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Steamboat Springs — Five Nordic combined juniors will leave Steamboat Springs on Monday afternoon hoping to make the most of an opportunity to ski with the world's best.

"This is huge," Taylor Fletcher said. "This is our chance to see how we measure up to the world. It's what we've been working toward all season."

Fletcher will join teammates Brett Denney, Nick Hendrickson, Colin Delaney and Cliff Field for the trip, which includes a World Cup stop in Chaux-Neuve, France, and the Junior World Championships in Strbske Pleso, Slovakia.

Part of the group will get a chance to compete in France from Jan. 31 to Feb. 2, and the entire group will ski in Slovakia at the Junior World Championships from Feb. 5 to 8.

"I wasn't that excited about it at first," coach Martin Bayer said about sending the juniors to the World Cup. "But after talking to the U.S. Ski Team coaches about it, we decided it was a good idea. We are not going into it with high expectations, and we understand that these athletes will be competing at a level that is way over their heads. But we think the experience could pay off down the road."

The juniors are getting the chance because members of the U.S. Nordic Combined Team's "A" squad are taking that week off the tour and preparing for the World Championships at home.

Bayer said rule changes this season at the World Cup level allow the "A" level skiers to give their spots to the juniors.

That means Fletcher, Denney and Hendrickson will have a chance to start in a World Cup event, a big step up from the Continental Cup events the juniors have been skiing in this season.

"It's not going to be easy," Denney said. "This is about getting some experience and some good training before Junior Worlds."

The juniors don't expect to end up on the World Cup podium, but the local Nordic combined skiers wouldn't mind picking up some points.

"This is our chance to get to that level," Hendrickson said. "It's a chance to see where we are at in relation to the skiers on the World Cup."

Team focus

Hendrickson moved to Steamboat Springs from Park City, Utah, to be a part of a special junior development program based at Howelsen Hill and led by Bayer. Other members of the group include Steamboat natives Fletcher, Denney and Field. Delaney moved to Steamboat from Lake Placid, N.Y., to be a part of the group.

The goal of the skiers is to make it to the World Cup, but make no mistake, the reason these skiers are headed to Europe is for a chance to make some noise at the Junior World Championships.

"I think we have a pretty fast team," Fletcher said. "It's been a few years since the Americans have been on the podium in the team event, and I think we would like to change that."

Fletcher, Denney and Hendrickson are expected to form three legs of the team. Coaches will have to choose between Delaney and Field once the team gets to Slovakia.

"I'm just really happy to be going," said Field, a sophomore at Steamboat Springs High School and the youngest member of the group. "I've looked up to these guys my entire life, and now I get the chance to go and compete with them."

The Nordic combined portion of the Junior World Championships will included a one-jump, 5-kilometer sprint event scheduled for Feb. 5. The four-man team event is expected to take place Feb. 6 and the Nordic combined events will come to a close Feb. 8 with the one-jump, 10-kilometer individual event.

"I guess I'm just looking forward to the whole experience. Delaney said. "It will be interesting to see how we line up against the best juniors in the world."