UMD Skates to the Winter Games

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Current junior Haley Irwin (#21) will compete for Team Canada at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver (two photos above).

Watch for Caroline Ouellette, 2005 UMD grad and former assistant coach, also on Team Canada (two photos above).

Here's Jenny Potter, a 2004 UMD alumna. She helped Team U.S.A. win Olympic gold in 1998 and should get plenty of ice time in Vancouver in 2010.

Jenny Potter on the ice.

Alumni and Seven Women's Hockey Players are off to the Olympics

UMD will be well represented at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia. From live updates, to play-by-play commentary, to competition, UMD is on the scene. KUMD-103.3 FM will broadcast live Olympic updates every weekday, Monday-Friday, at 9 a.m. from Feb 10-26. UMD is represented on the curling team, in the administration of the Olympic committee, working for the media, and most impressive of all, by seven current students, seven former students, and one former coach on the teams of five countries in the women's ice hockey competition.

Watch for the UMD Connections at the Games

WOMEN'S ICE HOCKEY

Canada: Current junior Haley Irwin will join former Bulldog alumna and former assistant coach Caroline Ouellette (2005) on the Canadian Olympic Team. Ouellette started with Canada's team in 1999 and helped them win Olympic gold medals in 2002 and 2006.

Sweden: Team Sweden announced that UMD seniors Kim Martin and Elin Holmlov, as well as sophomores Pernilla Winberg and Jenni Asserholt, will represent Sweden. They will join former UMD players Maria Rooth (2003) and Erika Holst (2003)

Finland: Current students Saara Tuominen and Mariia Posa will join former student Heidi Pelttari to skate for Team Finland

Russia: As we go to print, Team Russia hasn't formally announced their roster but former students Iya Gavrilova and Kristina Petrovskaia are predicted to be in the line-up.

United States: Jenny Potter (2004) and Julie Chu (former coach 07-08) will play for the U.S. team. It will be Potter's fourth Olympic competition. As a 19-year-old rookie, she helped her team win Olympic gold in 1998. She became one of the U.S. women team's strongest players, helping them win the silver in 2002 and the bronze in 2006.

Leah Wrazildo, (2004), former women’s hockey player and Duluth native, will be a Olympic referee for women’s hockey in Vancouver!

CURLING
Curling team member and marketing department graduate John Shuster (2007) plays for the Duluth Curling Club. He's been chosen for the second time to represent the United States on the U.S. Curling Team. Shuster was a member of the 2006 U.S. Olympic Team, which won the bronze, America's first Olympic curling medal. Former student Jeff Isaacson of Duluth is also on the team and Phill Drobnick (2003) is the head coach.

KUMD AND THE NEWS
UMD alumni will join the players in Vancouver, but they'll be on another level. They'll be giving us the news.

KUMD: UMD's radio station, KUMD 103.3 will provide reports about the Olympics and its connection to the Northland. Every weekday, Monday-Friday, at 9 am, beginning on February 10, KUMD staff member Mimmu (Ira) Salmela will be reporting live from the Vancouver Olympics. Listen to the reports as the stream live on www.kumd.org For the first two days, Feb. 10-26, Mimmu will give a preview and starting on Feb. 12 - 18, she'll report the events as they happen every day. The reports will continue until Feb. 26.

NBC: Former UMD student Chad Salmela will be a primary color commentator for NBC’s coverage of the biathlon. He's got experience; he also handled commentary for the biathlon during the 2006 Olympic Games in Torino, Italy. He will also be involved in the coverage of cross country skiing – including in the Nordic combined event.

BEHIND THE SCENES
Putting on an event as complex as the Olympic games is a huge endeavor, and lots of hands are needed.

Former student and UMD goalie Tuula Puputti will work as an administrator for the Finnish Olympic Committee.

Kara Salmela (2004) will act as a hospitality host for the biathlon events. Kara competed with the U.S. Biathlon team in the Nagano in 1998 and the Salt Lake City Olympics in 2002.

Cory Salmela (1995) will be serving as a statistician for NBC sports. Cory will also take over broadcasting for KUMD near the end of the Olympic games.

MEDICAL TEAM: Josh Sandell (1998) will serve as a member of the medical staff for the XXI Olympic Winter Games. Sandell will serve as a chiropractor on the multidisciplinary Sports Medicine team, including neurosurgeons, primary care physicians and athletic trainers, providing an integrated approach of care for Team USA at the Performance Service Center.

The XXI Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, British Columbia promise to be a majestic two weeks of razor sharp competition, and UMD won't miss a moment. Watch for UMD alumni and students and enjoy the excitement and fun.

We might have missed someone. If you know of another UMD connection to the Olympics, let us know. contact alumni@d.umn.edu.

Written by Cheryl Reitan

UMD home page editor, Cheryl Reitan, creitan@d.umn.edu
NEW RELEASES, UMD media contact, Susan Latto, slatto@d.umn.edu, 218-726-8830