SKI CROSS:

U.S. ski cross star Puckett questionable for Olympics after shoulder injury

Jan. 13, 2010 — The Canadian Press

VAIL, Colo. — American ski cross racer Casey Puckett's push to make his fifth Olympics is in jeopardy after enduring a severe shoulder injury in France.

Puckett, the 37-year-old, four-time Olympian in alpine, came out of retirement to try to make it back to the Olympics in ski cross this year.

He finished fourth in a race in France last week but didn't make it to the bottom in the final because of a nasty crash in which he separated his shoulder from his collarbone.

In a blog posting Wednesday, Puckett said he was awaiting the results of an MRI and was "actually optimistic" after speaking with doctors.

His fourth-place finish put him in good position to make the U.S. freestyle team, which will be named later this month.  SRC