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Minnesota sent more athletes than any other state to the Winter Olympic games in Vancouver. To track their progress, we've created a friendly competition in the MPR Newsroom. Our news magazine programs, Morning Edition and All Things Considered, have "drafted" teams of athletes from our region that will earn points for competing, winning and connecting with their fans.

You can read the rules and the icon legend here.

Team Morning Edition

Total Points: 34

Caitlin Compton (Minneapolis)

Caitlin Compton

Cross-Country Skiing
Points earned: 3

Media mention = 2 points x1 Competing = 1 point x 1

Caitlin Compton, 29, started cross-country skiing in high school and has been competing since 2001. Her best individual finish was 32nd in a 7.5 km + 7.5 km double pursuit event, also at Whistler Olympic Park.

MPR coverage: Interview on Morning Edition.

  • Quoted in USA Today
  • Finished 30th in women's individual 10K

TEAM: Men's Curling (6 Minn.)

Men's curling team

Points earned: 17

Twitter = 1 point x6 Media mention = 2 points x8
Competing = 1 point x3

Team members: John Shuster, John Benton, Jeff Isaacson, Jason Smith, Chris Plys, Phill Drobnick

MPR coverage: Interview with Olympic curlers from Minnesota.

Maria Lamb (St. Paul, Minn.)

Maria Lamb

Speed Skating
Points earned: 0

Maria Lamb, 24, was the 2005 U.S. National All-round Champion and holds Junior records in the 3000m and 1500m.

TEAM: Women's Ice Hockey (3 Minn.)

Women's hockey team

Points earned: 7

Media mention = 2 points x2 Competing = 1 point x5

Minnesotans on the team: Jenny Potter, Natalie Darwitz, Gigi Marvin

MPR Coverage: Interview with Natalie Darwitz.

Mark Ladwig (Fargo, N.D.)

Mark Ladwig

Pairs Figure Skating
Points earned: 6

Media mention = 2 points x2 Competing = 1 point x2

Mark Ladwig, 29, competes with Amanda Evora. They are the 2010 U.S. silver medalists and 2007 & 2009 pewter medalists. The 2005/2006 season was their first on the Grand Prix.

Kaylin Richardson (Edina, Minn.)

Kaylin Richardson

Alpine Skiing
Points earned: 1

Competing = 1 point x1

Throughout the 2007 season, Richardson led the Americans in both speed and tech events on the World Cup, such as at the Krajanska Gora slalom race, where she placed 8th. In the 2006 Olympics, she placed 17th in Alpine Skiing Combined.

  • 2/18: Competes in Women's Super-Combined, finishes 17th


Icon Key


Icon Key

Team All Things Considered

Total Points: 30

Wynn Roberts (Battle Lake, Minn.)

Wynn Roberts

Biathalon
Points earned: 1

Twitter = 1 point x1

Wynn Roberts, 21, has been on the U.S. Biathlon National team since 2009. He was named to the U.S.'s men's biathlon team after he finished in the top-two in a six-biathlete internal competition in Alternberg, Germany.

MPR coverage: Interview with Olympic curlers from Minnesota.

  • 2/15: Writes on Facebook: "Everyone should be getting ready to race the Finlandia [ski marathon in Bemidji]. The greatest race in the Midwest. If I wasn't at the Olympics I would be there!"

TEAM: Women's Curling (2 Minn., 4 Wis.)

Women's curling team

Points earned: 5
Competition date: 02/16

Media mention = 2 points x2 Competing = 1 point x3

Minnesotans on team: Natalie Nicholson, Allison Pottinger

  • 2/16: Loses in first-round game vs. Japan
  • 2/17: Loses in first-round game vs. Germany
  • 2/18: Competes in first-round game vs. Denmark
  • Allison Pottinger in USA Today

Rebekah Bradford (Apple Valley, Minn.)

Rebekah Bradford

Speed Skating
Points earned: 6

Twitter = 1 point x5 Competing = 1 point x1

Rebekah Bradford, 26, has competed in international speed skating since the World Junior Speedskating Championships in 2002. Since then she has competed in five World Cup teams.

TEAM: Men's Ice Hockey (4 Minn.)

Men's hockey team

Points earned: 3

Competing = 1 point x2

Minnesotans on team: Erik Johnson, David Backes, Jamie Langenbrunner, Zach Parise

MPR coverage: Interview with Paul Johnson of the gold-winning 1960 U.S. Men's Hockey team.

  • 2/16: Plays and defeats Switzerland 3-1
  • 2/18: Competes in first-round game vs. Norway

Tony Benshoof (White Bear Lake, Minn.)

Tony Benshoof

Luge
Points earned: 7

Twitter = 1 point x1 Media mention = 2 points x2
Competing = 1 point x2

Tony Benshoof, 34, is considered the highest Olympic finisher for any USA luge athlete in Men's Singles Luge. He won the most international medals by any USA Men's Singles athlete, and has also won the most US National titles.

Garrott Kuzzy (Hayward, Wis.)

Garrott Kuzzy

Cross-Country Skiing
Points earned: 8

Twitter = 1 point x4 Media mention = 2 points x1 Competing = 1 point x2

Garrot Kuzzy, 25, was added to the Olympic cross-country ski team on Jan. 26 when the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association expanded their quotas. Kuzzy started skiing competitively when he was 12 and later skied for his high school team at Hopkins High School.

  • Kuzzy's website
  • Quoted in USA Today story.
  • 2/15: Finished 58th in men's individual 15K
  • 2/17: Finished 47th in men's individual sprint

Detail of rules:

Because Minnesotans and Wisconsinites dominate the men's and women's U.S. curling and hockey teams, those four teams will be treated as individuals. Both shows drafted two teams and four remaining individual event athletes.

Players will earn 1 point for each event they compete in. Any time a team wins a game or an athlete advances to another day of competition, they will earn another 1 point. Medals are worth the most points. But since winning isn't everything, athletes featured in major national news coverage (excluding NBC, but including the New York Times, USA Today, NPR, etc...) will also earn points.

In addition, any team or athlete who personally connects with fans via social media (Twitter, Facebook, etc...) on a given day will earn a point for that day.

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