A strong group of U.S. Freeski and Snowboard Team members have set out to Modena, Italy for the second edition of the Modena Skipass World Cup big air Nov. 2-3. The Modena competition carries on the strong tradition of Italian city events that began in 2006 in Milano. Last season at the inaugural event, six-time FIS Snowboard Crystal Globe winner Chris Corning and the 2019 X Games Norway freeski big air gold medalist Alex Hall each reached the podium with second-place finishes. Corning and Hall return to Modena with the hopes of improving on last year’s performance. 

“Getting to compete in front of the Modena Skipass crowd makes for a great, high-energy environment that the athletes can feed off of,” said Alex. “I had a great time last year and am looking forward to heading back to Italy. I would love to build off my success in big air thus far this season and maybe even improve on last year’s result in Modena. With the Visa Big Air in Atlanta just around the corner in December, I think we all want to start out strong on the scaffold jumps and build-up to the big air World cup at SunTrust Park.”

Alex is not the only U.S. athlete to kick of the season with strong performances in big air. Chris also found success at the Winter Games NZ World Cup big air opener at Cardrona Alpine Resort. Defending his title from 2018, he landed his signature backside quad cork 1800 melon grab on his second run to take the top spot and secure himself as the one to beat heading into the second of four World Cup stops in Modena. 

It may only be October, but with the cancelation of the Dusseldorf, Germany World Cup big air, only three stops remain on the tour for snowboard and four for freeski. Each competition is critical in the race to the FIS Big Air Crystal Globe. Tune in to catch all the action live below. 
 

U.S. FREESKI TEAM STARTERS
Pro Team: Mac Forehand, Colby Stevenson, Alex Hall, and Kiernan Fagan. 
Rookie Team: Deven Fagan.
Americans: Troy Podmilsak and Peter Raich.

U.S. SNOWBOARD TEAM STARTERS
Pro Team: Jamie Anderson, Chris Corning, Kyle Mack, Luke Winkelmann, Judd Henkes, and Red Gerard. 
Rookie Team: Dusty Henricksen, Ty Schnorrbusch, Courtney Rummel, and Jake Canter.

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HOW TO WATCH

SNOWBOARD
Saturday, Nov. 2
1:30 p.m. (EDT) - Skipass World Cup, Modena, ITA, - Olympic Channel-TV, Olympic Channel, and NBC Sports Gold

FREESKI
Sunday, Nov. 3
11:00 a.m. (EST) - Skipass World Cup, Modena, ITA, - Olympic Channel-TV, Olympic Channel, and NBC Sports Gold

Exclusive commercial-free coverage will be available for subscribers of the NBC Sports Gold Pass, available here: https://www.nbcsports.com/gold/snow

All streams will be available via desktop (NBCSports.com/Gold) as well as mobile, tablet and connected television platforms. The NBC Sports app is available on the Apple App Store, Google Play, Windows Store, Roku Channel Store, Apple TV and Amazon Fire.
 

Tommy Ford led the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team with a career-best fourth-place finish Sunday on the Rettenbach Glacier in Sölden, Austria, just 0.07-seconds off the podium. Teammate Ted Ligety was fifth, followed by Ryan Cochran-Siegle in 11th - making the American men's team's collective performance today among the most dominant across all nations competing.

“I’m feeling strong,” Tommy said after the race. “That first run was solid skiing, a little safe. And that second run I definitely trusted it a little more and let it go...and I’m psyched with this personal best, and first points at Sölden as well.”

France took the top two spots on the podium with Alexis Pinturault picking up his 24th World Cup win, and Mathieu Faivre grabbing his seventh World Cup career podium result in second. Slovenia’s Zan Kranjec was third. River Radamus and Brian McLaughlin just missed qualifying for the second run, finishing 32nd and 34th respectively in the first run. Dartmouth Big Green athlete Nick Krause was the final U.S. starter, but DNFd in the first run. 

When asked post-race who will be his challenger this year now that Austrian great Marcel Hirscher has retired, Frenchman Alexis said, “Everything is changing from one race to the next. The Americans, for example, have great talent…” The U.S. men are knocking on the podium’s door, and it feels great to be in the mix once again.  

Ford was 10th in the first run and with the shadows creeping across the course in the second run and Ligety sitting in the hot seat as the current leader, he simply just let the skis run and trusted his instincts through the steepest part of the course. Sunday's result was Ted's first top-five result since his last podium - which was a third place in Garmisch-Partenkirchen during the 2017-18 season. After the first run, Ted waved to the camera and said "hi" to his two-year-old son Jax. 

"It was nice to be in the mix a little bit again...it felt good," said Ted, laughing. "There's a good place to step off of this from, and I'm happy to be in the fight, at least. First run I didn't let it go quite as much, and second run I was able to push a little bit harder, especially in the steep part - so it's a good step forward. We race in Beaver Creek next, and that's a hill that's always treated me really well...I love that hill. Similar to here, where I've always had a lot of success, so hopefully I can continue that trend and get back to what I used to be able to do." 

“There was a little glare from the valley, so (the light) was manageable,” Tommy recalled. “There was a tough rhythm change in the middle, but there was enough speed control where you could get it clean in the bottom half of the pitch.”

With the first race of the season in the books, Tommy and the rest of the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team are heading back home for a two-week camp at the U.S. Ski Team Speed Center at Copper Mountain, Colo., where they will be greeted by mid-winter conditions as they prepare for the next World Cup, the Beaver Creek Birds of Prey, featuring giant slalom, downhill and super-G races Dec. 6-8.

“We have a little break now, so I’m going to go home and relax a little bit,” Tommy said. “Then get back into the gym and keep at it...and when the time comes, I’ll be psyched for Beaver Creek.”

RESULTS
Men’s giant slalom
 

Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team member Mikaela Shiffrin (Edwards, Colo.) clearly remembers the first time she beat her childhood idol Tina Maze and experienced the exhilarating feeling that she had finally arrived as a top competitor on the World Cup circuit. 

On a sun-splashed day high in the Austrian Alps on the mighty and menacing Rettenbach Glacier in Sölden, Austria, New Zealand’s 17-year-old sensation Alice Robinson edged Shiffrin, the defending overall World Cup champion, by just 0.06 seconds to claim her first-ever World Cup win. Her giant slalom victory over two highly-accomplished athletes clearly states her arrival on the FIS Ski World Cup circuit. Sixty-time World Cup winner and two-time Olympic gold medalist Shiffrin was second, followed by France’s Tessa Worley, a 13-time World Cup winner and three-time World Champion, in third.

When told that Alice mentioned Mikaela as one of her ski idols growing up and asked if she remembers what that felt like, Mikaela said, “Well, yeah – of course, I remember. That was Tina Maze for me.” “My first victory was at Are (Sweden), and Tina was third. I remember this feeling like it was yesterday. It was so special to feel like I didn't have anything to lose and my entire career was ahead of me. Just being able to ski with no expectations, and how freeing that felt. I can see that in Alice’s skiing. Of course, she’s aggressive, but she takes risks and just skis so well. This nothing-to-lose style is great to watch and for me it's like taking a trip back in time. It’s really exciting to watch her, and it’s fun to remember what that felt like for me, too.”

While finishing second in the opening race of the season, especially coming off a 17-victory run on the World Cup circuit season last year, may seem like a step back for Shiffrin, it was quite the opposite as it brings another new challenger to the circuit and ignites the fire for the long season ahead.

“It always stings a little bit...you’re like ‘awe man I wish it was enough!’ But if it’s not enough, it’s not enough, and Alice was also skiing really, really well, and it’s super cool to watch her and I think it’s super cool for everybody,” Mikaela said. “So in a way, it’s motivation, nobody wants to be in second place, everybody wants to win! So I’m just going to take the positives from the day and take the motivation too!”

In addition to Shiffrin, four Americans started Saturday’s opening GS, including Nina O’Brien (San Francisco, Calif.), who finished 21st to post a career-best World Cup result.

“I’m definitely happy with today, it's a good start to the season,” Nina said. “I feel like my training has been going well, so I’m happy to see that it came out on race day as well. I think that myself, and all the girls on our team, have more to show too.”

AJ Hurt (Squaw Valley, Calif.) was 41st, and Keely Cashman (Strawberry, Calif.) was 52nd. Former University of Denver skier Storm Klomhaus (Boulder, Colo.) started her first World Cup did not finish the first run.

Up next, the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team members return to Colorado for their final training camp of the season ahead of the next World Cup, a slalom event in Levi, Finland, Nov. 23.

“Now it’s time for some slalom! Gotta get down to business,” Mikaela said.

RESULTS
Women’s giant slalom

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST.
Preliminary schedule, subject to change

ALPINE
Sunday, Oct. 27
5:00 a.m. - Men’s giant slalom, run 1 - Soelden, AUT - NBC Sports Gold
8:00 a.m. - Men’s giant slalom, run 2 - Soelden, AUT - NBC Sports Gold

Exclusive commercial-free coverage will be available for subscribers of the NBC Sports Gold Pass, available here: https://www.nbcsports.com/gold/snow

The 2019-20 U.S. Cross Country Ski Team just wrapped up a two-week camp filled with challenging workouts, hanging out as a team, and of course fast roller skiing, as they prep for the upcoming FIS Cross Country World Cup season, kicking off in Nov. 29-Dec. 1 in Ruka, Finland.

This year’s fall training camp consisted of two split camps, one in Park City, Utah and the other in Lake Placid, N.Y. Athletes who wanted to train at altitude in preparation for the coming season came to Park City, while those looking to fine-tune their pre-season fitness at a lower elevation, enjoyed the outstanding fall colors and training areas around Lake Placid. The split camp also provided athletes an opportunity to break the mold, train and learn, from a different variety of teammates.

“It was nice to break up the routine of the Park City camp and try something new, and also see where some of my teammates train,” said Kevin Bolger, who ventured to the Northeast from his home base in Sun Valley, Idaho, to participate in the Lake Placid camp with teammates Simi Hamilton (Stratton, Vt.) and Erik Bjornsen (Anchorage, Alaska). “I always feel like when I walk away from a camp I’m walking away in a better place, and that I have taken one more step closer to my goals. And that is exactly what I’m doing from this camp.”

“It was awesome to link up with Simi and Kevin once again in this offseason. This is the third camp we have done together as we prep for the 19-20 season and Simi is leading the charge as always, and it's great to see Kevin making big improvements in his second year on the team. We all have different strengths so it's easy to learn and improve from each other.”
    - Erik Bjornsen, U.S. Cross Country Ski Team

Despite sporting a cold, Simi, a three-time Olympian and a 10-year member of the U.S. Ski Team, was able to teach his younger teammates a thing or two during workouts, but most importantly, just hanging out and building the team vibe.

“It was unfortunate the Simi was sick for the majority of the camp,” Bolger noted, “but still the benefit of being able to train for 13 days with Erik and just a few days with Simi cannot go unnoticed. We don’t get that many opportunities to train together, so linking up is so crucial for our training and just being able to hang out, I think both go hand in hand when it comes to skiing fast. Not only do I get to call these guys my teammates but they are both some of my best friends. Having that relationship inside and outside of training brings us all to the next level together as one unit. I think the men’s team is in a place it hasn't been at in a while, or if at all, and the vibes are HIGH!”

Olympic gold medalist Jessie Diggins echoed those vibes among her teammates, who included Julia Kern (Waltham, Mass.), Sophie Caldwell (Stratton, Vt.) and Caitlin Patterson (Craftsbury, Vt) at the Lake Placid camp, where all the athletes stayed in one large house together.

“The camp was awesome!” Jessie said. “As usual, I love getting together with teammates I don’t usually get to see and pushing each other in training. It was so much fun (and a good challenge!) doing a mixed-gender team sprint one day for intervals, and doing a 10k time trial the second to last day. I’m super happy with where my body is at right now and it’s been great learning all that I can from following my teammates around!” 

The Park City Camp featured a host of athletes who call Anchorage, Alaska home, including Sadie Maubet Bjornsen, Rosie Brennan, Hailey Swirbul, Scott Patterson, Luke Jager, and Gus Schumacher. Also joining in on the Park City fun was Johnny Hagenbuch (Ketchem, Idaho), Kendall Kramer (Fairbanks, Alaska), Noel Keeffe (Steamboat Springs, Colo.), and Novie McCabe (Winthrop, Wash.).

“We had a very productive camp in Park City,” said U.S. Cross Country Ski Team Cross Country Program Director Chris Grover. “The camp is always a very busy one where we attempt to satisfy all the athlete needs prior to going on the road for the race season; those needs include everything from medical screening and support, nutritional consultations, strength testing, physical therapy support, athlete career and education opportunities, marketing, and uniforming needs, and of course a little training as well!”

Athletes training in Lake Placid were treated to outstanding weather and brilliant fall colors, while those training in Park City enjoyed an early taste of winter.  “Although it was cold, and we moved around several training sessions to accommodate frozen blacktop, we completed every intended session, including finishing the camp with a freestyle sprint and a classic time trial at Soldier Hollow. Overall, I was impressed with the fitness of the group; most people are ahead of where they have been in past Octobers,” Chris added. 

U.S. Ski & Snowboard Cross Country Women’s Fellowship

For the first week of each camp, U.S. Ski & Snowboard hosted a female coaching fellowship funded by the HerRay Foundation. This was comprised of five coaches who were selected through an application process this past summer. U.S. Ski & Snowboard ran a pilot program last fall, but this year offered the first official Cross Country Women’s Fellowship with coaches brought in to assist team coaches, as well as to gain experience working with top-level athletes. Accepted fellows (and home clubs) were: 

• Anna Schultz – Craftsbury
• Ruth Oppliger – Michigan Tech University
• Lina Hultin – Montana Endurance Academy
• Molly Sulsa – Crested Butte Nordic
• Mary Rose – Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation 

U.S. Ski & Snowboard plans to run the program again next year and will be calling for applicants in the early summer of 2020.

After seven months of preparation both on and off the mountain, the highly anticipated FIS Ski World Cup circuit will kick off on the mighty and menacing Rettenbach Glacier in Sölden, Austria on October 26-27.

Olympic champion and reigning overall, super-G, giant slalom, slalom champion Mikaela Shiffrin and Olympic champion Ted Ligety will lead the way for the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team squad that’s 11-deep and features some fresh, new faces too. The U.S. has a long history of success at the Austrian venue, featuring 11 podiums between Mikaela and Ted, Mikaela’s first-ever giant slalom victory in 2014, and Ted’s four victories (2011, 2012, 2013, 2015), which is a record at the venue. In 2012, Ted’s victory margin was 2.75 seconds over Italy’s Manfred Moelgg. 

Early season snowfall has allowed for some of the best conditions the Rettenbach has seen in years. After two years of canceled men’s races due to heavy snow, low visibility and high winds, the weather forecast is looking like sunshine for both Saturday and Sunday’s races. The men and women had a unique opportunity to lap the World Cup track in training this past week before they closed the track for World Cup preparation. 

At elevations of 3,040 to 2,670 meters top-to-bottom, Sölden boasts the highest start of the 2019/20 season. The pitch is menacing. It’s the longest, steepest, sustaining pitch on the World Cup, and finishes with long flats - making it vital for athletes to carry their speed from the steeps to the flats and through the finish...quite often leaving athletes in a sort of "what just happened to me" quandary when they arrive in the finish. Because the opener is so far ahead of the bulk of the season, athletes use Sölden as a bit of a state-of-the-state…a pulse-check on how all of that spring and summer equipment tinkering went, and whether or not the summer conditioning and skiing set them up for success this season. 

Mikaela will lead a crew of five starters, including seven-time national champ Nina O’Brien, two-time national champ AJ Hurt, 2019 national giant slalom champion Keely Cashman, and former University of Denver Ski Team athlete Storm Klomhaus, who will make her World Cup debut on the Rettenbach. “The prep camp has been going quite well,” Mikaela said on Monday in a conference call with the media. 

“Definitely have been skiing a ton of GS, which is awesome...the weather has been great and there’s more snow than I remember here the past few years,” she continued. They opened up the race hill for training for most of the teams the last four days and we got to get on the hill. It’s in great condition, and they’re planning to inject it with some water too. Everyone always asks [at Sölden] if I’m ready and I’m like ‘I’m not ready right now, but I will be on race day, right?!’ - so that’s kind of how I’m feeling."

Storm went to the U.S. Ski & Snowboard TEAM Academy and was on the development team prior to attending the University of Denver, but she missed the last two seasons due to injury. In the last two years, she’s had five surgeries on her left knee and one on her right knee in the last two years. Storm is in her senior year at DU, studying biochemistry and pre-med. She found out she would be getting her first World Cup start the evening before her 21st birthday. Pretty sweet birthday gift, huh?! “It’s been a whirlwind missing most of last season, and now starting this one with my first World Cup start, I couldn’t be more excited,” she said.

On the men’s side, veteran Ted will lead six athletes, including Tommy Ford - who was ranked ninth in the world last season in giant slalom, six-time national champ Ryan Cochran-Siegle, two-time 2019 Junior World gold medalist River Radamus, 2018 NCAA GS champion Brian McLaughlin, and current Dartmouth Big Green athlete Nick Krause. 

What has it been like for River to train with one of his childhood heroes, Ted? “Ted leads by example,” he said recently in an interview with FIS. “When Ted steps on the hill there’s an aura of professionalism that you can feel. He takes his business dead series in a way that makes you feel guilty if you take it less so. Him being there raises the game of everyone around.” 

Stay tuned to our Instagram account, because with all of the hype and excitement around the World Cup opener at Sölden - from ski crazed Austrians frothing at the mouth to watch their ski gods take center stage to fan clubs in a drunken stupor (the main sponsor is a beer sponsor, after all) - there's bound to be a lot of antics and action. 

WOMEN’S STARTERS
Keely Cashman
AJ Hurt
Storm Klomhaus*
Nina O’Brien
Mikaela Shiffrin

MEN’S STARTERS
Ryan Cochran-Siegle
Tommy Ford
Nick Krause
Ted Ligety
Brian McLaughlin
River Radamus

*Denotes first World Cup Start

MEET THE STARTERS

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Official event hashtag: #worldcupsoelden

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST.
Preliminary schedule, subject to change

ALPINE
Saturday, Oct. 26
4:00 a.m. - Women’s giant slalom, run 1 - Soelden, AUT - NBC Sports Gold
7:00 a.m. - Women’s giant slalom, run 2 - Soelden, AUT - NBC Sports Gold

Sunday, Oct. 27
5:00 a.m. - Men’s giant slalom, run 1 - Soelden, AUT - NBC Sports Gold
8:00 a.m. - Men’s giant slalom, run 2 - Soelden, AUT - NBC Sports Gold

Exclusive commercial-free coverage will be available for subscribers of the NBC Sports Gold Pass, available here: https://www.nbcsports.com/gold/snow

The reason Soelden is available via Gold Pass rather than NBCSN or Olympic Channel is that alpine races held in Austria are not part of the TV agreement that NBC Sports has with FIS. They are controlled and sold by a different rights holder, and were purchased by NBC Sports Gold for exclusive use within “Snow Pass.” If you have any further questions, please reach out to NBC Sports Gold's help desk at support@nbcsports.com.

U.S. Ski & Snowboard will host its 53rd annual New York Gold Medal Gala at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York City on October 24. Olympic stars such as Lindsey Vonn and Kikkan Randall, and many more current U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes and legends will be available for media interviews.

WHAT
A “White Carpet” rollout for Olympic skiing and snowboarding legends ahead of U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s annual New York Gold Medal Gala. Members of the media must RSVP to the White Carpet to guarantee access to athletes. The New York Gold Medal Gala plays a critical role in raising funds that directly help ski and snowboard athletes achieve their goals of being the Best in the World. In its fifty-third iteration, this year’s theme, “Inspired by the Stars,” reminds fans and athletes alike the reason behind the grueling work it takes to be an elite team member. 

WHEN
Thursday, October 24 from 6 to 6:30 p.m.

WHERE
Ziegfeld Ballroom, 141 W 54th St, New York, NY 10019

WHO
Lindsey Vonn, Olympic Champion, three-time Olympic medalist, alpine skiing
Kikkan Randall, Olympic gold medalist, cross country skiing
Jonny Moseley, Olympic gold medalist, freestyle moguls skiing
Bryce Bennett, 2018 Olympian, alpine skiing
Kevin Bolger, 2017 U.S. Champion, cross country skiing 
Sophie Caldwell, 2014 and 2018 Olympian, cross country skiing
Ashley Caldwell, 2010, 2014 and 2018 Olympian, freestyle aerials skiing
Mick Dierdorff, 2018 Olympian, snowboardcross
Travis Ganong, 2014 Olympian and World Championships silver medalist, alpine skiing
Nick Goepper, 2014 Olympic silver medalist and 2018 bronze medalist, freeski slopestyle
Jared Goldberg, 2014 and 2018 Olympian, alpine skiing
Alex Hall, 2018 Olympian, freeskiing
Simi Hamilton, 2010, 2014 and 2018 Olympian, cross country skiing
Katie Hensien, 2019 Junior World Silver Medalist, alpine
Tess Johnson, 2018 Olympian, freestyle moguls skiing
Jaelin Kauf, 2018 Olympian, freestyle moguls skiing
Julia Kern, 2019 U.S. Champion, cross country skiing
Maddie Mastro, 2018 Olympian, snowboarding
Alice McKennis, 2010 and 2018 Olympian, alpine skiing
Alice Merryweather, 2018 Olympian, Junior World Downhill Champion, alpine skiing
Toby Miller, 2017 and 2019 World Championship team, snowboarding
Paula Moltzan, 2015 and 2019 World Championship team, NCAA Slalom Champion, alpine skiing
Steven Nyman, 2006, 2010 and 2014 Olympian, alpine skiing
Caitlin Patterson, Eight-time U.S. Champion, cross country skiing
Laurenne Ross, 2014 and 2018 Olympian, alpine skiing
Brita Sigourney, 2018 Olympic bronze medalist, halfpipe skiing
Winter Vinecki, 2019 World Championship team, freestyle aerials skiing
Maggie Voisin, 2018 Olympian, freeski slopestyle
Brad Wilson, 2014 and 2018 Olympian, freestyle moguls skiing

Based on competition and training schedules, athlete appearances subject to change without notice. 

CONTACT
Members of the media can RSVP to the White Carpet to:
Lara Carlton
U.S. Ski & Snowboard Communications Manager
lara.carlton@usskiandsnowboard.org

U.S. Ski & Snowboard Alpine Director Jesse Hunt and Alpine Development Director Chip Knight shared the 2020-21 alpine nomination criteria - as well as World Cup, Europa Cup and World Junior criteria for the 2019-20 season - in a series of conference calls with athletes and coaches on Thursday afternoon and Friday morning. 

• 2020-21 U.S. Ski Team nomination criteria
• 2019-20 World Cup start guidelines
• 2019-20 Europa Cup start guidelines
• 2020 World Junior Championship selection criteria

Ski Racing Media's Sean Higgins covered the changes on Friday, speaking with both Jesse as well as A Team athlete Bryce Bennett. 

Highlighting this year’s criteria is a change to a two-year team nomination which U.S. Ski & Snowboard believes will allow for improved athlete management strategies. Objective criteria for a team nomination remains unchanged except for the addition of a physical fitness requirement for C and D Team athletes.

Athletes that receive a team nomination at the end of the 2020 season based on objective criteria will be members of the national team for the following two seasons, as opposed to just one as has been the case in the past. Current U.S. Ski Team athletes on the 2019-20 roster have also been grandfathered in to this change and will all be extended a nomination to next season’s roster as well.

“This allows us to have a little bit more of a long-term strategy with our athlete management and we feel that it’s a good direction to go in athletically,” said U.S. Ski Team Alpine Director Jesse Hunt. “That’s a big shift for us.”

Read the full article on SkiRacing.com.

The 2020 Coop FIS Cross Country Ski World Cup Sprint Finals take place on March 17 at Wirth Park, just outside downtown Minneapolis, Minn. This event will mark the first time in two decades that the world's best athletes have competed on American snow.

U.S. Cross Country Ski Team member, and 2018 Olympic gold medallist, Jessie Diggins will lead more than 20 of her teammates and American competitors who are expected to start a World Cup race in the U.S. for the first time in 19 years. 

The Tuesday evening race will cap off the March 14-17 Fastenal Parallel 45 Winter Festival, which will include live music, craft beer, citizen races, and more.

Tickets are on sale and include everything from general admission, all the way up to unique VIP experiences. Be part of this historic moment celebrating worldwide winter sports by volunteering, purchasing a ticket, or becoming a partner, and coming out to Theodore Wirth Regional Park in March of 2020 for this once-in-a-lifetime event.

How do you become the “Best in the World” in a given sport? The answer is simple - practice as much as possible. However, when it comes down to defining “Best in the World” for members of the U.S. Freeski, Snowboard, or Snowboardcross Team, it is not as simple as having a strong work ethic and winning consistently.

“If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself."
- Henry Ford

Dedication to sport and finding success are critical elements to success, but being “Best in the World” also requires an athlete to be a great teammate...to make those around them better, while creating an environment that enables everyone to put their best foot forward.

Saas-Fee Training Camp at the world-class Stomping Grounds Park in Switzerland has introduced numerous activities to help create this culture of togetherness, while knocking down barriers between U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes and teams. U.S. Pro Freeski Slopestyle Team member Darian Stevens, who recently made her return back to snow from injury, weighed in the multi-sport approach of camp. 

“There has been a lot of activities going on after skiing this camp,” said Stevens. “We have been renting out the fields and playing a multitude of sports. Pretty much anything from football, spikeball, soccer, volleyball, and everything in-between. I have been participating in quite a bit of spikeball as I brought my own set from the states to play with. Since knee surgery, activities like soccer and spikeball have been a challenge, but my knee is finally feeling good enough to really get some good games going on.”
 

At the 2018-19 edition of Saas-Fee training camp, Stevens was part of a serious string of progression where Maggie Voisin landed her first double 1260, Julia Krass landed her first double 1080, and Stevens landed her switch bio 1080. While past camps have been successful for Stevens, she shared how training and spending time with members outside of just the freeski slopestyle crew has been beneficial. 

“It's been really cool to meet new people on this trip and get acquainted in a carefree environment with teammates that you aren't super familiar with,” she said. “We've been doing a lot of activities in random groups, rather than by teams, which helps with intermingling. It's super fun to get together with a huge group of rad people, regardless of sport, all exceptional at what they do, coming together as one giant team. Since taking last year off due to injury, I haven't been around the whole team for quite some time, it feels great to be back in the mix.”

Freeskiing and snowboarding may not be traditional team sports, but truly acting as a team, creating culture, and learning from one another has endless benefits. Head Freeski and Snowboard Team Coach Mike Jankowski explained the thought process and goals to this year’s Saas-Fee Camp.

"Having all the different teams connect is super important,” he said. Although they may use different equipment in their competitions, everyone shares a common passion and encounter similar challenges along the path to success. The ability to create those bonds between teams reminds everyone that they are not alone and can lean on each other through the best and worst of times. Additionally, as a team, we aim to grow and improve by understanding and respecting each other. Sometimes it is easy to get caught up in our own path,  but stepping out and gaining perspective can be critical to our collective success.”

Follow U.S. Freeski, Snowboard, and Snowboardcross Team athletes at the Stomping Grounds Park Saas-Fee training camp below: 

INSTAGRAM
@usfreeskiteam
@ussnowboardteam
@thestompinggroundspark

FACEBOOK
@usskiandsnowboard
 

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee announced the 30 finalists for the 2019 Team USA Awards, Best of the Year, which recognize the outstanding achievements of Team USA athletes year-round on Monday. Double Olympic champion Mikaela Shiffrin is nominated for the Female Olympic Athlete of the Year. Fans are invited to vote for their favorite athletes and teams at TeamUSA.org/Awards through midnight Monday, Oct. 28.

The Team USA Awards honor athletes and teams of the year in six categories:

• Female Olympic Athlete of the Year
• Male Olympic Athlete of the Year
• Olympic Team of the Year, presented by Dow
• Female Paralympic Athlete of the Year
• Male Paralympic Athlete of the Year
• Paralympic Team of the Year, presented by Dow

Athletes and teams considered for Best of the Year were finalists for Best of the Month honors, dating back to the fall of 2018 and coinciding with the sport calendar. A USOPC nominating committee then selected the top-five finalists in the individual and team categories to advance to the voting round.

Mikaela is in good company, nominated alongside powerhouse athletes like record-breaking gymnast Simone Biles. her nomination comes following the best season of her career, having podiumed in 21 of 26 world cup races and earned 17 victories – the most by any skier in a single season – to improve her career total to 60 world cup wins and become the first athlete – male or female – in the history of the sport to win all six alpine disciplines. She finished her season by claiming four of five crystal globes as world cup season champion, and winning three medals (two golds and one bronze) at the world championships, becoming the first skier in history to win four consecutive world titles in the same event with her slalom title.

Online fan voting at TeamUSA.org/Awards accounts for 50 percent of the final tally, while members of the Olympic and Paralympic community – including an esteemed panel of Olympic and Paralympic journalists – account for the other 50 percent.

The six award winners will be announced during the 2019 Team USA Awards, Best of the Year, held on Nov. 19 at Universal Studios in Los Angeles. NBC will provide coverage of the awards show from 3-4 p.m. ET on Dec. 22.

Mikaela is now in Austria prepping for the FIS Ski World Cup opener in Soelden, Austria on October 26. 

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