The 2018-19 international competition season has come to a close for U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes, and what a season it has been. Since elite level competitions began back in August U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes have won a staggering 136 medals in competitions around the world.

There have been a number of standout moments from the season, including Mikaela Shiffrin (Avon, Colo.) setting the standard for the entire U.S. Ski & Snowboard team, and her competitors in all forms of alpine ski racing. Mikaela’s record-breaking season has seen the 24-year-old become the first ski racer, male or female, to win four FIS Alpine Ski Crystal Globes in overall, super-G, giant slalom, and slalom. That in itself is astonishing - it is the equivalent of a track and field athlete winning the 100 and 200 meters, then seamlessly switching disciplines and winning 800 and 1,500-meter titles. The difference in the skills needed to win ski racing’s tech events, slalom, and giant slalom, from the speed events, super-G and downhill, is as acute as the differences between winning sprint events and middle distance races in track and field.

On her way to dominating the sport of ski racing, Shiffrin also broke the 30-year-old record for the most World Cup wins in a season (Shiffrin’s 17 wins beat the previous benchmark of 14 set by Vreni Schneider in 1988-89). She won two World Championship titles - super-G and slalom - in Åre, Sweden, and her chances of reaching the podium in any race she contested were a remarkable 83%. Most impressive of all, Shiffrin posted an astonishing 66% win ratio which is practically unheard of in any form of elite level sport today and reinforces the widely held notion that she is the most dominant athlete competing worldwide in any sport.

“Building off the achievements of our team during last season’s Olympic Games, our athletes have carried forward a drive to perform at the highest levels of our sport. Our athletes worked relentlessly to get the most from their talents, and have achieved at levels that put them amongst the best of the best.  Mikaela Shiffrin has been a prime example.  Her achievements have been truly extraordinary, in the fullest sense of that word, and are the result of talent meeting drive and tenacity. Her exploits are already the stuff of legend, and efforts like hers have fueled a strong performance culture across our team.”
     - U.S. Ski & Snowboard Chief of Sport Luke Bodensteiner

Chloe Kim (Torrance, Calif.) also reinforced her status as both a dominant competitor and a fan favorite around the world. Kim’s run of wins, which extended back to the 2018 Olympic Winter Games and the 2018 X Games, was only hindered by injury, but not before she landed her first-ever World Championship snowboard title at Park City Mountain, Utah in February 2019. Kim had already secured yet another X Games, and Dew Tour gold medals and two World Cup wins in the 2018-19 season before adding the title of World Champion to her ever-growing resume with a first run score in the finals of 93.5. Despite a stellar 2018-19 season and an 83% win rate, this is by no means the peak of Kim’s performance. The 18-year-old all-star still has yet to land her frontside double cork 1080 in competition, which will take her to a level of riding which is unheard of in the sport of women’s snowboarding.

“Overall our athletes won 136 elite level medals, and that is an outstanding end to our season,” Bodensteiner added. “From Chloe Kim to Toby Miller, Jessie Diggins and David Wise, Lindsey Jacobellis and young Eileen Gu starting to fulfill her promise, we have had an incredible season. However, we cannot sign it off without saying thank you to Lindsey Vonn. Lindsey had planned to come back this season and attempt to win the outright World Cup victories record from Ingemar Stenmark, but it was not to be. Injuries played their part in preventing that, but not before Lindsey signed off her astonishing career with a final podium in the World Championships in Sweden, and I don’t think anyone but Lindsey could have written the script that way. On behalf of everyone at U.S. Ski & Snowboard I want to say thank you, Lindsey, for your inspiration, your hard work, your successes and your battles back to the top, you have set the standard which is now the benchmark for all our athletes. Be best in the world. It is that simple.”

From Shiffrin to Kim, Vonn and beyond, it was a tremendously successful season for U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes, including many notable performances and results, including the following...
 

ALPINE

Veteran and winningest female alpine skier of all time Vonn (Vail, Colo.) capped off a legendary career with a storybook ending, grabbing a gutsy bronze medal at the World Championships in Åre. Then, at FIS Ski World Junior Championships in Val di Fassa, Italy, River Radamus (Edwards, Colo.) won gold in both super-G and giant slalom, while Ben Ritchie (Waitsfield, Vt.) grabbed silver in slalom. In the team event, Radamus, Ritchie, Katie Hensien (Redmond, Wash.) and AJ Hurt (Squaw Valley, Calif.) brought home silver. This was America’s strongest showing at Junior Worlds in years, and the team finished third in the Marc Hodler Trophy standings - awarded for overall team performance throughout the series.

“Mikaela isn’t the only success story we have in our alpine team this year,” Bodensteiner said. “Bryce Bennett deserves special mention, finishing his season in seventh place in the world in downhill is a very good step forward, and now we want him to use that as a springboard to go even bigger and better next season and with one eye on Beijing 2022. Similarly, River Radamus has established himself as one of the great up-and-comers, winning two Junior World Championship titles and scoring his first World Cup points. The pipeline is strong but we are not getting carried away - we still have a clear focus on bringing athletes through to the Olympic Winter Games in 2026 and beyond, but we will rightly celebrate the successes enjoyed by the alpine team this year.”

SNOWBOARD

The success enjoyed by the snowboard team was not limited to Kim. Mick Dierdorff (Steamboat Springs, Colo.), the Colorado-based snowboardcross athlete, had not climbed onto a World Cup level podium before he took to the snow at Solitude Mountain Resort in the snowboardcross World Championships finals in February. That record was quickly rewritten as Dierdorff won the World Championship title on day one of the 2019 FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships, presented by Toyota. Just two days later and Dierdorff was back in action, this time with teammate and snowboardcross legend Lindsey Jacobellis (Stratton Mountain, Vt.) who, together, were competing in the inaugural mixed team snowboardcross World Championship finals ahead of the sport’s Olympic debut in Beijing 2022. Despite a technical glitch holding up Jacobellis’ final run, the duo won the final, making Dierdorff an instant two-time World Champion and Jacobellis a six-time World Champ, rubber-stamping her status as the doyen of the snowboardcross community.

Dierdorff and Jacobellis’ U.S. Snowboard Team compatriot Chris Corning (Silverthorne, Colo.) was another U.S. Ski & Snowboard athlete celebrating a stellar season as the 2018-19 competitive calendar came to a close as he secured his fifth and sixth FIS Crystal Globes in March by winning the snowboard slopestyle and overall titles. Red Gerard (Silverthorne, Colo.), 2018 Olympic gold medalist was incredibly excited to win his first-ever Burton US Open title in February, an invitation-only competition that features the best riders from around the world competing in Gerard’s home state of Colorado. Another notable achievement coming out of the Burton US Open was Maddie Mastro (Wrightwood, Calif.) making history landing the first-ever double cork in women’s snowboard halfpipe competition.

The 2018-19 season offered two different FIS Junior World Championship events: the 2018 Snowboard and Freeski Junior World Championships in Cardona, New Zealand, as well as the 2019 Snowboard and Freeski Junior World Championships, which took place across five European venues. Combined, U.S. Snowboard athletes earned five medals with Jake Vedder (Pickney, Mich.) and Toby Miller (Mammoth Lakes, Calif.) claiming the titles of Junior World Champion in their respective disciplines of snowboardcross and halfpipe. Also, The U.S. Junior World Championship Team took home the 2018 Marc Hodler Trophy awarded to the best overall nation.
 

FREESKI

In freeski there were notable performances from a range of halfpipe athletes starting with Dew Tour in Breckenridge, Colorado where Olympic silver medalist Alex Ferreira (Aspen, Colo.), Aaron Blunck (Crested Butte, Colo.) and double-Olympic gold medalist David Wise (Reno, Nev.) swept the podium, proving that the U.S. Freeski Halfpipe Team is nothing short of a powerhouse. Next, Ferreira continued his success and completed a lifelong dream by winning X Games gold in front of his hometown crowd. Following X Games, Aaron Blunck stepped up to defend is World Championships halfpipe title at Park City Mountain on home soil.

The freeski slopestyle team also had an outstanding season including Alex Hall (Salt Lake City, Utah) earning his first ever X Games medal by topping the podium with one of the most creative and technical rail sections seen at elite level slopestyle competition. Another notable moment coming out of the 2019 X Games includes Maggie Voisin (Whitefish, Mont.) earning her fourth X Games medal with a bronze, but also stomping her left side double cork 1260 in competition. Between Voisin and Julia Krass (Hanover, N.H.) each locking in their double cork rotations this season, the U.S. women remain at the forefront of women’s freeski progression.

U.S. Rookie Team member Mac Forehand (Winhall, Vt.) completed a breakthrough season including numerous milestones starting with earning the title of 2018 Big Air Junior World Champion in Cardrona New Zealand back in August. Forehand continued his impressive performance into November where he earned his first-ever World Cup podium with a second-place finish in Stubai, Austria. Furthermore, only a few weeks ago, he earned his first-ever World Cup victory at Mammoth Mountain, California. His long list of impressive results allowed Forehand to lock in the coveted title of 2019 FIS World Cup Slopestyle Champion.

U.S. freeski athletes also found their fair share of success across the 2018 and 2019 FIS Freestyle Junior World Championships. As previously mentioned, Forehand earned the title of Junior World Champion in big air in New Zealand, followed by a team effort in 2019 where the U.S Freestyle Junior World Championship Team earned the Marc Hodler Trophy. Freestyle and Freeski athletes collected eight medals across the 2018 and 19 Junior World Championship events.

CROSS COUNTRY

Moving on to cross country, a sport which was still enjoying the feelgood factor of the U.S. Team securing their first-ever Olympic Gold in PyeongChang, there was another strong season across the whole U.S. Cross Country Ski Team. In particular, Jessie Diggins (Afton, Minn.), Sophie Caldwell (Peru, Vt.), Erik Bjornsen (Winthrop, Wash.) and Sadie Bjornsen (Winthrop, Wash.) had some notable successes throughout their season, collectively stepping up to the podium 10 times, and the whole team were celebrating the return of cross country World Cup action to the USA with the announcement that Minneapolis would hold a round of the 2020 FIS Cross Country World Cup Calendar in March 2020.

At the Cross Country Junior Worlds, the men’s relay team of Luke Jager (APU/Anchorage, Alaska), Ben Ogden (UVM/Landgrove, Vt.), Johnny Hagenbuch (Sun Valley SEF/Sun Valley, Idaho) and Gus Schumacher (Alaska Winter Stars/Anchorage, Alaska) claimed gold, an historical moment for the U.S. Team.

FREESTYLE

The U.S. Freestyle team, comprised of both moguls and aerials athletes, had another terrific winter, especially for Jaelin Kauf (Alta, Wyo.) who finished second overall in women’s World Cup moguls standings. Teammate Ashley Caldwell (Ashburn, Va.), still recovering from major shoulder surgery in summer, 2018, finished her season in style with two trips to the podium in her final events of the season. Arguably, the real highlight of the team’s year was the four nights at Deer Valley Resort in Park City, Utah, during the 2019 FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships in February 2019. Tens of thousands of fans braved the cold weather to watch the U.S. athletes take on the rest of the world, and it all culminated with three medals for the home team in front of one of, if not the, most passionate crowd worldwide in the freestyle calendar.

NORDIC COMBINED

Also noteworthy was the outstanding season-long performance by USA Nordic athlete Tara Geraghty-Moats (West Fairlee, Vt.) whose domination of the women’s Nordic Combined Continental Cup saw the American win 10 of the season’s 11 events. That incredible run resulted in Geraghty-Moats becoming the first-ever American women’s Continental Cup overall champion in only the second year of international competition for the young women’s sport.
 

Two-time Olympic medalist Andrew Weibrecht and Six-time Olympic medalist Bode Miller were inducted into the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame on Saturday, April 6 in Salt Lake City, Utah, in front of hundreds of attendees. 

Tom Kelly, who served as Vice President of Communications for U.S. Ski & Snowboard for 32 years, was also inducted. A total of eight skiing and snowboarding pioneers, athletes and sport builders were among those inducted.

Though Miller was unable to attend, the most successful male alpine ski racer in American history's presence was palpable as Hall of Famer Dan Egan was the emcee as stories were shared on the big screen about Miller's unorthodox style and the legacy he left. New Hampshire's Miller, captured the attention of the world with his incredible athletic balance and ability to produce jaw-dropping performances on skis, including skiing up on the fence on a left footer at the famed Hahnenkamm in Kitzbuehel, Austria in 2008. Raised in an electricity-free home, the two-time World Cup overall champion, four-time World Champion and six-time Olympic medalist is one of the most prolific international athletes in winter sports history.

“I always tried to ski in a way that inspired myself and ski racing fans and I appreciate this support from the industry.” - Bode Miller

Weibrecht took up skiing after he begged his parents to let him join older brother Jonathan at the 1980 Olympic mountain of Whiteface, New York. From a kid swinging on his parents’ chandeliers at their luxury Mirror Lake Inn and Resort to becoming a two-time Olympic super-G medalist, Weibrecht became one of the most exhilarating ski racers to watch kick out of the start gate.

“I am thrilled to be a part of the Ski Hall of Fame. It’s a tremendous honor and I’m very excited that the voting commission felt my accomplishments worthy of recognition, especially within such an amazing group of ski industry powerhouses. I was always lucky enough to be joined by Bode on my Olympic podiums, so it almost seems fitting that we will be inducted together. I am truly honored to be a part of such a prestigious induction class, across the board.” - Andrew Weibrecht

Weibrecht was present at the induction, surrounded by his brother Jon, wife Denja, and friends who had an impact on his career. In his speech, he thanked U.S. Ski & Snowboard for the 16 years of support provided, and noted the importance of the Team as a "family on the road" and one in Park City, Utah, where he spent a lot of time training at the Center of Excellence. Weibrecht received a standing ovation after his speech. 

As VP of communications for U.S. Ski & Snowboard, Kelly worked tirelessly to promote the athletes and their sports to the mass media. Throughout his career, he was active within the USOC and International Ski Federation, including 14 years as chairman of the FIS PR and Mass Media Committee.

Kelly was the final speaker of the evening, and delivered an emotional and passion-filled acceptance speech recounting Olympic, World Championship and World Cup memories from his 32 years with the organization, culminating with the most poignant memory of his career - Olympic gold by Jessie Diggins (Afton, Minn.) and Kikkan Randall (Anchorage, Alaska) - who teamed up to win the first gold medal for the United States in cross country skiing at the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

"I've been fortunate in my career to work with some remarkable athletes and to engage others by telling their story,” Kelly said. “Skiing has been a passion of mine since I was seven years old and it is an honor to be included in the Hall of Fame."

The annual U.S. Ski & Snowboard induction honors not only athletes but industry icons, innovators and inventors with lifelong national and international achievements in all facets of snowsport. With the legacy of the 2002 Winter Games and the long lineage of celebrated athletes, Park City Mountain provided a spectacular backdrop for Snowsport History Celebration events culminating with the induction ceremony.

Among the eight inductees were the late Tom Sims, inventor of the “skiboard”, William Jensen nationally renowned resort operator, and the late Don Henderson, a pioneer of ski racing, Kristen Ulmer, known as the first female extreme skier and Hilary Engisch-Klein a world-dominating freestyle skier.

The 2019 FIS Junior World Snowboard and Freeski Championships in Klappen, Sweden came to a close on Saturday and brothers Kiernan Fagan (Brownfield, Maine) and Deven Fagan (Brownfield, Maine) led the way for the Americans earning the freeski big air silver and bronze medal. Also, a strong performance from the entire U.S. Freestyle Junior World Championships Team secured the Marc Hodler Trophy, awarded to the best overall nation.

“The Junior Worlds went really well for me,” said silver medalist Kiernan Fagan. “Getting second-place in both slopestye and big air here is a great feeling. It was amazing to see the whole U.S. Team here skiing so well and it’s great to see the U.S. take home the prize for the best overall nation, winning the Marc Hodler Trophy!”

Fagan will add his Junior World Championship accolades to an already successful year. Fagan went two for three earning podiums in the first two slopestyle World Cups he competed in this season. He then earned a third-place finish at the Seiser Alm, Italy World Cup and another third-place at the Mammoth Grand Prix.

Other notable U.S. finishes include 14 year-old Troy Podmilsak (Park City, Utah) finishing sixth and also earning the Next Gen Award. In addition, Zane Zeverson (Park City, Utah) and Hunter Henderson (Madbury, N.H.) finished in ninth and tenth respectively. Ulrik Samnoey of Norway won the event. 

For the women, U.S. Rookie Team members Rell Harwood (Park City, Utah) and Grace Henderson (Madbury, N.H.) finished in fourth and fifth respectively. Estonian prodigy Kelly Sildaru won the event, Megan Oldham of Canada took second-place, and Kirsty Muir of Great Britain finished in third.

For the snowboarders, U.S. Rookie Team member Jake Canter (Evergreen, Colo.) took to the big air jump and was the leading American finishing in tenth-place. Ryoma Kimata and Aoto Kawakami of Japan finished in first and second respectively, followed by Canada’s Buffey William in third-place.

For the women, U.S. Rookie Team member Courtney Rummel (West Bend, Wisc.) finished just off the podium in fifth-place and American Addison Gardner (Riegelsville, Penn.) finished 10th. Sommer Gendron of Canada added another 2019 Junior World Championship gold medal to her collection topping the podium as she did earlier in the week in slopestyle. Annika Morgan of Germany finished second and Poppe Evy of Belgium finished in third.

The U.S. freestyle athletes dominated the race for the Marc Hodler Trophy, finishing with 142 points ahead of Canada with 89 points. The U.S Junior World Championship snowboard team finished fifth overall. It was a hugely successful Junior World Championships with Americans taking home seven medals in addition to solid overall results from the entire U.S. field. The proving ground that is the FIS Junior World Championships tends to unearth future superstars, so keep an eye out down the road as the athletes progress and compete at the highest level of their sport.

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

MARC HODLER TROPHY STANDINGS
Freestyle
Snowboard
 

U.S. Ski & Snowboard, the Olympic National Governing Body (NGB) of ski and snowboard sports in the USA, and its Athlete Advisory Council (AAC) have lent their voices to calls to government officials from across the U.S. NGB community to support the passage of the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act (H.R. 835 in the House).

The Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act addresses one of the key issues with the global fight against doping, criminalizing doping conspiracies. This will mean that doping fraud perpetrators will finally be able to be indicted and pursued by law enforcement. Additionally, the act also provides for restitution to athletes and others who may have been defrauded by these individuals. Similar acts are already in place in a number of countries, in particular in the European Union, so the successful implementation of the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act will see the U.S. mirror policies already in place, taking the fight to those engaged in doping.

Importantly, criminalizing this behavior will also afford doping fraud whistleblowers the same obstruction protections that are provided to witnesses of other crimes. Given the importance of whistleblowers, including Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov, to the global sports community’s awareness and understanding of doping conspiracies, these protections are vital and cannot come soon enough.

“As we saw most recently in Seefeld, Austria, doping continues to be rife in sport around the world and everyone involved in sport at all levels should be doing whatever they can to rid sport of the scourge of doping, as quickly as possible,” said President and CEO of U.S. Ski & Snowboard Tiger Shaw. “Securing the passage of the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act is a key step forward in the fight against doping here in the US and we are urging all those in government who have a role in this process to see this as a huge opportunity to take the fight to the dopers, with the full weight of the law and law enforcement community behind us.”

“As an athlete myself, and speaking on behalf of all the athletes represented by the AAC, I can say that the fight against doping is one of the most important topics for NGBs, governments and the entire sports community worldwide today,” added U.S. Ski & Snowboard Athlete Advisory Council Chair Heather McPhie Watanabe.

“What athletes are asking for is simple - to compete against other athletes on a level playing field, knowing they are going into competition where they can showcase the hard work they have put into training and preparation for competition, instead of competing against athletes and scientists who are conspiring to cheat,” McPhie Watanabe added. “If and when the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act comes into force it will not only help clean athletes know that the US government has their back in the fight against doping, but it will also mean that those involved in cheating will know that the penalties for their actions are severe.”

Echoing McPhie Watanabe’s comments was U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s Chief of Sport Luke Bodensteiner. “Our athletes want sport to be something that’s safe, fair and fun. Doping does not square up with those values, and our athletes support the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act as a means to reinforce those values and create a strong deterrent to anyone engaged in doping now or considering doping in future. The current anti-doping system is unreliable due to built-in conflicts of interest, and inconsistencies in the application of standards worldwide.  Criminalizing doping fraud will reduce the political aspects that impact today’s anti-doping system and concern our athletes so deeply, and will reinforce sport as something that is aligned with our shared values.”

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 2019, 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.

U.S Ski Team aerials athlete Madison Varmette (Stafford, Va.) is nothing short of extraordinary. She continues to flip, twist and progress in the aerials discipline, all while rehabilitating from a disorder that could have potentially ended her active lifestyle.  

In 2012 Madison was training at a gymnastics center in Stafford, Virginia, as a talented, competitive cheerleader. Her longtime tumbling and tramp coach, Jadi Jaroslav Novak, noticed her progression in flips and invited her to attend an Elite Aerial Development Program's (EADP) Talent ID Camp in Lake Placid, N.Y., for aerials skiing. Varmette was excited about the opportunity, but before she received her official invitation for the Talent ID Camp, she experienced something that she thought would end her athletic career.

In early May of 2012, four days after Varmette turned 16 years old, she felt her leg fall asleep while sitting on her bed. “First I tried to walk it off, and then it started to get hot and then it kind of started to burn,” recalls Varmette, “All of a sudden I felt intense burning pain and I dropped to the floor in tears. I couldn’t get words out, it hurt so bad.” After calling her mother into her room and experiencing another surge of burning pain, Varmette was carried to the car and rushed to the emergency room.   

The confusion of diagnosing Madison quickly set in. The doctors admitted they did not know what was going on or how to handle it, and multiple diagnoses were declared, including a spinal cord stroke. After spending time in the Children's Hospital in Washington, D.C., Madison was placed in an in-patient rehab center next to the hospital. “I was getting better extremely fast,” she says. After a few days, she was transitioned to out-patient physical therapy and a few weeks later returned to school.

Despite not having a formal diagnosis, Madison's mother, Pamela, encouraged her to still attend the Talent ID Camp that August. Both mother and daughter made the trek to Lake Placid, with little to no expectations on what would happen.

“I had no intention of doing any physical activity while I was there, I was just going to watch. But once I got there, I couldn’t resist.”
 - Madison Varmette 

Madison hopped onto the trampoline and did a backflip, landing it perfectly and experiencing no pain. From that point on, Varmette slowly worked into her flips and was soon training alongside the other athletes who were trying out.

The Talent ID Camp tryouts are set up to resemble what it would be like to actually be on the aerials development team. The athletes’ day consists of workouts in the morning, followed by trampoline training and water ramp practice. During water ramps, the camp directors like to see how well and how fast athletes can master the water ramps by making them do straight airs off of the ramps, then progressing to front flips and backflips. “It is way harder than it looks,” regarded Varmette, “The first time I was going for my first front flip, I was going down and my right leg ran into my left leg, took me out sideways, and I just tumbled and then dangled off the edge of the ramp.” Despite her numb legs, Varmette did extremely well.

At the end of the Talent ID Camp, Varmette didn’t make the team; however, she regained both her courage and athleticism, saying that “overall, that camp was a huge confidence booster.” She joined her high school cheer team when school was back in session, she continued flipping and twisting, but craved to be back in Lake Placid.

After many hours of research, Pamela found Dr. Daniel Becker at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. Dr. Becker officially determined that Varmette had Transverse Myelitis (TM), a neurological disorder which disrupts the messages the spinal cord nerves send to different parts of the body, ultimately causing pain, muscle weakness, and other sensory problems.

Once school was back in full swing, Madison's uncle invited her to New York to visit. She knew she needed to return to Lake Placid and missed required cheer practices to make the trip. Once Varmette arrived with her uncle, she was asked to test out the trampolines again. Varmette was soon back on the tramp and tumbling floor, showing her skills off to staff. She was recorded by the program director in hopes that Todd Ossian, the U.S. Ski Team Head Aerials Coach, would be impressed and offer her a spot on the development team.  

A week after returning home from Lake Placid, Madison received a call that she made it into the EADP and that she would need to be back to Lake Placid in a week. With a quick turnaround time, Varmette packed her bags, said goodbye to her cheer friends, and embarked on a new adventure that would officially start her aerials career.

The EADP is an intense training program to help prepare aspiring athletes for the national team. “We would train all morning and afternoon, and then do online school from 6 to 9 p.m.,” recalls Varmette. After three years in the EADP, Varmette was able to the jump to the U.S. Ski Team for the 2017-18 season.

Madison's story is just as special as she is. She was able to defy all odds by progressing from barely walking to becoming a national team aerial skier in the span of six years. The 2018-19 season was Varmette’s best to date: she competed at the 2019 World Championships and finished the FIS Freestyle World Cup season ranked sixth overall. With the one-in-a-million chance of getting TM, paired with the one-in-a-million chance of having the opportunity to become an Olympian, Madison Varmette is one extraordinary athlete.
 

Eleven jam-packed days of snowboard and freeski action came to a snowy conclusion on Wednesday at Colorado’s Copper Mountain Resort, as a hugely-successful 2019 USASA National Championships closed out with the final freeski halfpipe, slopestyle, and ski cross competitions despite a deep low pressure system bringing a heavy dose of April snow to the Rockies.

In its 30th year, the Nationals is the largest competition of its kind in the world and is part of a robust pipeline that carries athletes from the USASA Regional events all the way to Olympic level competition. The performances witnessed over the last two weeks provide a sense of confidence that the future of freeskiing and snowboarding competition is a bright one. 

While the top-level Open class competitions saw some of the best young riders in the country pushing boundaries and egging on progression, there were magical moments to be found in every venue, age group, and category. The images of four Ruggies going head-to-head through the twists of the ski cross course, or a grizzled Methuselah OG grabbing method over a tabletop, or a Breaker class rider stomping a halfpipe run that might have earned her a shot at the podium were she competing in the Open class, showed that the best of the sport was truly on display through the duration of these two weeks at Copper Mountain.

Making this season’s USASA National Championships extra special was that it marked the 30th anniversary of Chuck Allen founding what has now become the biggest snowsports event in the world.

It all began back on March 30th with the opening ceremonies for snowboard week, which kicked off five days of slalom, giant slalom, halfpipe, slopestyle, snowboard cross, and rail jam action that saw over 1300 riders testing their mettle on the prime Copper Mountain venues.

There are far too many notable snowboard performances to catalog here, but whether it was the likes of 7-year-old Ruggie Patty Zhou of China winning gold medals in halfpipe, slopestyle, and the rail jam, Breaker boys rider Connor Cavanagh (Bondville, Vt.) earning the overall title by putting down strong scores and times in all six Nationals competitions, or double Utah 2019 world champion snowboard cross racer Mick Dierdorff (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) finishing in 24th place in the Open category after riding switch from qualies through to his finals heat, there was something awesome happening wherever you turned your attention throughout those first five days of fun and competition.

Freeski events began on April 6th, and the moments kept coming there, whether from Axl Bonenberger (Breckenridge, Colo.) claiming the overall title in the highly-competitive Breaker boys category with a selection of top performances in halfpipe, slopestyle and ski cross, to Ruggie Isa Loge (S. Lake Tahoe, Calif.) winning halfpipe and ski cross gold while throwing in a slopestyle bronze for good measure, to top Open class girls like Riley Jacobs (Oak Creek, Colo.), Hanna Faulhaber (Carbondale, Colo.), and Connie Brogden of Great Britain trading positions on and around the podium through all of their events. For these an innumerable other USASA athletes the future is looking bright indeed.

And, of course, none of it would have been possible without the unyielding support of all the families behind the riders, the tutelage of the coaches and series directors, the dedication of every competition organizer, and the sense of community fostered by all 32 of the series’ that come together to make the USASA what it is.

Of course, all good things must come to an end, and as the snow fell and the last medals and awards were handed out at the closing ceremonies on Wednesday afternoon, another USASA National Champions was entered into the books. And us, we’re already looking forward to next year.
 

U.S. Ski & Snowboard alumna and Olympic champion Picabo Street is not only one of the most decorated American ski racers in history, but off the mountain, her legacy lives on with her vision for shaping the lives of young athletes for years to come with Picabo Street Academy (PSA).

Street’s accolades on the mountain were a catalyst for many, many young American ski racers, including the most successful female ski racer of all time, recently retired legend Lindsey Vonn (Vail, Colo.). Vonn often recounts the moment when she was a wide-eyed 10-year-old known as “Lindsey Kildow,” waiting outside of Pierce Skate & Ski in her hometown of Minneapolis, Minnesota for what felt like hours to meet her idol Picabo Street.

At that point, Vonn’s three Olympic medals (including downhill gold in the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games), eight World Championships medals, 20 World Cup titles, and a record 82 FIS Ski World Cup victories were not even on the radar. But Vonn was sure of one thing...she knew from that day onward what she wanted to do: be Picabo!

“I remember when I met Picabo Street, you know, how in awe I was of her and how much she inspired me, and I really hope to be that for young kids,” said Vonn of her relationship with Street and how it propelled her towards the creation of her own foundation to empower young girls, known as the “Lindsey Vonn Foundation.” Similarly, Street remembers the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City - when the two competed for Team USA - and Vonn’s knack for finding the fall line. Street told NBC in 2018, “You can’t teach somebody to love the fall line like that little girl loved the fall line.” And, in a time when U.S. alpine ski racing needed it most with Street set to retire, Vonn, came through with the best finish of the Games - a sixth place in the alpine combined.

Fast forward almost 25 years from that initial meeting and now, Street will look to carry forward her legacy of inspiring young athletes in a new and very powerful way - with her very own academy, born out of her own experience as a young athlete who struggled with the balancing act of academics and athletics. As a young alpine ski racer, Street went through an out-of-the-box education program herself, and when she started skiing with the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team at around 15-years-old, put school on the back burner to focus on athletics.

“I had gone to Rowland Hall St. Marks School for a year, and that’s really when the seed was planted in me that I wanted to have a good education and that I kind of liked the challenge of school,” Street reflected. “So, this whole PSA idea started from my experience of just kind of looking outside the box and going ‘Ok how can I get an education while I’m skiing?’”

Four years ago Street moved back to Park City, Utah with a vision and a dream. At that point, she connected with close friend and mentor Michelle Demschar, whose husband Herwig was Street’s head coach when she was competing on the U.S. Ski Team. During one of their visits, Street turned to Demschar with an idea lightbulb beaming brightly above her head and exclaimed, “You know, I’m thinking about starting an academy.” Demschar turned around quickly, eyes all lit up and replied, “I think it’s a fantastic idea and I know exactly who we’ll call!” From there, Street and Demschar contacted Dan Kemp - former U.S. Ski & Snowboard TEAM Academy Founder and Headmaster.

That first meeting between Street, Demschar, and Kemp lasted for about 10 hours. The three minds melded from early afternoon to late evening, throwing their wish lists out there, case scenario’ing how it would all play out, and at the end of the meeting they looked at each other and said, “Can you see any reason why we wouldn’t attempt this?” The very decisive answer was “no - absolutely not.”

“So we charged forward, and it came together really organically - from finding our location to getting our funding, to building the curriculum,” Street commented. At that point, Kemp spent hours and hours combing through about 150 programs based on what they had outlined in their brain jam session, in terms of what would be successful and what would resonate with athletes. Rolling enrollment and year-round operating hours were high priority items, as they allow student-athletes to build a schedule that will suit their individual needs.

Curious as to what the learning environment actually looks like at PSA? Here’s how it shakes out: each of their students has a customized academic program to best suit his or her needs, where attendance and course completion is planned around training and competition schedules. Teachers provide year-round support and instruction in Park City classrooms from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.  With this individualized, one-on-one approach that requires accountability and the student to drive their education path themselves, “the students know the material, they’re not afraid to ask questions, and they skyrocket,” Street said. That’s the PSA difference!

The vision of PSA is “exceptional individualized education” and their mission is to “provide unique, personalized education opportunities for students with an extracurricular passion so that they can achieve their dreams and fulfill their potential.” Street said: “A lot of the students coming to us have been ostracized a little bit...they’re kind of wondering how these school shoes fit. The coolest thing for me is watching them come in the door, a little bit skittish, and then two to three weeks they’re blossoming and gaining confidence and getting comfortable. And they start to realize they’re not such an oddball after all, but rather they fit into this competitive, encouraging, inspiring environment.”

PSA’s currently enrolled students come from all walks of sporting life and are a healthy mix of winter and summer athletes. Kids from swimming, lacrosse, skiing, biathlon, snowboarding, hockey, figure skating, luge and beyond, make up the PSA attendees. Street is hoping to also branch out to musicians and actors, who also struggle with the balancing act due to their demanding schedules. Street noted that the cross-sport vibe is very good for the student-athletes, giving them an understanding of what each other does as well as a respect for each other with a healthy banter.

PSA’s core values are represented by the six golden stars on the PSA crest:

• Excellence – set the bar high, and aim to surpass it

• Integrity – be true to yourself, and honest to all

• Accountability – you are answerable for your actions to yourself and your community

• Attitude – come prepared to give your best effort

• Tenacity –persevere despite challenges

• Grit – dig deep and take charge of your success.

Street sees incredible opportunity based on the success PSA has had thus far and based on what she knows to be true having been a student-athlete herself. “So when I started the academy with Dan and Michelle it was really honestly...people who are doing the same thing I did - so I look at the racers,” Street said. “I look at all of the 200 athletes that are under the umbrella of U.S. Ski & Snowboard and - you know - half or more are still in high school. In order for this year-round sport to not completely wash out their opportunity for an education, it’s going to need to be a super flexible model and available all the time. We’ve done that, in a competitive, encouraging, and inspiring environment, which puts the athlete’s needs first.”

What’s next? Street is working to collaborate further with U.S. Ski & Snowboard to offer middle and high school solutions to athletes who have made the Team. Street will continue to make it a priority to raise scholarship dollars so PSA can help get kids a solid education foundation they can build on in future years. She is looking at further integrating her Street of Dreams Foundation to raise scholarship dollars.  “The number one thing that I want these student-athletes to understand is that I get it. I feel your growing pains. I feel your desire to get a good education. I feel your economic status and the potential crunches in that zone.” After all, it’s a street she’s been down herself.

Despite warnings of a massive snowstorm bearing down on the Rockies and the Midwest, Tuesday was another perfect spring day at Copper Mountain Resort and the final Open Class competition of the 2019 USASA National Freeski Championships. The day went down with warm temperatures, sunny skies, and a perfect jump greeting riders at the first-ever USASA/U.S. Ski & Snowboard big air competition.

While freeski big air has been included in the FIS World Cup calendar for several seasons and was approved as an Olympic event for the upcoming Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, it took a combination of factors for big air to make it’s USASA Nationals debut this season. Because of this, the competition as it went down on Tuesday was officially categorized as a FIS National Championships in collaboration with USASA for U.S. Ski & Snowboard.

With all of that being said, the important thing to note is that the top 12 men and seven women put on a top-tier show in Tuesday’s finals on the biggest jump in Copper Mountain park’s proline, and in the end Connie Brogden of Great Britain and James Pouch (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) walked away with gold medals.

Brogden has been competing in the U.S. as a member of the Southern Vermont Series for several seasons now, rising up the ranks to the point where she won FIS World Junior Ski Championships gold in the halfpipe at Leysin, Switzerland this past January. After scoring a USASA Nationals silver medal in the halfpipe on Sunday and finishing just off the podium in fourth in Monday’s slopestyle competition, Brogden capped an impressive Nationals performance by stomping a clean 900 on Tuesday to take the victory with a score of 87.50.

“It was really good today. Quick in the morning but it got soft in the finals,” Brogden said following the awards ceremony. “The jump was really good and it was a really fun comp. I’m really grateful and super happy that I won.”

Second with a score of 74.50 was 15-year-old Jenna Riccomini (Port Matilda, Penn.) of the Rocky Mountain Series, while 17-year-old Sophie Pearson (Victor, Mont.) finished in bronze medal position with a score of 70.25.

In the men’s competition there was a staggering variety of tricks going down from the early morning’s practice straight through to the final hits of the day. In the final, however, it would be Pouch separating himself from the pack with a double cork 1260 mute and switch double cork misty 1260 combo that gave him a two-jump totalled score of 177.50 points and the gold medal.

“We started a little earlier in the morning today than in most competitions so it was a little hard, but by the time finals started it was really nice and soft, and really fun,” said 19-year-old Pouch, a representative of the New Hampshire Series. “The jump was perfect. Not too big so that it was scary but not too small, so you could still do what you needed to do. I had a great time and It’s really cool to win today, especially because it’s the first one at Nationals. I’m really excited.”

Second went to 18-year-old Emerson Lawton (Traverse City, Mich.) with a score of 175.00, as the Rocky Mountain Series rider added big air silver to a 2019 Nationals haul that also includes slopestyle gold from Monday. Third place, meanwhile, belonged to Brian Gardiner (Jay, N.Y.), also of the New Hampshire Series, as the 20-year-old made it back-to-back bronzes after finishing in the same position in slopestyle on Monday.

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

Kiernan Fagan (Brownfield, Maine) led three Americans onto the podium with a slopestyle silver medal at the 2019 FIS Junior World Snowboard and Freeski Championships in Klappen, Sweden, Tuesday.

U.S. Freeski Rookie Team member Rell Harwood (Park City, Utah) earned herself a spot on the podium with some impressive company, taking home the bronze medal. On the snowboard side, U.S. Snowboard Rookie Team athlete Ty Schnorrbusch (Monroe Township, N.J.) led the way for the Americans with a bronze medal ride against a stacked slopestyle field.

“My day went pretty well,” said Fagan. “I was stoked to put a run down and find my way to the podium. After reaching the podium at my first two World Cups, I’m hyped to finish off my season with another top-three finish here at Junior Worlds.”

Fagan has put together quite a season and finished it with a bang in Klappen. Right out of the start gate Fagan stomped a lip 450 disaster to continuing blind 450, the stand out trick on that feature for the day.

Edouard Therriault of Canada won the gold, and Ulrik Samnoey of Norway took the bronze. Deven Fagan (Brownfield, Maine), Hunter Henderson (Madbury, N.H.) and Troy Podmilsak (Park City, Utah) finished in fifth, sixth and ninth respectively.

“I am honored to end up with a medal at junior world championships,” said Harwood. “There were a lot of great runs from other competitors today and I am thrilled mine was able to land me on the podium.”

Estonian phenom and reigning World Halfpipe Champion Kelly Sildaru won the gold, and Kirsty Muir of Great Britain took the silver.

Schnorrbusch was very pleased that she was able to finish on the podium and has enjoyed her time at the Junior World Championships.

“Today was super fun,” said Schnorrbusch. “I was able to land my first run and decided to step it up on my second, but sadly fell on the first jump. I had an amazing day and it’s been great to hang out with the whole U.S. Team. Thank you to the organizers here in Klappen, Sweden for putting on such a sweet event. It has been a great trip.”

Schnorrbusch’s’ result seemed to be a fitting end to a whirlwind of a season. U.S. Snowboard Team’s own Slopestyle and Big Air National Development Coach Nichole Mason reflected on the day and the performance of the U.S. Junior World Championships Snowboard Team.

“I am so happy for Ty,” said Mason. “She had a roller coaster of a season and to see the smile on her face when she took third was priceless. I am extremely proud of the squad for putting runs down against a heavy international field. It’s been a great learning experience with ups and downs all around. We are all looking forward to Big Air in the next few days.”

Sommer Gendron of Canada earned the gold and Eveliina Taka of Finland took home the silver. In addition, American Addison Gardner (Riegelsville, Penn.) made the finals and finished in a respectable 11th.

For the men, Canada’s Buffey William took home the gold, Samuel Jaros of Slovakia won the silver, and Rijuto Ohashi of Japan rounded out the podium with a bronze-medal finish. U.S. Rookie Team athlete Jake Canter made finals and finished eighth.

At the end of Junior World Championship competition, the Marc Hodler Trophy will be awarded to the best overall nation throughout the series in both freestyle/freeski and snowboard disciplines. The U.S. is currently in a commanding lead in the freestyle standings with only one event to go in big air. Meanwhile, the U.S. snowboarders have their work cut out for them as they currently sit in sixth.

The Junior World Championships will continue with freeski and snowboard big air competition this April 12-13. Stay tuned to see what young athletes from across the world will come out on top in Klappen, Sweden, and claim the title of Junior World Champion.

RESULTS
FREESKI
Men’s slopestyle
Women’s slopestyle

SNOWBOARD
Men’s slopestyle
Women’s slopestyle

MARC HODLER TROPHY STANDINGS
Freestyle
Leysin, Switzerland: HP - Jan. 26 - Complete
Reiteralm, Austria: SX - Complete
Valmalenco, Italy: MO, AE - Complete
Klappen, Sweden: SS, BA - April 7-13

Snowboard
Leysin, Switzerland: HP - Jan. 26 - Complete
Reiteralm, Austria: SBX - Complete
Rogla, Slovenia: PGS, PSL - Complete
Klappen, Sweden: SS, BA - April 8-13
 

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The United States Olympic Committee announced the winners today for the Team USA Awards, Best of March, which recognize the outstanding achievements of Team USA athletes from last month. Mikaela Shiffrin (Avon, Colo.) has taken home the honors for Best Female Athlete of the Month. 

Shiffrin was nominated as a result of her outstanding achievements on the FIS Ski World Cup throughout the season, but the month of March, specifically, winning three FIS Ski World Cup victories between Spindleruv Mlyn, Czech Republic, and Soldeu, Andorra, and claiming four of five World Cup titles this season in overall, giant slalom, slalom and super-G. Her March performances capped a record-setting season in which she won 17 World Cup victories, bringing her career world cup victory total to 60, at just 24-years-old. 

Figure skater Nathan Chen (Salt Lake City, Utah) and the U.S. Men’s National Rugby Sevens Team also won Best of March honors for the Team USA Awards. 

A total of 10 sports – including alpine skiing, biathlon, figure skating, gymnastics, long track speedskating, Para-cycling, Para Nordic skiing, Para snowboarding, rugby and shooting – 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.