Park City, UT (Wednesday, May 7, 2003) - World Champion Johnny Spillane (Steamboat Springs, CO), who became the first ever U.S. skier to win a nordic gold medal in the Olympics or World Championships in February, and veteran Todd Lodwick (also Steamboat) top a five-man U.S. Nordic Combined Ski team squad for the 2004 season, U.S. Nordic Director Luke Bodensteiner said Wednesday. At the same time, Clint Jones (also Steamboat) will be the lone member of the U.S. Ski Jumping Team.

Spillane, 22, a two-time Olympian who captured the nordic combined sprint at Worlds in Italy, will be in his fourth season with the U.S. Ski Team. Spillane, who had three top-3s earlier in the season, stormed over the final 150 meters for his historic victory at the 2003 World Championships; he was seventh in the final World Cup points.

Lodwick, 26, a three-time Olympian who collected his sixth U.S. combined title, has won five World Cup races since joining the national team with the 1994 season at the age of 16. Also returning is Bill Demong (23; Vermontville, NY), a two-time Olympian who won his first World Cup event in 2002 but who missed the 2003 season because of a fractured skull suffered in preseason.

Bodensteiner also announced the five-member 2004 nordic combined development team that will spend time training in Park City with the national team this summer.

"Johnny's gold medal was outstanding, of course, and it was one more indication of the depth on the combined team. With Billy coming back, we've got three strong skiers, and that team just keeps marching on," Bodensteiner said. "The coaches are doing a great job and with the great training they're getting in Park City, we're looking for continued excellence in combined. We're also looking for more from our World Cup-B [development] group. They've gotten a couple of World Junior Championships medals and shown solid World Cup-A potential, and they'll keep improving."

With the retirement of two-time Olympian Alan Alborn (Anchorage, AK) from the U.S. Ski Jumping team, Jones, 18, forms the first one-man team since Casey Colby in the 1999 season. Jones, finished second in the 2002 Summer Grand Prix standings when he produced three top-3s and his World Cup season included two more top-20s.

Head Coach Kari Ylianttila will be with Jones on the World Cup circuit while a SuperTour of 18 or more domestic jumping events is scheduled throughout the USA, one level below the Continental Cup and with an aim of accelerating development of young skiers, Bodensteiner said.


2004 U.S. NORDIC COMBINED SKI TEAM:
Jed Hinkley (21; Andover, NH), Bill Demong (23; Vermontville, NY), Todd Lodwick (26; Steamboat Springs, CO), Johnny Spillane (22; Steamboat Springs, CO), and Carl Van Loan (22; Webster, NH)

2004 U.S. NORDIC COMBINED DEVELOPMENT SKI TEAM:
Twins Brett and Eric Camerota (18; Park City, UT), Nathan Gerhart (20; Steamboat Springs, CO), Alex Glueck (20; also Steamboat), and Morgan Goodwin (18; Keene, NY)

2004 U.S. SKI JUMPING TEAM:
Clint Jones (18; Steamboat Springs, CO)