U.S. Ski & Snowboard, the National Governing Body (NGB) of Olympic ski and snowboard sports in the USA, announced today a new partnership with HomeLight, the San Francisco-based real estate technology company.

“We are thrilled to welcome HomeLight into the U.S. Ski & Snowboard family,” said Tiger Shaw, U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s President and CEO. “We know that the team we choose matters more than anything, and so does HomeLight. HomeLight’s entire company is focused on identifying and working with the best teams in order to achieve the best possible results for customers during one of life’s most important moments, buying or selling their home. It’s a natural fit.”

HomeLight will be the title sponsor for the Ladies’ FIS Ski World Cup at Killington, the HomeLight Killington Cup. This event will be the only domestic stop on the World Cup tour for the women of the U.S. Ski Team, including two-time Olympic gold medalist and global superstar Mikaela Shiffrin. The highly anticipated event draws over 40,000 spectators over three days annually, and for many fans, the event signals the beginning of the ski season.

HomeLight will also be an associate sponsor of the Xfinity Birds of Prey FIS Ski World Cup at Beaver Creek and the FIS COOP Cross Country World Cup event in Minneapolis, part of the 2020 Fastenal Parallel 45. The Cross Country World Cup event will be the first time since 2001 that cross country skiing has been competed at the World Cup level on American soil, and for many U.S. Cross Country skiers, including Olympic gold medalist Jessie Diggins, will be the first time they ski a World Cup race on home snow.

Additionally, these events will serve as the platform for the “HomeLight Scoring and Speed Insight,” a feature in each telecast, viewed by millions of fans watching at home, that will highlight not only how these events are scored but also the importance of speed in landing podiums.

“We’re proud to support athletes who are pursuing their dreams on the slopes, ramps, half-pipes, and cross-country tracks, and particularly as the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team brings World Cup events home to the U.S.,” said Drew Uher, HomeLight’s CEO. “It takes skill, dedication, preparation, and commitment to be the best, and the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team is among the best in the world. We can’t imagine a better partner and, just like we do for our real estate clients, we look forward to bringing speed and performance insights to ski and snowboard fans across the country.”

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About HomeLight
HomeLight empowers people to make smarter decisions when buying or selling a home. Since launching in 2010, HomeLight has connected thousands of clients with top local real estate agents, investors and online resources. With offices in San Francisco, Seattle and Phoenix, HomeLight conducts business nationwide. HomeLight is backed by Zeev Ventures, Menlo Ventures, SGVC, Citi Ventures, Bullpen Capital, Crosslink Capital, Montage Ventures, GV, Innovation Endeavors and more. For more information, visit www.homelight.com.

About U.S. Ski & Snowboard
U.S. Ski & Snowboard is the Olympic National Governing Body (NGB) of ski and snowboard sports in the USA, based in Park City, Utah. Tracing its roots directly back to 1905, the organization represents nearly 200 elite skiers and snowboarders in 2019, competing in seven teams; alpine, cross country, freeski, freestyle, snowboard, nordic combined and ski jumping. In addition to the elite teams, U.S. Ski & Snowboard also provides leadership and direction for tens of thousands of young skiers and snowboarders across the USA, encouraging and supporting them in achieving excellence. By empowering national teams, clubs, coaches, parents, officials, volunteers and fans, U.S. Ski & Snowboard is committed to the progression of its sports, athlete success and the value of team. For more information, visit www.usskiandsnowboard.org.
 

U.S. Ski & Snowboard, the Olympic National Governing Body (NGB) of ski and snowboard sports in the USA, and its Athlete Advisory Council (AAC) have lent their voices to calls to government officials from across the U.S. NGB community to support the passage of the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act (H.R. 835 in the House).

The Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act addresses one of the key issues with the global fight against doping, criminalizing doping conspiracies. This will mean that doping fraud perpetrators will finally be able to be indicted and pursued by law enforcement. Additionally, the act also provides for restitution to athletes and others who may have been defrauded by these individuals. Similar acts are already in place in a number of countries, in particular in the European Union, so the successful implementation of the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act will see the U.S. mirror policies already in place, taking the fight to those engaged in doping.

Importantly, criminalizing this behavior will also afford doping fraud whistleblowers the same obstruction protections that are provided to witnesses of other crimes. Given the importance of whistleblowers, including Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov, to the global sports community’s awareness and understanding of doping conspiracies, these protections are vital and cannot come soon enough.

“As we saw most recently in Seefeld, Austria, doping continues to be rife in sport around the world and everyone involved in sport at all levels should be doing whatever they can to rid sport of the scourge of doping, as quickly as possible,” said President and CEO of U.S. Ski & Snowboard Tiger Shaw. “Securing the passage of the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act is a key step forward in the fight against doping here in the US and we are urging all those in government who have a role in this process to see this as a huge opportunity to take the fight to the dopers, with the full weight of the law and law enforcement community behind us.”

“As an athlete myself, and speaking on behalf of all the athletes represented by the AAC, I can say that the fight against doping is one of the most important topics for NGBs, governments and the entire sports community worldwide today,” added U.S. Ski & Snowboard Athlete Advisory Council Chair Heather McPhie Watanabe.

“What athletes are asking for is simple - to compete against other athletes on a level playing field, knowing they are going into competition where they can showcase the hard work they have put into training and preparation for competition, instead of competing against athletes and scientists who are conspiring to cheat,” McPhie Watanabe added. “If and when the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act comes into force it will not only help clean athletes know that the US government has their back in the fight against doping, but it will also mean that those involved in cheating will know that the penalties for their actions are severe.”

Echoing McPhie Watanabe’s comments was U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s Chief of Sport Luke Bodensteiner. “Our athletes want sport to be something that’s safe, fair and fun. Doping does not square up with those values, and our athletes support the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act as a means to reinforce those values and create a strong deterrent to anyone engaged in doping now or considering doping in future. The current anti-doping system is unreliable due to built-in conflicts of interest, and inconsistencies in the application of standards worldwide.  Criminalizing doping fraud will reduce the political aspects that impact today’s anti-doping system and concern our athletes so deeply, and will reinforce sport as something that is aligned with our shared values.”

About U.S. Ski & Snowboard
U.S. Ski & Snowboard is the Olympic National Governing Body (NGB) of ski and snowboard sports in the USA, based in Park City, Utah. Tracing its roots directly back to 1905, the organization represents nearly 200 elite skiers and snowboarders in 2019, competing in seven teams; alpine, cross country, freeski, freestyle, snowboard, nordic combined and ski jumping. In addition to the elite teams, U.S. Ski & Snowboard also provides leadership and direction for tens of thousands of young skiers and snowboarders across the USA, encouraging and supporting them in achieving excellence. By empowering national teams, clubs, coaches, parents, officials, volunteers and fans, U.S. Ski & Snowboard is committed to the progression of its sports, athlete success and the value of team. For more information, visit www.usskiandsnowboard.org.

U.S. Ski & Snowboard announced today the addition of Ski & Snowboard Club Vail (SSCV) as the newest member of its High Performance Center (HPC) Partnership Program. The HPC program was initiated in 2017 to share knowledge, systems and processes of athlete development between ski and snowboard clubs and U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s High Performance Department.

The program encourages certified Gold and Silver Clubs, who have excellence in athletic development, sports science, and sports medicine, to become a designated High Performance Center with U.S. Ski & Snowboard to maintain strong and robust talent pathways that can consistently identify and develop world-class athletes.

“The High Performance Center partnership program is critical to our success in developing our future athletes and we are delighted to have Ski & Snowboard Club Vail officially on board,” said Troy Taylor, Director of High Performance for U.S. Ski & Snowboard. “This is something really special and Vail, along with our other elite partnerships and High Performance Centers, will play a key role in our athlete development strategies and the effectiveness of a shared, collaborative system for years to come.”

Ski & Snowboard Club Vail has a long and storied history of developing champions and mentors more than 650 young athletes who participate in its on-snow programs across five disciplines: alpine, freeski, moguls, Nordic and snowboard. In 2019, SSCV also announced the launch of a full-time cycling program for dedicated, year-round competitive mountain bikers. 

SSCV’s Minturn Fitness Center (MFC) opened its doors in 2014 as the first club-run facility to provide full human performance and medical services to its athletes. The 9,000-square-foot facility has been training SSCV and U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes, as well as the general public, for the past five years, developing a reputation as an industry leader in the area of human performance.

The MFC requires its staff to have and maintain the highest standard of education, including all of the following certifications: National Strength and Conditioning Association, Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialists, Certified Personal Trainers, and EXOS/XPS Performance Specialists. The MFC is also a club leader in developing programs using periodization and a 12-month collaboration with on-hill staff.

This new HPC designation will further ensure SSCV is able to provide world-class services to its athletes, coaches and clients.

“We are overwhelmed by this accolade from U.S. Ski & Snowboard, which recognizes SSCV’s expertise and dedication to the health and performance of its athletes,” said John Cole, Ski & Snowboard Club Vail’s Director of Human Performance. “As we continue to innovate our training and periodization systems, we will look forward to our new partnerships and collaborations, not only with the Center of Excellence in Park City, but also our fellow High Performance Centers throughout the U.S.”

“It’s an honor to officially partner with U.S. Ski & Snowboard,” said Jimmy Pritchard, Ski & Snowboard Club Vail’s Director of Strength and Conditioning. “We are thrilled to further support the athletes with highest level of service and expand our educational relationships with the staff.”

Ski and Snowboard Club Vail’s commitment to athlete development culminates annually during Mountain-Con, a sport performance conference geared specifically for the mountain sport athlete professional that provides access to information from the most highly-acclaimed sport performance professionals in the industries of physiology, strength and conditioning, performance psychology, nutrition and altitude/sea level performance. Participants of Mountain-Con may use their attendance as continuing education credits with U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s coaching certification program.

For more information about U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s High Performance Partnership Program, please contact Tom Webb, Director of Marketing and Communications at tom.webb@usskiandsnowboard.org.

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About Ski and Snowboard Club Vail
Founded in 1962, Ski & Snowboard Club Vail (SSCV) is the Vail Valley’s oldest nonprofit. Today, the club remains true to its roots by instilling the values of “character, courage and commitment” through mentorship of more than 650 young athletes who participate in its on-snow programs. The organization provides training and competition services for aspiring snow-sport athletes across five snowsport disciplines: alpine, freeski, moguls, Nordic, and snowboard. A U.S. Ski & Snowboard Gold Certified Club, SSCV has received numerous accolades form the national governing body, including Club of the Year (2010, 2014), Alpine Club of the Year (1999, 2010, 2014-16), Cross Country Club of the Year (2013), Freeski Club of the Year (2013-14), Freestyle Club of the Year (2014), and Snowboard Club of the Year (2014). Over the years, SSCV has helped cultivate numerous champions. Three Olympic gold medalists — Lindsey Vonn, Mikaela Shiffrin, and Kaitlyn Farrington — all booted up at the SSCV clubhouse during their formative years, as did X Games gold medalist Aaron Blunck, world champion Chris Del Bosco, and Olympic bronze medalist Toby Dawson.

About U.S. Ski & Snowboard
U.S. Ski & Snowboard is the Olympic National Governing Body (NGB) of ski and snowboard sports in the USA, based in Park City, Utah. Tracing its roots directly back to 1905, the organization represents nearly 200 elite skiers and snowboarders in 2019, competing in seven teams; alpine, cross country, freeski, freestyle, snowboard, nordic combined and ski jumping. In addition to the elite teams, U.S. Ski & Snowboard also provides leadership and direction for tens of thousands of young skiers and snowboarders across the USA, encouraging and supporting them in achieving excellence. By empowering national teams, clubs, coaches, parents, officials, volunteers and fans, U.S. Ski & Snowboard is committed to the progression of its sports, athlete success and the value of team. For more information, visit www.usskiandsnowboard.org.

PARK CITY, Utah - Live Like Sam and the Sam Jackenthal Fund has partnered with U.S. Ski & Snowboard with the shared objective of providing young athletes with the tools to succeed in sports and life with a sense of gratitude.

The Sam Jackenthal Fund of Park City Community Foundation and LiveLikeSam.org was founded by Ron Jackenthal, the father of the late Sam Jackenthal, a Park City, Utah, local and young man of strong character and values who was also a budding and promising world-class athlete. The 16-year-old freeskiing champion passed away in 2015 from injuries suffered in a training accident in Australia. Since Sam’s passing, Live Like Sam has specified a clear set of core principles (CARE) which support the following services: creating curriculum and an education platform with training modules, fostering a network of community service partnerships, as well as establishing funding for merit and need-based scholarships.

“I am really excited about U.S. Ski & Snowboard supporting LiveLikeSam.org,” said Julie Glusker, Director of Athlete Career and Education at U.S. Ski & Snowboard. “The mission of Live Like Sam parallels our own organizational mission, ‘to lead, encourage, and support athletes in achieving excellence by empowering national teams, clubs, coaches, parents, officials, volunteers, and fans.’”

“Our whole athlete development philosophy at the national team level must have a solid underpinning as young and developing athletes navigate their individual pathways, and Live Like Sam can provide a relevant, meaningful, principled foundation for this process,” added Glusker. “Steeping athlete progression in the Live Like Sam core principles of community, athletics, responsibility, and education (CARE) will ensure that developing athletes grow into capable, caring, and compassionate competitors. Athletes at all levels can appreciate, relate to, and benefit from the lessons of LiveLikeSam.org."

“U.S. Ski & Snowboard's whole athlete development model and mission will benefit from the meaningful foundation of Live Like Sam programs,” said Ron Jackenthal. “As young athletes individually develop in life and in sport, they will thrive athletically and emotionally from the LiveLikeSam.org mission and lessons. I see Live Like Sam as being highly complementary to a performance-based organization. We are focused on whole person development as well as whole athlete development and helping athletes build character on and off the podium. The U.S. Ski & Snowboard values of excellence, passion, integrity, community, team, grit, fun, and safety all align with and complement the Live Like Sam CARE principles.”

The partnership is a natural fit for both organizations as U.S. Ski & Snowboard will provide Live Like Sam a nationwide distribution platform from which to promote its mission, curriculum and philanthropy. Live Like Sam will provide U.S. Ski & Snowboard its curriculum based on CARE principles.

Live Like Sam, although relatively new, has already started making significant contributions to the winter sports community. Since 2017, the Sam Jackenthal Fund has raised more than $125,000 to support more 100 total awards. Additionally, in just a few months since expanding the organization, Live Like Sam brought on 25 community partners. Some of these partners include the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation, Ski Utah, Park City Mountain Resort, Deer Valley, Woodward, USASA Big Mountain West, and Utah’s own Youth Sports Alliance, Park City Education Foundation, Christian Center of Park City, the Park City Community Foundation, and many more.

In classic Sam Jackenthal fashion, U.S. Ski & Snowboard and Live Like Sam will move forward together with a go-big-or-go-home approach as well as embracing Sam’s coined phrase and philosophy of “Just Jackenthal it!” in their commitment to sport and, more importantly, the community he loved.

“When I think about what Sam would want, I realize he wants us all to go out and live large, be there for others, and be integrated into the community,” said Jackenthal. “That thought has been a big inspiration for me through this loss - and I can now share Sam’s legacy!”

#JoinTheMovement and sign up at www.livelikesam.org and follow @LiveLikeSam.org on Facebook and Twitter as well as @Just.Jackenthal.It and #LiveLikeSam on Instagram. In addition, please consider donating and promoting Live Like Sam to your community and social media network.

About U.S. Ski & Snowboard
U.S. Ski & Snowboard is the Olympic National Governing Body (NGB) of ski and snowboard sports in the USA, based in Park City, Utah. Tracing its roots directly back to 1905, the organization represents nearly 200 elite skiers and snowboarders in 2019, competing in seven teams; alpine, cross country, freeski, freestyle, snowboard, nordic combined and ski jumping. In addition to the elite teams, U.S. Ski & Snowboard also provides leadership and direction for tens of thousands of young skiers and snowboarders across the USA, encouraging and supporting them in achieving excellence. By empowering national teams, clubs, coaches, parents, officials, volunteers and fans, U.S. Ski & Snowboard is committed to the progression of its sports, athlete success and the value of team. For more information, visit www.usskiandsnowboard.org.

About Live Like Sam
Live Like Sam wants every young athlete to be able to develop the confidence and utilize the tools necessary to excel in life – as an athlete and as a person. Fueled by the Sam Jackenthal Fund, Live Like Sam empowers the positive personal development of young athletes through educational programs and services, community-based partnerships, and merit and need-based scholarships. For more information, visit www.livelikesam.org.