JAY PANTHER MAKES U.S. SKI TEAM

Hello,

I am writing today filled with elation as I have accomplished my life long dream...earning a spot on the U.S. Ski Team!!! I competed this past week at the U.S. Ski Team Selections event in Steamboat Springs, CO and finished second overall. This result also means I get my first two World Cup starts in Lake Placid, NY January 21 and 22.

The week was a roller coaster. The first day I qualified 3rd with the fastest run of the day and followed that up with an improved finals run that earned me 6th. The second day I was having my best run of the week in qualifying and my ski pole broke in half just after landing the top air. I was able to hold it together and finish my run with one pole but I qualified 11th which is not an ideal position to win finals. I knew I had to lay it all on the line and ski an amazing run or blow out trying. I skied the run I had to and finished second on the day and in the overall! Despite everything I never lost focus on what I had to do, ski my run.

I have attached a video from my second place run and some pictures of the new suit. I have also copied the press release to the bottom of this email. I have dedicated the last seven years of my life to this moment and all the hard work has finally paid off. The last couple of days have been a complete whirlwind and it still has not all sunk in. I am doing my best to embrace this time but am aware that this is just another step (be it the best step I have ever taken). My goals are still set on winning World Cups and ultimately the Olympics. Thank you for all your love and support.

In God's Love

Jay Panther

U.S. Ski Team Member (It feels good just typing it)

LOCAL ATHLETE WINS PLACE ON 2011 U.S SKI TEAM

Jay Panther earned himself the prestigious place on the 2011 U.S. Freestyle Ski Team on Tuesday, December 22, 2010. Panther finished 2^nd overall at the two day U.S. Ski Team 'Selection' Event in Steamboat, CO. With a 6th place finish on Sunday, December 19^th, the pressure was on for Tuesday’s competition. It was a nail-biting, 11^th hour adventure – Panther’s equipment was missing the morning of his first round on Tuesday. He managed to find his skis, however he couldn’t find his poles. Borrowing his coaches’ poles, he rocketed onto the 1^st run qualifying course:

“Panther broke his pole halfway through the qualifying run. He was ripping, skiing awesome, when all of the sudden he had a serious bobble. He recovered and 2 turns later had another little bobble. Then he ripped the rest of the run and hit his bottom air perfectly balanced. He crossed the finish line, held up his right pole and 1/2 of it was gone. The bobbles had come at the break and when he instinctively tried to plant the pole again. The way he adjusted is quite a tribute to his strength and athleticism”. (Source: L.J. Panther, Jay Panther’s father)

Finishing 11^th on his 1^st run, Jay was steadfast to win his 2^nd run. Borrowing another set of poles from his coach with nothing to lose, filled with sheer grit and white knuckle determination, Jay skied flawlessly taking 2^nd place on his 2^nd run which earned him the last spot on the U.S. Freestyle Ski Team.

“The U.S. Selection event is probably the hardest of the year”’ said Head Coach, Scott Rawles. “This is their one big shot to open the door. It really is a make or break event” (Source: Utah Skier Online 2010)

L.J. Panther, Jay Panther’s father, was able to be there for the event and he commented on his son’s success. “We went to the U.S. team coach's hotel and it was like X-mas. They laid the team gear under this huge X-mas tree. He got this huge suitcase on wheels with US ski team logos on it with a snowflake theme.....very cool. He got the team uniform which is a huge status symbol, of course. He got 3 pairs of ski pants, 3 jackets of different weights, gloves, socks, long underwear etc. etc....all with U.S. Ski team plastered all over them. It's been a long 6 years since this kid headed west to resume competitive skiing. He almost made the team a couple of times only to face disappointment. We all began to ask how much longer he was going to pursue this, but he never wavered....he would compete until he got where he wanted to go. I guess hard work really does get paid off in the end.”

Jay graduated from Ballard High School in Louisville, Kentucky, where he won the Wendy's High School Heisman Trophy, was a Coca-Cola Scholar and also an 8 time first team academic all-state winner, as well as a President's Scholar. Jay went to Vanderbilt on a full scholarship and played baseball his freshman year before leaving to head west to compete again.

In the fall of 2010, Panther also received his “A” level beach volley card to compete professionally next summer when he can’t get to the snow. This past summer he was in Louisville, Kentucky to compete in the "Old School Side OutTournament" along with other AVP stars and local athletes.

Jay is now a member of the U.S. Freestyle Ski Team. He has won International events and defeated Olympic Champions and looks forward to competing in the 2014 Winter Olympics.

For further information, interviews, photos and videos please contact Jay Panther’s Manager – Ashleigh. E .Cromer on561-460-8217.

Jay Panther Fall 2010

Hello, I am writing from Apex, B.C. I have been up here for the last week and will be here for another week. There is a full mogul course and the training is absolutely great! I have attached a video from my training yesterday, enjoy and know it will only get better! I am still knocking the rust off my skiing and jumping but I am very happy with how I am doing. I have my first contest of the year in two weeks in Steamboat Springs, CO. It is U.S. Freestyle Ski Team Selections Event and if I am first or second overall after the two day event, I will be promoted to the U.S. Freestyle C Team and earn World Cup Starts this season!!! I am training hard and have no doubt that I will be in the best imaginable position to win the event. I had a great fall season in L.A. I trained daily at Virtual Snow and played a lot of volleyball. I earned my B and then A rating in two man beach volleyball. Once I earn my AA and AAA ratings I will be able to compete in professional tournaments! I think that it was a perfect fall of training and preparation for the upcoming ski season. Beach volleyball is all plyometrics and explosiveness, precisely what I need for skiing. Virtual Snow really fine tuned my skiing abilities and balance so when I did get on snow I was already way ahead of the curve. Please keep me in your prayers. Thank you for all your love and support! Jay Panther

Jay Panther Podiums in Australia

Hello,

I have been back in the states for a couple of weeks and I still think about Australia daily. Australia was everything I hoped it would be and more. The people were amazing, the land and animals beautiful, and my ski training was extremely productive. The last part of the trip we went to Mt. Buller in southern New South Whales and were able to train and compete on a second course. The course was a blast and the competition day went well with me getting 3rd! The event was supposed to be duals but due to horrible visibility and weather the final results were based on our scores from the one run qualifying round. It was disappointing to not be able to dual and win :) but I was happy with another podium and my $750 in prize money. This was the first time I have ever won prize money skiing!

After the event we went to Melbourne for our final two days. The city is incredible and we were able to see a lot. The highlights for me were the botanical gardens and the Melbourne Cricket Grounds (MCG). The MCG is actually the largest spectator sporting facility in the world with seven stadiums. The Australian Tennis Open, Sydney Olympic events, and many cricket and rugby matches are all held on the grounds. Our final night we decided to spend on the beach in the harbor. We explored a pier and rock jetty only to discover hundreds of wild penguins surrounding us. After speaking with a team of scientists we discovered how truly unique our experience with the penguins were. The penguins have just recently inhabited the rock jetty built during the Olympic Games and are a complete secret to everyone as to preserve their habitat. We just happened to show up immediately after sundown which is the only 45 minute window these penguins are active. We witnessed mating, feeding, playing and I even was able to pet two penguins. It was an amazing experience that perfectly capped a hugely successful Australia trip!

I am down in L.A. now and continuing my volleyball training. I now have a coach that is training me full time and is also going to compete with me. We have our first tournament this weekend. When I am not on the beach I am at Virtual Snow, a simulated ski training facility in Santa Monica. I will continue my training here until the snow begins to fly in Park City the beginning of November. I am extremely happy with how all of my training is going and with how Australia went, but by no means satisfied. I am motived and working harder than ever with anticipation and excitement for the opportunities that will be presented to me this ski season! Thank you so much for your love and support. I will keep you updated on volleyball.

Jay Panther

Jay Panther Skiing in Australia

Hello,

The contest this weekend went well. I got third the first day and fourth the second day! The weather was crazy with winds upwards of one hundred kilometers an hour and nearly 30 centimeters of snow. The snow here is much different that what I am used to in Park City. It comes down almost as fast as rain because it is soo wet and feels more like cream than powder when it accumulates. With that much snow it would be reasonable to believe that the course would be soft and easy but that is not the case. The snow sets up and becomes very slick and after just a few people have skied over it, it turns hard as cement. Either way, it was great to get in the gate and compete in August. My skiing is improving very rapidly over here and I am very excited to compete again next weekend. We drive six hours to Mt. Buller on Thursday and compete Saturday. The winner of the event gets $2500! That would be a very nice offset to the cost of this trip :)

Thank you all for your love and support. I have attached a couple of photos.

Jay Panther

Jay Panther Skiing Down Under

Hello,

I am writing today from Perisher Blue, New South Whales Australia! We left Tuesday evening and arrived at our inn Thursday night. Today we skied for the first time and the course is awesome. It is the equivalent of our January here and they have gotten over six feet of snow in the last week and a half. The training is going to be great and we get to compete the next two weekends.

I saw my first kangaroo and Emu (second largest bird behind the ostrich) today. The scenery is beautiful and the people are great. In the short time I have been here, Australia has been everything I had hoped it would be. Thank you so much for the love and support. I will write to let you know how the rest of my trip goes and I will include some photos and video.

Jay Panther

Powerbar Fuels Jay Panther

Today I played in Baxter Jack's Old School Beach Volleyball Tournament in Louisville, KY. The heat was in the mid 90's but with the humidity the heat index was well over a 100 degrees. The tournament started at 9:00 AM and we did not get done playing our last game until 7:00 PM. Fatigue was a huge factor today, especially as the tournament wore on. We were able to win two games against better teams simply because one of the players was so fatigued we were able to expose him. My partner and I were able to stayed fueled on Powerbars' Ironman Performance drinks and Apple Cinnamon Energy Performance Bars while the other teams ate hot dogs and drank water. Thank you Powerbar for providing the products that allow me to perform at my highest level longer! We ended up getting 5th and Powerbar was very much a part of our success!

Jay Panther

Jay Panther

Hello,

It has been a while since my last update as I took the spring off from skiing but summer has begun and so has training. I spent April and May in Santa Monica, CA playing beach volleyball and working for a friend landscaping her property. I entered a two-man volleyball tournament and we got third so I earned my semi-professional B card from the California Beach VolleyballAssociation! I really enjoyed being able to compete outside ski season so I plan on doing more tournaments in September and October. I also got to watch my little brother graduate from Palo Verde High School in Las Vegaswith my Mom and Dad in the beginning of June. Shane is now heading to the University of Las Vegas, Nevada on a full soccer and academic scholarship! I could not be more proud of my brother!

I spent two weeks in Park City and did a lot of water ramping. I had a blast working my mogul tricks but I also played on the bigger jumps(see attached video). I have been in Mt. Hood, OR now for a week and the skiing is great(see attached picture). I am coaching and training with the StrattonMogul Team. We went surfing on Friday and I put in a solid five hours in the water, funtastic!

I am heading home to Louisville on the tenth for some much needed family time. I head back to Park City for a week on the third of August and then I am off to Australia for three weeks! I have never been to Australia and it is the the one place I have always wanted to visit. The ski training is great because it is the their winter, and supposedly they love American accents.

Please add me as a friend on Facebook and enjoy my newest skiing compilation on YouTube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anqApxTk250

Happy Fourth of July!

Jay Panther