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Shelley Osterloh ReportingThe US Ski team is not taking the summer off. They are hard at work, training for the 2006 Olympics.
The Alpine ski team may be training for winter Olympics, but this summer they've traded in the skis for skates. Park City's Erik Schlopy is training for his third Olympic Games. Considered, one of the teams best conditioned athletes, Schlopy says Hockey is one more way to sharpen and strengthen his skills.
Erik Schlopy, US Alpine Skier: "It's a great training tool for ski racers because it's very similar in the movements that we make. The same muscle groups are being used and hockey is a really athletic sport and we all love to do it. So we go out there and try our hardest."
T.J. Lanning -- also a Utah Skier Racer -- is coming back strong from a knee injury. He says most people don't realize the hard packed snow on a downhill course is nearly has hard as ice.
TJ Lanning , US Alpine Skier: "In hockey you're carving and sliding and trying to control your weight on the ice, which is similar to controlling your ski on the ice we race on."
Athletes say playing hockey is just one more way to keep strong, competitive, and focused on their goal of winning in Torino in 2006.
