Article from Standard-Examiner - by Scott Schwebke
B Y SCOTT SCHWEBKE
Standard-Examiner staff sschwebke@standard.net
OGDEN - The United States Snowshoe Association has chosen Snowbasin Ski Resort as host for the U.S. National Snowshoe Championship on March 8.
The event will be held in conjunction with the first-ever Xterra Winter World Championship produced by Team Unlimited, a television events and marketing company, that will also be held at the ski resort March 8-9.
The USSSA Nationals are expected to attract more than 200 athletes.
"We are extremely excited about this announcement, as Team Unlimited has extensive event production experience and Snowbasin is an awesome site with amazing facilities," Mark Elmore, sports director for the USSSA, said in a prepared statement. "We're looking forward to an outstanding national event that will bring unprecedented recognition and participation to snowshoeing."
Team Unlimited President Janet Clark said she is also pleased USSSA has chosen Snowbasin for its championship.
"We look forward to welcoming snowshoe racers from around the U.S. and the world into our Xterra family, and plan on providing them with a world-class, unforgettable experience that goes above and beyond just the race itself," she said in a prepared statement.
Kym Buttschardt, pres- From 1A
ident of the Greater Ogden Athletic Legacy Foundation, which, along with the Utah Sports Commission, helped bring the Xterra Winter World Championship to Snowbasin, said the USSSA Nationals will further solidify the area's reputation as an outdoor sports hub.
"This is all part of GOAL's strategic plan to connect our community with world-class recreation," she said Saturday.
There will be several USSSA national titles up for grabs at the Snowbasin championship.
They include the Boys & Girls Junior National 5K, Senior Women's National 10K and Senior Men's National 10K.
In order for athletes to be eligible to compete in the junior or senior national championship events, they must first qualify at one of more than 20 regional qualifier events the USSSA is coordinating across the U.S. beginning in January.
The Xterra Winter World Championship is a first-ofits-kind multisport race combining the four disciplines of randonnee skiing, mountain biking, running and snowshoeing.
Team Unlimited will produce a half-hour TV show highlighting the Xterra Winter World Championship, including coverage of the USSSA Nationals, for distribution to ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, major cable stations and resort networks throughout the country via national syndication. 
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