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Shiffrin Second In Xfinity Killington Cup GS

By U.S. Ski & Snowboard
November, 25 2017

KILLINGTON, Vt. (Nov. 25, 2017) – Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, Colo.) took a huge step in her Olympic season giant slalom preparation, finishing second in the Xfinity Killington Cup, the second GS race of the FIS Ski World Cup. Germany’s Viktoria Rebensburg took her second-straight giant slalom victory, as Italy’s Manuela Moelgg finished third.

“This is definitely a step in the right direction after Soelden,” said Shiffrin, who finished fifth at the season-opening giant slalom last month in Austria. “I felt a lot more confident with my skiing today and I’m excited to keep that going. It was a sweet race today, it was really fun to ski.”

In front of a record-breaking crowd of more than 18,000 screaming fan at Killington – which eclipsed the previous record of 16,000 set last year at Killington – Shiffrin drilled her first run, leaving just a 0.26-second margin to first-run leader Rebensburg, winner of the season-opener in Soelden.

With a thundering crowd, overcast skies and light precipitation moving in for the second run, Shiffrin took a few risks to maintain her podium position.

“I felt like I had a couple little bobbles where I felt myself losing time,” she said. “But I also took a little bit of extra risk where I may have gained some time. It wasn’t like one of my flawless training runs where I felt like: ‘Oh my gosh it’s the fastest that course could be skied.’ But it was definitely one of my best race runs.”

With her second-place finish, Shiffrin maintained her overall World Cup lead by five points over Rebensburg heading into Sunday’s slalom, the second run of which will be broadcast LIVE on NBC at 1:00 p.m. EST.

“The mentality I had today is the same mentality I need to have tomorrow in order to bring out some of my better skiing,” Shiffrin said heading into Sunday’s slalom. “It’s a new day, a new race and new competition. And I’m excited to go for it!”

Megan McJames (Park City, Utah) finished 29th.  AJ Hurt (San Francisco, Calif.) made her World Cup debut, finishing 45th in the first run.

Bennett Top American in Lake Louise Downhill
The speed skiers kicked off their season today with the downhill in Lake Louise. Beat Feuz of Switzerland squeaked out the win over Matthias Mayer of Austria, who was second and Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway in third. Bryce Bennett (Squaw Valley, Calif.) was the top American Downhiller of the day in 21st. The super G goes off Sunday at 2:00 p.m. EST, led by Travis Ganong (Squaw Valley, Calif.), who has podiumed twice at Lake Louise.

RESULTS
Women’s Giant Slalom, Killington, Vermont
Men’s Downhill – Lake Louise, Alberta
 

Diggins Top-10 in Ruka 10k

By Tom Kelly
November, 25 2017
Jessie Diggins double poles to a top 10 in Ruka.

RUKA, Finland (Nov. 25, 2017) - Jessie Diggins (Afton, Minn.) put down a top-10 finish in the opening distance race of the season Saturday in Ruka, Finland. Diggins was 10th, just over a minute back from a dominating win by Norway’s Marit Bjoergen in the 10k classic. Ida Sargent was 22nd with Sadie Bjornsen (Winthrop, Wash.) 23rd – just a day after her classic sprint podium.

“I was really impressed with our wax staff,” said Diggins. "It was extremely tricky waxing conditions out there with new snow that got wet and glazed in the tracks. And since we chose wax over wax-less, I was able to run right up those Ruka hills for the first time in my career! It was awesome. I always work my way into the season and it’s nice to feel my race shape starting to take form again!”

“It was a classic Ruka day – zero degrees Celsius with a rainy mist coming down and cold snow underneath the surface of the snow,” said Head Coach Chris Grover. “It was a brutal day for the service team.” Ski selection ran the gamut from hairies to klister covered and warm hard wax.

“I really struggled with skis today and didn't have the extra power to push through it,” said Sadie Bjornsen, who now stands fifth in the FIS World Cup overall rankings. She went with hairies, which ended up a bit slick.

“I was really proud for fighting hard, and pushing on like I was racing for a medal. What I have learned with classic skiing in this world of crazy conditions is that when the stars align, it can turn into an incredible day.”

“Skis worked well for some and were quite a bit off for others unfortunately,” added Grover. “Jessie was happy with her performance - perhaps one of her better early season classic races in Ruka. Really big distance performance today for Ida Sargent in 22nd - one of her best distance performances ever."

Erik Bjornsen (Winthrop, Wash.) led the U.S. men in 26th, catching a ride from podium finisher Iivo Niskanen, who started 30 seconds behind him, but wasn’t quite able to hold onto him during the last lap. Bjornsen is in a good place for Sunday’s pursuit.   Action wraps up in Ruka Sunday with a 10k freestyle pursuit for the women and 15k for the men.

OFFICIAL RESULTS
Men’s 15k Classic
Women’s 10k Classic

Bjornsen Second In World Cup Opener

By Tom Kelly
November, 24 2017

RUKA, Finland (Nov. 24, 2017) – Sadie Bjornsen (Winthrop, Wash.) battled head-to-head against the best sprinters in the world to finish second – a career-best individual result – in the opening World Cup classic sprint of the season at Ruka. It was a breakthrough performance and another showcase for the depth of the U.S. Ski Team women.

Bjornsen qualified fifth then took a semi-final victory to advance to the finals where Sweden’s Stina Nilsson picked up the win. Sophie Caldwell (Peru, Vt.), who qualified third, was eighth.

"What an amazing and exciting way to start this new season," said a jubilant Bjornsen.

In the first Olympic selection event of the season (the Olympic sprint will be classic technique), both Bjornsen and Caldwell ticked off the top-level criteria box for team selection. While the squad won't be confirmed until late January, it puts both of them into the driver's seat in classic sprint selection.

"Sadie was in control all day," said Head Coach Chris Grover. "She really challenged Nilsson for the win in the finish straight. She knows now that she can do it."

The American qualified four women and one man into the heats. Jessie Diggins (Afton, Minn.) was just outside in 34th. Also, qualifying was Ida Sargent (Orleans, Vt.), Rosie Brennan (Park City, Utah) and Erik Bjornsen (Winthrop, Wash.).

It was the first time Bjornsen had advanced out of a heat since March, 2016 in Quebec City. But she came in with renewed sense of optimism - "I said to myself, 'time to fight, Sadie, it's a new year.'" In the quarter-final she had some 'intimidating names' (her words) to contend with. But she just kept believing and won over Russian Yulia Belorukova by nearly four-tenths and Sweden's Hanna Falk. In the semi-finals, she found her place on the final hill where she was the strongest - loving the steepness of the climb. She held off Belorukova for her second straight heat win.

Bjornsen took a renewed sense of confidence into the final heat - this time finding herself was on that final climb going toe-to-toe with Nilsson - one of the greatest sprinters of all time.

"I was in disbelief," she said. "I had dreamed of this kind of day and now it was happening."

On a tricky waxing day, the U.S. Ski Team technician team came through. While Norway struggled early on finding the wax, Bjornsen and Caldwell had rockets. With temps at that tricky point right around freezing, Jean-Pascal 'JP' Laurin found a special sweet spot to give Bjornsen an edge. Bjornsen attacked Nilsson on the climb and was setting up for a sprint finish when a small bobble dampened her momentum, putting her second by two-tenths.

Both Diggins and Randall both just missed qualifying in tricky weather conditions where new snowfall played a factor.

“Today was such a great day for the team and I’m especially pumped up for Sadie. What awesome skiing out there!,” said Diggins. “Personally, this course and this event have never been an amazing race for me and I always work into the season. So I’m staying confident in the hundreds of hours of training I’ve put in and staying patient knowing that my peak will come later in the season!”

Racing continues at Ruka with a men's 15k and women's 10k mass start classic on Saturday, wrap up Sunday with same distances in a freestyle pursuit. Neither is an Olympic discipline this year, so Olympic selection is not at stake. Expect a strong matchup next weekend in the second classic sprint in Lillehammer, Norway.

Friday's sprint will air on the Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA TV channel at 4:30 p.m. Friday. A technical program impacted planned live coverage earlier in the day.

RESULTS
Women's Classic Sprint
 

Wall-to-Wall Nordic Coverage from NBC Sports Group

By Tom Kelly
November, 23 2017
Jessie Digging Ruka Training

Nordic ski fans in America will have a special treat this year as the NBC Sports Group gears up to bring every World Cup competition from around the globe to U.S. viewers, including all cross country, nordic combined and ski jumping (men and women) events. It's the most comprehensive lineup of coverage ever for nordic sport in America, with more than 118 hours of TV broadcast coverage plus live streaming.

The coverage plan will feature extensive live streaming and television broadcasts, primarily on the new Olympic Channel - Home of Team USA - television channel as well as streaming on OlympicChannel.com and featured broadcast coverage on NBCSN.

The programming lineup is the most ever for nordic sports in America. And this February, fans can watch live streaming of every event at the Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang, plus an increased TV broadcast presence.

The blockbuster coverage begins this weekend with live coverage from the Ruka Nordic Opener, a three-day festival of nordic skiing including the open races of the 2017-18 FIS Cross Country and Nordic Combined World Cup tours, plus the second weekend of the Ski Jumping World Cup.

To watch the coverage, fans will need subscriptions to NBCSN and Olympic Channel through their cable or satellite provider.

All TV broadcasts will feature commentary. NBC's Bill Seward and Olympian Chad Salmela will handle cross country with NBC's Bill Spaulding and Seward doing ski jumping along with world champion Johnny Spillane.

VIEWING TIPS

  • NBC Sports Group coverage of cross country, nordic combined and ski jumping will be an all-time high this season, featuring nearly every World Cup around the globe.
  • U.S. fans should get a subscription to Olympic Channel, Home of Team USA, from their cable or satellite provider to enable viewing on TV, web or mobile app. Olympic Channel is readily available from nearly all cable and satellite providers.
  • The Olympic Channel - Home of Team USA - will be the primary home of broadcasts with most planned live (some on same day delay).
  • OlympicChannel.com will be the primary home for live streaming.
  • Some higher-profile events will air on NBCSN (separate subscription). Those events airing on NBCSN will be live streamed at NBCSports.com and on the NBC Sports mobile app.

RUKA NORDIC OPENING WEEKEND SCHEDULE (all times EST)
Cross Country

Friday, Nov. 24
6:30-8:00 a.m. - Men’s & Women’s  Sprint - LIVE on Olympic Channel TV
8:30-9:25 a.m. - Nordic combined HS142m jump - Streaming live on Olympic Channel app and olympicchannel.com
11:15 - 12:00 p.m. - Nordic combined 5k - Streaming live on Olympic Channel app and olympicchannel.com
11:55 a.m.-1:05 p.m. - HS142m ski jumping qualifying - Streaming live on Olympic Channel app and olympicchannel.com

Saturday, Nov. 25
3:45-4:40 a.m. - Nordic combined HS142m jump - Streaming live on Olympic Channel app and olympicchannel.com
4:30-6:00 a.m. - Women's 10k CL - LIVE on Olympic Channel TV
6:30-8:00 a.m. - Men's 15k CL - Streaming live on Olympic Channel app and olympicchannel.com
8:30-9:15 a.m. - Nordic combined 10k - Streaming live on Olympic Channel app and olympicchannel.com
10:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m. - HS142m team ski jumping - Streaming live on Olympic Channel app and olympicchannel.com

Sunday, Nov. 26
3:30-5:00 a.m. - Women’s 10k pursuit - LIVE on Olympic Channel TV
4:45-5:40 a.m. - Nordic combined HS142m jump - Streaming live on Olympic Channel app and olympicchannel.com
6:00-6:55 a.m. - Men's 15k pursuit - Streaming live on Olympic Channel app and olympicchannel.com
7:30-8:15 a.m. - Nordic combined 10k - Streaming live on Olympic Channel app and olympicchannel.com
9:00 a.m.-10:50 a.m. - HS142m ski jumping - Streaming live on Olympic Channel app and olympicchannel.com
6:00-7:30 p.m. - Olympic Channel TV

Watch the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team: Nov. 24-26

By U.S. Ski & Snowboard
November, 22 2017
KillingtonCrowd

See what’s on tap this week as the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team competes around the globe.

Xfinity Killington Cup - Killington, Vt.
Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, Colo.) headlines a field of talented U.S. and international skiers at the first domestic women’s FIS Ski World Cup of the season. Athletes will race giant slalom on Saturday, Nov. 25 and slalom on Sunday, Nov. 26.

Killington2017
Crews are busy preparing the Superstar stadium finish area for this weekend's Xfinity Killington Cup. (Reese Brown)


FIS Ski World Cup - Lake Louise, CAN
World Championship medalist and World Cup winner Travis Ganong (Squaw Valley, Calif.) will headline the U.S. field in Saturday’s downhill. Olympic champion Ted Ligety (Park City, Utah) is expected to compete in Sunday’s super-G.


FIS Cross Country World Cup - Ruka, FIN
The U.S. Ski Team cross country team kicks off its World Cup season in Ruka with events Nov. 24-26. The U.S. is fielding more than a dozen athletes, including World Champions Jessie Diggins (Afton, Minn.) and Kikkan Randall (Anchorage).

JessieDiggins
Jessie Diggins (Getty Images)

 

FIS Freeski World Cup - Stubai, AUT
U.S. Freeski Team rookie athletes, including Caroline Claire (Manchester Center, Vt.) and World Cup winner Colby Stevenson (Park City, Utah), will take center stage at the FIS Freestyle World Cup in Stubai. Competition kicks off on Friday, Nov. 24 with women’s qualifications followed by men’s qualifications on Saturday. Finals take place Sunday.


FIS Nordic Combined World Cup - Ruka, FIN
The town of Steamboat Springs, Colorado will be well-represented at this week’s World Cup opener in Ruka with USA Nordic’s Bryan Fletcher, Taylor Fletcher and Ben Berend representing the U.S.


FIS Ski Jumping World Cup - Ruka, FIN
USA Nordic’s men’s ski jumping team will compete in their first World Cup of the season Nov. 24-26 in Ruka, Finland. Kevin Bickner (Wauconda, Ill.), Will Rhoads (Park City, Utah) and 2017 U.S. Champion Michael Glasder (Cary, Ill.) will be jumping for the stars and stripes.


FIS Snowboard World Cup - Beijing, CHN
Big air master Ryan Stassel (Anchorage) is the lone U.S. athlete competing at this weekend’s World Cup in Beijing. Qualifications take place Nov. 24 with finals on Nov. 25.

RyanStassel
Ryan Stassel (U.S. Ski & Snowboard)

 

U.S. SKI & SNOWBOARD BROADCAST AND STREAMING SCHEDULE
*schedules subject to change

ALPINE:
Nov. 25

10 a.m. ET – Women’s giant slalom, run 1 – nbcsports.com / NBC Sports App
12:30 p.m. ET – Women’s giant slalom, run 2 – nbcsports.com / NBC Sports App
2:15 p.m. ET – Men’s downhill – nbcsports.com / olympicchannel.com
3 p.m. ET – Women’s giant slalom, runs 1 & 2 – NBC (same day delay)
5 p.m. ET – Men’s downhill – Olympic Channel TV (same day delay)

Nov. 26
10 a.m. ET – Women’s slalom, run 1 – nbcsports.com / NBC Sports App
1 p.m. ET – Women’s slalom, run 2 – NBC / nbcsports.com / NBC Sports App
2 p.m. ET – Men’s super-G – nbcsports.com / olympicchannel.com
4:30 p.m. – Men’s super-G – Olympic Channel TV (same day delay)

NORDIC COMBINED:
Nov. 24

8:30 a.m. ET– Men’s gundersen LH HS142 – olympicchannel.com
11:15 a.m. ET – Men’s gundersen 5k – olympicchannel.com

Nov. 25
3:45 a.m. ET – Men’s gundersen LH HS142 – olympicchannel.com
8:30 a.m. ET – Men’s gundersen 10k – olympicchannel.com

Nov. 26
4:45 a.m. ET – Men’s gundersen LH HS142 – olympicchannel.com
7:30 a.m. ET – men’s gundersen 10k – olympicchannel.com

SKI JUMPING:
Nov. 24

11:55 a.m. ET – Men’s HS142 qualifications – olympicchannel.com

Nov. 25
10:15 a.m. ET – Men’s Team HS142 – olympicchannel.com
3:30 p.m. ET – Men’s Team HS142 – Olympic Channel TV (same day delay)

Nov. 26
9 a.m. ET – Men’s HS142 finals – olympicchannel.com
6 p.m. ET – Men’s HS142 finals – Olympic Channel TV (same day delay)    

CROSS COUNTRY:
Nov. 24

6:30 a.m. ET – Men’s and women’s sprint – Olympic Channel TV (live)

Nov. 25
4:30 a.m. ET – Women’s 10k – Olympic Channel TV (live)
6:30 a.m. ET – Men’s 15k C Indivudual – olympicchannel.com

Nov. 26
3:30 a.m. ET – Women’s 10k pursuit – Olympic Channel TV (live)
6 a.m. ET – Men’s 15k pursuit F – olympicchannel.com

FREESKI:
Nov. 26

5:15 a.m. ET – Men’s and women’s slopestyle – olympicchannel.com
3:30 p.m. ET – Men’s and women’s slopestyle – Olympic Channel TV (same day delay)

SNOWBOARD:
Nov. 25

6:30 a.m. ET  – Men’s and women’s big air – olympicchannel.com
10:30 a.m. ET – Men’s and women’s big air  – Olympic Channel TV (same day delay)

It’s Back: The Beast of the East

By Megan Harrod
November, 22 2017
Big Crowds at Killington in 2016

The domestic FIS Ski World Cup races are underway this week, as the excitement builds for the tech women in Killington, Vermont and the American Downhillers in Lake Louise.

Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, Colo.), who attended Vermont's Burke Mountain Academy, looks for victory on home soil, where she’ll be competing in front of family and friends—including her best friend who will be in Killington to watch the action. Last year, the World Cup returned to the east for the first time in 25 years, and Killington played host to a record number of fans. With 30,000 spectators over two days viewing the best women skiers in the world on the steep and difficult Superstar trail, the crowds were among the biggest North American skiing has seen.

Shiffrin will aim to defend her reign as slalom “Superstar” gained last year, and she also seeks redemption, after finishing fifth in the World Cup opener in Soelden, Austria, and second behind Slovakia’s Petra Vlhova in Levi, Finland. This weekend will also mark the World Cup debut of two young U.S. Ski Team athletes, including AJ Hurt (Squaw Valley, Calif.) and Katie Hensien (Redmond, Wash.).

Up north in the picturesque Lake Louise, Canada, the American Downhillers prepare for their domestic speed series kickoff. The speed men will be led by Steven Nyman (Sundance, Utah), who has been rehabbing his knee since a gnarly crash last year in Garmisch, Germany and Travis Ganong (Squaw Valley. Calif.), who has podiumed twice in Lake Louise. It is still unknown whether Nyman will kick out of the start gate on race day, but he plans to ski the training runs and see how he feels.

Jared Goldberg (Holladay, Utah) and Tommy Biesemeyer (Keene, NY) both posted fast times in the recent FIS downhill races at Copper Mountain, Colorado, with Goldberg setting the pace in the first race, among a stacked field of Germans, Italians, Austrians and more.

Dan Hicks will call the action from Killington, Vermont, joined by analysts Bode Miller, the most decorated U.S. Olympic skier in history, and former U.S. Ski Team alumnus Steve Porino, and reporter Carolyn Manno.

Steve Schlanger and U.S. Ski Team alumnus Will Brandenburg will call the action in Lake Louise. See who to watch and where to catch all the action below.

WOMEN’S STARTERS – Killington
Giant Slalom
AJ Hurt*
Tricia Mangan
Megan McJames
Nina O’Brien
Mikaela Shiffrin
Resi Stiegler


Slalom
Katie Hensien*
Lila Lapanja
Megan McJames
Paula Moltzan
Mikaela Shiffrin
Resi Stiegler


MEN’S STARTERS – Lake Louise
Downhill
Bryce Bennett
Tommy Biesemeyer
Travis Ganong
Jared Goldberg
Wiley Maple
Steven Nyman**
Andrew Weibrecht

Super-G
Bryce Bennett
Tommy Biesemeyer
Ryan Cochran-Siegle

Travis Ganong
Jared Goldberg
Ted Ligety
Wiley Maple
Steven Nyman**
Andrew Weibrecht

*Denotes first World Cup start
**TBD on return to competition


HOW TO WATCH (times ET)

2017 XFINITY KILLINGTON CUP
Saturday, Nov. 25
10 a.m. ET – Women’s giant slalom, run 1 – nbcsports.com / NBC Sports App
12:30 p.m. ET – Women’s giant slalom, run 2 – nbcsports.com / NBC Sports App
3 p.m. ET – Women’s giant slalom, runs 1 & 2 – NBC (same day delay)


Sunday, Nov. 26
10 a.m. ET – Women’s slalom, run 1 – nbcsports.com / NBC Sports App
1 p.m. ET – Women’s slalom, run 2 – NBC / nbcsports.com / NBC Sports App

LAKE LOUISE MEN’S SPEED KICKOFF         
Saturday, Nov. 25
2:15 p.m. ET – Men’s Downhill – streamed LIVE on the Olympic Channel app // olympicchannel.com
5 p.m. ET – Men’s Downhill – Olympic Channel (same day delay)

Sunday, Nov. 26
2:00 p.m. ET – Men’s Super-G – streamed LIVE on the Olympic Channel app // olympicchannel.com
4:30 p.m. ET – Men’s Super-G – Olympic Channel (same day delay)

How to Watch the Xfinity Killington Cup on NBC

By U.S. Ski & Snowboard
November, 21 2017
Tune In to the Xfinity Killington Cup on NBC

Olympic champion Mikaela Shiffrin will hit the slopes this weekend for the first domestic FIS Alpine World Cup of the season at Killington Mountain in Vermont Nov. 25-26. NBC Sports Group will present comprehensive coverage of the event which includes women’s giant slalom and slalom.

Shiffrin won last year’s slalom event in Killington and took fifth in the giant slalom. She’s looking for her first win of the season in either discipline after finishing fifth at the giant slalom opener in Soelden, Austria and second at the slalom opener in Levi, Finland.

NBC’s coverage begins Saturday at 3 p.m. ET with runs 1 and 2 of the women’s giant slalom, followed by live coverage of the women’s slalom on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET. Dan Hicks will call the action from Killington, joined by analysts Bode Miller, the most decorated U.S. Olympic skier in history, former World Cup skier Steve Porino, and reporter Carolyn Manno.

NBC, Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA, and NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app will combine to present coverage of this weekend’s event. For more information on the Xfinity Killington Cup, including a detailed event and TV schedule, visit usskiandsnowboard.org.


2017 XFINITY KILLINGTON CUP
Broadcast and Streaming Schedule (all times ET)

Saturday, Nov. 25
10 a.m. ET – Women’s giant slalom, run 1 – nbcsports.com / NBC Sports App
12:30 p.m. ET – Women’s giant slalom, run 2 – nbcsports.com/ NBC Sports App
3 p.m. ET – Women’s giant slalom, runs 1 & 2 – NBC (same day delay)

Sunday, Nov. 26
10 a.m. ET – Women’s slalom, run 1 – nbcsports.com / NBC Sports App
1 p.m. ET – Women’s slalom, run 2 – NBC / nbcsports.com / NBC Sports App

U.S. Ski & Snowboard Unveils New Merchandise Shop

By U.S. Ski & Snowboard
November, 21 2017
Browse our new gear

U.S. Ski & Snowboard has launched a new merchandise shop with the latest team and athlete gear. The shop features top of the line product and all purchases go to support the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team athletes as they prepare for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in February.

The shop debuted in conjunction with the launch of U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s new website at usskiandsnowboard.org. The new website and shop are seamlessly integrated and designed to reflect the organization’s new brand that was launched this past summer. Fans visiting the shop will find a variety of men’s, women’s and children’s styles to help them show their pride and cheer on U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes around the globe.

“U.S. Ski & Snowboard has some of the most dedicated fans in winter sport and, whether you’re out on the hill or cheering from your home, the new shop has the gear you need to show your pride and support for our athletes,” said Brooke McAffee, U.S. Ski & Snowboard Chief Financial Officer. “We’ll also be rolling out official team gear and athlete-inspired designs. The U.S. Ski & Snowboard shop brings all of our team apparel together in one place and each purchase makes a difference for our athletes.”

To get the latest U.S. Ski & Snowboard product and apparel, visit shop.usskiandsnowboard.org.

Exclusive Member Discounts

By U.S. Ski & Snowboard
November, 20 2017
Exclusive Member Discounts

Your member discounts await! New offers added regularly! Just sign into your My USSA Account and click the Member Discounts button to start shopping brands like Jacuzzi, Rollerblade and GoPro, and many more. Enjoy! You’ve earned it.

Member Discount Button

 

Future Look at Ski Racing Development

By Tom Kelly
November, 17 2017
Future Look at Ski Racing Development

PARK CITY, Utah (Nov. 16, 2017) - Alpine ski racing has a long history of success in America. But how is it positioned for the future? U.S. Ski & Snowboard, the governing body for Olympic skiing and snowboarding in America, is initiating evolutionary changes in how it will approach alpine ski racing with an eye on results at the 2022 and 2026 Olympics. The recommendations come after a nearly two-year analysis resulting in a program direction that will bring changes to team selection and development philosophy.

Beginning in the spring of 2016, U.S. Ski & Snowboard undertook a comprehensive, in-depth analysis to better understand and learn both from its own alpine development system and those of other major nations in the sport. The Project 26 study represented an evolutionary change in how U.S. Ski & Snowboard, along with its regional and club network, will approach national team selection and development programming in the future - specifically with an eye on results at the 2026 Olympics and beyond.

The result of these studies will be a new foundation of criteria for naming annual A-B-C Teams, as well as an innovative new methodology for inviting and managing athletes into the alpine development program. Key changes that will include:

  • Refine U.S. Ski Team programming to focus on winning medals with selection criteria specifically focused on athletes who are on track to win medals.
  • Shift from a national-managed D team to a shared elite development model between U.S. Ski & Snowboard and clubs.
  • U.S. Ski & Snowboard will work more closely with regions and clubs to create a deeper pool of elite developing athletes from 12 to 20 years old.
  • Direct resources towards high-level coaching expertise as well as club and coach education.

"Our success as a nation in alpine ski racing is predicated on our club and regional programs to work in concert with U.S. Ski & Snowboard with an eye on our Best in the World vision," said U.S. Ski & Snowboard President and CEO Tiger Shaw. "The development phase of Project 26 took a deep look into what has worked for both the USA and top foreign nations in our sport. Its implementation will help us to be competitive as we head into the next two Olympic cycles  and beyond."

U.S. Ski & Snowboard will begin implementation of Project 26 immediately. With the onset of the 2017-18 competition season this month, selection criteria for the 2018-19 U.S. Ski Team have now been announced and are reflective of the recommended direction.

The Project 26 working group was comprised of leaders from U.S. Ski & Snowboard's board and the alpine racing community. Their work in surveying domestic and international program leaders was reviewed extensively by our alpine staff to come to a final direction.