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John Russell's sports column appears Sundays in Steamboat Today. Contact him at 871-4209 or e-mail jrussell@steamboatpilot.com.

Steamboat Springs — Budget cuts cost Erica Mueller a place on the U.S. Snowboarding Team this year, but she's not going to let that end her dream to make the Olympics in Vancouver.

Mueller, who lost her B Team slot last year along with several other riders, joined a newly formed, independent group of champion Alpine snowboarders called America's Snowboard Team. The idea behind the privately funded team is to give top-level athletes a chance to make it to the Olympics in 2010.

The group includes national champions like Mueller, Zac Kay and Josh Wylie. Kay and Wylie trained in Steamboat Springs, and two-time Olympian Chris Klug won a bronze medal in 2002.

The group of four riders has landed a couple of nationally known sponsors, including a somewhat unlikely source - the Hooters restaurant chain. The support allowed the team to hire top-of-the-line coaches like Rob Roy to head up the team and Ian Price, a former World Cup racer and two-time U.S. Open champion, as assistant coach and technician.

The team's main goals are to put riders on the U.S. Olympic team and, hopefully, bring back a medal from Vancouver. In the process, the riders also hope to raise the profile of Alpine snowboarding in our country.

Mueller said she understands the national team's budget woes and that she isn't bitter that she doesn't have a spot on the team this season. But she also doesn't want to lose what could be her last shot at the Olympics.

She thinks America's Snowboarding Team will provide her with a quality shot, and she also is excited about working with new coaches and new teammates in an atmosphere that will promote growth in the sport.

Thanks to the support from Hooters, the Aspen Snowmass Ski Resorts, the marketing company BCF, USASA, the Chris Klug Foundation and Dominatior Race Wax, America's Snowboarding Team is busy preparing for the season and proving that athletes still can pursue their dreams even without the support of the ski team.

Sure, Mueller would love to be a fully funded member of the U.S. Team, but in the current economic climate, she's happy to have some of the country's top athletes and coaches on her side.

"I feel so honored and proud to be a member of America's Snowboard Team. It made me realize that with a little hard work and a strong desire, I can be a part of something I truly believe in - a team based on passion and dedication to our sport and to each other. I think these qualities are what will take us to the podium in Vancouver next February," she said.

Nobody knows who will earn a spot to try for a medal, or if the Americans will be able to grab any hardware in Vancouver. But it's clear that not all of the athletes hoping to represent our country will be wearing U.S. Team jackets leading up to the Olympics, and more than a few could come from an unexpected place.