On Thursday, Sept 5, U.S. Ski & Snowboard and the Atlanta Braves announced the Visa Big Air presented by Land Rover at SunTrust Park December 20-21. Four-time X Games medalist Maggie Voisin (Whitefish, Mont.) as well as 2018 PyeongChang Olympic big air silver medalist Kyle Mack (West Bloomfield, Mich.) were on-site ahead of the Braves home game versus the Washington Nationals to celebrate the iconic new event. 

“We are here in Atlanta presented with an opportunity to put on an amazing event in a beautiful stadium with a high energy crowd,” said Voisin. “We were down on the field earlier watching practice and I could not help but imagine how the jump would look and how the crowd would react. It will be an incredible and fun event for both the athletes and the fans of Atlanta.”

Joining the athletes for the announcement was U.S. Ski and Snowboard President and CEO Tiger Shaw, Visa Vice President of Global Brand & Innovation Marketing Andres Polo, as well as President and CEO of the Atlanta Braves Derek Schiller, who shared his thoughts on welcoming U.S. Ski & Snowboard and the world of winter Olympic competition to their hometown. 

“This is a venue that we’ve built to host all kinds of entertainment activities,” said Schiller. “Just by walking around The Battery, you can see there is a lot going on. We do our best to make this a true entertainment destination. Of course, our primary business is baseball, but for the wintertime, we thought - what is the coolest event we can bring to SunTrust Park? I think this event definitely fits the bill.”

Voisin and Mack were in awe of the new SunTrust Park as well as The Battery Atlanta, the new lifestyle destination surrounding the stadium. The Atlanta Braves rolled out the red carpet experience for the athletes starting with a stadium tour including the Monument Garden. This area featured some of the franchise’s most prized memorabilia including a nine-foot statue of Braves legend Hank Aaron hitting his Babe Ruth-record-beating 715th home run. As Voisin and Mack acknowledged the strong history and foundation of the Braves organization, they looked forward to the new milestones freeskiers and snowboarders could reach this December at SunTrust Park.

Following the tour, Voisin and Mack were escorted to the infield for batting practice. Mack - a former baseball player himself - was itching to step up to the plate, but with a tight schedule and a focused Atlanta Braves Team dead set on making the playoffs, he would have to wait until December to put his athleticism on display. 

The athletes were then escorted to the press conference on the plaza green stage, complete with a snowy mountain landscape. As fans got ready for the evening's ball game, there was a strong sense of curiosity as to just what was about to take place. The sizzle reel rolled and Schiller introduced the event, it was clear Atlanta was ready for the world’s top freeskiers and snowboarders to descend on SunTrust Park. 

Voisin and Mack were both gifted an official Atlanta Braves jersey to wear to the evening’s game where an additional on-field announcement took place. The crowd erupted as Voisin explained what Atlanta should expect and also that she was about to experience her first-ever baseball game. 

Worlds will collide this Dec 20-21 at the Visa Big Air presented by Land Rover. The last stadium big air FIS World Cup competition to take place in the United States was at Boston’s Fenway Park in 2016, where U.S. Snowboard Team’s Julia Marino (Westport, Conn.) was victorious. Don’t miss your chance to see the world’s best at the Visa Big Air presented by Land Rover at SunTrust Park. Tickets on sale now at braves.com/VisaBigAir.

VISA BIG AIR PRESENTED BY LAND ROVER KEY FACTS

The Commitment
On the heels of snowboard big air’s debut in PyeongChang, freeskiers will make their first Olympic big air appearance at the Olympic Games Beijing 2022. The Visa Big Air Presented by Land Rover is part of a multi-year commitment by U.S. Ski & Snowboard to bring big air events to the masses in breathtaking new environments by hosting one city big air event per season leading into the 2022 Beijing Olympic Winter Games.

Sanctioning
Visa Big Air presented by Land Rover is sanctioned as an International Ski Federation (FIS) World Cup for both freeskiing and snowboarding. The event will serve as the third and final big air World Cup of the season for both sports. This means the FIS big air overall championships and Crystal Globes will be on the line!

The Jump
The competition will take place on a 15-story tall steel scaffold jump structure, which is then covered with up to 800 tons of snow. Athletes will drop into an approximately 40-degree in-run, then launch themselves off the jump at speeds up to 40 miles per hour to perform their biggest tricks while traveling up to 70 feet in the air. The competition is judged on difficulty, amplitude, variety, and execution.

Athletes
U.S. Freeski Olympians Julia Krass (Hanover, N.H.) and Maggie Voisin (Whitefish, Mont.), as well as two-time Olympic medalist Nick Goepper are set to compete. In addition, Olympic gold medalists Red Gerard (Silverthorne, Colo.), Jamie Anderson (S. Lake Tahoe, Calif.) as well as the 2018-19 FIS Snowboard Overall Crystal Globe Winner Chris Corning (Silverthorne, Colo.) will represent the U.S. Snowboard Team. An elite international field will also be in attendance. 

Broadcast/Streaming Coverage
The Visa Big Air presented by Land Rover will be broadcast live Dec. 20-22 on NBCSN and NBC Sports, plus on live streaming platforms to be determined. As a FIS World Cup, the event will be seen by tens of millions worldwide through global broadcast distribution.

EVENT SCHEDULE
Visa Big Air
SunTrust Park, Atlanta, Ga., USA
Snowboard & Freeski Big Air FIS World Cup
December 18-21, 2019
*Subject to change

Friday, Dec 20
12:00 - 10:00 p.m. - Sponsor Village/Entertainment - The Battery
5:30 p.m. - Gates Open
6:00 - 6:45 p.m. - Men's and women's snowboard big air finals practice
7:00 - 8:30 p.m. - Men's and women's snowboard big air finals          

Saturday, Dec 21
12:00 - 10:00 p.m. - Sponsor Village/Entertainment - The Battery
5:00 p.m. - Gates Open
5:30 p.m. - Teton Gravity Research Premiere - “Fire on the Mountain” 
6:00 - 6:45 p.m. - Men's and women's freeski big air finals practice
7:00 - 8:30 p.m. - Men's and women's freeski big air finals

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST
*Same-day broadcast
**Next-day broadcast

SNOWBOARD
Friday, December 20
7:00 p.m. - Visa Big Air World Cup - SunTrust Park, Atlanta, Ga. - NBCSN

Saturday, December 21
4:00 p.m. - Visa Big Air World Cup - SunTrust Park, Atlanta, Ga. - NBC Sports**

FREESKI
Saturday, December 21
7:00 p.m. - Visa Big Air World Cup - SunTrust Park, Atlanta, Ga. - NBCSN

Sunday, December 22
3:00 p.m. - Visa Big Air World Cup - SunTrust Park, Atlanta, Ga. - NBC Sports**
 

PARK CITY, UTAH  - U.S. Ski & Snowboard announced the appointment of Michael O’Conor to the position of Chief Revenue Officer. O’Conor comes to the organization with almost two decades’ experience of commercial business development within the Olympic sphere.

O’Conor’s hiring at U.S. Ski & Snowboard is serendipitous, as he was first introduced to the Olympic movement in Utah. In 2000 he took a position with OPUS - the joint venture between the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) and the Salt Lake City Olympic Organizing Committee - handling partnerships for the Sydney and Salt Lake Olympic Games. After a brief stint in the entertainment sector with the Sundance Institute developing corporate sponsorships, the call of sport beckoned O’Conor back to the USOPC where he has served in various roles in account management, event management, and sales. In 2011, he took over the commercial arm of the USOPC. Most recently, Michael has been working for the LA2028 joint venture with the USOPC, known as the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Properties (USOPP).

As Chief Revenue Officer, O’Conor will report directly to U.S. Ski & Snowboard President and CEO, Tiger Shaw, and will be responsible for driving all commercial revenue for the organization. In separating the sales and execution sides of sponsorship, O’Conor and his team will create new and innovative ways of raising money to support the athletes so they can focus on what they do best: skiing and snowboarding.

“We are so excited to have Michael joining the U.S. Ski & Snowboard family,” said Shaw. “Michael has proven himself to be a leader in commercial strategy, specifically in the Olympic sports space. He has a deep understanding of how to meet the challenges of creating value in commercial partnerships. I have no doubt that his expertise, gleaned from his tenure at the USOPC and the USOPP, will benefit our organization and allow us to give our athletes the best environment in which to train and compete, with the needed funding.”

O’Conor has always been involved in sports, playing soccer and baseball growing up in East Hampton, New York. He came to skiing later in life, which has proven ruinous for him in his family’s snow sports standings (he has all bases covered with one of his three children favoring snowboarding) as all are shredders on the mountain, including his wife. 

“I cannot keep up with anyone in my family. I’ve only had one moment in the sun when it comes to snow sports when I was asked to present the awards for women’s slopestyle snowboarding at the Copper Grand Prix in 2015,” O’Conor said. “I was lucky enough to present Jamie Anderson with her first-place award. It was so cool, one of the best dad moments of my life! My kids were really impressed with me.”

Luckily for U.S. Ski & Snowboard, O’Conor’s track record in sales rates higher than his skills on the slopes. Over the past 10 years, he has achieved considerable success drawing in partners to the Olympic movement such as Hershey’s, Liberty Mutual Insurance, and Smucker’s. He will be leaving his most recent role working for the USOPP, where he was focused on creating a value proposition that includes getting the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams and the Los Angeles 2028 Games to their sales goal.

“It is bittersweet to say goodbye to my friends and colleagues at the USOPP and the USOPC, but I am grateful to be staying involved with the USOPC’s mission through this new role,” O’Conor said. “Got to say I love my new office. Can’t beat being in the mountains!”

The U.S. Moguls Ski Team reached their $100,000 benchmark, and then some at a recent fundraiser in Vail, hitting their goal to be fully funded for the 2019-20 competition season. “Everything we do on and off the hill would literally not be possible without you,” said Olivia Giaccio (Redding, Conn.) to a crowd of moguls skiing fans at Red Sky Ranch & Golf Club during the U.S. Moguls Ski Team’s second annual fundraiser. On September 6, athletes of the moguls team returned to Vail Colo. for the event—a home away from home for many. Eleven athletes have roots in Colorado, an impressive six are alumni of Ski & Snowboard Club Vail. 

“Vail has always been a special home to the sport of freestyle skiing,” said Tess Johnson (Vail, Colo.). “The entire community has stood alongside me and my career and has supported me from the moment I began competing. And now, the community represents a very important part of our team as we’ve hosted two incredibly successful fundraisers here. It’s so special to me and my teammates that we are fortunate enough to have our event in Vail. We are overwhelmed with gratitude for the support, donations, and love we’ve received from people all over Vail, and the entire country. Our humble freestyle family is growing every year because of this event, and we couldn’t be more stoked about it!”

The brainchild of Johnson and Jaelin Kauf (Alta, Wyo.), the fundraiser raised nearly $100,000 in its first year. The best athletes put the needs of their team before the needs of themselves and surround themselves with a strong support system. Although an individual sport, the moguls athletes value the ability to come together as a team to support each other to be the best in the world. Driven by the success of last year’s event, the team was energized in their focus to rally around each other and raise the money necessary to fully fund the whole team for the 2019-20 season. 

Not only did the team come together, but notable alumni showed their support as well. Emceeing the night was two-time moguls Olympian Heather McPhie Watanabe, and in attendance were moguls alumnis Shannon Bahrke (Olympic silver and bronze medalist), Keaton McCargo (2018 Olympian) and Hunter Bailey (former U.S. Ski Team member) as well as alpine Olympic silver medalist and Colorado-favorite Billy Kidd. 

The evening featured a cocktail reception, graciously hosted by moguls superfans Jim and Jeffy Benedict, who were both presented with customized race bibs making them honorary moguls team members. Attendees were treated to a live auction which included several athlete experiences that attendees could participate in over the weekend, fun travel packages and awesome team gear. Supporters that couldn’t make the event in person made a huge impact by donating remotely via the moguls team’s online donation site, which is live through September 30.

“Working together to raise enough money for the entire team for the second-consecutive year was a fun experience!” said Giaccio. “It’s always incredible to see teammates not only help organize the event, but spread the word and get more people to attend as well. Personally, I feel honored that I had the opportunity to speak to the donors on behalf of the entire team at the event itself. I’m beyond proud of the fact that we’re now fully funded as a result of our collective efforts!”

The U.S. Ski & Snowboard Foundation is the non-profit fundraising arm of U.S. Ski & Snowboard! To support U.S. Ski & Snowboard on their quest to become the Best in the World! Donate today!

A quick look at Julia Kern’s (Waltham, Mass.) Instagram posts and one thing is certain, her smile is as wide as her skis are long! But there is more than the New Zealand sunshine and snow that are making her giddy with excitement these days.

Toward the end of last season, Kern suffered an elbow injury that required surgery to repair this past May. It was an adventurous road to recovery to return to double-pole roller skiing in mid-July as Kern continued trail running, mountain biking and strength training in the gym. Finally, on August 23, she was back on snow with her teammate Jessie Diggin (Afton, Minn.) training at the Snow Farm in New Zealand - and that certainly brought a huge smile to her face!

“Camp has been really awesome with Jessie,” said Kern, who also grabbed a pair of Australia New Zealand Cup podiums in 5k freestyle and 10k classic events at the Snow Farm. “We have logged a lot of volume as well as high-quality interval, speed, and race sessions. The skiing has been incredible and coming down to ski on snow at this time of year is so productive and important.

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Leaving NZ Camp stoked, tired, and super motivated after having completed my biggest training block to date! Thank you @snowfarm_nz for making it way too easy to want to go out and ski all day in one of the most beautiful places to ski in the world with perfect grooming and thanks to @jessiediggins and @jcorkski for lots of kilometers spent laughing #byeNZ #happy #stoked #600kmlater

A post shared by Julia Kern (@juliakernski) on Sep 9, 2019 at 12:21am PDT

“Getting on snow and working back into two-pole skiing has been crucial for getting into form for the upcoming season,” she added. “I made a lot of progress at camp and am feeling good about how my fitness and strength is progressing.”

Diggins also put in a huge amount of summer training, and so far it has certainly paid off with a trio of Australia New Zealand Cup victories at the Winter Games NZ, plus a World Loppet marathon victory. All the while battling Kern for who had the broadest, brightest smile!

“Overall, I’m extremely happy with where my fitness is at and how summer training has been going,” Diggins said. “It’s also been so fun to share this camp with Julia, and I’m super impressed with how she’s handling the huge training load and the races. She’s looking awesome!” 

With the official start to the 2019-20 FIS Cross Country World Cup season a couple of months away, athletes are still putting the hay in the barn, so to speak. And early-season camps, especially on-snow camps, allow the athletes the opportunity to not only work on their fitness but what is arguably the most important aspect between winning and finishing further down on the results list - technique.

“We’ve been making the most of our time on snow to work on technique and race day details,” Diggins said. “Getting the chance to put a bib on four times has been awesome and racing everything from a sprint to a 42k has been a good test for me in terms of where my fitness is at and what technique elements break down first.”

Diggins and Kern are returning home to finish their final prep work as the season nears with U.S. Cross Country Team camps in both Park City, Utah, and Lake Placid, N.Y. October 8-19, and then returning to snow in Beitostølen, Norway, prior to the first World Cup of the season in Ruka, Finland, Nov. 30.

RESULTS
Aug. 31
World Loppet 42k freestyle marathon

Sept. 3
FIS Australia New Zealand Cup women’s classic sprint

Sept. 4
FIS Australia New Zealand Cup women’s 5k freestyle

Sept. 5
FIS Australia New Zealand Cup women’s 10k mass-start classic
 

Under blue skies, no wind, and a perfectly sculpted pipe, U.S. Freeski Team member Birk Irving (Winter Park, Colo.) earned his second FIS World Cup victory at the Winter Games NZ halfpipe season opener on Saturday with an unprecedented line up of tricks at Cardrona Alpine Resort. 

“I have been wanting to do a 1440 and the double-cork-720 in a run for a long time,” said Irving. “I am so surprised and psyched I was able to put them both down together. I’m probably the most hyped I have ever been about a run.”

The double-cork-720 may not be a high degree rotation, but the air awareness and execution required to land back on his feet due to the axis of the spin is second to none. Prior to dropping in on his final run, Irving ignored the leaderboard. 

“I wasn’t really thinking about where I was standing in the rankings,” he said. “I just tried the run I thought I needed to win and it worked out.”

Teammate and double-FIS Halfpipe World Champion Aaron Blunck (Crested, Butte, Colo.) also wasted no time finding his way to the podium this season finishing third. Blunck could not put together a complete run on his first two attempts, but reached deep and pulled it out on his last opportunity. 

“I just wanted to land a run,” Blunck said. “I didn’t care where I finished. My real goals were to make finals and put down a run I’m happy with. It’s a cherry on top to make it onto the podium. Noah (Bowman) was oozing style and I couldn’t be happier for Birk. It was amazing to watch him progress the sport today. I knew he wanted to try the down the pipe double-cork-720, and I just thought to myself - just land it, I don’t care what the score is, but just land it because it’s such a high consequence trick.”

Lyman Currier (Boulder, Colo.), who has been plagued by injury since his ACL tear at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games, put down two commendable runs. He may not have broken into the top-three, but that does not mean it was an unsuccessful day for the U.S. Freeski Team veteran.

“It feels amazing to be out here today,” said Currier. “I came to New Zealand hoping to make finals. I checked that off my list and now I’m just having fun. It feels great to get the competition nerves flowing again. I’m stoked to land two out of three of my runs.”

Canadian Noah Bowman of Canada finished in second-place landing back to back switch double corks on his final run. 

For the women, Birk’s sister, Svea Irving (Winter Park, Colo.) put down a solid first run complete with a left side 900 and beautiful flare but was unable to break into podium contention. Kexin Zhang and Eileen Gu of China took home the gold and silver medals respectively, while Russian Valeriya Demidova closed out the podium earning the bronze. 

Unlike many of the early events of the season, there seemed to be very little rust to shake off for the majority of the field. The athletes were motivated to make their mark at the outset of the 2019-20 season and came out with high energy, great attitudes, and execution at a level that resembled mid-season form. With only three events in the books, U.S. Freeski and Snowboard athletes have collected five podiums, signaling a very successful start to the season. The future looks bright as we move towards the northern hemisphere winter. 

RESULTS
Men’s freeski halfpipe finals
Women’s freeski halfpipe finals

HIGHLIGHTS
Birk Irving’s winning run
Aaron Blunck’s third-place run
 

In partnership with the Atlanta Braves, U.S. Ski & Snowboard will host the Visa Big Air Presented by Land Rover at SunTrust Park Dec. 20-21. The event will be sanctioned as a FIS Snowboard and Freeski World Cup and will offer elite international men’s and women’s big air competition.

The Visa Big Air Presented by Land Rover is part of a multi-year commitment by U.S. Ski & Snowboard to bring big air events to the masses in breathtaking new environments by hosting one city big air event per season leading into the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022.

As part of its renewed sponsorship of U.S. Ski & Snowboard through 2026, Visa is the founding title sponsor of this new big air series; Visa is also the preferred way to pay at both the online U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team Shop and the on-site merchandise experiences. Atlanta is an optimal first site for the Visa Big Air series, as it is an iconic sports city with great Olympic history.

“The Visa Big Air at SunTrust Park will bring our sports out of the mountains and to the people in a major metropolitan area,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard President and CEO Tiger Shaw. “We are very excited to have Visa as our title sponsor and to partner with the Atlanta Braves to continue to grow the fan-base of this exciting sport for our athletes, sponsors and the snow sports industry ahead of the 2022 Games in Beijing."

Big air competition has been a critical part of snowboarding’s progression since the start of organized competitions. Air + Style, one of the first major big air events, started in 1994 and Big Air has also been part of the Winter X Games program since the event was founded in 1997. Snowboard big air made its Olympic debut at the Olympic Games PyeongChang 2018 where U.S. Snowboard Team’s own Kyle Mack (West Bloomfield, Mich.) and Jamie Anderson (S. Lake Tahoe, Calif.) walked away with silver medals at the inaugural event. On the heels of snowboard big air’s debut in PyeongChang, freeskiers will make their first Olympic big air appearance at the Olympic Games Beijing 2022. This December, snowboard, and freeski big air competition will add yet another major debut to the sport’s list at the Atlanta Braves’ state of the art SunTrust Park.

“We are proud to showcase SunTrust Park to a global audience as the host of this world cup ski and snowboard event,” said Derek Schiller, Atlanta Braves President and CEO.  “In collaboration with U.S. Ski and Snowboard, SunTrust Park and The Battery Atlanta will provide an incredible venue for fans from around the region to witness this truly unique event.  It’s our privilege to host these world-class athletes.”

The competition will take place on a 15-story tall steel scaffold jump structure consisting of up to 29,000 unique pieces, which is then covered with up to 800 tons of snow to create a surface on which the world’s best freeskiers and snowboarders can perform. Athletes will drop into an approximately 40-degree in-run, then launch themselves off the jump at speeds up to 40 miles per hour to perform their biggest tricks while traveling up to 70 feet in the air. The competition is judged on progression, amplitude, variety, execution, and difficulty.

The Visa Big Air will be the first event of its kind to come to Atlanta. Event organizers expect to provide a taste of mountains and Olympic winter competition to 20,000 fans for each of the two days of competition. U.S. Freeski Olympians Julia Krass (Hanover, N.H.) and Maggie Voisin (Whitefish, Mont.), as well as two-time Olympic medalist Nick Goepper are set to compete. In addition, Olympic gold medalists Red Gerard (Silverthorne, Colo.), Jamie Anderson (S. Lake Tahoe, Calif.) as well as the 2018-19 FIS Snowboard Overall Crystal Globe Winner Chris Corning (Silverthorne, Colo.) will represent the U.S. Snowboard Team.

If you live in Metro Atlanta or consider yourself an action sports fan, the Visa Big Air is a must-see. Learn more about the event and purchase your tickets here. Continue to learn more about the Visa Big Air at USSkiandSnowboard.org.

Tickets on sale Friday, Sept 6 at 12:00 p.m. EDT: braves.com/visabigair
Media Accreditation Application

EVENT SCHEDULE
Visa Big Air
SunTrust Park, Atlanta, Ga., USA
Snowboard & Freeski Big Air FIS World Cup
December 18-21, 2019
*Subject to change

Friday, Dec 20
12:00 - 10:00 p.m. - Sponsor Village/Entertainment - The Battery
5:30 p.m. - Gates Open
6:00 - 6:45 p.m. - Men's and women's snowboard big air finals practice
7:00 - 8:30 p.m. - Men's and women's snowboard big air finals          

Saturday, Dec 21
12:00 - 10:00 p.m. - Sponsor Village/Entertainment - The Battery
5:00 p.m. - Gates Open
5:30 p.m. - Teton Gravity Research Premiere - “Fire on the Mountain” 
6:00 - 6:45 p.m. - Men's and women's freeski big air finals practice
7:00 - 8:30 p.m. - Men's and women's freeski big air finals

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST
*Same-day broadcast
**Next-day broadcast

SNOWBOARD
Friday, December 20
7:00 p.m. - Visa Big Air World Cup - SunTrust Park, Atlanta, Ga. - NBCSN

Saturday, December 21
4:00 p.m. - Visa Big Air World Cup - SunTrust Park, Atlanta, Ga. - NBC Sports**

FREESKI
Saturday, December 21
7:00 p.m. - Visa Big Air World Cup - SunTrust Park, Atlanta, Ga. - NBCSN

Sunday, December 22
3:00 p.m. - Visa Big Air World Cup - SunTrust Park, Atlanta, Ga. - NBC Sports**
 

PARK CITY, Utah – U.S. Ski & Snowboard announced the appointment of marketing veteran Andy McKeon to the Chief Marketing Officer position. As CMO, McKeon will lead U.S. Ski & Snowboard marketing, communications, and partner support. McKeon assumes these roles as Chief Commercial Officer Dan Barnett steps aside for a move back to the United Kingdom.

“I dreamed about it as a kid - and finally, I’ve made the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team,” says the delighted McKeon. “It took me longer than I expected, but I never gave up. I was somewhat hampered by being an impressively slow ski racer, but I never let that put me off. Don’t give up on your dreams, kids!”

McKeon will report to U.S. Ski & Snowboard President and CEO Tiger Shaw and will be tasked with elevating the awareness of the organizations’ world-class athlete roster with a keen focus on digital strategy - including social media, content production/distribution, the account executive team, merchandise and support of athletes. U.S. Ski & Snowboard will merge its content, creative and communications groups, working as one mini-agency with McKeon leading the charge.

“I am thrilled to have Andy joining us,” said Shaw. “Andy is a world-class strategic leader in the sports world, with a track record and the experience to keep our teams out front. Our partners will enjoy the content and authentic stories of our athletes pursuing their dreams. It’s all about the members of our teams and their amazing successes.”

McKeon honed his storytelling skills at some of the best ad agencies in the world including Wieden + Kennedy in Portland, Oregon, where he worked on the Nike account and at Goodby Silverstein & Partners in San Francisco. The digital world fascinated McKeon, so he moved his family to Silicon Valley as a Director in Apple’s large internal Marcom team. He then spent six years at Facebook Inc. helping many of their most valuable advertisers and agencies transition to the digital age, including U.S. Ski & Snowboard partners Visa Inc. and Liberty Mutual Insurance.

He has also has been working with U.S. Ski & Snowboard as an advisor since 2013 and has worked with a number of athletes in various disciplines. McKeon has twice been a keynote speaker at the organization’s annual Partner Summit, tapping his lifelong passion for all snow sports, the mountains and the snow community at large. In his role at Facebook Inc., McKeon helped create a Facebook Live session with double Olympic champion Mikaela Shiffrin (Edwards, Colo.) and Sheryl Sandberg, and orchestrated live streams from events such as the World Cup Finals in Aspen.

“We have nearly 200 athletes in a diverse array of thrilling sports. Every one of them has a different and amazing story to tell. We are going to use our left and right brains to harness all the powerful and fast-changing channels like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Google, Twitter, TV and more to help them share their captivating stories and those of our incredible partners, with the world,” McKeon added. “Already we have Super Bowl-type reach every week – EVERY WEEK! – across all of our athlete and Team channels. The digital transformation means it’s an incredibly exciting time to be in marketing.”

“U.S. Ski & Snowboard also has the opportunity to play a more purpose-driven role in meaningful areas such as environmental preservation. We can’t take the mountains for granted. I’m committed to grow and spread the love of snow sports” says McKeon. “As a parent who is battling screen time and other cultural pulls, I think it’s the most wonderful family activity – quality time together, health and fitness, it teaches kids tenacity, executive functioning, independence, gives them a sense of community and as I’ve found – a lifetime of adventures and friendships.”

Originally hailing from the mighty hills of Australia, McKeon has an “unimpressive” (his word) background in alpine ski racing as a former member of the Australian National Team, is an avid and enthusiastic NASTAR participant, keen snowboarder and mogul skier – knees pending. He, his wife Anna and two children - Lauren (8) and Tucker (10) and dog Tiki (2 – 14 in dog years) will be relocating to Park City, Utah from Menlo Park, California. Lauren has high hopes of becoming an Olympic skier and a member of the PC Bladies, and Anna and Tucker are eager to kickstart their biathlon careers.

The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee today announced the finalists for the Team USA Awards presented by Dow, Best of August, which recognize the outstanding achievements of Team USA athletes from last month. U.S. Snowboard Team member Chris Corning (Silverthorne, Colo.), who won the opening FIS Snowboard World Cup big air in New Zealand, is among the finalists. Fans are invited to vote for their favorite athletes and teams at TeamUSA.org/Awards through midnight Monday, Sept. 9.

A total of 12 sports – including equestrian, figure skating, gymnastics, Para taekwondo, shooting, snowboarding, sport climbing, triathlon, water polo, water ski, wheelchair rugby and wrestling – are represented among the 13 finalists across men’s, women’s and team categories. The finalists’ collective accomplishments tell the inspiring story of U.S. Olympic and Paralympic athletes year-round.
 
AUGUST FINALISTS

Male Athlete of the Month
Jordan Burroughs (Sicklerville, N.J.), Wrestling
Won his third-straight Pan American Games title, winning the 74 kg. bracket in men’s freestyle with a perfect 3-0 record that included defeating two world medalists.

Brian Burrows (Fallbrook, Calif.), Shooting
Clinched the gold medal in men’s trap at the Pan American Games Lima 2019, earning a quota spot for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, Team USA’s first in the event since 2008. 

Chris Corning (Silverthorne, Colo.), Snowboarding
Opened the 2019-20 FIS World Cup season with a big air snowboarding win on the strength of his signature quad cork 1800, defeating the world No. 4 and 5 athletes and defending his title at the New Zealand event.

Johnny Hooper (Los Angeles, Calif.), Water Polo
Led the American men with 24 goals – over 20 percent of Team USA’s 117 goals – as the U.S. won the gold medal at the Pan American Games Lima 2019 and qualified for the 2020 Olympic Games.

Evan Medell (Grand Haven, Mich.), Para Taekwondo
Won three straight matches at the Parapan American Games to become the first U.S. gold medalist in the sport as taekwondo made its debut at the Parapan American Games in Lima, Peru.

Female Athlete of the Month
Simone Biles (Spring, Texas), Gymnastics
Won her sixth U.S. all-around title, earned three gold medals and a bronze in individual events and performed two skills never before performed by a female gymnast in competition: a double-double dismount on beam and a triple-double pass on floor.

Regina Jaquess (Santa Rosa Beach, Fla.), Water Ski
Secured gold medals in slalom, jumping and overall at the Pan American Games Lima 2019, took two titles at the national championships and led the U.S. to overall team silver at the world championships with a silver in slalom and bronze in jumping.

Alysa Liu (Richmond, Calif.), Figure Skating
Became the first U.S. woman to land a quad Lutz in competition and the first woman in the world to land a quad and triple Axel in the same program, winning the ISU Junior Grand Prix in Lake Placid by 21.52 points in her junior international debut.

Brooke Raboutou (Boulder, Colo.), Sport Climbing
Became the first American climber to qualify for an Olympic Games, finishing ninth in combined at the IFSC Climbing World Championships to earn a spot in Tokyo for the sport’s Olympic debut.

Katie Zaferes (Santa Cruz, Calif.), Triathlon
After earning third in 2017 and second in 2018, clinched the overall 2019 ITU World Triathlon Series title by winning the ITU World Triathlon Grand Final, her fifth podium finish – and fourth win – in eight WTS races this series.

Team of the Month
U.S. Eventing Team, Equestrian
Claimed the team gold medal at the Pan American Games Lima 2019 – with a final score over 30 penalty points lower than the silver-medal team – thus securing U.S. team qualification for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

U.S. Wheelchair Rugby Team
Defeated Canada, 58-47, in the gold-medal match at the Parapan American Games Lima 2019 to go undefeated throughout the tournament and punch its ticket for the Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 with the win.

U.S. Men’s National Team, Water Polo
Outscored its opponents, 117-27, to go undefeated and win the gold medal at the Pan American Games Lima 2019, qualifying for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

SELECTION PROCESS
Each National Governing Body may nominate one female, one male and one team per sport discipline. An internal nominating committee selects finalists to advance to the voting round. Votes received from NGB representatives and select members of the media account for 50 percent of the final tally, with the other half determined by online fan voting via TeamUSA.org/Awards.

Eight U.S. Freeski Team athletes are set to compete at the first FIS World Cup halfpipe event of the season in Cardrona, New Zealand September 6-7.

U.S. Pro Team athletes Birk Irving (Winter Park, Colo.), Hunter Hess (Bend, Ore.), Jaxin Hoerter (Breckenridge, Colo.), Lyman Currier (Boulder, Colo.), and 2019 FIS World Champion Aaron Blunck (Crested Butte, Colo.) will lead the way for the men.

“New Zealand is always a great place to start off the season," said Blunck. "It is a big contest with low pressure, so it if the perfect contest to just get comfortable and gain confidence leading into the North American season. Also, nothing beats the views down here in New Zealand, so that alone is an absolute treat!”

U.S. Rookie Team member Cassidy Jarrell (Aspen, Colo.) and U.S. Freeski Team alumnus Taylor Seaton (Avon, Colo.) will also participate. For the women, U.S. Freeski Rookie Team members Svea Irving (Winter Park, Colo.), Hanna Faulhaber (Carbondale, Colo.) and American Riley Jacobs (Oak Creek, Colo.) will take part. 

The freeski halfpipe competition will close out the snowsports portion of the Winter Games NZ at Cardrona Alpine Resort. Hoerter has already found success in the Cardrona halfpipe during Winter Games NZ finishing third in the Australian New Zealand Cup competition on Aug 28.

The last freeski halfpipe World Cup to take place at Cardrona was in September of 2017, where 2018 Olympic silver medalist Alex Ferreira (Aspen, Colo.) finished on the top of the podium. U.S. athletes will have their work cut out for them in their fight for the podium against a strong local field including New Zealand’s own Olympic bronze medalist Nico Porteous and brother Miguel Porteous. 

Tune in on the Olympic Channel to watch the U.S Freeski Team kick off the 2019-20 World Cup competition season.

HOW TO WATCH
*All times EST
Subject to change

FREESKI
Friday, Sept 6
7:00 p.m. - World Cup men’s and women’s halfpipe - Cardrona, New Zealand - Olympic Channel-TV & OlympicChannel.com
 

Dropping in through the roof of Telenor Arena U.S. Freeski Team member Alex Hall (Park City, Utah) earned his second career X Games gold medal in the big air competition in Oslo, Norway, Saturday. Also, U.S. Snowboard Team member Julia Marino (Westport, Conn.) banked her third consecutive X Games Norway big air medal, taking the bronze.

Hall’s win marks the first American X Games freeski big air gold since U.S. Freeski Team alumnus Bobby Brown (Denver, Colo.) won in 2012 in Aspen, Colo.

“This is a huge moment for me,” said Hall. “It really hasn’t sunk in yet. I don't do a ton of big air competitions, so I’m hyped on the result. The jump was so much fun and I really like the step over style. It was definitely the best time I have ever had at a city big air.”

 

 

 

 

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Sooo hyped to land this trick and get the 🥇 last night in @xgames Big Air!!! Always a good time skiing with the homies in front of a crowd. Congrats to @abmskier🥉and @hharlaut🥈for killing it! Thanks for the good times Norway 😁

A post shared by Alex Hall (@alexhallskiing) on Sep 1, 2019 at 7:58am PDT

Hall landed a beautiful and unique double cork 1620 bio Seatbelt Japan grab as well as a switch left double cork 1440 Buick to overcome strong performances from the rest of the field. Sweden’s Henrik Harlaut, who recently recovered from a near injury in May, found himself back in a familiar position on the podium taking home the silver medal, while Canada’s Alex Beaulieu-Marchand took the bronze. 

For the women, France’s Tess Ledoux won the gold, as Switzerland’s Giulia Tanno and Mathilde Gremaud finished in second and third respectively. 

Marino led the charge for the U.S. Snowboard Team by stomping a cab double underflip as well as a clean frontside 720 to lock down her place on the podium. 

“It was a super technical jump,” said Marino. “There were a lot of factors to consider between the drop in and the landing. Scaffold jumps are never easy and this one definitely stayed true to that sentiment. I was hoping to land a 1080 here this time, but with the condition of the jump, I wasn’t able to do so. I just focused on landing runs and was stoked to put them down.”

Double-Olympic gold medalist Jamie Anderson (S. Lake Tahoe, Calif.) finished fifth. After recovering from an ankle fracture in January of 2019, Austrian phenom Anna Gasser returned to win the gold, as Kokomo Murase of Japan took the silver.

For the men, Chris Corning made a strong run at the podium by landing both a frontside and backside 1440 to finish fourth. Corning was in medal contention throughout the majority of the event, but was bested on the third and final runs.  

After taking a full year off of competition to undergo treatment for Hodgkin's Lymphoma, the cancer-free and six-time X Games gold medalist Max Parrot of Canada won his first event back in a bib. Sweden’s Sven Thorgren took home the silver medal and Japan’s Yuki Kadano closed out the podium with the bronze. 

REPLAY
Julia Marino’s Bronze Medal Runs
Alex Hall’s Gold Medal Runs 

RESULTS
Men’s snowboard big air
Women’s snowboard big air
Men’s freeski big air
Women’s freeski big air

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST
*Same-day broadcast
**Next-day broadcast

SNOWBOARD
Sunday, Sept 1
7:00 a.m. - Men’s snowboard big air eliminations - Fornebu, Norway - ESPN NEWS**
9:30 a.m. - Women’s snowboard big air - Fornebu, Norway - ESPN NEWS**
1:00 p.m. - Men’s snowboard big air - Fornebu, Norway - ESPN NEWS**

Sunday, Sept 8
2:30 p.m. - Best of Ski & Snowboard at X Games Norway 2019 - ABC

FREESKI
Sunday, Sept 1
7:00 a.m - Men’s ski big air eliminations - Fornebu, Norway - ESPN NEWS**
1:00 p.m. - Women’s ski big air - Fornebu, Norway - ESPN NEWS**
4:00 p.m. - Men’s ski big air - Fornebu, Norway - ESPN NEWS**

Sunday, Sept 8
2:30 p.m. - Best of Ski & Snowboard at X Games Norway 2019 - ABC