Calendar, which consists of 12 events across four disciplines. For more information, log on to www.usacycling.org.

Equestrian: (Nov. 4) An annual FEI registration will be mandatory beginning Jan. 1, 2006 for all riders and horses competing in FEI events including dressage, reining, show jumping, driving, endurance and vaulting, Paraquestrian and eventing. For more information, log on to www.usef.org.

Fencing: Courtney Hurley (Medina, Texas) and Graham Wicas (Philadelphia, Pa.) won gold in women's and men's epee, respectively, at the Angyafold Cup, an international cadet competition, in Budapest, Hungary. In Konin, Poland, Jackie Jacobson (Dunwoody, Ga.) won the designated cadet women's saber event. For more information, log on to www.usfencing.org.

Field Hockey: (Nov. 2) The USA Field Hockey Women's National Team gave up three goals in the second half to lose to Argentina, 4-1. Kate Barber (West Chester, Pa.) connected on a penalty corner in the 16th minute for the USA's lone goal. (Nov. 3) USA Field Hockey named Corrie Brunner as coordinator of Olympic and sport development programs. (Nov. 4) Jessica Coleman (Oceanport, N.J.) scored three goals to lead the USA Field Hockey Women's National Team to a 4-1 victory over Chile in the first game of a three-nation tournament in Buenos Aires, Argentina. (Nov. 5) The USA Field Hockey Women's National Team fell to Argentina, 5-0. (Nov. 6) The USA Field Hockey Women's National Team lost to Argentina, 3-0, in the final of a three-nation tournament in Buenos Aires. (Nov. 7) Mystery, a team featuring current and former members of the USA Field Hockey Men's National Team, captured the title at the Pan American Hockey Federation Club Championship in Guadalajara, Mexico. The squad went 4-0 and defeated Jalisco, 2-1, in the title game. For more information, log on to www.usfieldhockey.com.

Figure Skating: (Nov. 3) Two-time U.S. champion Johnny Weir (Newark, Del.) was cleared by doctors to skate after sustaining a sprained ankle at Skate Canada Oct. 29. He plans on competing at the Cup of Russia Nov. 24-27 in St. Petersburg, Russia. (Nov. 7) The Glacier Falls Figure Skating Club in Anaheim, Calif. has been awarded the 2006 U.S. Collegiate Figure Skating Championships that will take place Aug. 2-6. (Nov. 7) The Michael Weiss Foundation is accepting applications for scholarships through Nov. 11. (Nov. 7) Media can request credentials for 2005-06 U.S. Figure Skating events on the organization's Web site. (Nov. 7) The 2005-06 media guide for U.S. Synchronized Skating is available for media. (Nov. 8) Men's singles skater Derrick Delmore (Fort Washington, Md.), pairs skaters Katie Beriau (Holden, Mass.) and Joe Gazzola (Hudson, N.Y.), and ice dancers Caitlin Mallory (Berkeley, Calif.) and Brent Holdburg (Dallas, Texas) will compete in the 2005 Golden Spin of Zagreb Nov. 10-13. For more information, log on to www.usfigureskating.org.

Gymnastics: (Nov. 2) The 2006 American Cup will be held March 4 at Temple University's Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, Pa. (Nov. 2) Fans can watch the final rounds of the 2005 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, to be held Nov. 24-26 in Melbourne, Australia, live on the Internet via the World Championships My Sportsbook (WCSN). (Nov. 3) More than 100 athletes from Australia, England, Kazakhstan, Puerto Rico, Wales and the United States are expected to compete in the 2005 Freedom Cup Nov. 17-19 in Landover, Md. (Nov. 8) Olga Karmansky (Brooklyn, N.Y.), the all-around champion from the 2005 Visa Championships, headlines the four-woman U.S. Team that will compete at the 2005 Pan American Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships Nov. 10-13 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Also competing for the United States are Aline Bakchajian (Woodland Hills, Calif.), Brennan Stacker (Lincolnshire, Ill.) and Lisa Wang (Buffalo Grove, Ill.). For more information, log on to www.usa-gymnastics.org.

Judo: (Nov. 4) More than 150 athletes will compete in the Pan American Masters Judo Championship Nov. 19-20 in Northglenn, Colo. For more information, log on to www.usjudo.org.

Luge: (Nov. 4) Erin Hamlin (Remsen, N.Y.) raced to a first-place finish at the Nations Cup in Sigulda, Latvia after clocking a single-run time of 45.683. Samantha Retrosi (Saranac Lake, N.Y.) finished 20th in the World Cup qualifying event and 19th in the Nations Cup race and did not make the World Cup field. The doubles team of Christian Niccum (Woodinville, Wash.) and Patrick Quinn (Lombard, Ill.) and the team of Preston Griffall (Salt Lake City, Utah) and Dan Joye (Carmel, N.Y.) qualified for the World Cup field by finishing first in 44.205 and fourth in 44.275, respectively. Two Americans qualified for the World Cup men's singles event as Niccum placed eighth in a time of 50.767 and Jonathan Myles (Rumney, N.H.) took 10th after clocking 50.873. Rookies Chris Mazdzer (Saranac Lake, N.Y.) and Matthew Mortensen (Huntington Station, N.Y.) failed to qualify after finishing 24th and 25th, respectively, in the qualifying race and then fourth and sixth in the Nations Cup event. (Nov. 5) Christian Niccum and Patrick Quinn placed 12th at the World Cup opener in Sigulda, Latvia with a total time of 1:27.794. Mark Grimmette (Muskegon, Mich.) and Brian Martin (Palo Alto, Calif.) raced to a 13th-place finish in 1:28.357, while Preston Griffall and Dan Joye posted a combined time of 1:29.193 to finish 14th. For the women, Ashley Hayden (Westborough, Mass.) placed 11th in 1:28.641. Erin Hamlin and Courtney Zablocki (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) finished 14th in 1:28.656 and 16th in 1:28.680, respectively. (Nov. 6) With a silver-medal finish in the men's singles World Cup series opener, Tony Benshoof (White Bear Lake, Minn.) is the first athlete that USA Luge will nominate to the U.S. Olympic Team that will compete in the Torino Winter Games. Christian Niccum and Jonathan Myles finished 19th and 28th, respectively. In the team competition, Benshoof, Ashley Hayden and the doubles team of Christian Niccum and Patrick Quinn formed the U.S. squad that finished sixth in a time of 2:24.095. (Nov. 7) USA Luge will host a teleconference Nov. 9 at 3 p.m. ET with men's singles slider Tony Benshoof. For more information, log on to www.usaluge.org.

Roller Sports: (Nov. 4) USA Roller Sports has added a survey, athlete bios and updated membership lists to its Web site. For more information, log on to www.usarollersports.org.

Rowing: (Nov. 4) U.S. Rowing named Oak Ridge Rowing Association as its 2005 Club of the Year. For more information, log on to www.usrowing.org.

Skeleton: (Nov. 3) Mike Cline (Kent, Wash.) placed first for the men in a combined time of 1:56.56 in the first of six skeleton races on the AIT America's Cup Tour. Maury Zuber (Des Moines, Iowa) finished fourth with a total time of 1:58.27. Jody Barton (Washingtonville, N.Y.) and Felicia Canfield (Kingston, N.Y.) placed second in 1:59.93 and third in 1:59.94, respectively, for the women and Jessica Palmer (Roy, Utah) placed fifth with a time of 2:00.38. (Nov. 4) In the second race of the AIT America's Cup, Mike Cline announced his retirement following his second gold-medal finish in two days with a combined time of 1:55.37. Rounding out the top six for the United States were Matt Antoine (Prairie du Chien, Wis.) in third place with a time of 1:56.23 and Maury Zuber in fourth in 1:56.29. On the women's side, Felicia Canfield was the highest American finisher in second place in 1:58.51, while Kim Krowleski (Needham, Mass.) placed third in a combined time of 1:58.60. Jody Barton finished sixth with a time of 1:59.13. For more information, log on to www.usbsf.com.

Skiing: (Nov. 2) With 100 days left before the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Torino, Italy, Alan Ashley, vice president of athletics for the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association, released a statement regarding the athletes' preparation. (Nov. 5) Extreme cold postponed the freestyle sprint ski races set to open the cross country SuperTour in Fairbanks, Alaska. (Nov. 6) At the SuperTour, Kris Freeman (Andover, N.H.) won the 20K men's pursuit with a time of 54:03.4, edging his brother, Justin Freeman (Andover, N.H.) by 85 seconds. Third place went to Andrew Johnson (Greensboro, Vt.) and fourth to James Southam (Anchorage, Alaska). In the women's 10K pursuit, Kikkan Randall (Anchorage, Alaska) finished second in 32:09.7 and Wendy Wagner (Park City, Utah) placed third. (Nov. 7) Kris Freeman edged Lars Flora (Anchorage, Alaska) to win the 1.4K freestyle sprint on the SuperTour stop in Fairbanks. In the women's 1.4K freestyle sprint, Kikkan Randall and Brooke Hovey (Ketchum, Idaho) placed first and third, respectively, while Ali Crocker (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) finished fourth. (Nov. 7) The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association announced its partnership with St. Ives as an official sponsor of the U.S. Ski Team and U.S. Snowboarding for the 2005-2006 season. For more information, log on to www.usskiteam.com.

Soccer: (Nov. 2) The final match of 2005 for the U.S. Men's National Team will be televised live on Fox Soccer Channel as the U.S. takes on Scotland Nov. 12 in Glasgow. (Nov. 7) The U.S. Men's National Team will face Norway on Jan. 29, 2006 in Carson, Calif. (Nov. 8) Bruce Arena, manager of the U.S. Men's National Team, announced the 20-man roster that will face Scotland Nov. 12. For more information, log on to www.ussoccer.com.

Speedskating: (Nov. 5) During the first day of the 2006 U.S. Junior Short Track Championships, Carly Wilson (Jefferson City, Mo.) won the 1500m in 2:42.045, while Katharine Reutter (Champaign, Ill.) placed second in 2:42.119 and Alice Kim (Fullerton, Calif.) finished third in 2:42.298. J.R. Celski (Federal Way, Wash.) won the 1500m in 2:26.570, followed by Jeffrey Simon (Newport Beach, Calif.) in 2:26.638, Joey Lindsey (East Hartford, Conn.) in 2:27.475 and Ryan Bedford (Midland, Mich.) in 2:27.705. (Nov. 5) The team that will compete at the 2006 Junior World Short Track Championships Jan. 6-8 in Bucharest, Romania was named at the conclusion of the 2006 U.S. Junior Short Track Championships. Members are Carly Wilson, Katherine Reutter, Lana Gehring (Glenview, Ill.), Ryan Bedford, J.R. Celski and Jeffrey Simon. Wilson was the overall champion in the girls' division with 3454.5 points, followed by Reutter with 2568 and Gehring with 1696.5. In the 500m, Gehring finished first in 46.878, Wilson won the 1000m with a time of 1:41.515 and in the 1500m super final, Reutter won gold in 2:49.302. On the boys' side, Bedford claimed the overall title with 2368 points followed by Celski with 2190 and Simon with 2112.5. In the 500m, Joey Lindsey won with a time of 43.181 and Austin Yun (Long Beach, Calif.) won gold in the 1000m in 1:34.858. Bedford claimed the 1500m super final win with a time of 2:24.357. For more information, log on to www.usspeedskating.org.

Swimming: (Nov. 8) The Golden Goggle Awards, USA Swimming's annual year-end gala event recognizing the outstanding swimming accomplishments of 2005, will be held Nov. 14 at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York, N.Y. For more information, log on to www.usa-swimming.org.

Track and Field: Masters middle-distance star Roberto Castillo (Miami, Fla.) died Oct. 23 after being struck by a motorist. (Nov. 3) USA Track & Field announced the inductees for the National Track & Field Hall of Fame Class of 2005, headlined by legends Roger Kingdom (Pitcairn, Pa.) and Mike Powell (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) and University of Arkansas head coach John McDonnell. The inductees also include veteran athletes Wes Santee (Eureka, Kan.), Earlene Brown (deceased), Jim Fuchs (New York, N.Y.) and Fred Wolcott (deceased). (Nov. 5) Dathan Ritzenhein (Boulder, Colo.) won his first U.S. road championship at the Food World Senior Bowl Charity Run 10 km by more than 30 seconds in 28:11. Katie McGregor (Saint Louis Park, Minn.) won the women's race in 32:51. (Nov. 6) Olympic silver medalist Meb Keflezighi (Mammoth Lakes, Calif.) finished third in the ING New York City Marathon in 2:09:56. Fellow Olympian Abdi Abdirahman (Mammoth Lakes, Calif.) finished fifth in 2:11:24, while on the women's side, Jen Rhines (Ardmore, Pa.) led the U.S. with an 18th-place run of 2:37:07. (Nov. 8) Meb Keflezighi was named USA Track & Field's Athlete of the Week after finishing third at the 2005 ING New York City Marathon, making him the fastest U.S. marathoner this year. (Nov. 8) USA Track & Field announced the U.S. team for the 2005 International Chiba Ekiden Nov. 23 in Chiba, Japan. For more information, log on www.usatf.org.

Volleyball: (Nov. 7) In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, officials from USA Volleyball will visit New Orleans to make a first-hand evaluation of the city's ability to host the 2006 USA Open Volleyball Championships and the organization's annual meetings for 2006. (Nov. 8) The USA Women's National Volleyball Team begins training Nov. 9 for its final event of the season, the FIVB World Grand Champions Cup Nov. 15-20 in Japan. For more information, log on to www.usavolleyball.org.

Water Skiing: (Nov. 3) Ten competition towboats from six manufacturers have been approved to pull athletes in 2006 tournaments sanctioned by the American Water Ski Association. For more information, log on to www.usawaterski.org.

Wrestling: (Nov. 2) The U.S. Marine Corps will send five wrestlers to the Vantaa Cup Nov. 26-27 in Vantaa, Finland and the Haparanda Cup Dec. 3-4 in Haparanda, Sweden. Competing in the tournaments are Jeremy McLean (Quantico, Va.) at 60 kg/132 lbs., Joe Zinkan (Quantico, Va.) at 74 kg/163 lbs. and Jacob Clark (Quantico, Va.), Ryan Cunningham (Quantico, Va.) and Jeremy Pederson (Quantico, Va.) at 84 kg/185 lbs. (Nov. 3) The New York Athletic Club Holiday Wrestling Championships, featuring competition in men's freestyle, men's Greco-Roman and women's freestyle wrestling, will be held Nov. 19-20 in New York, N.Y. (Nov. 3) USA Wrestling and the National Wrestling Hall of Fame combined their annual giving programs through the new National Wrestling Legends Fund. (Nov. 6) Jared Lawrence (Minneapolis, Minn.) at 66 kg/145.5 lbs., Damion Hahn (Minneapolis, Minn.) at 96 kg/211.5 lbs. and Tommy Rowlands (Columbus, Ohio) at 120 kg/264.5 lbs. won gold medals at the Clansmen International. Winning bronze medals were Jesse Brock (Boise, Idaho) at 60 kg/132 lbs. and Tony Gansen (Colorado Springs, Colo.) at 84 kg/185 lbs. Placing first in women's freestyle was Clarissa Chun (Colorado Springs, Colo.) at 48 kg/105.5 lbs., Jenny Wong (Colorado Springs, Colo.) at 51 kg/112.25 lbs. and Ali Bernard (New Ulm, Minn.) at 72 kg/158.5 lbs. Na'Tasha Umemoto (Colorado Springs, Colo.) won silver at 63 kg/138.75 lbs. and Tina Pihl (Colorado Springs, Colo.) earned bronze at 55 kg/121 lbs. For more information, log on to www.themat.com.