2008 U.S. National Snowshoe Championships join XTERRA Winter World Championship Festivities

(Honolulu, HI) – The inaugural XTERRA Winter World Championship festival weekend has added the 2008 U.S. National Snowshoe Championship to its March 8-9, 2008 schedule of events at Snowbasin Resort near Ogden, Utah

The USSSA Nationals are expected to attract several hundred qualified and recreational runners as the last stop in the 20+ race series that stretches across the nation.

“We are extremely excited about this announcement as TEAM Unlimited has extensive event production experience and Snowbasin is an awesome site with amazing facilities,” said Mark Elmore, the Sports Director for the USSSA.  “We’re looking forward to an outstanding National event that will bring unprecedented recognition and participation to snowshoeing.”

Snowbasin, a Sun Valley Resort, is well known as the home of the breathtaking and technically intimidating men’s and women’s downhill, super G and combined competitions for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games.  Located in the spectacular Wasatch-Cache National Forest only 43 miles from downtown Salt Lake City and 17 miles from the adventure capital of Ogden, it is easy to access and has a wide and plentiful range of accommodations in nearby Ogden.  On March 8, racers can expect plenty of snow and great temperatures.

“We’re thrilled that the USSSA Board of Regional Athletic Delegates awarded Snowbasin host site honors for the 2008 National Championship of Snowshoeing,” said TEAM Unlimited President Janet Clark.  “We look forward to welcoming snowshoe racers from around the U.S. and the world into our XTERRA family, and plan on providing them with a world-class, unforgettable experience that goes above and beyond just the race itself.”

There will be several USSSA National Titles up-for-grabs including the boys & girls junior national 5k, senior women’s national 10k, and senior men’s national 10k. In order for athletes to be eligible to compete in the Junior or Senior National Championship events they must first qualify at one of more than twenty Regional Qualifier events the USSSA is coordinating across the U.S. beginning in January of 2008.

In addition to the aforementioned invite-only snowshoe races; a citizens 5k, kid’s kilo, and 4 x 2.5k team relay races will also be available to all-comers.

As part of the weekend-long winter festival there will be a myriad of activities, parties, and race offerings for all to enjoy.  The main event, the XTERRA Winter World Championship, is a first-of-its-kind, uniquely XTERRA multisport race combining the four disciplines of randonnee skiing, mountain biking, running and snowshoeing. 

Other complementing endurance competitions include an XTERRA Snowboard Scramble (Dash for Cash) where riders climb up the mountain with their board on their back then strap-in and race back down. The first racers to cross the finish line are rewarded with cold hard cash prizes.  There’s also an XTERRA Randonnee combining alpine skiing with an uphill ingredient.  Using sticky wax, climbing skins, or special x-country skis riders will climb their way up the Wasatch range then race back down multiple times. 

A host of fun activities for kids will find its way on the schedule with lighthearted and inspiring races ranging from winter tubing to running to snowman building fun.

Event organizer TEAM Unlimited will produce a half-hour TV show highlighting the XTERRA Winter World Championship (including coverage of the USSSA Nationals) for distribution to ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, major cable stations and resort networks throughout the country via national syndication.

The 2007 USSSA Nationals held in Maple Grove, Minnesota in March attracted nearly 200 runners from more than 20 states across the U.S.  Previous host sites included Bolton Valley, Vermont (2006), Anchorage, Alaska (2005), Squaw Creek, California (2004), Salt Lake City, Utah (2003), Traverse City, Michigan (2002), and the inaugural U.S. National Snowshoe Championship was held in Plattsburgh, New York in 2001.

XTERRA Pro Josiah Middaugh from Vail, Colorado claimed the 2002 and 2003 USSSA National Title’s and fellow XTERRA stand-out Greg Krause won it all in 2004.  Greg Hexum from Duluth, MN has won the last two men’s championships while Nikki Kimball of Bozeman, Montana has won four of the last seven women’s title’s including last year’s.

The USSSA is devoted to promoting outdoor winter safety in conjunction with recreational snowshoeing.  THE USSSA also serves as the lead governing body for the sport of Snowshoe Racing in the USA.

TEAM Unlimited, a television events and marketing company, has produced more than 265 television shows resulting in three regional Emmy’s and 35 Telly Awards for production excellence.  TEAM also owns and produces XTERRA events around the world with more than 100 races in 16 countries in 2007.

The XTERRA Winter World Championship is presented by the Utah Sports Commission, Greater Ogden Athletic Legacy Foundation, Snowbasin, Paul Mitchell, and XTERRA Gear.

For more information on XTERRA and the Winter World Championship contact:
Trey Garman, Marketing Director, at 808-792-2603 or email trey@xterraplanet.com

For more information regarding the USSSA contact:
Mark Elmore, USSSA Sports Director, at 518-420-6961 or email snowshoeguy@yahoo.com

For more information on Snowbasin contact:
Mary Rowland, Public Relations Director, at 801-620-1013 or email mrowland@snowbasin.com

© 2010 TEAM Unlimited LLC