The U.S. Freestyle Ski Team kicked off their 2021-22 prep season with two new staff members. Farzad Jalilvand joins aerials as athletic development coach and Olympic bronze medalist and former U.S. Ski Team member Bryon Wilson joins moguls as World Cup coach. 

The work spent training this summer is crucial as the Team heads into the Olympic year, and both Jalilvand and Wilson look forward to preparing athletes for the opportunity to represent their country on the world’s highest sporting stage.

Jalilvand, who will also serve as the athletic development coach for the Freeski rookies, comes to U.S. Ski & Snowboard with more than 10 years of experience. Jalilvand earned his Bachelor’s of Physiology in 2008 and his Master’s in Exercise Physiology in 2010, both from California State University, Northridge, where he has also taught since 2011. He is currently pursuing his Doctorate in Sport and Exercise from the University of Gloucestershire. 

Jalilvand’s experience extends across almost all sports at all levels. Most recently he served as the director of strength and conditioning at Grenada Hills Charter High School, where he was responsible for the physical preparation of athletes for basketball, soccer, football, track and field, volleyball and baseball. Jalilvand has consulted with Atlanta United, and has collaborated internationally on projects with performance staff from England, Australia and Brazil. He has published 21 manuscripts, focusing on the areas of fatigue monitoring, sprinting, resistance training, and change of direction and agility. 

Born in Iran and raised in Sweden, Jalilvand moved to the U.S. in 2004 and became a citizen in 2019. This marks Jalilvand’s first foray into winter sports and he is incredibly honored to be working at the Olympic level. “I’ve always wanted to work at the Olympic level,” he said. “I became a U.S. citizen in 2019 and always wanted to represent the U.S. in some way, it’s been one of my biggest goals.”

Jalilvand is approaching his position from an educational perspective. “These athletes are so motivated to begin with. So instead of approaching my role from that perspective, I’m constantly educating the athletes on ‘why.’ Why do we do cleans? Why do we squat? I want to encourage them to ask questions so they understand how strength and conditioning work plays into their performance on snow.”

Joining the team heading into an Olympic season has Jalilvand focused on keeping his athletes healthy. “We want these athletes to be as healthy as possible so they can have good and productive training camps. My goal is to facilitate a performance program that keeps them healthy, but also improves their performance at the same time. Specifically for aerials, I want to make them as strong as possible as it relates to landing. They experience a lot of forces coming down, up to 15Gs. My goal is to mitigate that by making them stronger in those specific positions.”

“Farzad has already hit the ground running getting our team in shape for this prep and competition season,” said Head Aerials Coach Vladimir Lebedev. “His vast experience across sport has given our athletes a new perspective on their strength and conditioning program. Farzad’s dedication and professionalism in the gym means I know my athletes have the ability to perform the workload we go through at the pools and on snow. I am excited to have Farzad join our team!”

After retiring from mogul skiing competition in 2018, Wilson is making his comeback to the U.S. Ski Team on the coaching side. 

Wilson started skiing when he was three-years-old and fell in love with moguls when he was 12. After finding some success in local Montana programs, the Wilson family moved to Utah so Wilson and his brother, Brad (a current U.S. Ski Team member), could participate in a full time program. Wilson skied with Wasatch Freestyle from 2004 to 2006 and made the U.S. Ski Team in 2007. Wilson was a World Cup skier for 11 years, earning four podiums, including one victory in his 77 starts; was the 2009 U.S. National Mogul Champion; and bronze medalist at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver. 

Following his retirement from the U.S. Ski Team in 2018, Wilson joined the mogul coaching staff of Wasatch Freestyle. Named U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s Freestyle Domestic Coach of the Year in 2019 and 2020, he has coached four athletes to achieving U.S. Ski Team spots: Sabrina Cass, Kasey Hogg, Madison Hogg and Nick Page; has qualified multiple athletes to Junior World Championships; and has coached multiple NorAm wins and champions. 

Wilson’s coaching experience extends back to when he was on the U.S. Ski Team and ran ski camps in Whistler with his brother and fellow athlete Sho Kashima, longer if you count the brother dynamic between him and Brad. “I’ve coached [Brad] since he was a little Grom,” Wilson quipped. 

“I thought what I had to offer [to the skiers in the Whistler camps] clicked and resonated with the athletes, and that’s what I really enjoyed. I enjoy seeing athletes figure stuff out and the light bulb light up. I like the challenge of figuring out what works for each athlete. Each athlete is different, you have to find out what verbiage and what kind of approach works for each individual. My goal is to try to have every athlete reach their highest potential.”

Bringing his competition and Olympic experience will be invaluable to the team this season and he is excited to be working at the national level. “I’m really excited about working with all of the athletes on this team. They are all very high-performing, dedicated, and willing to become the best. I enjoy working with athletes that want the best out of themselves. If they want that, I can help guide them there.”

“My goal right now is to develop a good relationship with the team. I want to be a great asset for them as they come into the season, hopefully I can help them get everything they can out of this sport.”

Serving as a coach on the U.S. Ski Team means Wilson is once again teammates with his brother, Brad. The Wilsons were teammates from 2012-2018, but this time the dynamic will be different. “[Being back on the team with Brad] is great, I love my brother. I am excited to work with him and not compete with him!”

“I am thrilled to welcome Bryon back to the U.S. Freestyle Mogul Ski Team,” said Head Moguls Coach Matt Gnoza, who coached Wilson from 2014-2018. “He’s been dedicated to the profession ever since he got into coaching. He is constantly working to better himself as a coach and has been very active in our sport committees. In a short period of time he has gained a lot of knowledge. He has earned the respect of our athletes and they describe Bryon as selfless, someone who will dedicate himself to everyone equally. I am excited to work with him heading into this important season.”

The U.S. Freestyle Ski Team is already hard at work on the water ramps at Official Training Site Utah Olympic Park and in the gym at the USANA Center of Excellence, with sights firmly set on the competition season ahead kicking off in December. 

U.S. Freestyle Ski Team Staff
Freestyle Director - Jeremy Forster
Team Manager - Alexis Williams
Communications Manager - Lara Carlton

Aerials
Vladimir Lebedev - Head Coach
Eric Bergoust - World Cup Coach
JC Andre - World Cup Coach
Peter Toohey - Physical Therapist
Farzad Jalilvand -  Athletic Development Coach

Moguls
Matt Gnoza - Head Coach
Riley Campbell - World Cup Coach
Bryon Wilson - World Cup Coach
Chuck Williams - Physical Therapist
Josh Bullock - Athletic Development Coach

Davis U.S. Cross Country Ski Team athlete Jessie Diggins was honored by U.S. Ski & Snowboard with its Beck International Award as overall athlete of the year. Diggins was one of eight athletes recognized for their accomplishments in the 2020-21 season. It was her third time winning the overall athlete honor (2016, 2018, 2021).

Diggins was recognized for her overall FIS Cross Country World Cup title, the first time an American has taken the overall crystal globe since Bill Koch’s win in 1982. Diggins also became the first American to win the Tour de Ski title.

The Beck International Award dates back to 1931, honoring some of the greatest champions in ski and snowboard sport.

“The pandemic season created an unusual playing field for our athletes, but their performances still came through,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard President and CEO Tiger Shaw. “There were myriad breakout seasons for our athletes, but the accomplishment of Jessie Diggins in winning the overall FIS Cross Country World Cup title was an extraordinary accomplishment.”

Olympic champion Mikaela Shiffrin was awarded the Alpine Athlete of the Year award. Shiffrin, who lost her father tragically a year earlier, was honored for her resiliency and her four medals at the 2021 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships. It was the sixth time she has won the alpine award.

Freeskier Colby Stevenson was recognized for his breakout season with the Freeski Athlete of the Year honors. Stevenson won the Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix Slopestyle, took silver at FIS Freestyle World Ski Championships slopestyle, then went on to take the slopestyle and overall FIS Freeski Crystal Globes. It is his first time winning the freeski award.

The Freestyle Athlete of the Year award went to Winter Vinecki. The aerial skier captured three World Cup podiums, including second at Deer Valley Resort and her career-first win in Moscow. She finished second in the FIS Freestyle World Cup aerials standings.

Pioneering women’s nordic combined athlete Tara Geraghty-Moats won her third-straight Nordic Combined Athlete of the Year recognition. Geraghty-Moats has been a leader in the movement to bring nordic combined for women into the Olympics. She won the debut women’s FIS Nordic Combined World Cup Crystal Globe.

Teen ski jumper Paige Jones was named Ski Jumping Athlete of the Year. Jones scored the best U.S. women’s ski jumping results in two seasons. It was her first time winning the award.

Olympic gold medalist Chloe Kim earned her second Snowboard Athlete of the Year crown. She returned after a year away from competition to record a dominating season, winning X Games and World Championships gold, plus the FIS Snowboard World Cup title. She was also the athlete of the year in 2016.

With the aim of providing the right resources for athletes who are inspired to be the Best in the World, the U.S. Ski Team is excited to announce a new alliance between Swix, the U.S. Ski Team, and Wintersteiger. Based at the USANA Center of Excellence in Park City, Utah, this cooperative effort will bolster the sport of ski racing through a reimagined ski and boot service education platform.

This project will begin as a set of new protocols and an updated ski and boot service facility that will be available to the U.S. Ski Team athletes at the USANA Center of Excellence but will quickly evolve into a domestic standardized ski and boot service system that will help minimize the “equipment variable” in all athletes’ progression regardless of where they choose to have their equipment serviced.

The service center “lab” will be where best practices are developed, defined, updated, and first implemented with U.S. Ski Team service staff. Once refined and established, these training procedures will be conveyed to all U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes, coaches, performance shops, and academies through a training and certification platform.

“At the World Championships, we were reminded that fast skis and precise edge tuning are a must to compete at the highest level,” said Jesse Hunt, U.S. Ski Team Alpine Director. “That is why we partnered with Wintersteiger to use the new Jupiter. This machine provides the latest in 3D base structuring, and their v-edge technology for custom edge work. It will definitely make a difference for our team.”

Ski and boot service education to U.S. Ski & Snowboard members will include in-depth training about ski tuning safety, ski audits, ski flattening and structure, edge bevels, and waxing. Additional modules will identify common troubleshooting and performance adjustments such as binding position, base bevel measurement, structure interpretation, and appropriate wax usage. This framework has already proven to be relevant to the U.S. Ski Team, and development level athletes in particular when deployed by U.S. Ski Team partners Wintersteiger and Swix. 

Join them on social media for additional updates to this new program and to learn more about regional efforts to support equipment preparation at places like the speed and tech venues at Copper Mountain. As an accreditation program is finalized and training seminars are announced, this will be the best way to hear about it.

Links to all of Wintersteiger’s social media can be found here: https://linktr.ee/Wintersteigerus

With four decades of experience and more than 30,000 ski tuning machines sold worldwide – including 1350 automated ski tuning machines – Wintersteiger is the global market leader in racing service solutions. The Austrian, German, and U.S. Ski Teams, as well as ski manufacturers Atomic, Fischer, Head, Rossignol, and Salomon, rely on the highest-quality results provided by Wintersteiger ski tuning machines to achieve competition success.

Release courtesy of Wintersteiger.

Minneapolis is back on the FIS Cross Country World Cup schedule for the 2023-24 season.

Following last year’s disappointing cancellation of the first U.S. Cross Country World Cup in 20 years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Loppet Foundation, along with the American Birkebeiner, is on the long-term planning calendar for a U.S. World Cup swing following three days of racing north of the border at Canmore, Alberta, in February 2024.

Theodore Wirth Park is on the long-term calendar to host three days of racing from February 16-18, 2024 followed by two days of racing to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the American Birkebeiner on February 22 and 24. The Canmore events are on the long-term calendar for February 9-11, 2024.

“We are really excited to have the USA back on the World Cup calendar for 2024,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard Cross Country Director Chris Grover. “After coming so close in 2019, the Loppet Foundation is hungry to host these races, and the creative bid from the American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation makes for a great package of racing in the U.S. and Canada.”

FIS released the long-term planning calendars through the 2024-25 season in order to optimize planning, travel schedules and facilitate the needs of athletes, and teams as well as other stakeholders. The long-term calendar frame was established to provide a consistent schedule beginning the last weekend of November and ending the third weekend of March annually. The long-term planning schedule consists of five blocks of racing, including free weekends, and allows for organizing nations and venues will be selected in order to reduce travels and optimize logistics.
 

2021-22 World Cup Schedule

The 2021-22 FIS Cross Country World Cup schedule was also released this week, kicking off Nov. 26-28 in Ruka, Finland. The schedule includes the FIS Tour de Ski, which was adapted to feature six races over eight days - instead of the traditional eight races over 10 days - in order to meet the needs of athletes as they focus on the Olympic Winter Games, Feb. 4-20 in Beijing. However, the 2021-22 schedule is still quite busy with more than 30 races scheduled at 14 venues throughout central Europe, Scandinavia and Russia.

“In terms of the 21-22 calendar, it is really full,” Grover said. “It will be a challenge for top athletes to compete everywhere. Luckily, the FIS Council approved the long-term calendar framework beginning in 22-23, which provides a model that is more sustainable and encourages the top athletes to participate in the full World Cup calendar.”

An additional competition day was added to the 2021-22 season in Falun, Sweden, March 13 with two mixed events on the same day - a 4x5k mixed relay, and a mixed team sprint. Due to the late date on the schedule, athletes will have to decide which event to participate. Also, the mixed events will not count toward the athletes overall World Cup points.

“The mixed team events will be really fun,” Grover added. “I’m excited to put together teams for these events and get as many athletes racing as possible.”
 

Bend Camp A Huge Success

The Davis U.S. Cross Country Ski Team just wrapped up a two week training camp in Bend, Oregon, with on-snow training at Mt. Bachelor. It was the first training camp in more than 18 months, and with the 2022 Olympic Winter Games taking place at an elevation above 1,500 meters, served as the first of three altitude prep camps for the U.S. Team.

The team received the red carpet treatment from Sue Foster, nordic ski center director at Mt. Bachelor, and her staff at Mt. Bachelor to ensure the athletes had a successful camp, which included many kilometers of beautifully groomed skiing each day.

“The Bend camp was very productive,” Grover said. “We were really impressed by the technical progress of each of the athletes, and their willingness to learn from each other and share knowledge openly.”

The camp provided returning athletes a chance to meet the lone new member of the team, Zanden McMullen, who joined the Development Team after posting some very impressive results last season, including a fifth-place finish at the 2021 FIS Junior World Championships.

 

 

 

 

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“We also had incredible support from the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Sport Science and Sports Medicine Team,” Grover added. “We are so thankful to have the team vaccinated and be running training camps again after a year and a half with no preparation camps.”

The next camp is scheduled for July 24 through August 8 on the Eagle Glacier in Alaska. The final prep camp will take place in Park City, Utah, October 4-18.

U.S. Ski & Snowboard announced today the naming of Gillian Bower as the organization's Director of High Performance. As Director of High Performance, Bower will lead more than 30 full-time staff and hundreds of volunteers in the areas of sport science, including athletic development coaches, clinical and sports psychologists, dietitians and data scientists; sports medicine, including certified athletic trainers, physical therapists, doctors and allied health professionals; as well as coaches and club educators, to support U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s national teams and athletes. 

Bower is a Canadian-trained physiotherapist with a Doctorate in Physical Therapy from the University of Montana and comes into the role with over 15 years of experience at the organization. She has served as a senior clinical specialist, the lead physical therapist, and most recently, the director of sports medicine. 

Bower was instrumental in developing and implementing a COVID-19 plan that ensured athletes remained safe throughout training and competition. Over the last year, she conducted roughly 15,000 tests and with a positivity rate of less than 0.5%. Her work resulted in being named the 2021 Service Provider of the Year by the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee. Bower brings a passion for combining true integrations of sports medicine, athletic development, sport science, coaching, nutrition, psychology and data integration to drive athlete success. 

“I am excited to see Gillian take this critical position heading High Performance,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard President and CEO Tiger Shaw. “Gillian has demonstrated her leadership throughout her years with the team, but this past year she excelled in managing our COVID-19 challenges on top of her normal duties. This meant an extraordinary increase in administrative and complex work for Gillian and her teammates in Medical and High Performance as those departments navigated this new world with skill and resilience. Long hours and endless challenges were the norm. Please welcome Gillian as our new Director of High Performance.”

“Gillian was the best possible choice for the position,” said her predecessor Troy Taylor. “I could not be happier with the selection and there is certainly no one more qualified or respected by athletes and staff alike. I am honored and feel immense personal satisfaction that the organization felt there was such an amazing candidate pool internally at U.S. Ski & Snowboard. I wish her the best of luck as she leads a talented team into the 2021-22 season and beyond.”

Bower replaces Taylor who was in the position of Director of High Performance for the past six years

“Troy has been an amazing mentor and I know I have some big shoes to fill,” said Bower. “I’m forever grateful for what he’s done for me and our organization. I’m excited to pick up where he left off and I look forward to the upcoming Olympic season. Our high performance team has a strong culture in place and an immense knowledge base. I am proud to be part of the continued growth and success within our department and at the organization as a whole.”

Ava Sunshine Jemison from Edwards, Colo., and Burke Mountain Academy and Ben Ritchie from Waitsfield, Vt. and Green Mountain Valley School have been chosen as the 2021 winners of the Eastern Ski Writers Golden Ski Award.

Each season the New England Ski Museum presents this award to the most promising male and female junior alpine racers in the Eastern U.S. The awards will be presented at a dinner reception on November 13, 2021, at The Mt. Washington Hotel in Bretton Woods, N.H.

Ava Sunshine Jemison
Ava, from Edwards, Colo., and Burke Mountain Academy, posted great results during this challenging Covid-19 pandemic season earning her a nomination for the 2021/2022 U.S. Ski Team’s Development Team. It all started with a third-place finish in slalom at Berchtesgaden-Jenner, Germany, and second and third-place finishes in both giant slalom races at Passo San Pellegrino, Italy. She continued by earning third place in alpine combined at Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. She then returned home to compete in the U.S. Nationals at Aspen, Colo. where she was second among juniors and fourth overall in the downhill. This was an amazing performance as it was her first-ever downhill. Ava continued with a third-place overall in the alpine combined.

Ben Ritchie 
This is Ben’s fourth Golden Ski Award. He navigated this very stressful, challenging Covid-19 season with great results starting with a Europa Cup victory in slalom at Meiringen Hasliberg, Switzerland, followed by the slalom gold medal at the prestigious World Juniors in Bansko, Bulgaria. He snagged himself a top-15 finish at his first FIS Ski World Championships in Cortina d'Ampezzo, landing in 13th in the slalom. Ben then continued to win at the U.S. Nationals in Aspen, Colo. in slalom to take home the title. He has been nominated for the 2021-22 U.S. Ski Team B Team.

The Golden Ski Award has been presented to the top junior male and female skiers in the East since 1969, the year after the modern World Cup circuit started. Many of the Golden Ski winners have gone on to FIS Ski World Cup and Olympic gold as well. In 1975, the Golden Ski was "lost." In 2007, the New England Ski Museum was given some artifacts, and in that donation was the original Golden Ski. ESWA revitalized the honor, “The Golden Ski Award is the oldest honor given to junior alpine ski racers that exists today,” says Jim Gregory, Chair, of the New England Ski Museum’s Golden Ski Award Committee. “We are proud this year to honor Ava Sunshine Jemison and four-time winner, Ben Ritchie, two extraordinary athletes. We look forward to watching them pursue their goals and set the bar even higher in the sport we all love so much.”

Golden Ski Award Winners:
1969: Tyler Palmer, Karen Middleton
1970: Charles Bent, Karen Middleton
1971: Rod Taylor, Judy McNealus
1972: Laurent Gaudin, Jody Palmer 
1973: Jerry McNealus, No female winner
1974: No award
1975: Scott Light, Holly Flanders
1976-2007: Award Lost
2008: Bump Heldman, Julia Ford
2009: Nolan Kasper, Julia Ford
2010: Ryan Cochran-Siegle, Julia Ford
2011: Ryan Cochran-Siegle, Mikaela Shiffrin
2012: Ryan Cochran-Siegle, Mikaela Shiffrin
2013: Kieffer Christianson, Mikaela Shiffrin
2014: Sam Morse, Alice Merryweather
2015: Drew Duffy, Nina O’Brien
2016: Ben Ritchie, Cecily Decker
2017: George Steffey, Patricia Mangan
2018: Jimmy Krupka, Abigail Jewett
2019: Ben Ritchie, Claire Thomas
2020: Ben Ritchie, Zoe Zimmermann

Release courtesy of Jim Gregory, Chair: Eastern Ski Writers Golden Ski Award
Presented by the New England Ski Museum

“World Cup is my home, this is where I’ve always wanted to ski!“ Olympian Breezy Johnson said in a recent International Ski Federation (FIS) behind-the-scenes video. 

Breezy wears the motto “Like the Wind” on her helmet, and she went to another level this season becoming the U.S. downhill star as she grabbed four FIS Ski World Cup podiums.
 

In a piece for Team USA for Mental Health Awareness month, Olympian Alice Merryweather opened up and spoke candidly about her battle with anorexia this past year. 

She shared, 

COVID-19 has affected sports in many ways throughout the past year. Not only has COVID threatened our physical wellbeing, but it has also placed more strain on everyone’s mental health. 

I’m no stranger to this myself; in the spring of 2020, early into the pandemic lockdown, my mental health took a deep dive. I was struggling to find housing for the summer, taking a hefty course load remotely through Dartmouth College, and battling a severe fear of complacency as spring training ramped up. This perfect stress-storm, abetted by the uncertainty of lockdown and the new virus, was the final blow that sent me deep into my own mental health crisis: a battle with anorexia nervosa.

Though I wasn’t formally diagnosed until October 2020, I began significantly restricting my intake sometime in March. In each of the three or four years prior, I would end my race season thinking some version of this to myself: “you should really go on a diet. All that European hotel food has been making you fat, and you don’t even look like an athlete anymore.”

Last spring, I hit a new low. I resented myself from a performance standpoint for not meeting my goals. Physically, I believed I had overeaten every day and couldn’t even bring myself to look in a mirror. Mentally, I felt disappointed, upset, and like I no longer controlled my own destiny. Unintentionally, my eating disorder became my way back to some semblance of control (or so I thought).

At the end of the piece, Merryweather gave advice for those struggling to seek help. "Asking for help doesn’t make someone weak, but rather it makes them courageous enough to admit their vulnerabilities and try to improve...I encourage anyone who is struggling to talk to someone, whether they’re a friend or family member or a professional. It might be the scariest thing you do, but it also might end up being the best."

Merryweather recently returned to the mountain for on-snow training with her teammates at official training site Mammoth Mountain, in California. She has shared that she feels more joy than ever for the sport, and she's looking forward to the upcoming season. 

Read the full piece on TeamUSA.org. 

The U.S. Freestyle Mogul Ski Team was back in bumpin’ action, having just wrapped their first prep camp of the 2021-22 Olympic season at Snowbird, Utah. 

Mogul skiers nominated to the 2021-22 Freestyle Ski Team took advantage of the #LongestSeasonInUtah to get back to skiing and jumping, and the camp marked the first time the group came together following the end of their competitive season in March. Quintessential Utah bluebird spring days made for great conditions and athletes’ spirits were high during their 11 days on snow. 

 

 

 

 

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“We used this camp to focus on the things that will make the biggest difference this coming season,” explained Head Mogul Coach Matt Gnoza. Ensuring athletes have “sticky” skills for when it counts is top of mind when preparing for the world’s biggest ski stage. When asked if this prep season is different from any other heading directly into the Olympic Winter Games, Gnoza says yes and no. “The goal of skiing your best and pushing your limits remains the same. However, the planning and progression towards peak performance at the Olympics is definitely there for both staff and athletes.”

Snowbird provided an excellent opportunity for athletes to work on their specific needs. Those focused on jumping got in over 100 jumps on snow, and those focused on skiing had a 235-meter mogul line. “We got lots of quality work in,” commented Gnoza. 

“My focus for this camp was mainly skiing, working fundamentals and starting to build on new skills,” said Nick Page. “I also spent a fair amount of time jumping. Working to perfect my cork 7 grab, cork 10, and cork 14.”

Snowbird has a rich history of freestyle skiing and partners with local club Wasatch Freestyle to keep that tradition alive. However, it was the first time since the early 2000s that the national team trained at the resort in the month of May. Cooperation with Wasatch Freestyle enabled up-and-coming mogul skiers to train alongside national team athletes and provided an important exchange for developing the talent pipeline in the sport.  

“Getting to be back at Snowbird was great,” said Page, who skied with Wasatch Freestyle before making the U.S. Ski Team. “Jake, Seth, and the entire mountain ops team went above and beyond for us. It means so much to have support from ski areas who really believe in us and want to provide the best resources for us to succeed. Going into any season, but an Olympic season especially, we need every edge and advantage we can get our hands on. Snowbird really stepped up to make that happen; they put together a great venue with help from the U.S. Ski Team and Wasatch Freestyle. It allowed us to get a lot accomplished in a very important window of opportunity. 

“The partnership and cooperation from Snowbird was amazing,” said Gnoza. “They built us a five-line, 235-meter course, along with a jump site, which provided athletes the ability to push their limits. Big thanks to Wasatch Freestyle, who helped build and maintain the course. It’s always great for our team to ski with young talent.” Snowbird was even gracious enough to open the resort for two days just for training, an experience not lost on the athletes or staff.  

 

 

 

 

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“This prep season is really exciting,” added Page. “There’s a lot of work to do and I’m really excited to get everything tightened and cleaned up by the time the competition season comes around. Getting back on the water ramps is something I always enjoy — and getting to travel more this summer will be great in making progress to take into next winter.”

The 2021-22 prep season continues for moguls at Freestyle’s summer home at Official Training Site Utah Olympic Park for the first water ramp camp of the summer beginning May 31. 

To support the U.S. Freestyle Mogul Ski Team, please click here for more information.

Minnesota sport leader Darryl Landstrom, a long-time regional and national volunteer sport leader, was honored by U.S. Ski & Snowboard with its highest honor - the Julius Blegen Award. Landstrom, who grew up as a ski jumper and nordic combined skier in Duluth’s Chester Park Ski Club, found his pathway as an alpine ski racing leader, first in Central Division and now chair of the national Alpine Sport Committee.

Landstrom became the 75th recipient of the Julius Blegen Award dating back to 1946. The award recognizes established history of distinguished service and a lasting contribution to U.S. Ski & Snowboard and its membership. It is named in honor of Julius Blegen, a key leader of the National Ski Association in the 1930s.

He was recognized Friday, May 21 during the virtual annual meeting of the U.S. Ski & Snowboard board of directors.

“Darryl has been a powerful and unique leader, volunteering his time for decades to bring people together behind the scenes in our sports,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard Chairman Kipp Nelson. “He has been a true governance pioneer for our organization, always able to align everyone around a common direction to move the sport forward.”

When an injury sidelined Landstrom from competition at the age of 21, he turned his attention to volunteering, primarily in support of junior alpine ski racing in the then U.S. Ski Association’s Central Division. His leadership skills and motivation to help youth ultimately saw him lead alpine sport committees in Central Division, Rocky/Central Region and today as the national Alpine Sport Committee chair and a member of the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Board of Directors.

His work in the midwest was pivotal in helping to increase the international ski racing presence in the Central Division. He was instrumental in scheduling the first night FIS slalom at Boyne Mountain, Mich. as well as securing giant slalom course homologation at Lutsen Mountain, Minn., now a perennial stop on the spring FIS racing tour in the USA.

Landstrom has also served an important role within collegiate ski racing. He has served as a board member of the U.S. Collegiate ski Association as well as chair of U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s Collegiate Subcommittee and as the U.S. representative to the International Ski Federation’s University Racers Subcommittee.

Along with his service to alpine ski racing, Landstrom has also volunteered to help with myriad other sports organizations. Among them are USA Nordic, the national leadership organization for ski jumping and nordic combined, the Minneapolis-based Loppet Foundation, a multi-sport program known for its cross country skiing programs, and the Minneapolis Ski Club, a leading ski jumping club in the Twin Cities.

Landstrom’s positive impact on the sport has stemmed from his ability to bring people together on issues and create synergies - known as an approachable, transparent and athlete-centric leader. He was instrumental following a 2013 McKinsey study in aligning division, regional and national sport leaders to create affiliation agreements and to update the U.S. Ski & Snowboard bylaws. He continued that work to restructure the governance of the Alpine Sport Committee, creating a more impactful governing body.

“I'm both honored and humbled,” said Landstrom on receiving the award. “When I consider past recipients, it is hard to imagine being part of this legacy group.” He cited numerous role models including past Blegen recipients Anna McIntyre, who nominated him, former board chair Bill Slattery, his longtime friend the late Bob Dart and last year’s recipient Paine. “They have been role models for me and I hope that I can be the same for future Blegen Award recipients.”

Landstrom credits his parents’ support and the friendships he gained with other 10-year-olds as a motivating factor for his initial pathway into the sport. And the ongoing friendships with peers have kept him going over decades. “The friendships during my tenure with U.S. Ski & Snowboard are enormous and invaluable,” he said. “I admire the commitment and transparency of staff, the alpine community and the other disciplines with which I continue to engage.”

In addition to his governance work, Landstrom has spent plenty of time on the snow from packing the landing hill on ski jumps, hauling gunny sacks of snow up scaffolding, working as a gate judge and referee, and even a stint as timer and announcer for divisional alpine races.

This past year Landstrom took on leadership of U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s COVID Commission, developing policies and principles which helped guide the organization through a challenging season.

Today, the Duluth native lives in Wayzata, where he is a Twin Cities businessman. He splits time with his mountain home in Winter Park, Colo., and remains a very active skier himself, as well as following the career of his U16 alpine ski racing grandson. He was nominated for the award by Anna McIntyre, the 1996 recipient of the Blegen Award. 

JULIUS BLEGEN AWARD HONOREES

• 1946 Roger Langley
• 1947 Arthur J. Barth
• 1948 Fred McNeil
• 1949 John Hostvedt
• 1950 Fred C. Bellmar
• 1951 Douglas M. Burckett
• 1952 F.C. Koziol
• 1953 Albert E. Sigal
• 1954 Harold A. Grinden
• 1955 Burton H. Boyum
• 1956 John B. Carson
• 1957 Olav Ulland
• 1958 T. Lee McCracken
• 1959 Robert C. Johnstone
• 1960 Dr. Amos R. 'Bud' Little and Malcolm McLane
• 1961 Sepp Ruschp
• 1962 J. Stanley Mullin
• 1963 Ralph A. 'Doc' DesRoches
• 1964 Robert Beattie
• 1965 Merritt H. Stiles
• 1966 Evelyn Masbruch
• 1967 C. Allison Merrill
• 1968 Willy J. Schaeffler
• 1969 William Berry
• 1970 Earl D. Walters
• 1971 Gustav Raaum
• 1972 James Balfanz
• 1973 Charles T. Gibson
• 1974 Sven Wiik
• 1975 Byron Nishkian
• 1976 Dr. J. Leland Sosman
• 1977 Gloria Chadwick
• 1978 Richard Goetzman
• 1979 Graham Anderson
• 1980 Bill Beck
• 1981 Not awarded
• 1982 Hank Tauber
• 1983 Robert Thomson
• 1984 Ed Hammerle
• 1985 Robert Oden
• 1986 Bill Slattery
• 1987 Jim Page
• 1988 Whiting Willauer
• 1989 James H. “Red” Carruthers
• 1990 Nelson Bennett
• 1991 Tom Corcoran
• 1992 Nick Badami
• 1993 Serge Lussi
• 1994 Fraser West
• 1995 Gerald F. Groswold
• 1996 Anna McIntyre
• 1997 Faris Taylor
• 1998 Irv Kagan
• 1999 Thom Weisel
• 2000 Dr. Richard Steadman
• 2001 Warren Lowry (posthumously)
• 2002 Not Awarded
• 2003 Jim McCarthy
• 2004 Howard Peterson
• 2005 Michael Berry
• 2006 Peter Kellogg
• 2007 Charles Ferries
• 2008 Gary Black, Jr.
• 2009 Lee Todd
• 2010 Tom Winters
• 2011 Joe Lamb
• 2012 John Garnsey
• 2013 Barry 'Bear' Bryant
• 2014 Bill Marolt
• 2015 Allen Church
• 2016 Bob Dart (posthumously)
• 2017 Ted Sutton
• 2018 Bruce Crane (posthumously)
• 2019 Thelma Hoessler
• 2020 Dexter Paine
• 2021 Darryl Landstrom