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Life Editor

U.S. Women’s National Hockey Team Fan Club members will decorate the team’s Blaine locker room with artistic signs of support featuring Olympic themes.

Team USA recently announced the details of a poster contest to celebrate its goal of winning the gold medal at the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games.

The “Go for the Gold” contest features four different age categories, said Barclay Kruse, National Sports Center (NSC) chief communications officer.

The contest age categories include three categories for youth. Fan club entrants can use any art medium, including computer design, to create their entries.

All posters, including each category winner, will be displayed in the U.S. Women’s National Team’s home arena (Rink 6) at the Schwan Super Rink.

Winners will receive a hockey stick autographed by the team and will be treated to a personal tour of the team’s locker room, hosted by some of the players.

The four poster categories include the following: adult; ninth through 12th grades; sixth through eighth grades and fifth grade and under, Kruse said.

Contest entrants should create a poster measuring 11 inches wide by 17 inches tall (portrait mode) utilizing the “Go for the Gold” theme to show their support.

Only original poster artwork will be considered.

Participants may use watercolor, pen and ink, crayon, chalk, markers or original computer graphics as poster media.

All participants must fill out and sign an entry and release form and all entries must include the finished posters and the completed entry and release form.

Don’t send an electronic entry. Only mail or delivery in person is accepted. All submissions will become the property of the NSC and will not be returned.

Only one entry per person will be accepted. Poster entries should be sent by regular mail or delivered in person to National Sports Center/Schwan Super Rink.

Mailed poster contest entries should be addressed to: “Go for the Gold” Poster Contest, 1700 105th Ave. N.E., Blaine, MN 55449.

Posters can be delivered in person to the NSC’s main office or the front desk of the Schwan Super Rink 1850 105th Ave. N.E. The contest deadline is 5 p.m, Jan. 4, 2010.

Online voting for the contest will take place Wednesday, Jan. 6 through Sunday, Jan. 10, 2010.

Winners will be announced on Monday, Jan. 11, 2010, by 5 p.m.

Each person will be able to vote for one poster in each category.

For more information, contact Angie Bertrand, 763-717-3243 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

U.S. Women’s National Hockey Team Fan Club membership is free and open to all.

Visit http://www.nscsports.org/facilities/superrink/fan_club.htm to register.

Thirteen of the team’s 23 players have established residence in the city of Blaine.  

Team members are actively involved in planning and participating in fan club activities before they leave for the Olympics.

Barring an upset, Canada and the U.S. are expected to meet Feb. 25 in the Olympic gold medal game in Vancouver. The Canadians have won the last two Olympic titles.

Canada and the U.S. played Dec. 12 in Denver, Colo. Team Canada won that game 4-2; the two teams met again Tuesday night (Dec. 15) in Calgary, Alberta, and will play Dec. 30 at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul and Jan. 1, 2010, in Ottawa, Ontario, in pre-Olympic exhibitions.

The U.S. Olympic Women’s Ice Hockey Team has medaled in all three Olympic appearances to date (Gold-1998, Silver-2002 and Bronze-2006).

USA Hockey formally announced the 2010 U.S. Olympic Women’s Ice Hockey Team roster at the Mall of America Thursday afternoon, Dec. 17, at 4:30 p.m.

The free public event included the 21 players who will represent the U.S. from Feb. 12 to Feb. 28. Team USA also participated in a public autograph session.


Tim Hennagir is at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it