2010 SMS Olympians

Lindsey Jacobellis
Second-time Olympian
Boardercross

Going into her second Olympics, Lindsey Jacobellis (SMS ’03) is considered one of the best female snowboardcross (SBX) riders in history. She captured her 20th World Cup title this year, which marks her as the most successful rider in SBX history, male or female. In 2006, Lindsey represented the U.S. Olympic Team for the first time and clinched her first Olympic medal, a second-place finish in Torino.

Lindsey’s success began here at SMS. At the age of 11, she began to compete in local events with her older brother Ben, until she committed to Stratton Mountain School. Her senior year, 2003, she won the FIS Junior World Championships in both Halfpipe and SBX. She competed in her first Halfpipe World Cup in Valle Nevado, Chile, in 2003 and placed second on the podium. In 2004, she entered her first World Cup for SBX in Bad Gastein, Austria, and won. Up until 2008, she still threw down in the Halfpipe, earning more than seven podium spots in Halfpipe. She has since turned her focus to SBX and dominates the field.

Lindsey commits her time and US Team paraphernalia to the SMS Winter Ball every year. She is a poster child for the success of the SMS Snowboarding Program, and she continues to give back to school in any way she can. We wish her luck in her continuous pursuit towards an Olympic Gold. Follow Lindsey at www.lindseyjacobellis.com.

Andy Newell
Second-time Olympian
Cross-country Skiing

Currently ranked fourth in Sprints in the FIS point standings, Andy Newell (SMS ’02) will enter into his second Olympic games with all cylinders firing. In this year alone, he has finished in the top-10 in four World Cup competitions: three individual events and one team event. He was one of the only Americans to compete this year in the Tour de Ski, where he finished in the top-10 twice before returning to the U.S. to prepare for the Olympics.

According to the U.S. Ski Team Web site, Andy has gone on to post the best American results internationally, including the first U.S. podium in more than two decades. At the end of the 2009 season, Andy finished in ninth place during World Cup finals in Stockholm. He has finished on the podium twice in World Cup Sprints, and Andy has stood on the podium more than 12 times in international competition. In the 2006 Olympics, Andy finished 16th in the Sprint Final, marking the best American time in the competition.

While at SMS, Andy was one of the top junior sprinters in the world. At Junior Worlds in 2001, 2002, and 2003, Andy produced top-10 results in the sprints for the three years straight. Andy competed in his first World Cup in 2004, just two years after graduating from SMS.

Andy continues to utilize the SMS training grounds during his down time, and he often spends summer weeks training alongside our aspiring juniors. He is an inspiration to the young Nordic racers around SMS and continues to find time to spend with the SMS family. We wish him luck in his second Olympic pursuit! See Andy’s new Web site at www.andrewnewell.squarespace.com.

Louie Vito
First-time Olympian
Snowboarding Halfpipe

The 2010 Vancouver Olympics will be Louie’s first appearance in the Olympic Games. This year alone, he has already earned two podiums in the Olympic-qualifying Grand Prix competitions. To earn his second-place finish in Mammoth, Louie (SMS ’06) put together a ride with a double cork, cab double cork, air, backside 9, frontside air. Earlier in the week, he finished in an honorable fourth place at the first Mammmoth Grand Prix. In Copper, during the opening Grand Prix event, he walked away with second place. He was the overall Grand Prix Champion in both 2008 and 2009.

Louie made waves on the professional tour at age 17 with his first major podium in the 2005 Australian Open. The gymnast-turned-snowboarder came to SMS from Columbus, Ohio, as a young eighth-grade rider. By the time he graduated in 2006, he had already landed a spot on the U.S. National Team. In 2009, Louie’s exuberant personality earned him a spot on ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” series. His charisma and mobility kept him on the show until week six, just three weeks shy of the final show.

A few weeks ago, Snowboarding Program Director Mike Mallon was digging through some old files and came across Louie’s junior year goal sheet: “Make it to the Olympics” is clearly written. Louie continues his march to the Olympic games in Vancouver. It encouraging to see that the realization of those goals were created in the halls of SMS only five years ago.

Keep up with all Louie’s whereabouts by following Louie at www.twitter/louievito or visit his Web site at

www.louievito.com.

Danny Davis
Snowboarding Halfpipe

Although Danny Davis (SMS ’06) qualified for the Olympic team this year, he won’t be competing due to his recent injury. Nonetheless, Danny kicked off this Olympic-qualifying year with a bang. In this year alone, Danny’s triple double-corks put him on the podium in more than three major events this year. He won the Mammoth Grand Prix stop in early January, marking one of the best Halfpipe runs in snowboarding history. The Grand Prix standings were finalized at the end of January, and Danny landed in fourth place overall. Additionally, until the end of January, Danny led the Winter Dew Tour standings with his wins at both Breckenridge and Snowbasin.

Danny came to SMS as a junior and quickly found success in the Halfpipe. His senior year, 2006, he finished just behind Shaun White at the U.S. Open at Stratton Mountain. His tricks and amplitude continue to put Danny at the top of the list of snowboarders to beat. We wish him a fast road to recovery, and hopefully we’ll see him in the Olympics in the near future. 

Kendall Brown
Second-time Olympian
Snowboarding Halfpipe

Kendall Brown (SMS ’08) is heading into her second Olympics at the very young age of 20. In 2006, she represented her home country of New Zealand as one of the youngest Halfpipe competitors in the Olympics. Kendall came to SMS for a winter to ride with the prestigious SMS Snowboarding Program, shortly after competing in her first Olympic Games.

Kendall competed in her first World Cup Halfpipe competition in 2004 at the age of 14. Since then, she has finished more than six World Cup competitions in the top-10.

Kendall had the best finish for the New Zealand National Team, placing 13th, in the latest World Cup competition in Austria. Kendall competed for New Zealand’s Development Team for more than four years. This year, she moved up the ranks and was officially named to the New Zealand National Team. We wish her luck her second Olympic pursuit, and we hope she continues to find great success.

Kris Freeman
Three-time Olympian
Cross-country Skiing

As a Winter Term student at SMS, Kris (SMS ’99) showed his dedication to the sport at an early age. He represented the U.S. at the Junior World Championships as a student at SMS and has since found excellence in many competitions. One year out of high school, Kris postponed his college education and moved to Park City to join the cross country residence training program. He competed in his first World Cup shortly after in 2001, and finished in the top 30.

Kris has finished in the top-10 in more than nine World Cup competitions throughout his career. At both the 2003 and 2009 World Championships, he earned the best U.S. results in more than 21 years with a fourth-place finish.

This year, he raced alongside several SMS Nordic skiers in the ConocoPhillips U.S. Cross Country Championships. He won the 15 km Freestyle race and placed second in the 30 km Classic race.