The 2006 U.S. ski championships will likely be a homecoming celebration like no other for alpine and freestyle athletes returning from the Olympic Winter Games next March. The Sprint U.S. Freestyle Championships will be held March 23-26 at Killington , VT. That same week, the U.S. Alpine Championships will return March 26-30 to Sugarloaf/USA, ME.

The U.S. championships - which also include cross country (in conjunction with disabled cross country), disabled alpine, ski jumping and nordic combined - match the best U.S. Team athletes with hundreds of aspiring American skiers looking to measure themselves against world-class racers as they aim for spots on the U.S. Ski Team.

Killington, a regular stop on the freestyle NorAm schedule, will kick off with the inaugural national superpipe championship, followed by moguls, aerials and dual moguls. Last year, Worlds champion Nate Roberts ( Park City , UT ) dazzled hometown fans en route to two U.S. titles in moguls and duals.

The Sprint U.S. Freestyle Championships (Killington, VT):
March 23 - Superpipe
March 24 - Moguls
March 25 - Aerials
March 26 - Dual moguls

"Each of these sites has such strong community involvement plus solid club and development programs. We'll be bringing a lot of folks to town and it should be a nice economic boost at the end of the season," Royle said. "The coaches in all sports will be looking at the next wave of athletes, who already are eyeing the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. So - as we've seen in previous Olympic winters - there will be a lot of things going on at these championships. We will not be hurting for action and excitement."