Local athletes Johnson, Bailey, Pates, Tierney, Seaton look to shine as triple-dip Worlds kick off in Utah

The 2019 FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships kick off today (Friday) in Utah with snowboardcross, and there are nearly a half dozen local athletes to watch for over the course of the next 10 days.

In moguls, watch out for Vail’s Tess Johnson on the women’s side and Vail’s Hunter Bailey on the men’s side. Also keep an eye out for Taylor Seaton of Avon in men’s halfpipe, Meghan Tierney of Edwards in women’s snowboardcross and Jake Pates of Eagle in men’s snowboard halfpipe.

Here’s the schedule and start list for Friday’s snowboardcross and Saturday’s freeski action:

START LIST
Men’s snowboardcross
Women’s snowboardcross

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST
*Same-day broadcast
**Next-day broadcast

SNOWBOARDING
Friday, Feb. 1
1:00 p.m. – FIS World Championships men and women’s snowboardcross – Solitude, Utah – NBCSN & NBC Sports Gold

FREESKI
Saturday, Feb. 2
3:00 p.m. – FIS World Championships men and women’s skicross – Solitude, Utah – Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
 

And here’s U.S. Ski & Snowboard team announcement:

U.S. Ski & Snowboard announces U.S. Teams for the 2019 FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships, presented by Toyota, taking place in Utah from February 1-10, 2019.

U.S. Ski & Snowboard Director – Snowboard, Freeski, Freestyle Jeremy Forster said, “We are fielding a strong team that will be on display at the 2019 World Championships. It’s a great group of athletes, including five defending World Champions who are all excited to be competing for World Championship titles on home soil. Having the events in our backyard, at Park City Mountain, Deer Valley Resort and Solitude Mountain Resort, is a great opportunity and we are all looking forward to seeing them face off against the best the world has to offer, right here in Utah.”

Quotes from Reigning World Champions

McRae Williams – “I could not be more stoked to have the opportunity to defend my title in my home town of Park City, Utah. Not only will I have the home field advantage, but I’ll have all my friends and family there cheering me on. That’s a win in itself. Gonna be a special week.”

Aaron Blunck –  “I am super stoked to be a part of the U.S. Ski & Snowboard World Championships team and even more stoked to try and defend my title. Sierra Nevada, Spain went really well and I’m hoping this time around is no different. It is on home turf and in a halfpipe I really like so it should be a fun event! “

Lindsey Jacobellis – “Really excited to be attending my sixth World Championships, and even more excited to be in the USA. I look forward to the venue that Solitude Mountain has put together as well as the mix gender team race.”

Jonathon Lillis – “It has been one of the great honors of my life representing the sport that I love so much as the World Champion for the past two seasons. I can think of nothing better than being able to come back to Deer Valley and defend my title in the town that has opened its arms and been home to me for the past seven years. I know with the support of my teammates and my brother Chris at my side we have the ability to do anything. We are ready to come in and handle our business. I continue to be ever-grateful for each person who has supported me in this journey, all the way down to the volunteers who work so hard to keep us safe. Being able to compete at home gives us the perfect opportunity to make them proud! Team Lillis will be in full effect, so watch out!”

Ashley Caldwell – “Deer Valley is always at the top of the list when it comes to an aerialist’s favorite place to compete. Having this year’s event upgraded to World Championships makes the event even more prestigious and exciting. While defending  my title as World Champion comes with pressure and anxiety it also gives me an opportunity to show all of the hard work, resilience and passion of myself, my team and my coaches to our friends, family, and sponsors that come to cheer us on!”

2019 U.S. FIS World Championships Teams

SNOWBOARD
Halfpipe
Men
Toby Miller – Mammoth Lakes, Calif., (2/14/00)
Jake Pates – Eagle, Colo., (7/30/98)
Chase Josey – Hailey, Idaho, (3/31/95)
Chase Blackwell – Longmont, Colo., (2/27/99)

Women
Chloe Kim – Torrance, Calif., (4/23/00)
Maddie Mastro – Wrightwood, Calif., (2/22/00)
Arielle Gold – Steamboat Springs, Colo., (5/4/96)
Tessa Maud – Carlsbad, Calif., (10/10/03)

Slopestyle/Big Air
Men
Chris Corning – Silverthorne, Colo., (9/7/99)
Red Gerard – Silverthorne, Colo., (6/29/00)
Lyon Farrell – Haiku, Hawaii, (11/22/98)
Judd Henkes – La Jolla, Calif., (4/3/01)

Women
Julia Marino – Westport, Conn., (9/11/97)
Jamie Anderson – S. Lake Tahoe, Calif., (9/13/90)
Hailey Langland – San Clemente, Calif., (8/2/00)
Jade Thurgood – Salt Lake City, Utah, (1/27/02)

Snowboardcross
Men
Jake Vedder – Pinckney, Mich., (4/16/98)
Nate Holland – Sandpoint, Idaho, (11/8/78)
Mick Dierdorff – Steamboat Springs Colo., (4/30/91)
Nick Baumgartner – Iron River, Mich., (12/17/81)

Women
Lindsey Jacobellis – Stratton Mountain, Vt., (8/19/85)
Meghan Tierney – Edwards, Colo., (1/15/97)
Anna Miller – Orem, Utah, (7/16/1996)
Stacy Gaskill – Golden, Colo., (5/21/00)
Livia Molodyh – Hubbard, Ore., (6/30/1999)

Parallel Slalom & Parallel Giant Slalom
Men
AJ Muss – Rumson, N.J., (12/15/94)
Robert Burns – Mount Shasta, Calif., (11/11/90)
Cody Winters – Steamboat Springs, Colo. (4/20/00)
Ryan Rosencranz – Weston, Mass., (4/23/94)

Women
Abby Champagne – Park City, Utah, (1/2/96)
Kaiya Kizuka – Sinking Spring, Penn., (5/26/99)
Lynn Ott – Boston, Mass., (10/20/67)
Alexa Bullis – Slinger Wisc., (3/1/00)

FREESTYLE
Moguls
Men
Bradley Wilson – Butte, Mont., (6/5/92)
Casey Andringa – Boulder, Colo., (10/6/95)
Hunter Bailey – Vail, Colo., (3/24/96)
Dylan Walczyk – Rochester, N.Y., (6/25/93)

Women
Jaelin Kauf – Alta, Wyo., (9/26/96)
Tess Johnson – Vail, Colo., (6/19/00)
Olivia Giaccio – Redding, Conn., (8/15/00)
Nessa Dziemian – East Hampstead, N.H., (4/14/94)

Aerials
Men
Jonathon Lillis – Pittsford, N.Y., (8/20/94)
Chris Lillis – Pittsford, N.Y., (10/4/98)
Alex Bowen – Springville, N.Y., (5/21/92)
Eric Loughran – Pelham, N.H., (12/4/95)
Nicholas Novak – Stafford, Va., (3/15/96)

Women
Ashley Caldwell – Ashburn, Va., (9/14/93)
Madison Varmette – Stafford, Va., (5/8/96)
Winter Vinecki – Salem, Ore., (12/18/98)
Morgan Northrop – Haymarket, Va., (4/16/94)
Kaila Kuhn – Boyne City, Mich., (4/8/03)

FREESKI
Halfpipe
Men
Aaron Blunck – Crested Butte, Colo., (4/12/96)
David Wise – Reno, Nev., (6/30/90)
Alex Ferreira – Aspen, Colo., (8/14/94)
Birk Irving – Winter Park, Colo., (7/26/99)
Taylor Seaton – Avon, Colo., (7/16/90)

Women
Brita Sigourney – Carmel, Calif., (1/17/90)
Maddie Bowman – S. Lake Tahoe, Calif., (1/10/94)
Abigale Hansen – June Lake, Calif., (5/26/98)
Annalisa Drew – Andover, Mass., (5/28/93)

Slopestyle/Big Air
Men
McRae Williams – Park City, Utah, (10/13/90)
Alex Hall – Salt Lake City, Utah, (9/21/98)
Nick Goepper – Lawrenceburg, Ind., (3/14/94)
Mac Forehand – Winhall, Vt., (8/4/01)
Willie Borm – Chaska, Minn., (5/21/97)

Women
Eileen Gu – San Francisco, Calif., (9/3/03)
Maggie Voisin – Whitefish, Mont., (12/14/98)
Caroline Claire – Manchester Center, Vt., (2/2/00)
Julia Krass – Hanover, N.H., (6/7/97)

Skicross
Men
Tyler Wallasch – Los Angeles, Calif., (6/8/94)

Women
Tania Prymak – Goshen, N.Y., (10/12/92)
Leta McNatt – Ridgeway, Colo., (12/13/94)
Whitney Gardner – Zephyr Cove, Nev., (6/24/94)