Six Trials and Team USA events to follow this holiday season

The U.S. Olympic Team Trials are underway, having begun in November in Omaha, Nebraska, as USA Curling narrowed down its men’s and women’s Olympic delegations.
Now, this holiday season, the U.S. Olympic Team will add speedskaters, skiers, ski jumpers and other athletes to the mix as they earn their spots on the team at their respective Trials. Here are six upcoming Trials and Team USA sporting events to watch:
Curling mixed doubles
When: Wednesday, Dec. 13 through Sunday, Dec. 17
Where: Fogerty Arena in Blaine, Minnesota
How to watch: Live on NBC Sports or at NBCOlympics.com
About the competition: Eight teams, comprised of one man and one woman each, will compete for one assured Olympic berth. This is the event’s first year on the Olympic program. For more details on mixed doubles, click here.
Athletes to watch: Brother and sister duo (and first-time Olympians) Matt and Becca Hamilton have already earned their spots on the team as members of Team Shuster and Team Roth, respectively. But they could also appear at the Olympic Games as Team USA’s mixed doubles delegation.

Short track speedskating
When: Friday, Dec. 15 through Sunday, Dec. 17
Where: Utah Olympic Oval in Kearns, Utah
How to watch: Live on NBC Sports or at NBCOlympics.com
About the competition: The top 16 U.S. men and women will compete for eight spots – five men’s and three women’s berths – on the U.S. Olympic Team. To preview the Trials, click here.
Athletes to watch: Three-time Olympic medalist J.R. Celski will be aiming for his third Olympic berth. On the women’s side, Katherine Reutter-Adamek, who won a silver and bronze medal at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games, has come out of retirement for a shot at PyeongChang. 

Women’s hockey
When: Friday, Dec. 15 and Sunday, Dec. 17
Where: SAP Center in San Jose, California; Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta
How to watch: Live on NBC Sports or at NBCOlympics.com
About the competition: The U.S. women’s national team is set to finish its exhibition tour against Canada this weekend with games in San Jose, California, and Edmonton, Alberta. Having won the 2016 IIHF Women’s World Championship, Team USA earned an automatic berth for PyeongChang, and USA Hockey will officially name its Olympic roster on New Year’s Day. Preview Team USA's Olympic journey here.
Athletes to watch: After narrowly missing out on a spot on the team in 2014, goaltender Alex Rigsby is set to make her Olympic debut in PyeongChang. Meanwhile, captain Meghan Duggan will likely appear on her third Olympic roster after winning silver medals at the Vancouver 2010 and Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games.

Nordic combined
When: Saturday, Dec. 30 
Where: Utah Olympic Park in Park City, Utah
How to watch: Live on NBC or at NBCOlympics.com
About the competition: The U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Nordic combined will determine the top athlete in the delegation, which will contain up to four athletes depending on the quota allowed by international competition results. There will be no women’s Nordic combined competition in PyeongChang, but the event is slated to be included on the Olympic program at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games. Click here to learn more about the Trials.
Athletes to watch: Brothers Bryan and Taylor Fletcher both represented Team USA at past Olympic Winter Games – Bryan in Sochi and Taylor in Vancouver and Sochi – and the pair will aim to qualify for PyeongChang together.

Ski jumping
When: Sunday, Dec. 31
Where: Utah Olympic Park in Park City, Utah
How to watch: Live on NBC or at NBCOlympics.com
About the competition: Team USA’s male and female ski jumpers will jump for the top spot on the U.S. Olympic Team on New Year’s Eve. The two highest scoring jumpers, one man and one woman, will earn assured spots on the team, while the rest of the delegation (up to six additional members, three men and three women) is selected in late January. For more details, click here.
Athletes to watch: Sarah Hendrickson is the lone representative left from the Sochi 2014 ski jumping delegation and will look to make the Olympic Team once more after recovering from serious knee injuries. Kevin Bickner, a member of three Junior World Championship teams, is seeking his first Olympic berth.

Long track speedskating
When: Tuesday, Jan. 2 through Sunday, Jan. 7, 2018
Where: Pettit National Ice Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
How to watch: Live on NBC Sports or at NBCOlympics.com
About the competition: Long track speedskaters can ring in the New Year by punching their tickets to PyeongChang at U.S. Olympic Long Track Trials. US Speedskating can send up to 20 long track specialists – 10 men and 10 women – to PyeongChang, based on international competition results, and a new long track event, mass start, will make its Olympic debut in PyeongChang. Click here for more information on Long Track Trials.
Athletes to watch: KC Boutiette last appeared at the Olympic Winter Games in 2006 and has his sights set on competing in the mass start event in PyeongChang. Should he earn a spot, he would become the first American to skate in five different Olympic Winter Games. For the women, world champion Heather Bergsma is on track for success in PyeongChang, having won her first World Cup medal of the season on Saturday, Dec. 2.

For the full schedule of upcoming U.S. Olympic Trials events, click here.


The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to providing top-tier resources to U.S. Olympians, Paralympians and hopefuls. To make a gift in support of Team USA, visit donate.teamusa.org.