(PARK CITY, UTAH - September 29, 2023) — U.S. Ski & Snowboard announced David McCann as its new Director of Sport Education. With a distinguished background spanning across several prominent sports organizations, McCann is a celebrated sports education leader.

McCann is no stranger to U.S. Ski & Snowboard, having acted as the organization’s Director of Educational Services from 2003-08. His journey has also included leadership roles at various other Olympic National Governing Bodies, including USA Volleyball, USA Rugby and USA Boccia, as well as within leadership at the University of Illinois, where he taught classes and provided consulting services and crucial resources to sports organizations across the state. McCann also served as the Director of Coaching Education for the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee. Throughout his career, McCann has personally trained over 3,000 sport coaches and instructors in clinics and workshops, making a lasting impact on the field. 

During his previous tenure at U.S. Ski & Snowboard, then the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association, McCann developed numerous award-winning educational materials, generating over 1 million dollars in revenue for the organization. In his current role, McCann will continue to enhance the comprehensive coaches education experience for our domestic and international coaches. He will also collaborate closely with our club development program to ensure that our youth and elite athletes have access to a world-class pipeline for their growth and success. 

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 2023, competing in ten teams; alpine, cross country, freeski, freestyle moguls, freestyle aerials, snowboard, nordic combined, Para snowboard, Para alpine, and ski jumping. In addition to the fully-funded 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 

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FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
U.S. Ski & Snowboard
Leann Bentley
Communications Manager
leann.bentley@usskiandsnowboard.org 

(PARK CITY, UTAH - Sep. 28, 2023) – U.S. Ski & Snowboard has been selected as the recipient of the esteemed Jake Burton Award by Protect Our Winters (POW). The award, won previously by companies like Burton, Strava, New Belgium and more, was presented to U.S. Ski & Snowboard at POW's Leadership Summit in Reno, Nevada in September. 

Named in honor of snowboarding legend Jake Burton, the Jake Burton Award recognizes partners who have demonstrated leading the charge in creating cultural shifts needed to take on climate as a community. The criteria for the award include influencing the cultural shift through brand platforms, a willingness to challenge the status quo and integrating climate action into the DNA of the brand.

“Jake Burton’s passion and dedication built a movement in snow sports. He challenged the status quo every step of the way paving the path for a new sport, lowering barriers to entry and instilling the ethos that we should preserve the outdoors for all future generations,” said Torrey Udall, Executive Director of POW. “This year, the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team honored Jake’s legacy by bringing the urgency of climate to the forefront and using its voice and influence to affect change. We are grateful to U.S. Ski & Snowboard for their partnership, collaboration and dedication.”

POW nominated U.S. Ski & Snowboard and Aspen Snowmass for their collaborative efforts at the Stifel America’s Downhill at Aspen, at which the organization and resort worked to champion sustainable practices and environmental responsibility, and the 2023 FIS World Alpine Ski Championships. U.S. Ski & Snowboard collaborated with POW and Kappa to create climate change-themed alpine race suits for the World Championships, designed to bring attention to the melting glaciers around the world. The suits were worn on the sport's biggest stage by the sport's biggest stars to show the organization’s commitment to furthering the fight against climate change. 

"We are deeply honored to receive the Jake Burton Award from POW," said Sophie Goldschmidt, President and CEO of U.S. Ski & Snowboard. "This recognition reaffirms our dedication to mitigating climate change's impact on our winter sports and we look forward to continuing our efforts, knowing there is still so much more we could do."

This recognition reiterates U.S. Ski & Snowboard's commitment to combating climate change and protecting our winter playgrounds. U.S. Ski & Snowboard and POW will continue to collaborate on initiatives that promote environmental sustainability and raise awareness about the urgent need for climate action within the winter sports community and beyond. 

For the seventh year, Ron Kruszewski, who serves as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Stifel Financial Corp. and a trustee of U.S. Ski & Snowboard, hosted his annual U.S. Ski & Snowboard fundraiser. The event broke records, raising over $1 million.

This year's theme was "Mikaela's Roadhouse," designed to celebrate Mikaela Shiffrin's record-setting 88 World Cup wins, complete with Route 88 signs throughout the venue.

It was a star-studded night with country sensation Dierks Bentley as the night’s primary entertainer alongside Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team athlete and two-time Olympic champion Mikaela Shiffrin and 2022 world champion Hanna Faulhaber and two-time Olympic medalist Alex Ferreira, both of the Stifel U.S. Freeski Team. Many key St. Louis sports figures were in attendance, including Blues, Cubs and Cardinals players.

“Thank you so much,” said Stifel U.S. Freeski Team athlete Hanna Faulhaber “The St. Louis event was a blast and I know the team is incredibly grateful for the support.”

Mikaela Shiffrin also thanking the St. Louis community for showing up to the event in her recent post, "Thank you to the St. Louis community for showing up once again," said Shiffrin "The event was just so much fun and I’m excited we were able to raise so much money for all sports and disciplines at U.S. Ski & Snowboard!"

One highlight of the evening included Shiffrin joining Bentley on stage for a surprise performance in front of U.S. Ski & Snowboard trustees and guests.

The event, hosted by Kruszewski and Amanda Perkins, along with support by U.S. Ski & Snowboard partner Textron Aviation, has quickly become one of the organization's largest fundraisers. Trustees, long-time supporters and guests were in attendance to break the all-time fundraising record at this event, with all proceeds directly benefiting the U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes as they begin their 2023-24 competition season. 

Since snowboarding became an official Paralympic sport in 2014, no country has won more Paralympic medals than the U.S. team. The American athletes have won more than double the next-closest country - 21 medals compared to China, who has won 10. 

Members of the current U.S. Para Snowboard Team have won 15 of those 21 medals, and several U.S. snowboarders added more hardware to their resumes at the World Championships this past March in La Molina, Spain. Four current members of the men’s team sit in the top five of the overall Paralympic medal rankings, and Brenna Huckaby leads the way for the women. 

Get to know the team before the season starts as they come under U.S. Ski & Snowboard!

Brenna Huckaby

Huckaby didn’t grow up a snowboard athlete; rather, she was an avid gymnast in a city not known for snow-covered peaks - Baton Rouge, Louisiana. When she was 14, she had her right leg amputated due to bone cancer, and she made the move to Salt Lake City, Utah and decided to try a new sport - snowboarding. Just one month after her amputation, Huckaby received her first prosthetic leg and set her eyes on the slopes. The same passion she had for gymnastics, she quickly realized she had for snowboarding, and by 2013, she was competing with the National Ability Center in Park City. Before she knew it, she became one of the most talented athletes in the sport. A few years later, she took home three golds and a silver medal in her first two World Championships appearances, cementing herself as one of the best Para snowboardcross athletes in the world. 

Her World Championship success set her up for a dominant showing at the PyeongChang Winter Paralympic Games, where she won gold in the snowboardcross and banked slalom events. She later defended her banked slalom title at the 2022 Winter Paralympic Games in Beijing and took home a bronze in the snowboardcross competition. On top of her four Paralympic medals, the 27 year old has racked up nine World Championship medals, including a gold, silver and bronze in Spain earlier this year. She is a four-time Paralympic medalist (three gold, one bronze) and four-time world champion. Huckaby is a two-time ESPY Award nominee (2018, 2022) and one-time winner (2018) of the “Best Female Athlete with a Disability." When she isn’t snowboarding, you can find Huckaby hiking, biking, playing with her daughters, watching Shameless, or volunteering as a gymnastics judge in Utah.

Darian Haynes

Haynes was born with a Brachial Plexus injury and felt that most sports were unreachable for her while growing up, but after moving to Hawaii in 2010, she found an adaptive surfing program and the rest was history. Soon after discovering the sport, she started surfing competitively, soaring through the ranks. She became one of the best adaptive surfers in Hawaii and competed at national and international-level events, eventually joining Team USA. In 2021, she decided to trade the ocean for the mountains and moved to Silverthorne, Colorado to start her professional snowboarding career. Haynes began training with Adaptive Action Sports and became the 2022-23 FIS World Cup overall Para banked slalom champion within two years of training. In 2023, she took home the 2023 banked slalom overall Crystal Globe following another successful year on the World Cup and then topped it off with two bronze medals at the 2023 World Championships. 

Outside of snowboarding, Haynes is a competitive skateboarder who still loves surfing as much as possible. Throughout her three sports, she is dedicated to bringing opportunities to participate in adaptive sports to those who haven’t been exposed, especially young women like herself.

Evan Strong

Strong is one of the only athletes on the Para team to have competed in all three Paralympics since snowboarding was formally added in 2014. The Haiku, Hawaii native led a U.S. medal sweep in the Sochi Paralympic Winter Games in snowboardcross, joined on the podium by teammates Mike Shea (silver) and Keith Gabel (bronze). 

Strong followed up his Sochi Games success with a silver medal in the banked slalom at the PyeongChang Paralympics. Along with his two Paralympic medals, Strong has won five World Championship medals, including a gold in snowboardcross LL2 in 2012. Since moving from Hawaii to Lake Tahoe, California in 2007, Strong has earned every title in Para snowboarding, from the X Games to the Paralympics.

Outside of snowboarding, Strong's hobbies include skateboarding, mountain biking, surfing and photography. He credits his family, along with Amy Purdy and Daniel Gale, the founders of Adaptive Action Sports, as the most influential individuals in his career.

Joe Pleban

Pleban, from Fredericksburg, Virginia, has made a mark in the Para snowboarding world, on and off the snow. He is known worldwide for the “please cut here” tattoo he got on his leg in 2014 before his amputation, calling it the first non-permanent permanent tattoo. In 2017, his snowboarding journey began when he started training with Adaptive Action Sports, and soon enough, he made his international debut. 

Pleban just missed out on making the roster for the Beijing Paralympic Games last March, but soon after, he and his wife welcomed their daughter to the world. In his career, he has snagged top World Cup results and earned a 10th and 13th place results at World Championships. Outside of snowboarding, he attended Christopher Newport University and spends most of his time outside hiking and paddleboarding.

Keith Gabel

Gabel initially discovered his passion for snowboarding back in 2000, and although he loved to ride, he didn’t start formally competing until after an industrial accident in 2005 that crushed his left foot and led to an eventual amputation. Just three months post-op, Gabel returned to his snowboard; however, it wasn’t until the 2010-11 season that he found competitive Para snowboarding and began training with the National Ability Center in Park City, Utah. He progressed quickly and soared through the international ranks, eventually earning a spot on the 2014 Paralympic Team for the Games in Sochi, Russia. In his Paralympic debut, he earned a bronze medal in snowboardcross, becoming a part of the iconic U.S. medal sweep. At the Paralympic Games in 2018, Gabel improved on his 2014 results by finishing with a silver medal in the snowboardcross event. Outside his Paralympic experience, Gabel earned two World Championship medals, becoming the snowboardcross world champion in 2019, and finished second in snowboardcross team alongside teammate Noah Elliott in 2023. 

Now 38, Gabel hopes to make his fourth trip to the Paralympics in 2026. Outside of snowboarding, you’ll find Gabel hiking, fishing, mountain biking, swimming, cliff diving, camping, playing and writing music, and hanging out with his dog, checking nearly every outdoor activity box. 

Mike Minor

Minor was born missing part of his right forearm, but that did not stop him from competing. He competes in the UL classification for athletes with upper limb deficiencies. He grew up skiing, skiing, wrestling, skateboarding, four-wheeling and participating in mixed martial arts, but decided to start snowboarding at age seven, inspired by those snowboarding around him. While working as a lift attendant at Copper Mountain in Colorado, he was invited to start practicing and competing competitively with Adaptive Action Sports. His talent was evident, and those around him began to take notice. Not long after, he made his international debut at a World Cup event in 2015, and after an impressive opening season, Minor still continues to dominate the competition on both the national and international stage.

Since making his international debut in 2015, Minor has competed in two Paralympic Winter Games, winning a gold and a bronze medal, and two World Championships, winning two golds and two silvers. The 32 year old now lives in Finland with his fiancée. In his free time, he enjoys skateboarding and spending time with his two dogs, Halo and Dinky.

Mike Schultz

In 2008, while competing in a snowcross race, Schultz drifted off course, flying off his snowmobile and landing on his left leg. He sustained a severe compound fracture to his knee and, after multiple surgeries, had his leg amputated above the knee. Throughout his entire life, Schultz has always been heavily involved in action sports, and after his amputation, he found that the prosthetics on the market weren’t suitable for the activity he wanted to continue to pursue. Knowing this, Schultz took matters into his own hands and engineered his prosthetic knee, which got him back in the position to get back out into the action sports world. Not long after, Schultz won the adaptive motocross silver medal at the X Games, then switched gears and started snowboarding in 2009. Following his achievements, Schultz quickly realized that others could benefit from his engineered prosthetic design and decided to start BioDapt, Inc., in 2010. His company pushed the boundaries for high-impact adaptive sports. 

The success never slowed. In 2010, Schultz became the first person to win a gold medal at both the Summer and Winter X Games. His love of action sports and enjoyment of new challenges led him to become competitive in snowboarding after already successful careers in snowcross and motocross. He rose through the national ranks, joined the U.S. Para Snowboard Team in 2015, and showed impressive results on the World Cup circuit. Schultz competed in his first World Championships in 2017, taking home a silver in the banked slalom LL1. A year later, he won silver in the same event and a gold in the snowboardcross at the 2018 PyeongChang Paralympic Winter Games. Schultz added three World Championship medals from two more appearances — including a bronze in the snowboardcross this past March — and another Paralympic silver at the 2022 Beijing Paralympic Winter Games to his resume. The 41 year old is coming off a dominant World Cup season that saw him reach eight podiums and finish tied for the most points in banked slalom LL1.

Schultz’s hobbies include motocross, snowmobiling, mountain biking, horseback riding, skiing and, of course, working in his shop. In 2010, he was inducted into the Athletes with Disabilities Network Hall of Fame, along with being a published author and public speaker who has even given a TEDx Talk on adapting to golden opportunities.

Noah Elliott

Elliott burst onto the international stage as a 20 year old at the PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games, where he won gold in the banked slalom and bronze in the snowboardcross LL1 competition - only three years after his left leg was amputated due to bone cancer.

After winning the world title in dual banked slalom in January 2022, the St. Charles, Missouri, native battled through injuries at the Beijing Paralympic Games and just missed medaling in the banked slalom. Elliott, now 25, returned healthy this year and earned five podiums on the World Cup circuit, and two silvers at the 2023 World Championships. 

Elliott takes pride in hard work and dedication and enjoys sharing stories with others and learning new things. Outside of snowboarding, Elliott’s hobbies include skateboarding, snowboarding, fishing, camping, hiking, traveling, cooking, being outdoors, playing guitar, hanging out with family, and simply enjoying life. 

Peggy Martin

Martin is one of the first competitive snowboarders in the world, between able-bodied and adaptive snowboarding. Along with being the first, she is also one of the oldest competitors active on the Para snowboard circuit. Despite her age, Martin continues to push boundaries and win events. 

Martin started snowboarding in 1986 while working as a ski instructor in Colorado. She used borrowed and homemade equipment to start her snowboard journey and quickly was up on her feet, flying down the slopes. As the snowboarding world expanded, competitive events became more popular; in 1988, just two years after starting, Martin began racing competitively. 

In 1996, she seriously injured her arm in a snowmobile crash and started snowboarding with her arm in a sling to be pain-free while riding. In 2015, Peggy learned that she qualified to compete in Para snowboarding events due to her arm injury and the rest is history. Despite her success on the Para snowboard circuit and the sport being included in the Paralympics for the first time in 2014, Martin wasn’t able to compete at the 2018 or 2022 Paralympic Games because her category was not yet included; however, that is something she hopes to help change. 

At the 2023 Para Snowboard World Championships in La Molina, Martin took home two silver medals in dual banked slalom and dual banked slalom team, a testament to her dedication and perseverance in the sport. Martin is a trailblazer in able-bodied and Para snowboarding and has helped to grow the sports to where they are today.

Zach Miller

While Miller is the youngest national team member, he doesn’t lack international experience. Only two weeks after turning 20, the Silverthorne, Colorado, native won bronze in snowboardcross at the 2019 World Championships in Pyha, Finland.

Daniel Gale recruited Zach to join Adaptive Action Sports at age 13 and helped him become an elite athlete. Miller credits him as the most influential person in his athletic career as he offered him so much support and taught him how to be an ambassador, not just a snowboarder. 

Miller quickly moved through the international ranks and earned a spot on the U.S. Para Snowboard Team in 2018. He is a two-time world champion, five-time World Championship medalist and Paralympian (2022). Miller’s goal is to “be a guy you always want out on the hill with you. Maybe [to win] a Paralympic gold medal too.” His favorite sports memory is winning his second World Championship title with Mike Minor. Recently, Zach was awarded the 2023 “Best Athlete with a Disability” ESPY Award, a testament to the impact he has beyond the sport. He wrapped up last season with three medals at the 2023 World Championships in La Molina in banked slalom team (gold), dual banked slalom (silver), and snowboardcross (bronze). 

Miller describes himself as a massive nerd, a huge gamer and highly competitive; his favorite thing about snowboarding is how fast he can go. He's also a big motorcycle rider. Additionally, he works as a coach at Adaptive Action Sports, teaching new development athletes to snowboard and start racing; he also set up some new PCs in the office so they can start building a local adaptive eSports Program.

FOLLOW THE U.S. PARA SNOWBOARD TEAM

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The FIS Masters Cup officially kicked off in September with 5 races at Catedral in Bariloche, Argentina - look at all the USA medalists! See the link for a wrap-up video from Lisa Densmore Ballard's camp and the races!

https://youtu.be/PtXAi83SS1U?si=Om2oqKnGsT_1pL-m

Full race results at: https://www.fis-ski.com/DB/masters/calendar-results.html

The highly anticipated 2023-24 freestyle moguls and aerials ski season is around the corner and the domestic and international competition schedule is officially set, with several competitions highlighting the best junior-level and professional-level athletes in the world on home snow. 

The 2023-24 event schedule includes more than the FIS Freestyle World Cup. U.S. Selection Events, the FIS Continental Cup (NorAm Tour, part of the Stifel Success NorAm Series) and the FIS Open events host the best junior athletes in the nation and world, including the up-and-coming talent from U.S. athletes representing five divisions across the nation: Eastern, Intermountain, Far West, Northern and Rocky Mountain divisions. 

Domestic Freestyle Schedule: NorAm Cup, Selection Events, World Cups

Selections

The domestic schedule kicks off for the moguls and dual moguls athletes at U.S. Freestyle Selections in Winter Park, Colorado on Dec. 13-17, 2023, where athletes competing can qualify to earn starts in the U.S. World Cups and NorAm competitions.

NorAm Cups

Next up after moguls Selections is the Deer Valley NorAm Cup, Feb. 4-8, 2024. The NorAm Cup is an elite competition that serves as another stepping stone to the World Cup circuit and is part of the Stifel Success NorAm Series in the United States. To wrap up the domestic NorAm Cup season, men’s and women’s moguls and dual moguls athletes will head to Vermont’s Stratton Mountain Resort, Feb. 27-March 2, 2024. 

The aerials NorAm Cup event of the season will take athletes to the Olympic Jumping Complex in Lake Placid, New York, March 1-March 2, 2024. Aerials athletes competing in the NorAms are hoping to land a spot on the World Cup circuit. 

World Cup

The moguls World Cup is headed to the east coast, with the best moguls skiers in the world competing at Waterville Valley World Cup, Jan. 26-27, for the first time. The weekend after, both moguls and aerials athletes will head to the Intermountain Health Freestyle International World Cup at Deer Valley for the ‘Superbowl of Freestyle Skiing.’ The event is back under the lights over the Feb. 1-3, 2024!

U.S. Junior National Championships

The 2024 U.S. Junior National Championships for both aerials and moguls will be hosted at the Utah Olympic Park in Park City, Utah, which brings together the top junior competitors from each division to compete head to head in their respective age groups – U15, U17 and U19, March 11-16, 2024. 

National Championships

On Jan. 21, 2024, U.S. aerial athletes will compete in the U.S. National Championship at the Utah Olympic Park in Park City, Utah, were athletes will compete for the National Championship title.

The domestic moguls competition continues in March with national championships. Athletes head back to Waterville Valley Resort for the highly-anticipated 2024 Toyota U.S. National Freestyle Championships, March 22-24, where the top overall regional moguls and dual moguls from each division, along with Stifel U.S. Freestyle Ski Team moguls athletes, compete for national titles. 

FIS Open

The domestic aerials schedule begins on Jan. 20 2024, with the FIS Open, where athletes will compete against the world's best in a warm-up event for the Deer Valley World Cup. Then, the moguls team wraps up the freestyle season in Snowbird, Utah with a FIS Open event on April 20-21.

“Freestyle has a rich history in the U.S. and the elite-level domestic events help to support our developmental pipeline,” said U.S. Freestyle Sport Director at U.S. Ski & Snowboard Matt Gnoza. “Knowing that we have a deep pool of freestyle athletes in the United States, we are excited to see the talent that comes through in these events. The current Stifel U.S. Freestyle Team looks to build on a hugely successful 2022-23 season, and I am looking forward to seeing our elite teams and developmental teams work together to continue being the best freestyle team in the world.”

Full domestic freestyle schedule below

Another year, another round of big mountain descents, waist-deep powder slashes, and gnarly park and urban skiing shots, all perfectly synchronized to high-quality music, featuring some friendly and familiar faces to get you excited for the upcoming season.

On Sunday, September 16, Olympic champion Jessie Diggins disclosed that she recently struggled with her eating disorder after 12 years of being in recovery.  

“I’ve learned that sometimes the hard conversations we have can have the most transformative power,” Jessie wrote in a personal statement. “So although this isn’t easy for me, I have something I’d like to share with all of you. This summer, after 12 years of being in a great place of health, I’ve been struggling with my eating disorder.”

She spoke openly and honestly on her personal Instagram about how she is working daily with her team and focusing on putting herself, and her health, first. 

U.S. Ski & Snowboard and PEOPLE magazine worked together to help Jessie share her story. 

“Right now, I ask for your respect and trust that I’m putting my well-being first and foremost because my team and I all agree that a healthy and happy life is the primary objective.” 

U.S. Ski & Snowboard supports Jessie and anyone who may be struggling with their mental health. As she outlines in her statement, “To anyone out there struggling with mental health right now - I know that it can feel scary and hard to reach out for help, but it’s the best thing you can ever do.” 

Our mission at U.S. Ski & Snowboard is to empower athletes to achieve excellence, including providing the resources and tools necessary to ensure mental well-being. Mental health resources are available 24/7, 365 days a year. 

U.S. Ski & Snowboard is highlighting HERoic trailblazers throughout our winter sports, both past and present. A HERoic trailblazer is a woman athlete who has gone above and beyond in her sport, moving the sport forward through grit and determination and inspiring the next generation of women athletes. 

Danelle Umstead, alumna of the U.S. Para Alpine Ski Team, embodies what it means to be a HERoic Trailblazer. As one of the first and most dominant Para alpine ski racers in history, she has pushed the boundaries for her sport on and off the slope.  

Through her work as a motivational speaker and the founder of the Sisters in Sport Foundation, Danelle has promoted accessibility and paved the way for the next generation of disabled athletes. 

The Beginnings

Danelle’s motto is “living the impossible every day.” When she was 13, she was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa and early onset macular degeneration, a condition that leads to total blindness. Over time, she lost her central vision and most of her peripheral vision. 

Despite her athletic success that we know today, Danelle’s skiing journey didn’t start until she was 29 when her dad convinced her to go to a local hill in New Mexico with him as her guide. She was hooked as soon as she felt the wind on her face as she skied down a run for the first time. Over the next few years, Umstead learned how to ski with a guide before meeting her future guide and husband, Rob Umstead. Rob grew up alpine ski racing and worked as a ski coach across the United States before landing in New Mexico where the pair met and immediately clicked. Meeting a guide that fits an athlete’s needs is tricky on its own, but finding a husband-wife pair is a truly special scenario. 

Not only do a ski guides help blind athletes ski down the hill, but they also help individuals in their everyday lives. When skiing, Rob skis slightly ahead of Danelle and constantly talks to her through headsets inside their helmets. He tells her about the course, the terrain and anything else she is about to encounter. They find the most success when they stay tight and keep constant communication. Danelle says that often Rob knows what she needs before she knows it. 

The pair quickly found their groove, and Danelle was determined to become a professional athlete. Together, they created Team Vision4Gold, and the Paralympic dream began. Outside of their Paralympic mission, in 2007, Danelle and Rob became parents to their son Brocton. The family is completed by Windy, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. When not on snow, they love to hike, paddleboard, camp, and go on road trips together. 

A Story of Perseverance

In more than one way, the partnership between Danelle and Rob was a success. Danelle and Rob went to their first Paralympics in 2010 and took home two bronze medals in downhill and combined. 

Shortly after the Games in Vancouver, Danelle was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a degenerative nerve disease that complicates the body's communication with the brain. The disease paralyzed half of her body, and she was forced to relearn how to walk and eventually to ski again. Despite battling the symptoms of multiple sclerosis every day, Danelle rehabbed and was able to return to skiing, quickly getting back to winning World Cup races with Rob and winning U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s Adaptive Athlete of the Year award, setting the tone for the coming seasons. 

The pair earned a spot on the 2014 Paralympic Team, where she left with another bronze medal in the combined. Winning back-to-back medals at the Paralympics cemented Danelle’s name as one of the best adaptive skiers and the one to beat moving forward. 

The pair went on to compete in two more Olympics, two more World Championships and countless World Cup races. Over the course of their 14-year competitive career, they won three Paralympic bronze medals, four World Cup medals (two silver and two bronze), two overall Crystal Globes, and had 50+ World Cup podiums. And not only was Umstead just a star within the ski world! In 2018, Umstead became one of the celebrities competing on season 27 of Dancing with the Stars, becoming the first-ever blind contestant on the show. 

A Lasting Legacy

Throughout her career, Danelle discovered the loneliness that can come with being a disabled athlete and the importance of having a solid support system. She found a tight-knit community through skiing that helped her to push through difficult times in her career, became passionate about providing this support to others and encouraging the next generation of disabled athletes to participate in sports. In 2020, Umstead created the Sisters in Sports Foundation to provide mentorship and education programs to women athletes with disabilities.

Danelle is also a successful motivational speaker, empowering leaders and teams to overcome obstacles to do the impossible every day. Her contributions to skiing and Para sports as a whole are immeasurable, and she continues to show her commitment to empowering the next generation of disabled athletes. Thanks to Danelle, Para alpine skiing is a more welcoming and accessible community than before

Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team athlete Nina O’Brien fractured her left leg in training at a camp in New Zealand. 

“I’m really sad to share that I left New Zealand after re-fracturing my leg,” said O’Brien. “Ski racing, I love you but wow you can be brutal. I was having the best camp, and just want to get back to those moments. So I guess we’ll have to try this thing again. At least this isn’t my first rodeo.”

O’Brien has been a key member on the women’s World Cup tech team, consistently scoring World Cup points. She is coming off a successful 2022-23 season where she became a world champion in the team event at the Courchevel-Meribel 2023 World Championships. She also had strong results in giant slalom last season, highlighted by a 10th place in the Kronplatz, Italy World Cup race. 

This is the second time she will go through the recovery process for a broken leg. O’Brien first broke her left leg while competing at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing when she suffered an open fracture to her tibia. She was the top U.S. contender in the giant slalom race, sitting in sixth place when she fell in the last few gates of the second run. 

O’Brien is having surgery Tuesday and will be out of competition for the upcoming 2023-24 season.