Skiers Townsend, Rodeheaver on the road to Youth Olympic Games

2 local athletes get their tickets punched for the Youth Olympic Games. Photo: kcxd

Both slopestyle/big air athletes have been nominated to represent the USA in South Korea in January

PARK CITY, Utah — U.S. Ski & Snowboard announced on Thursday the athletes rostered to the Youth Olympic Games, and two skiers from Park City find themselves both qualified by performance, and within the age restriction of 15 to 18 years old.

Henry Townsend and Jack Rodeheaver, both slopestyle/big air athletes, have been nominated to represent the USA in South Korea in January.

17-year-old Townsend is a member of the Park City Ski & Snowboard team and competes in the Big Mountain West Series. He  won last season’s freestyle slopestyle National Championships in Colorado.

15-year-old Rodeheaver is a member of Park City’s Revolution Ski and Blade Team and also competes in the Big Mountain West Series. 

At the 2020 Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne, Switzerland, 96 athletes across 16 sports represented the United States. The games helped catapult the careers of many national team athletes. Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team athlete Dusty Henricksen took home gold in slopestyle in 2020 and since then has won two gold medals at X Games, podiumed at four World Cups and took home the overall 2022-23 FIS snowboard Crystal Globe, cementing himself as the best slopestyle rider in the world.

Similarly, Stifel U.S. Freeski Team athletes Hanna Faulhaber and Hunter Henderson both won bronze medals in halfpipe and slopestyle at the Youth Olympic Games. After her bronze, Faulhaber skied to an impressive sixth place at the Olympic Winter Games in Beijing and last season won a World Championships gold medal in women’s halfpipe.

“We’re so excited for the amazing group of athletes set to represent the U.S. in Gangwon,” said Anouk Patty, U.S. Ski & Snowboard chief of sport in a statement. “The Youth Olympic Games is an opportunity for athletes to travel to new places and meet new communities while practicing their skills and competing on an international stage.”

The 2024 Youth Olympic Games, held every four years, will host more than 1,900 athletes from more than 80 National Olympic Committees at the home of the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

The Youth Olympic Games was created by former president of the International Olympic Committee Jacques Rogge with a mission to bring together the world’s best young athletes and educate and inspire the next generation of Olympians.

Roster nominations from other sports are forthcoming.