Eastern NorAms Important to Future
SUGARLOAF, ME (March 17, 2015) – Eastern U.S. ski resorts will play a pivotal role in the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association ski racing scene the next weeks. Top alpine athletes from the USA and foreign countries will compete at Eastern resorts including Sugarloaf, Burke Mountain and Waterville Valley as hosts to the final races in the International Ski Federation (FIS) NorAm tour. The month will end with the Nature Valley U.S. Alpine Championships at Sugarloaf.
The NorAm tour is the steppingstone for athletes to the Audi FIS Ski World Cup circuit. The top two athletes in each discipline on the NorAm earn a start position in the next season’s World Cup, in addition to the regular quota of top national team athletes.
“Thanks to Sugarloaf, Burke and Waterville Valley for stepping up to hold late-season international races here in America,” said USSA Alpine Director Patrick Riml. “This is a vital opportunity for our top U.S. athletes to earn spots on the Audi FIS Ski World Cup tour and it brings the excitement of ski racing to one of the most important regions of our country.”
The NorAm swing opens with downhill and super G racing March 17-19 at Sugarloaf on its famed Narrow Gauge trail. The opening NorAm downhill on March 17 will also double as the U.S. Championship.
Julia Ford (Holderness, NH) currently leads the women’s downhill standings while Abby Ghent (Vail, CO – U.S. Ski Team/Ski and Snowboard Club Vail) is on top in super G. Erik Arvidsson (Woodside, CA – U.S. Ski Team D Team/Squaw Valley Ski Team) is the top American man in super G, standing third with a shot at one of the top spots.
Action then shifts on March 20-23 to Burke Mountain, VT for the women and Waterville Valley, NH for the men, with two giant slalom races followed by two slaloms.
Tommy Ford (Bend, OR – U.S. Ski Team B Team/Mt. Bachelor) is presently second in giant slalom with a shot at the title. The USA has been dominating in slalom with Tim Kelley (Starksboro, VT – Cochran Ski Club) leading by a slim margin over Michael Ankeny (Wayzata, MN – Ski and Snowboard Club Vail). On the women’s side, top contenders for the USA are coming off the World Cup tour. World Junior slalom champion Paula Moltzan (Lakeville, MN – U.S. Ski Team/Buck Hill Ski Team/Ski and Snowboard Club Vail) is presently fifth with a shot at challenging for second. Megan McJames (Park City, UT) is fourth in giant slalom but with a strong opportunity of moving up to second or even first.
In the battle for the overall title, Tommy Ford (Bend, OR – U.S. Ski Team/Mt. Bachelor Ski Education Foundation) holds a lead over Ankeny. In the women’s overall, American Anna Marno (Steamboat Springs, CO – U.S. Ski Team B Team/Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club) is fourth with Canada’s Candace Crawford having nearly clinched the crown.
After the NorAm Finals, athletes head immediately back to Sugarloaf for the Nature Valley U.S. Alpine Championships. There, top alpine ski racers from around the country will go head-to-head with U.S. Ski Team stars like Lindsey Vonn and Mikaela Shiffrin.
Following the U.S. Alpine Championships, the top ski racers in the country under 16 years old will come to Sugarloaf for the USSA U16 National Championships and Assessment Project. It’s the first time the important development event has been been in the USSA Eastern Region. A total of 96 athletes have been invited to the March 30-April 4 development project, which will include SkillsQuest and freeskiing assessments, along with competitions in giant slalom, slalom and, for the first time, super G.
NOR-AM CUP/U.S. CHAMPIONSHIPS
Tuesday, March 17
Men’s and women’s U.S. Alpine Championships downhill, Sugarloaf, ME
Wednesday, March 18
Men’s and women’s NorAm downhill, Sugarloaf, ME
Thursday, March 19
Men’s and women’s NorAm super G, Sugarloaf, ME
Friday, March 20
Men’s NorAm Finals giant slalom, Waterville Valley, NH
Women’s NorAm Finals giant slalom, Burke Mountain, VT
Saturday, March 21
Men’s NorAm Finals giant slalom, Waterville Valley, NH
Women’s NorAm Finals giant slalom, Burke Mountain, VT
Sunday, March 22
Men’s NorAm Finals slalom, Waterville Valley, NH
Women’s NorAm Finals slalom, Burke Mountain, VT
Monday, March 23
Men’s NorAm Finals slalom, Waterville Valley, NH
Women’s NorAm Finals slalom, Burke Mountain, VT
NATURE VALLEY U.S. ALPINE CHAMPIONSHIPS, Sugarloaf, ME
Wednesday, March 25
Men’s and women’s downhill
Thursday, March 26
Women’s giant slalom
Friday, March 27
Men’s giant slalom
Saturday, March 29
Women’s slalom
Sunday, March 30
Men’s slalom
USSA U16 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS AND ASSESSMENT PROJECT
Monday, March 30
Freeski assessment
Tuesday, March 31
SkillsQuest assessment
Wednesday, April 1
Men’s and women’s super G
Thursday, April 2
Men’s and women’s giant slalom
Friday, April 3
Men’s and women’s slalom
VENUE RECAP
Sugarloaf, ME
A well-known ski racing venue, Sugarloaf will do triple duty this year as site of the final NorAm speed events as well as the Nature Valley U.S. Alpine Championships, then closing out the racing season with the U16 Championships. Athletes will be racing on the famed Narrow Gauge trail, site of a past World Cup downhill as well as numerous junior and national championship events. It is the only course in the east that is FIS homologated for all racing disciplines.
Sugarloaf has a rich racing history, including stars like Bode Miller and Kirsten Clark, as well as its own Sam Morse, who grew up in the Carrabassett Valley and last year was named to the U.S. Ski Team. Having played a key role in the development of some of the country’s best ski racers, Sugarloaf sees the season-ending races as a perfect fit.
Burke Mountain, VT
Home of one of America’s most noted ski academy racing programs and a USSA Gold Certified Club, Burke Mountain is a major venue in Eastern alpine ski racing and has played a key role in the development of top athletes. Since 1970, over 130 Burke Mountain Academy graduates have raced as members of the U.S. Ski Team and other national teams. Among BMA graduates are Olympic and World Championship medalists including Mikaela Shiffrin, Erik Schlopy, Julie Parisien and Diann Roffe.
The women’s races will be run on Warren’s Way, named after the legendary founder of Burke Mountain Academy Warren Witherell, who played an influential role in alpine ski racing development in America.
Waterville Valley, NH
Waterville Valley has a long and storied history in ski racing and is home to one of the oldest clubs in the nation, the Waterville Valley BBTS. Waterville Valley and BBTS have hosted numerous World Cup events including the 2010 men’s and women’s NorAm Finals. The 2015 Men’s NorAm athletes will be skiing on the World Cup trail that has also been the site of 11 other World Cup races.
A USSA Gold Certified Club, BBTS is home to such great athletes as Hannah Kearney, Olympic gold and bronze medalist, who holds the title for most World Cup wins by any U.S. athlete; Peter Fucigna 2014 U. S. U18 GS Champion and Nora Healey, current World Junior slopestyle champion. Waterville Valley Ski Area and the BBTS Snowsports Educational Foundation are both very honored to host North America’s best skiers and we look forward to many outstanding performances in the coming week.
QUOTES
Patrick Riml, Alpine Director, U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association
Thanks to Sugarloaf, Burke and Waterville Valley for stepping up to hold late-season international races here in America. This is a vital opportunity for our top U.S. athletes to earn spots on the Audi FIS Ski World Cup tour and it brings the excitement of ski racing to one of the most important regions of our country.
Our USSA Eastern Region is deep with talent and passionate ski racing clubs. It’s especially valuable for us this year to bring the U16 National Championships to Sugarloaf where we can work with our top U16 athletes together on the same trails used for the NorAm and U.S. Championship races.