After thick fog caused a course hold at the 2021 Dual Moguls Freestyle National Championships at Snowbird, Kasey Hogg and Joel Hedrick both earned the title of National Champions. Hogg’s career-best finish today adds on to an already impressive second-place finish Thursday in the moguls competition.

Hogg, who skied for Wasatch Freestyle before making the U.S. Ski Team, is no stranger to the course at Snowbird. “This is my home course, so it’s pretty special that I was able to win here. I am used to this course, but it was a little different for Nationals, a little more challenging. It was pretty awesome to walk away with a win.” She added, “It feels really great to end the season on a high note. There were some difficult times this year, but this made it all worth it.”

Hogg shared the podium with fellow U.S. Ski Team athlete, Nessa Dziemian, who finished in second place, and Park City Ski & Snowboard’s Kylie Kariotis, who finished in third. Kenzie Radway finished just off the podium with a Nationals career-best fourth place, Avital Carroll behind her in fifth, Madison Hogg in sixth, Sabrina Cass in ninth place.

On the men’s side, Joel Hedrick won his first National Championship title, adding on to two other wins in this season. Hedrick returned to competition in 2021 after being sidelined by a knee injury in 2018. Speaking on returning after his injury, Hedrick stated, “It feels really good to be back. Having a few wins under my belt this season was huge for me, and I was happy to end it on a good note.”

Wasatch Freestyle's PJ Cass finished second and teammate Cole McDonald rounded out the podium in third. 

Nick Page finished in sixth place after his moguls win Thursday, with Alex Lewis behind him in ninth, and Landon Wendler in 10th.

U.S. Ski & Snowboard World Cup Moguls Coach Joe Discoe has been working with both Hogg and Hedrick this season. “It was a strong performance from both of them. They both skied super solid, super fast, and really did great today.”

Discoe added that he was very grateful to see both days of competition take place this year. “Having an event where the top skiers in the nation are put head to head pushes the younger athletes and shows who the next up and coming skiers will be. It was a great way to end the season.”

The National Championships marked an end to the 2021 season for the U.S. Moguls Freestyle Ski Team. Athletes and coaches are looking forward to getting some much needed rest before getting back to training heading into the 2022 Olympic year.

RESULTS

Women’s Dual Moguls

Men’s Dual Moguls

Olympian and Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team athlete Breezy Johnson just wrapped the best season of her career, which started with grabbing her career-first FIS Ski World Cup podium in Val d'Isere, France in December, and scoring four consecutive podiums from there. 

In six downhill starts, she was top five in five starts and only DNFed once. Despite a big mistake at FIS Ski World Championships in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, where she was the favorite, she ended up in ninth...but was gunning for the win. She finished the season with a career-best super-G result in 10th at Val di Fassa, Italy, and ended up ranked fourth in the world in downhill—her best-ever ranking. Aside from teammate Mikaela Shiffrin, and former teammate and downhill legend Lindsey Vonn, Johnson is the first American to crack the top five in the women’s World Cup downhill standings in the last five years.

Of course, this success wasn't immediate or easy for the downhiller, who came back during the 2019-20 season after back-to-back knee injuries. Johnson recently caught up with journalist Brian Pinelli for an interview with SKI Magazine about persevering through mental and physical challenges on and off the mountain. 

Johnson reflected on her season, 

I both exceeded and didn’t exceed my expectations. I had big goals that I knew were achievable. I wanted to win a World Cup race and medal at the World Championships and those didn’t happen.

My skiing has improved a lot, even during the season, especially in super-G. I’m in the best place as far as my skiing abilities, so that’s really cool, but it’s obviously hard when you feel like you’re about to win two races, take over the downhill standings, and win the downhill globe. Then you have one bad day and a DNF. But I’m happy with where my skiing is, and I’m ready to work to have it pay off in an even bigger way.

Read the full article on SkiMag.com.

U.S. Ski Team athletes Nessa Dziemian and Nick Page each skied to career firsts as they were crowned National Champions on Thursday. For the first time in 25 years, the nation’s best mogul skiers descended on Snowbird for the 2021 Moguls Freestyle National Championships. Athletes were treated to two beautiful Utah-bluebird days of training ahead of the moguls competition, which had light snowfall throughout the day and kept the course interesting. 

Dziemian sustained a season-ending injury in November 2019 that kept her off of the competition circuit - until now. In her first contest back in twenty-four months (her last being the 2019 National Championships in Waterville Valley), Dziemian stomped it out for the win. This is Dziemian’s second National Championship title, but first win in singles. 

“I feel very emotional about the whole thing,” said Dziemian of her feat in the finish area. “There were definitely a lot of challenges along the way. I battled a knee injury, I battled depression and anxiety... I just did not think i was going to come back from it at all, it was the hardest thing. My knee was constantly hurting and I just felt like I was at the lowest of lows. At this moment, it just feels like all of that hard work has finally paid off.”

Results aside, Dziemian was at a loss for words in describing how proud she was of her performance. Her cork mute to cork grab finals run was the highest degree of difficulty for any woman in the field and was a goal she has had in mind for herself for a long time. “I wasn't even going to do it right before the comp run. But for some reason I just pushed out of the gate and said to myself ‘I’m doing it, I’m going to achieve my goal today.’ So even though with all of the practice runs I had where it was not working, having it just work out on the one run where I needed it to was an absolute gift, and I am very thankful for it.”

The #powHERhouse came out to win and Dziemian shared the podium with fellow U.S. Ski Team members Kasey Hogg, who came in second, and Sabrina Cass, who came in third, marking career-best National Championships results for all three U.S. Moguls Team members. Avital Carroll came in fifth, Madison Hogg 11th, and Kenzie Radway 13th.

On the men’s side, U.S. Ski Team member Nick Page earned his first National Championship title, adding another accolade to what has been an outstanding season for the 18-year-old. Page, an alumnus of Wasatch Freestyle, recently earned FIS’ Rookie of the Year award and was thrilled to bring that momentum to home snow. 

“I was thinking about all of the milestone moments I have had here at Snowbird,” said Page. “I did my first cork 7, back full, cork 10, cork 14 and double on snow all on this course. That’s five big milestone jumps. So in that regard, I know the course like the back of my hand. Without Wasatch Freestyle, I would not be the skier or the person I am. It’s a big testament to them and all that they do to achieve this milestone here.”

“The goal coming into this week was to come in and get it done, and win,” added Page. “And I was able to do it. But it was a great field of athletes. The guys I was competing against were right there too, so it wasn’t easy, but it was really fun.”

Page shared the podium with Winter Park Competition Center’s Geroge McQuinn, who came in second, and Wasatch Freestyle’s Ian Beauregard, who came in third, career-best National Championships results for each. 

Landon Wendler finished sixth, a National Championships career-best, Joel Hedrick 10th and Alex Lewis 54th. 

The accomplishment of having a National Championships go off this year was not lost on the moguls community. The 2020 iteration of Moguls National Championships was cancelled due to COVID-19 lockdowns and Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows was unable to host the event this season due to local health and safety protocols. Snowbird and Wasatch Freestyle stepped up in a big way to make sure the event stayed on the calendar. 

“Big thanks to the crew here at Snowbird and Wasatch Freestyle for pulling this together,” said Head Moguls Coach Matt Gnoza. “They had less than a month to prepare for this, and they pulled off an amazing event. Nationals is always a fun way to wrap up the season.”

“For the national team athletes, they are tired,” Gnoza added. “It’s been a long season. While there have not been a ton of events, it has been a lot of stressful events, a lot of stressful travel. So to come back home, to have some beautiful weather on the training days, to have a fun course to go out there and ski, it really allowed them to ski to the highest of their abilities today. Just a great way to wrap up the season.”

The final moguls competition of the 2020-21 season runs Friday with Dual Moguls Freestyle National Championships. The nation’s best will go head-to-head one last time for another chance at National Championship glory.

HOW TO WATCH
Friday, March 26
10:45 a.m. MST, 2021 Dual Moguls Freestyle National Championships - LIVE, Snowbird, Utah, USA, ID One USA Twitch.TV

RESULTS

Women’s Moguls

Men’s Moguls

Fresh off the Aspen 2021 FIS Snowboard and Freeski World Championships, U.S. Ski & Snowboard alumni Tricia Brynes and Trace Worthington gathered at the iconic Buttermilk slopestyle and halfpipe venues in Aspen, Colo. for the inaugural team fundraiser, hitting the team goal and raising over $50,000.

All funds raised through this fundraiser are used as a means for athletes to help offset travel and training costs. Unfortunately, there was no in-person fundraising event this year, but instead, a virtual event hosted through Facebook Live. Although in person gatherings are greatly missed, having a virtual event had its benefits, as freeski and snowboard supporters from across the globe had the opportunity to join in the fun. 
 

Worthington, who was stationed below the Buttermilk halfpipe, and Brynes, stationed on the final jump of the slopestyle course, began the event by talking about what support means for these athletes and what it meant to them during their competitive careers. They were then joined by Olympic silver medalist and original U.S. Freeski Team member Devin Logan, who shared a little about the support she has received throughout her career and how fundraising makes such a positive impact on athletes like herself. 

Those who watched were encouraged to give a donation, while those who were unable to virtually attend had the option to donate online or bid on unique auction items, including a Taylor Gold exclusive snowboard signed by the entire U.S. Snowboard Halfpipe Team, Spyder freeski team gear, as well as some of Logan’s outerwear from the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games. Through donations and the silent auction, the Team had an amazing first year, raising over $50,000! 

These gifts have a direct impact on our mission of supporting athletes in achieving excellence and becoming Best in the World. The U.S. Freeski & Snowboard Teams wrapped up their weekend in Aspen with the Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix, the first Olympic qualifying event of the season, and both teams put on a show, taking one step closer to the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games.

The U.S. Ski & Snowboard Foundation is the non-profit fundraising arm of U.S. Ski & Snowboard. To support our athletes on their quest to become the Best in the World, please click here to donate!
 

Support the U.S. Freeski & Snowboard Teams Today!
 

U.S. Ski & Snowboard is working to cultivate an inclusive environment through diversity, equity, and inclusion measures. A large part in improving these areas is breaking  down barriers to participation in order to make skiing and snowboarding more accessible. SOS Outreach is an organization doing just that. They are dedicated to helping children of all socioeconomic backgrounds experience outdoor adventures and get involved in their communities. Through these outdoor experiences, participants learn different life skills including teamwork, discipline, and the courage to overcome obstacles when success does not come right away.

U.S. Ski & Snowboard and SOS Outreach are working together to create memorable experiences for children interested in skiing and snowboarding. In February Olympic athletes Brita Sigourney and Steven Nyman took part in an outdoor adventure at Park City Mountain skiing with 95 of the children in the SOS mentorship program. Reflecting on the experience, Nyman said, “The kids were fantastic. There were a lot of laughs, fun skiing, good crashes. My favorite time was when we went through the mini park in a train all jumping one after another.” Nyman also noted that participants were “very inquisitive and willing to push themselves on the snow.”

Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team member Kyle Negomir led a video call with SOS Outreach, talking to a group of  children about the life skills they have learned through the program and sharing ways he has learned to fight through adversity in his career. “It was sweet seeing how shy many of them were at first, but after hearing my story and how similar the issues all of us face really are, they started to open up and let me really engage with them.” Negomir stated, “There were a lot of thoughtful questions at the end of the meeting which really made it an organic conversation.” Negomir could not say enough about the great work of SOS Outreach. “Abbey and the rest of the mentors within the program are truly helping these kids learn the skills and character needed to become leaders of their own, and giving them a great outlet to come better themselves,” he added.

The positive feedback received from both athletes and participants speaks to the exceptional work being done at SOS Outreach. Both U.S. Ski & Snowboard and participating athletes are looking forward to future opportunities with the organization. Negomir is already planning for the next adventure, “I’m hoping to be able to help out a bit more this year and beyond, and to recruit some more of my teammates to come talk with the kids once the season is over!”

To learn more about SOS Outreach, visit their website here.

U.S. Ski & Snowboard today announced a partnership with Align Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALGN), makers of the Invisalign® clear aligner system, making the Invisalign brand the Official Smile of U.S. Ski & Snowboard, the Olympic national governing body of ski and snowboard sports in the United States. The multi-year, worldwide sponsorship includes development of original Invisalign branded content across social media channels and for the U.S. Ski & Snowboard website. As part of the agreement, U.S. Ski & Snowboard will launch a program for athletes to join the Invisalign Smile Squad and receive Invisalign treatment and then share their Invisalign treatment experiences on their social media profiles.

“Smiles, skiing, and snowboarding go hand-in-hand, so we’re excited to connect with athletes from the U.S. Ski, Snowboard, and Freeski teams and their fans around the world,” said Kamal Bhandal, Align Technology vice president, Global Brand and Consumer Marketing. “Our purpose is transforming smiles and changing lives, and we admire these talented and inspirational athletes and their commitment to being the best in the world.  We look forward to working with U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes on the Invisalign Smile Squad and supporting their Invisalign treatment journeys as they come to life in their stories and experiences shared across media platforms.”

“We’re all smiles in announcing Align’s Technology’s Invisalign brand as our first-ever Official Smile Partner,” said Michael O’Conor, chief revenue officer for U.S. Ski & Snowboard. “Smiling confidently is a feeling our athletes know well, whether on the slopes or the top of the podium. We are excited to partner with a brand committed to using technology to change lives for the better, just as we are committed to supporting our athletes in their pursuit of excellence. We look forward to sharing our Invisalign Smile Squad stories and introducing the Invisalign brand to our fans around the world.”

“We welcome U.S. Snowboard Team athletes Jamie Anderson, Maddie Mastro and Red Gerard, and U.S. Freeski Team athlete David Wise to the Invisalign Smile Squad and are excited to support their Invisalign treatment journey as they join over 9.6 million patients around the world who have used the Invisalign system to improve their smiles,” said Frank Quinn, Align Technology vice president and general manager, U.S. “We’re proud to be the Official Smile of U.S. Ski & Snowboard and to help Invisalign trained doctors transform the winning smiles of these great U.S. athletes.”

At 30-years-old, Jamie Anderson continues to raise the bar in women’s competitive snowboarding and beyond. Anderson is a double-Olympic gold medalist, earned silver in the inaugural 2018 Olympic big air, and is the winningest female X Games athlete of all time, with 19 medals. Most recently, Anderson has proven herself in the world of backcountry snowboarding competing in events like the Natural Selection event and filming her own movie Unconditional. Anderson is thrilled to partner with the Invisalign brand to bring her smile to the next level. “My smile is a reflection of my best self!” said Anderson. “I’m excited to partner with the Invisalign brand so I can give my smile that extra boost. Invisalign treatment will help elevate my confidence on and off the snow.”

Maddie Mastro was an Olympian at the age of 17 and has since medaled at two World Championships. She is the first woman to ever land the "double crippler" both in and out of halfpipe competition, putting her at the forefront of women’s snowboard progression. As an elite athlete always in the spotlight, Mastro is excited to partner with Invisalign in making her smile podium-ready. “I absolutely love my Invisalign treatment and am super excited to be a brand athlete ambassador!” Mastro said. “Invisalign clear aligners work great for an active lifestyle and you can’t even tell you are wearing them, which makes for a winning smile.”

Red Gerard became a household name at the 2018 Olympics where he became the youngest male U.S. Olympian to win a gold in 90 years at the age of 17 with his win in snowboard slopestyle. Gerard went on to earn gold at the 2019 Burton U.S. Open and Bronze at X Games Aspen 2020. Gerard is more than a competition snowboarder, his film Joy won Movie of the Year at the 2020 Snowboarder Awards, and he's a star of the 2020 Burton team video "One World." “My partnership with the Invisalign brand is ideal due to my heavy travel schedule competing and filming all year,” said Gerard. “It’s a quick and simple program that allows me to focus on riding while it focuses on my teeth.” 

David Wise is a husband, father, and the only male freeski halfpipe gold medalist in Olympic history winning the inaugural contest at the 2014 Sochi and 2018 PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games. Wise also has four X Games gold medals, 16 World Cup podiums, and a World Championship victory to his name. Invisalign clear aligners will provide a perfect solution to help Wise work on his smile while keeping up with his busy home and competitive life. “Looking your best helps give you that extra bit of confidence,” Wise said. “In my sport, confidence is everything. While I’ve always wanted a less crooked smile, I’ve been reluctant to use traditional orthodontics. I’m excited to begin Invisalign treatment because it fits my chaotic lifestyle and won’t make me hide my teeth along the way. I look forward to breaking out a new winning smile.”

### 

About Align Technology, Inc.

Align Technology designs, manufactures and offers the Invisalign® system, the most advanced clear aligner system in the world, iTero® intraoral scanners and services, and exocad CAD/CAM software. These technology building blocks enable enhanced digital orthodontic and restorative workflows to improve patient outcomes and practice efficiencies for over 200 thousand doctor customers, and is key to accessing Align’s 500 million consumer market opportunity worldwide. Align has helped doctors treat over 9.6 million patients with the Invisalign system and is driving the evolution in digital dentistry through the Align Digital Platform, our integrated suite of unique, proprietary technologies and services delivered as a seamless, end-to-end solution for patients and consumers, orthodontists and GP dentists, and lab/partners. Visit www.aligntech.com for more information.

For additional information about the Invisalign system or to find an Invisalign doctor in your area, please visit www.invisalign.com. For additional information about the iTero systems and services, please visit www.itero.com. For additional information about exocad dental CAD/CAM offerings and a list of exocad reseller partners, please visit www.exocad.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

Pending Members

We need your help! We still have almost 1600 members with one or more outstanding requirements. Please help us finish the season strong!! Check the Pending Members tool to see if you or someone you know could use a little nudge! We’re here to help. Instructions for each requirement are noted below. Thank you in advance for your support in ensuring all members have completed these important requirements.

SafeSport Training

Have you completed your SafeSport Training this season? As a reminder SafeSport training is an annual requirement with the core training required every 4 seasons and brief refresher courses required in each of the other three seasons. 

How do I Complete SafeSport Training: 

• Register or login with SafeSport https://safesport.org/authentication/signin
  • Click “SIGN IN” on the top right-hand corner
  • Enter your username or register as a new user
• Please affiliate with U.S. Ski & Snowboard
• Enter your U.S. Ski & Snowboard member ID.
  • Do not include your division code (A, C, E, F, I, N, R or X) when inputting your member ID.
  • Doing so may cause a delay in the updating of your completion status.
• You will receive a confirmation email to activate your account.
  •  Please check your email (including your spam file)
  •  Click the link in the email message.
• For technical assistance please contact SafeSport directly at help.desk@safesport.org.

Coaching Fundamentals

Coaches who have yet to complete Coaching Fundamentals have until April 1 to finish the course. All work done on the course will be cleared out as of April 1. Let’s finish strong! You’re almost there! Just sign into your account on my.usskiandsnowboard.org today. Here are some instructions to help you get started. 

How do I complete the Coaching Fundamentals?

• Login to your U.S. Ski & Snowboard account  https://my.usskiandsnowboard.org/myussa
• If you receive a notice that you cannot enroll yourself, please email membership immediately at membership@usskiandsnowboard.org
• Click the link in the notice at the top of the screen to begin the course. If you are unable to access the course from your account, please click here and sign in with your credentials
• The course takes 3-4 hours to complete
• All 5 sections of Activity 2 must be completed to access the final exam

Introduction to Avalanches

In order to complete Introduction to Avalanches, you need to have an individual my.usskiandsnowboard.org account. Your name and member ID need to appear as the primary member to access the course. If you are not the primary on the account, please log out of this account, open a new page and go to my.usskiandsnowboard.org to create a new account where you are the primary member.

How do I complete the training?

• Login to your U.S. Ski & Snowboard account  https://my.usskiandsnowboard.org/myussa
• Click the link in the notice at the top of the screen to begin the course. If you are unable to access the course from your account, please click here and sign in with your credentials
• The course takes 5-10 minutes to complete 
• If for any reason you are having trouble with course access, please email membership@usskiandsnowboard.org for an alternate means of completing the course. 

Please allow pop-ups for the following website for the course to launch:https://education.usskiandsnowboard.org/. If you need help allowing pop-ups to appear, please click here to find your internet browser and their instructions.

Background Screening

Prior to registering for screening, please check your online account to confirm that you are indeed required to register for screening. If the requirement applies to you, there will be a note at the top of the screen explaining the requirement. Screening is required every two seasons. 

*Please register only once. If you have already registered and are awaiting your screening determination, please disregard these instructions.

How do I register for background screening?

• Please go to NCSI’s Secure Website to register for your background screening. The 8-digit applicant code is 11392848.

Please note you will be required to submit a copy of your valid state/government issued ID (NCSI accepts .jpg, .pdf, .doc, and .png file formats).

• Please allow several weeks for the screening process to be completed. Individual screening times will vary. Foreign screenings may take a month or more.

• Foreign members will be contacted by NCSI, via email, requesting additional documentations and government-issued IDs. Please check your spam folder for this email.
  • verifications@ncsisafe.com
  • clientservices@ncsisafe.com.

 If you have any questions or problems submitting your information, please call NSCI at (866) 833-7100 or by email at clientservices@ncsisafe.com.

March has seen FIS racing resume in all Western Region divisions.  Far West opened up and has held successful series, along with Alaska.  We have seen Western Region athletes travel to Europe to complete in National Development programming.  Now we have to wish for Winter to continue into Spring so that the Western Region Spring Series at Alpine Meadows & Squaw Valley will be held April 6-11 and the Downhill Series at Mammoth Mountain April 14-19.  

Elite FIS Series - March 15 - 19

Athletes and coaches from many western clubs competed in the Lake Tahoe area for the region’s first Tech Elite Series event of the season.  Sugar Bowl watered the SL hill.  Squaw Valley groomed some new snow over a great racing surface.  Official results can be found at these links:  Sugar Bowl Slaloms & Squaw Valley Giant Slaloms.

U.S. Alpine Championship and NJC

The U.S. Alpine Championship will be held in Aspen, April 5 - 16.  The event schedule can be found on the U.S. Ski & Snowboard website.  The NJC has officially been cancelled due to small field sizes and difficulty scheduling a resort.

Western Region U16/U14 Update

Western Region U16 Championship

The U16 Regional Championship has been confirmed for Mammoth Mtn., April 6 - 9.  The field size is reduced to approximately half of the normal championship field size, due to Covid restrictions.  Selection to the championship event is based on each division’s process.  Check your divisional policies for selection procedures, and Covid protocols and restrictions.  The divisional quotas are listed on page A7 of the Western Region Handbook.

Western Region U16 Spring Project

The U16 National Championship was canceled this season due to the pandemic.  In its place, each region will facilitate a U16 project inviting regional athletes with top performances from their respective regional championships.  The projects will provide national development staff with additional information on athletes moving into their FIS years.  Each region’s project will involve common content, including SkilllsQuest, SkillsQuest-Fitness, freeskiing evaluation, and training across two or more disciplines. 

The Western Region project is scheduled for April 20 - 22 at Squaw Valley.  Athletes will be invited to the Western Region project using the pre-Covid 2020 U16 National Championship selection procedure. 15 athletes from YOB 2005 and 2006 will be invited using this method.  Up to five additional athletes from YOB 2005 will be invited based on discretionary requests from the five divisions.  The total project size is 20 women and 20 men. 

Western Region U14 Spring Project

For the 2nd year in a row, Covid-19 has forced the cancellation of the Western Region U14 Championship.  Therefore, the region is conducting a U14 Spring Project at Squaw Valley, April 15 - 18.  A regional task force made up of representatives from each division has been planning this project since the early season to give U14 athletes an opportunity to engage at a regional level.

The project will focus on GS and SG progressions with an emphasis on terrain management, and will end with full-length SG runs.  The project size is 45 women and 45 men.  Each western division will select athletes using their division’s U14 qualification events.  Divisional quotas have been redistributed using a percentage of the championship quotas.  Look for a detailed project announcement in the coming weeks.

Western Region Staff

World Junior Ski Championships

The 2021 World Junior Ski Championships recently concluded in Bansko, Bulgaria, where Team USA celebrated two SL medals: gold from Ben Ritchie (Green Mountain Valley School) and bronze from AJ Hurt (Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows Ski Team), on the way to a 6th place finish overall in the Hodler Cup team ranking.  Other notable performances included Isaiah Nelson (Buck Hill Ski Club) finishing in the top-10 in both SG and GS, Zoe Zimmermann (Burke Mountain Academy) finishing 6th in SL, and Cooper Puckett (Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club) winning the U18 competition in SG.  This year’s WJSC event was shortened due to the pandemic, with the DH, AC, and Team events not contested and nation quotas cut in half.  Still, the organizers successfully created a COVID-safe bubble for the athletes and coaches, and they hosted exceptional races on the same venue where the men’s World Cup races were held in early March. 

College Skiing

In early March, Tiger Shaw, Jesse Hunt, and Chip Knight hosted a video-conference call with EISA and RMISA college coaches to further discuss initiatives that are being taken to build bridges between the U.S. Ski Team, U.S. Ski and Snowboard and college athletes.  Among the key points was to describe how the uniquely American college skiing system fits into the national alpine program as a way for athletes to remain competitively engaged in the sport into their early 20s, and to continue to further their elite development through exposure to the NorAm and Europa Cup levels of competition.  Additional items discussed were: improving channels of communication, advance planning to avoid FIS-UNI and NorAm calendar conflicts; preparation period training opportunities; more transparent World Cup qualification pathways and support; modifications to USST criteria, and some of the notable success stories from the year of collegiate athletes achieving higher-level results in Europe: Paula Moltzan, Katie Hensien, Erik Arvidsson, Alex Leever, Jett Seymour, and Andrew Miller.

National Development Group European Trips

This month, regional coaches Kristina Revello, Rich Smith, and Fletcher McDonald each led National Development trips in Europe.  The goal was to provide junior athletes with higher-level competitive exposure to prepare them for future NorAm, World Juniors, Europa Cup and World Cup competition.  Each of the groups adhered to the U.S. Ski Team COVID policies and procedures, operating within a strict bubble to be as safe as possible.  While many of the athletes achieved podium performances during the trips, Oliver Morgan (Burke Mountain Academy), Benny Brown (Park City Ski and Snowboard), Camden Palmquist (Team Summit), and Jay Poulter (Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club) notably posted race wins on European turf. 

U.S. Alpine Championships

The 2021 U.S. Alpine Championships will be held in Aspen, CO from April 5-16.  This event will take the place of the previously scheduled NorAm Finals, which were unable to be contested due to ongoing Canadian travel restrictions.  The event will be held at 50% of traditional field sizes, and it will be staggered by gender to stay within the 100-athlete maximum COVID field size restriction.  The men will start with technical events, moving into SG and AC, before overlapping with the women for DH.  The Championships will conclude with women’s SG, AC, GS, and SL events.  Second FIS events will also be held in SG, AC, and DH to add additional race opportunities in the speed events.  On behalf of U.S. Ski & Snowboard, we are all looking forward to being in Aspen for the National Championships!

Junior National Championships

U.S. Ski & Snowboard staff worked hard to try to calendar a Junior National Championship this year.  Unfortunately, due to COVID-related concerns, we were unable to gain the necessary approvals to move forward with a viable Championship event.  Special thanks go out to our partners at Loveland and Breckenridge for being willing to host the races.  We will look forward to the 2022 Junior Nationals next year, and to seeing our best juniors from around the country competing together. 

Alpine Guide to Ski Fundamentals

The newly updated version of the Alpine Guide to Ski Fundamentals is now available!  This is a classic coaching resource that has been utilized by coaches across our country for many years. In addition to the drill progressions that coaches have grown to expect, you will also find several updated resources to help your athletes develop their technical and tactical skills. 

Purchase on the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Coaches Shop: 

• Alpine Guide to Ski Fundamentals- Single Guide - $19.99
• Alpine Guide to Ski Fundamentals- 10 pack - $179.99
• Alpine Guide to Ski Fundamentals- 20 pack - $359.99

After 11 years in the World Cup, Simi Hamilton concluded his last World Cup season. His Davis U.S. Cross Country Team colleague Gus Schumacher just concluded his first entire World Cup season.

What advice do they have to share with each other about life on the World Cup circuit? Listen to a wonderful "Behind the Scenes" about a change of generation within a team featuring Simi & Gus!