Olympic Field at Super Series Finals

Sunday River, ME, Feb. 25, 2002 — 2002 U.S. Olympic Team member and series leader Eric Schlopy (Park City, Utah) highlights an international field of more than 85 racers competing for $22,000 at the Chevy Truck Super Series Finals at Sunday River Feb. 27-March 2.

In addition, 2002 Olympic slalom bronze medallist Alain Baxter (Great Britain) will also compete in a pair of giant slalom races on Feb. 27-28 and a pair of slalom events on March 1-2.

The Outdoor Life Network will broadcast coverage of the Chevy Truck Super Series Finals giant slalom on Thursday, March 14 at 8 p.m. (EST) and the slalom events on Thursday, March 21 at 8 p.m. (EST).

“A number of international athletes are competing at the Chevy Truck Super Series Finals at Sunday River before heading back over to Europe to compete in the World Cup Finals (at Zauchensee/Flachau, Austria),” said Sarah Bergstrom, alpine events manager for the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association. “It?s a great opportunity to have some of the best up and coming racers in North American competing against some of the best racers in the world, including an Olympic medallist!”

The Sunday River Super Series will feature more than a dozen U.S. and international athletes who competed in the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, including Chip Knight (Stowe, Vt.) Thomas Vonn (Newburgh, N.Y.), Jakub Fiala (Frisco, Colo.), Scott MacCartney (Redmond, Wash.), Casey Puckett (Aspen, Colo.), Tom Rothrock (Cashmere, Wash.) and Dane Spencer (Boise, Idaho).

First run for all four days of racing is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. with the second at 1 p.m. Racing takes place Thursday on Sunday River?s T2/Monday Morning trail. The remaining races will take place on Sunday River?s Obsession trail. Admission for spectators is free.

Schlopy, who won the first two Super Series races at Loveland Ski Area back in November holds a three-point lead over teammate and fellow Olympian Chip Knight (Stowe, Vt.) in the battle for the $10,000 overall Chevy Truck Super Series title.

Race winners receive 30 points toward the overall title, while second receives 29 and third 28 down to one point for 30th. Schlopy, Knight and Rothrock are within 11 points of each other in the overall standings. In addition, daily race winners receive $1,500, while second wins $1,000 and third $500.

The Chevy Truck Super Series is the U.S. portion of the FIS NorAm Cup, one of five International Ski Federation Continental Cup series worldwide (others: Europa Cup, South America Cup, Australia/New Zealand Cup and Far East Cup). The top two overall athletes in the NorAm standings in each of the four disciplines (slalom, giant slalom, super-G and downhill) earn World Cup starting positions for the following season.

CHEVY TRUCK SUPER SERIES

Overall Standings

1. Eric Schlopy, Park City, Utah, 60 points.
2. Chip Knight, Stowe, Vt., 57
3. Giorgio Rocca, Italy, 55
4. Ivica, Kostelic, Croatia, 52
5. Tom Rothrock, Cashmere, Wash., 49
6. Mario Matt, Austria, 47
7. Bernhard Vajdic, Slovenia, 45
8. Angelo Weiss, Italy, 38
9. Markus Larsson, Sweden, 32
10. Urs Imboden, Switzerland, 30