SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - U.S. Ski & Snowboard has a brand new certified Center of Excellence in South Lake Tahoe, providing state-of-the-art medical facilities to the elite team athletes based in that community, as well as the thousands of skiers and snowboarders who dream of future Olympic success.

The facility is part of a dream to improve community health and well-being at the Robert Maloff Center, located on the Barton Health medical campus in South Lake Tahoe. The 26,000 square foot state-of-the-art medical facility houses the Barton Center for Orthopedics & Wellness, which breaks the mold of regional healthcare by combining orthopedics, rehabilitation, performance-based training programs and overall wellness therapies. This new model of care addresses the entire patient, not just illness or injury.

Made possible by a $10 million donation from the “Angel of Tahoe” Lisa Maloff, the Barton Center for Orthopedics & Wellness, inside the Robert Maloff Center, focuses on coordinated care, integrated treatments and education, a philosophy known as the continuum of care. Here, the patient’s journey is guided by care navigators, tapping any or all of the services offered by health care providers and certified practitioners at the Center.

“The Barton Center for Orthopedics & Wellness’ innovation is something we’ve been conceptualizing for over a decade,” said Barton Health CEO Dr. Clint Purvance at the Center’s grand opening event on July 12, 2018. “Now, with the support of our community, stakeholders, team members and donors we are providing a healthcare system that offers our community a new model of care, tailored to their personal goals and health journey.”

Designed to improve the health of the community, the Center combines traditional orthopedic medical care with integrative medicine and wellness treatments such as acupuncture, mindfulness classes, nutrition counseling, as well as personalized rehabilitation and sports performance. This proactive approach not only gets the patient moving again, but back to their active lifestyle – whether competing in Olympic trials or day hiking with grandchildren.

While offering multiple services for the entire community, the Barton Center for Orthopedics & Wellness is also a certified U.S. Ski & Snowboard Center of Excellence. This designation represents advanced credibility for elite and Olympic snowsports athletes, attracting local competitors such as Kyle Smaine, Lila Lapanja, and Travis Ganong.

 “The Sierra Nevada is a hotbed of ski and snowboard sports, home to many elite athletes and more than 2,000 young skiers and snowboarders who represent the future generations of American Olympians. The Barton Center for Orthopedics & Wellness gives them access to a world-class facility and support to achieve their goals of competing,” said Luke Bodensteiner, U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s Chief of Sport.

Barton Health’s orthopedic physicians are well-known in the area and around the world, as these doctors help residents keep up with mountain activities as well as providing medical care for the U.S. Ski Team. Barton has a deep history with providing orthopedic care for Olympians, going back to the 1960s when Dr. Paul Fry launched the first orthopedic treatment practice after the Winter Games at Squaw Valley. The Fry family donated $1 million for the installation of hot and cold therapy pools at the Barton Center for Orthopedics & Wellness to carry on his legacy.
 

U.S. Ski & Snowboard, the Olympic national governing body for ski and snowboard sports in the USA, has announced that Mark Schneider has joined the organization as Chief Technology Officer (CTO).

Schneider brings a huge wealth of experience amassed to one of the largest sports bodies in the USA, including six years as Chief Information Officer with Red Bull USA. His most recent post was Chief Technology Officer with Zipscene, the Cincinnati, Ohio based company specializing in understanding and predicting consumer-dining behavior through deep learning and artificial intelligence on the Amazon (AWS) and Google Cloud Platform (GCP).

Schneider’s range of experience, in particular with the high profile athletes and events associated with Red Bull, makes him ideally suited for the CTO role with U.S. Ski & Snowboard. “Mark’s resume speaks for itself,” said Tiger Shaw, CEO, and President of U.S. Ski & Snowboard. “He has worked in the technology field for nearly 35 years and was an integral part of the incredible growth Red Bull enjoyed in the US from 2007 through 2013. Most recently he has been working with a start-up which specializes in understanding and predicting consumer behavior, a knowledge that will prove highly valuable to the work we do with athletes and consumers at U.S. Ski & Snowboard.”

“I am delighted to have accepted the CTO role with U.S. Ski & Snowboard,” said Mark Schneider, talking about his move to U.S. Ski & Snowboard. ”The opportunity to move to Park City and work with some of the highest profile athletes in the world, a range of events broadcast globally, and blue-chip commercial partners is a huge and very exciting honor.

“Even in my initial discussions with the team at the Center of Excellence, it is clear that there are opportunities to integrate technology even more deeply with the athletes U.S. Ski & Snowboard helps become best in the world. This work will be focused on helping them increase performance levels even further, and to use technology to improve the fan experience, both in the live arena and in broadcast, and that is just the tip of the iceberg! My family and I are looking forward to relocating to Utah and I cannot wait to start work.”