U.S. Ski & Snowboard today announced its partnership with R-Zero, the first biosafety technology company dedicated to reducing the spread of infectious diseases. 

Ahead of a critical Olympic season, U.S. Ski & Snowboard has incorporated R-Zero’s IoT-enabled, whole-room UV disinfection system, Arc, into its daily health and safety protocols at its Park City, Utah training facility, the USANA Center of Excellence. Arc’s hospital-grade, sustainable UV disinfection allows U.S. Ski & Snowboard to safely eliminate pathogenic risk on surfaces and air without the use of harmful chemicals. The addition of R-Zero’s biosafety technology is part of the organization’s innovative approach to ensuring U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team athletes are able to continue performing at their highest while training for and competing in Beijing in 2022. 

“Since the start of the pandemic, we’ve been taking a multifaceted approach to ensure our athletes are protected from health risks across the board, and R-Zero’s partnership is a big added step in the right direction,” said Gillian Bower, Director of High Performance at U.S. Ski & Snowboard and a 15-year veteran of the organization. “Health and performance are a priority—not just for our athletes but for our staff. R-Zero’s Arc adds a safe, highly effective and sustainable way we can ensure we’re reducing risks in all spaces and for all parts of the organization.”

Currently, U.S. Ski & Snowboard is using four Arc units in the USANA Center of Excellence to disinfect spaces such as the weight room, physical therapy facilities, performance lab and their aerial practice area, which includes ramps, trampolines and foam landing pits. To optimize athlete health and performance, the team runs R-Zero’s UV-C systems daily in these high-traffic training locations. Later this month, the team will also ship two Arc units to Beijing for use in the upcoming Games. 

“COVID-19 illuminated the need for increased health and performance conditions for professional athletes across the world,” said Grant Morgan, co-founder and CEO of R-Zero. “As the Delta variant continues to surge globally, ensuring the health security of team staff and athletes will continue to remain critical. We are proud to support the entire U.S. Ski & Snowboard organization in creating safer indoor athletic training environments, both here in Utah and internationally.”
 

 ###
 

About R-Zero
R-Zero is the first biosafety technology company dedicated to making the indoor spaces we share, safer and clinically clean. Founded to help organizations protect the health of people they serve, R-Zero is dedicated to developing the most effective and innovative disinfection technologies, to reduce the spread of all infectious diseases. R-Zero’s first product, Arc [an IoT-enabled, whole-room UV disinfection device] is currently enabling a higher level of health safety for hundreds of thousands of people, across both public and private sector organizations, without the use of chemicals. Today, R-Zero is pioneering the first continuous, automated disinfection ecosystem, enabling every organization to measure and manage indoor health risk with the same level of sophistication and technology that’s become standard across virtually every other industry. Informed by data science, built with AI, ML, and IoT connected hardware, R-Zero’s intelligent disinfection platform provides greater visibility, automation and even smarter risk reduction within the indoor spaces where humans spend their time. R-Zero is backed by leading venture capital firms, as well as thought-leaders from the health, hospitality, sports, commercial real estate, impact, and other industries. For more information, visit www.rzero.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 2021, 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

Creative Assets:
Photo assets of the R-Zero Arc system installed in the USANA Center of Excellence are linked here for use. 
 

Davis U.S. Cross Country Team athlete Logan Hanneman and U.S. Alpine Ski Team athlete Luke Winters just finished up a hard training block as they prepare for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games, so they made the annual aviation pilgrimage to Oshkosh, Wisconsin, for the EAA AirVenture Show as guests of Textron Aviation.

Hanneman and Winters learned to fly in a Cessna 172 and each was excited to share their love of aviation, and their respective sports, on Day 3 Live With Textron Aviation, hosted by Mindy Lindheim. In addition to meeting dozens of pilots and aviation enthusiasts from across the U.S., they also enjoyed a ride on the Goodyear Blimp!

This was the first trip to Oshkosh, which hosts the annual show - the largest aviation gathering in the world - but certainly will not be their last as they both continue to pursue additional pilot ratings with a goal of flying into Wittman Field and landing on the famed red, green, orange, white, pink or yellow dots!

The Oregonian recently published an article highlighting the unique relationship between Timberline Resort and U.S. Ski & Snowboard's Olympic hopefuls. 

"So much of the global skiing community is connected to Mount Hood, a place where lifelong friendships have been formed and Olympic dreams have been fostered. Every summer, domestic and international ski teams, videographers and coaches travel to the peak. It’s one of the only slopes open for training during the warm months thanks to the Palmer Glacier, which is on the south part of the mountain. Many Olympians and X Games champions have passed through this snowy destination at some point in their careers."

- Tyler Tachman, The Oregonian -

Check out the Full Article at OregonianLive.com

After almost two full years plagued by surgeries, injuries and rehabs, mogul skier for the U.S. Freestyle Ski Team Casey Andringa finally achieved liftoff at Timberline Lodge & Ski Area June 17, 2021.

The 2018 Olympian was sidelined for the past two World Cup seasons and hadn’t attempted an aerial maneuver since March 2019. His first back X at the jump site in June felt as worthy an accomplishment of making the Games three years ago. “There was a point in time where I thought I would never be doing this (training to compete in mogul skiing),” said Andringa. “I didn’t want to give myself hope in case I couldn’t get back to it. If my body had said ‘no,’ it would have been that much harder to handle.”

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Casey Andringa (@butteredt0ast)

Andringa underwent surgery in 2019 to correct an old knee injury with the intention of returning to training in summer 2020. However, a COVID-19 positive test and a period of quarantine meant he returned later than hoped. And then five days into water ramping Andringa crashed his mountain bike, dislocating and shattering his wrist and hand, and his hopes of competing the 2020-21 World Cup season. 

It took five surgeries over the course of eight months to put his hand and wrist back together and over the past year Andringa seriously considered calling it quits. “In October I was retired in my head. I had decided that I had been in so much pain for so long and I was thinking about how taxing competing in mogul skiing is on the body. I didn’t think I had any more space in my life left for more physical damage.”

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Casey Andringa (@butteredt0ast)

Trying to get excited about what was next, Andringa realized if he left the sport, he would be leaving with an unanswered question. “If I had ended my career last October then I would have ended while I was in a headspace where I was always going to feel like my body was fragile and that I was kind of broken. It really messes with your head when you go from being able to do any activity, where you can trust your body because you’re strong and healthy and your body just does these things, to feeling like anything could mess you up. It’s almost a self-fulfilling prophecy because the more you feel that way, the harder it is to stop feeling that way, so you kind of will [the hurt] upon yourself.”

Andringa recognized the parallel in trying to make PyeongChang 2018. During the last Olympic qualification process Andringa approached the season with a clear objective, and despite the odds, had been fired up to make it happen. “The realization of how far away I was from not even skiing at the 2022 Olympics, but just to get back to cork 7s and ski moguls, even that felt so far away. It just turned itself into a tangible goal, a goal I could pursue.” 

Putting feet to boots and skis in the air marked a huge milestone for Andringa’s pursuit of another Olympic run. “I meant to jump in May at Snowbird, but my knee hurt so bad, I couldn’t even picture myself going off of the kicker, let alone doing a trick. To be able to go to Timberline and do a backflip was just…I was so scared, even though I’ve been doing them since I was 12, I’ve probably done thousands. My first cork 7 I was super nervous too, but I did it and got down to the side of the run and started crying a little bit. It just was a thing I didn’t let myself expect to get back to.”

It will be a day-by-day process for Andringa to make it in less than 200 days to Opening Ceremonies of the 2022 Games. Pushing through pain and figuring out what his body can, cannot and should not do are all part of his plan. “There’s still a chance there are things my body says no to. I’m scared I’ll show up at Zermatt and it will hurt too bad to ski. So I’m working hard when I feel good and taking each day for what it is, trying not to get too upset when things do hurt.”

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Casey Andringa (@butteredt0ast)

While the Olympic Games provide an objective goal, what's most important to Andringa is knowing his body isn’t broken and to trust in its ability to perform. “I’m still working on that trust a lot. Every day.”

“It feels like I have had so much time to reflect and figure things out, but I think the only thing I feel like I actually learned was to just keep moving forward.”

With sights on Beijing (and the chance to represent the U.S. with his brother and teammate Jesse) Andringa also looks forward to surmounting at least one more challenge – the Road to Arcylon trail in Park City, Utah. “Yes, I still bike, it feels good to get back on the horse. And I do plan on getting revenge on the drop that took me out. I can’t let a little tiny mountain bike drop win. But I’m waiting until after ski season.”

Andringa would like to thank his parents, family and girlfriend Roma, who nursed him back to health (and is now in nursing school), as well as the countless physios and Dr. Randy Viola. Follow Casey’s journey on Instagram.

Join alpine athlete Jimmy Krupka on the Arc City podcast, as double Olympic champion Mikaela Shiffrin makes her inaugural visit and gives a chunk of her very busy, Olympic-prepping schedule to talk over Zoom. Krupka caught up with Shiffrin just under 200 days from Beijing 2022.

First, they touch on the Jeff Shiffrin Athlete Resiliency Fund (keeptheflamealive.org), named in honor of her late father. Then, they hit a few big topics: pressure, social media, and who Shiffrin would be without skiing. Finally, we bring the 2020 FIS Ski World Cup overall champion (and Mikaela’s boyfriend), Norway's Aleksander Aamodt Kilde on for some fun and a little seriousness.

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by U.S. Ski Team (@usskiteam)

LISTEN NOW 

Check out the core training executed by Jessie Diggins during her summer training at Vermont's Stratton Mountain School.

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by FIS Cross-Country World Cup (@fiscrosscountry)

U.S. Ski & Snowboard has officially announced a multi-year partnership with Givego, an on-demand virtual coaching and connectivity platform built by athletes, for athletes. 

Givego’s one-of-a-kind virtual learning platform connects users to experts through an easy to use and intuitive app, allowing anyone the ability to connect and learn from some of the world's best experts and professional athletes. Today, users simply upload a video using their mobile device, describe what aspect of their sport they are looking to improve, and their choice of expert can respond within minutes.

“Givego’s ability to provide on-demand feedback to skiers and riders around the world directly complements our mission to encourage and support athletes, clubs, coaches, parents, officials, volunteers, and fans,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard President and CEO Tiger Shaw. “In addition to providing a valuable resource to key stakeholders, Givego also contributes to an athlete’s financial well being by compensating them for their expertise. We could not be more excited to support elements of our development pipeline and athlete experience alongside Givego.”

"We exist to make dreams possible," says Willie Ford, founder & CEO of Givego. "Whether you're a world champion, a young athlete with big goals, or someone who simply wants to be their best, we help you. We could not be more excited to bring Givego to the greater community of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard."

Customers can expect the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Givego experience to launch in September. To learn more, visit: www.givego.io or download Givego from the App Store to receive your free session.

###

About Givego 
Givego is an online marketplace built by athletes for athletes in Salt Lake City, UT. Givego delivers a proprietary mobile technology that connects passionate sports enthusiasts with world-renowned experts across multiple disciplines with the sole objective of helping athletes improve. Givego’s community of experts range from Olympic and professional athletes to some of the most sought-after instructors and coaches certified by leading NGB’s.
 

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 2021, 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
 

Olympian speed skier Alice Merryweather shared in early December that she has been struggling with an eating disorder and she had opted to sit the 2020-21 season out to recover. In a recent piece that hit both digital and print editions of Women's Health, Merryweather shared that her treatment helped her to learn to enjoy everyday life again. 

In the piece, as told to Women's Health's Amy Wilkinson, Merrweather shared, 

I’ve been skiing since I was 4 years old and racing since I was 8. Throughout high school, I never felt insecure—I was confident in my body and proud of being strong. Once I achieved my goal of making the World Cup team, though, there was no huge next step to take, and I turned my focus and perfectionism inward. I became more conscious of what I looked like and what I was consuming.

The turning point was when the World Cup season was cut short in the spring of 2020. I’d fallen short of my goals, and on top of that, I was taking a heavier class load than usual at Dartmouth College, and my housing where I was going to be training fell through. It was a perfect storm of stress. I found a reprieve—and thought I was gaining control—through my diet. I stopped eating enough, but I would justify it with excuses like “I didn’t work out that hard today.”

My boyfriend, Sam, was the first person to mention the words eating disorder to me. He noticed I couldn’t manage my emotions. I also complained about being cold, even on hot summer days, which is a symptom. I brushed it aside. I was making the right athletic choice, I reasoned.

Merryweather recently returned to snow with her team for a successful spring prep period camp at Official Training Site Mammoth Mountain in California and has been working hard in the gym at the USANA Center of Excellence in Park City, Utah. She plans to return to competition for the 2021-22 season, with hopes to compete at the Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, China. 

Read the full piece at Women's Health.

July means two things for two-time Olympic champion Mikaela Shiffrin: double session strength and conditioning workouts in the gym and hitting the red carpet for the ESPYs: the biggest sports awards night of the year to celebrate the best players, moments, coaches, and games in sports. She shared a glimpse behind the scenes with People magazine as she prepared for her red carpet moment with her Norwegian boyfriend (and 2020 FIS Ski World Cup Overall Crystal Globe winner) Aleksander Aamodt-Kilde. 

First thing's first. Shiffrin hit the gym to start off the day with U.S. Ski & Snowboard coach Jeff Lackie, saying, 

I'm currently in the middle of a strength and conditioning block preparing for the big upcoming season (headlined by the 2022 Beijing Olympics), so I snuck in an a.m. workout with my coach Jeff Lackie.

Shiffrin also caught up with U.S. Ski & Snowboard teammate and fellow Olympic champion Chloe Kim, congratulating her for her fifth ESPYs Award, this time in the "Female Action Sports Athlete" category. 

Check out the full article at People.com.

Congratulations to all the competitors and class winners at the Summer Fun National Championships! It was great to get back on skis again in July after a most unusual winter.

AGE CLASS RESULTS:  Masters GS          Juniors GS          Masters SL          Masters GS

PHOTOS:  See all racer photos from Brian Robb Photography

2021 Summer Fun Nationals Combined Winners

 

2021 Summer Fun Nationals Skoch Cup WInners

2021 Putzi Cup SL Winners - Sawyer Mattson & Charlotte Morris
Photo Credit: Brian Robb Photography

2021 Eigenvector Fastest Family - Brent, Parker, and Grant Anderson
Photo Credit: Brian Robb Photography

Top 10 Super Seed GS 2021 Summer Fun Nationals