KILLINGTON, Vermont ??” Olympic Bronze medalist Toby Dawson (Vail, Co) and defending World Mogul Champions Hannah Kearney (Norwich, Vt) and Nate Roberts (Park City, Utah) join 2002 Olympic Silver medalist Shannon Bahrke (Tahoe City, Ca) and 1998 Olympic Gold medalist Joe Pack (Park City, Utah) along with more than 150 athletes from across the country competing at the 2006 Sprint U.S. Freestyle Championships March 23-26 at Killington’s Bear Mountain.

“We are extremely excited to set the stage and showcase these Olympians along with the top freestyle and new school athletes from across the country,” said Allen Wilson, managing director of Killington Resort.

Mogul and aerial athletes will compete on side-by-side courses for the first time ever at a national championship event with both venues located on Killington’s Outer Limits Trail, the longest, steepest mogul run in the East. All events are free and spectators will be able to view the events from the deck of the Bear Mountain Lodge. Meanwhile, Killington’s 430-foot long Superpipe, featuring 18-foot walls and located a short walk from the Bear Mountain Lodge, will host the first-ever U.S. halfpipe championships.

Competition kicks off Thursday, March 23 with the halfpipe event as skiers will compete in two runs for the opportunity to be crowned the first-ever U.S. halfpipe champion. Friday’s competition will feature Roberts defending his national mogul title on the Outer Limits mogul course.

On Saturday, the aerials competition will feature Jaret “Speedy” Peterson (Boise, Id) and his signature ???Hurricane’ jump, which features five twists and three flips, sending him more than 60 feet into the air. Sunday’s competition will feature dual moguls as skiers go head-to-head in a single-elimination format to determine the national champion.

In addition to the athletes and their friends and families, fans from across New England and beyond are expected to attend the spectator-friendly event, which will also feature an opening ceremony in downtown Rutland on Wednesday, March 22 at 5:30 p.m. and numerous opportunities for supporters to seek autographs from their favorite athletes.

Live entertainment will follow the events on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Bear Mountain Lodge. In addition, fireworks will light up the sky over Bear Mountain following the aerial competition and live entertainment on Saturday, March 25.