NORDIC SKIING -- Making the leap from a magnificent life sport to the realm of world class, Sadie Bjornsen, 21, of Washington's Methow Valley has been accepted by the B team of the U.S. Ski Team.

Her brother, Erik, 19, was accepted to the D Team, which means equal work and pressure but no financial support.

They received their invitations on Wednesday.  Read on for details.

Sadie is ranked sixth in the world for her age group in sprint and ninth for distance.  She will be expected to join the US Ski Team in Park City, Utah, for two summer training camps plus another in Bend, OR, and will continue training (while pursuing her accounting degree) at Alaska Pacific University (APU).

As members of the U.S. Ski Team, the Bjornsens are required to spend a minimum of four weeks competing against other world-class athletes throughout Europe and Russia.

The siblings learned to ski on the fabulous trails of the Methow Valley with the Methow Valley Ski Team. Sadie is a former women's champion of the Spokane Langlauf 10K.

This year U.S. Ski Team will consist of 12 athletes, 5 women and 7 men.  The A Team has two men and two women, the B Team is three women and three men and the D Team is two men.