Cal Lutheran SID Set to Work at 2006 Winter Games
California Lutheran University Sports Information Director Scott Flanders has been chosen to serve as the U.S. Ski Team and U.S. Snowboarding News Bureau Coordinator for the 2006 Olympic Winter Games.
The 20th Olympic Winter Games will be held Feb. 10-26 in Turin, Italy, located among the Alps in the northwest section of the country in the Piedmont region. Turin (known as Torino in Italy) was the capital of Italy until 1945.
Flanders will be working for the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA), the governing body for Olympic skiing and snowboarding in the United States. His responsibilities will include writing post-event press releases for all ski and snowboard events during the Games, as well as distributing news to USSA’s media outlets and updating www.usskiteam.com and www.ussnowboarding.com.
“This is an amazing opportunity,” said Flanders, an Oxnard resident who has directed all media and public relations duties for Cal Lutheran’s 19 NCAA Division III athletic teams since June 2002. “I am looking forward to immersing myself in a foreign culture for three weeks, making friends from around the world, and being part of the Olympic family,” he added.
“This is an honor for Scott as it reflects on his superb performance for CLU and for the entire Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference,” said Ritch K. Eich, Vice President for Marketing and Communications at CLU. “We are all looking forward to reading his dispatches from the 2006 Winter Games in Italy.”
Flanders will be based in Sestriere, Italy, which is about an hour outside of Turin. Sestriere will serve as host to all of the men’s alpine events (slalom, giant slalom, super G, and downhill), as well as the women’s slalom and giant slalom.
The following nearby resorts will host the other ski and snowboard contests: San Sicario (women’s super G and downhill); Sauze d’Oulx (freestyle); Bardonecchia (snowboard); Prageleto (Nordic). Freestyle includes moguls and aerials, while snowboarding events include halfpipe, parallel giant slalom, and snowboardcross (making its Olympic debut). Nordic skiing includes cross country and jumping.
Approximately 2,500 athletes from 80 countries will vie for one or more of the 82 available medals. The seven sports included in the Olympics are biathlon, bobsleigh, curling, ice hockey, luge, skating, and skiing/snowboarding. Over 9,600 journalists and media operators are expected to be covering the Games.
Flanders served in the same capacity during the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Utah. He was present as Americans Ross Powers, Danny Kass, and JJ Thomas swept the medals in snowboard halfpipe and as U.S. Team rider Kelly Clark won gold in the women’s halfpipe.
The goal for the USSA in 2002 was to capture a total of ten medals. The mission was accomplished as American skiers and snowboarders collected two golds, six silvers, and two bronzes.