USA BANDY TEAM SEEKING SKATERS FOR 2004 CHAMPIONSHIPS

The US national bandy team (www.usabandy.com) is looking for skaters in
the US and Canada interested in competing in the first ever world
championships in women's bandy, which will be held in Lappeenranta,
Finland February 18-22, 2004. No bandy experience is required, but a
strong hockey background is recommended.  Bandy is best described as
field hockey on ice skates, and is known as the world's fastest team
sport (www.internationalbandy.com).

The US team will be allowed to use players from both the US and Canada,
and will face Sweden, Norway, Finland and Russia in the February
competition. The team is based in the Minneapolis/St.Paul (Minnesota)
area, where practices and practice games are held. However, out-of-town
players are still encouraged to inquire, as the main purpose of this
championship is to introduce women to international competition and
qualified players may be able to participate on the team with minimal
or no time spent in Minneapolis.

Bandy has received conditional Olympic recognition from the IOC, and
this championship is a step towards eventual Winter Games inclusion.
This is a great opportunity to get in at the ground level for anyone
interested in this possibility.

For more information, please contact the team's GM/coach at
paul.meehl@usabandy.com or at (612) 597-1908.