Team Kellogg's™ Named To Elite Roster Representing United States And Team USA™ At Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games

BATTLE CREEK, Mich., Jan. 27, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Following a rigorous season of trials and qualification events, six of the competing Team Kellogg's™ U.S. Olympic athletes have demonstrated from great starts come great things by being named to Team USA™. With the Opening Ceremony for the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games just days away on Feb. 7, these U.S. Olympic athletes have earned the chance to be among those proudly representing their country.

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"We congratulate Team Kellogg's, an amazing group of athletes who remind fans everywhere that each day is filled with the potential to achieve your goals when you start it off right," said Noel Geoffroy, Senior Vice President, Marketing & Innovation for Kellogg's® U.S. Morning Foods. "We celebrate all of the great starts along their journey toward the Games, and look forward to many more as we cheer them on in Sochi."

Team Kellogg's Team USA Olympic athletes include U.S. Olympians Ted Ligety (alpine skiing), Noelle Pikus-Pace (skeleton), and Meryl Davis and Charlie White (ice dancing). Additionally, Sarah Hendrickson (ski jumping) and Torin Yater-Wallace (freeskiing) will be competing for Team USA for the first time, and in sports that are new for the Sochi Games.  

"I'm excited that Charlie and I get to represent our country at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games, along with our fellow Team Kellogg's teammates," said Meryl Davis. "Kellogg's has helped us start off our day since we were kids. We're so proud to be part of this incredible group of athletes, and we look forward to lots of great things to come in Sochi."

More About Team Kellogg's
From now through the Games, fans can view the Team Kellogg's athletes' inspirational beginnings through a series of Start Story videos, which follow their journeys to the Sochi Games.  These web videos are part of Kellogg's 'Give A Great Start' program, to give fans a chance to help provide breakfast to kids in need[1]. To learn more, visit Kelloggs.com/teamusa.

• Gretchen Bleiler – Snowboarding
  • "Enjoy the Journey" – After missing qualifying for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, Gretchen rethought her approach to get a great new start in the sport she loves. She decided to start enjoying life along the way as opposed to solely focusing on the end results, and this became her new secret to success as she went on to win a silver medal at the Torino 2006 Olympic Winter Games. View her Start Story.
  • #GreatStartsGretchen
• Heath Calhoun – Paralympic Alpine Skiing
  • "Whole Again" – Following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, Heath joined the U.S. Army. While serving in Iraq in 2003, he lost his legs above the knee in combat. After returning to the U.S., Heath discovered a love for Alpine Skiing during the course of his rehab. This love, and a lot of dedication, earned him a spot on the 2010 U.S. Paralympic Ski team and now he's focused on making it to Sochi. View his Start Story.
  • #GreatStartsHeath
• Meryl Davis & Charlie White – Ice Dancing
  • "Destiny" – Growing up just a few miles apart in Michigan, Meryl and Charlie got their start when they met in a local skating rink and were destined to become one of the best ice dancing teams in the world. They won the Ice Skating World Championships in 2011 and 2013, and are among the favorites heading into the Sochi Games. View their Start Story.
  • #GreatStartsMerylandCharlie
• Sarah Hendrickson – Ski Jumping
  • "Share What You Love" – Sarah's dad and brother both ski jumped competitively, and shared their love for the sport with her when she was growing up. Sarah has developed into one of the premier female ski jumpers in the world, due in large part to the love and support from her family along the way. View her Start Story.
  • #GreatStartsSarah
• Ted Ligety – Alpine Skiing
  • "Playing Forward" – Ted didn't have a great start in competitive alpine skiing, getting beaten by boys and girls during his youth. He really got his start when he started "playing forward" –  forgetting those losses and finding the drive inside him to become a superstar. View his Start Story.
  • #GreatStartsTed
• Noelle Pikus-Pace – Skeleton
  • "Fastest Mom on Ice" – Noelle, a mom of two, is among the top skeleton competitors in the world. Following a severe injury, Noelle has rehabbed her way to top competition-shape, and is now focused on the Sochi Games. View her Start Story.
  • #GreatStartsNoelle
• Amy Purdy – Paralympic Snowboarding
  • "Live It" – Amy was 19 when a bout of severe meningitis claimed both her legs and her spleen, and later required a kidney transplant. Instead of giving up, she chose to continue to live her life to the fullest and has persevered to become a successful Para Snowboarder, with aspirations of competing for Team USA in the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games. View her Start Story.
  • #GreatStartsAmy
• Torin Yater-Wallace – Freeskiing
  • "Do What You Want" – Young and talented, Torin started skiing almost from birth and has relentlessly pushed himself to fly higher and go faster ever since. His family and friends have provided the support that allowed that drive to run free, and he brings that same approach to freeskiing, as well as his life. View his Start Story.
  • #GreatStartsTorin
• Team Kellogg's Legends
  • Jim Craig – Ice Hockey Legend & Team Co-Captain
    • Olympic gold medalist goalie, 1980 USA "Miracle on Ice" Team
    • #GreatStartsJim
  • Kristi Yamaguchi – Figure Skating Legend & Team Co-Captain
    • 1992 gold medalist and U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame member
    • #GreatStartsKristi

Suggested Tweets:

• Click to tweet: Congrats #TeamKelloggs for making #TeamUSA! We look forward to many #greatstarts in Sochi kelloggs.com/teamusa
• Click to tweet: Celebrate #TeamKelloggs and their #greatstarts toward #Sochi2014. View their stories: youtube.com/user/KelloggsUS #TeamUSA

Kellogg Company and USOC Relationship Continues
Dating back to 1976, Kellogg Company has a long history of helping athletes start the day off right through its support of the United States Olympic Committee. Looking forward, Kellogg is proud to support the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams for the 2014 and 2016 Games, as well as Team USA athletes at the 2015 Pan American and Parapan American Games. Kellogg products are available to Team USA athletes at all U.S. Olympic Training Centers in Colorado Springs, Colo., Lake Placid, N.Y., and Chula Vista, Calif.

About Kellogg Company
At Kellogg Company (NYSE: K), we are driven to enrich and delight the world through foods and brands that matter. With 2012 sales of $14.2 billion, Kellogg is the world's leading cereal company; second largest producer of cookies, crackers and savory snacks; and a leading North American frozen foods company.  Every day, our well-loved brands nourish families so they can flourish and thrive. These brands include Kellogg's®, Keebler®, Special K®, Pringles®, Frosted Flakes®, Pop-Tarts®, Corn Flakes®, Rice Krispies®, Kashi®, Cheez-It®, Eggo®, Coco Pops®, Mini-Wheats®, and many more. Because we believe in the power of breakfast, we focus our philanthropic efforts on global hunger relief through our Breakfasts for Better Days™ initiative, providing 1 billion servings of cereal and snacks -  more than half of which are breakfasts - to children and families in need by the end of 2016. To learn more about our responsible business leadership, foods that delight and how we strive to make a difference in our communities around the world, visit www.kelloggcompany.com.

[1] For each "Great Start" consumers activate, Kellogg will provide $.27, up to $540,000, to Action for Healthy Kids to help increase participation in new or expanded school breakfast programs resulting in a projected 2 million additional breakfasts served if the maximum contribution is reached.

SOURCE Kellogg Company