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Nordic Combined

NBC To Broadcast 40+ Hours Of Winter Sports This Week

By Tom Horrocks
November, 27 2018
Ted Ligety at Beaver Creek
NBC will broadcast more than 10 hours of coverage from this weekend's FIS Ski World Cup Birds of Prey downhill, super-G and giant slalom races at Beaver Creek. Colorado. (U.S. Ski & Snowboard - Cody Downard)

This weekend marks the final stop of the FIS Ski Alpine World Cup circuit in North America with women’s speed events in Lake Louise, Alberta, while the men tackle one of the circuit’s premier courses - Birds of Prey - at Beaver Creek, Colorado. The networks of NBC will broadcast/stream more than 40 hours of coverage this weekend, including more than 30 hours of live coverage.

Mikaela Shiffrin (Avon, Colo.) is fresh off her 45th career World Cup victory at Vermont’s Killington Resort and shifts gears this weekend to take on a pair of downhill races and a super-G, as she looks to build upon her speed resume where she scored her first career World Cup downhill victory last season. Unfortunately, Lindsey Vonn (Vail, Colo.) will not be heading to “Lake Lindsey” after sustaining a minor knee injury while training at Copper Mountain, Colorado.

Following up on a pair of top-20 results at Lake Louise last weekend, Ryan Cochran-Siegle (Starksboro, Vt.) looks to tame the Birds of Prey in three events this weekend - downhill, super-G, and giant slalom. Ted Ligety (Park City, Utah) finally kicks off his World Cup season this weekend at Beaver Creek after the opening GS of the season was rescheduled from Soelden, Austria, due to weather.

The U.S. Cross Country Ski Team returns to the 1994 Olympic site of Lillehammer, Norway, for three events this weekend: men and women’s freestyle sprint Friday; a mass-start women’s 10k freestyle and a 15k mass-start men’s freestyle Saturday; and a 10k classic pursuit for women and 15k classic pursuit for men Sunday.

The U.S. women have fond memories of Lillehammer as Sadie Bjornsen (Winthrop, Wash.) finished on the podium in the classic sprint last season with a third-place result. Teammate Jessie Diggins (Afton, Minn.) finished sixth, and Sophie Caldwell (Stratton Mountain, Vt.) was ninth.

USA Nordic’s U.S. Nordic Combined Team members Ben Loomis (Eau Claire, Wis.), Taylor Fletcher (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) and Jasper Good (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) kick off the World Cup season in Lillehammer this weekend with three stages comprising the Lillehammer Tour. Friday features an individual HS98m jump with a short 5k cross country race with athletes seeded based on jump results. On Saturday, a mass-start 10k will be followed by one jump on the HS98m hill. Sunday’s finale features another individual event, but athletes will move to the large HS140m jumping hill, and follow with a 10k cross country.

On the ski jumping side, Kevin Bickner (Wauconda, Ill.) will represent the men’s USA Nordic/U.S. Ski Jumping Team in Nizhny Tagil, Russia, for a pair of HS134m events Saturday and Sunday. In the women’s season World Cup opener, Nita Englund (Florence, Wis.), Nina Lussi (Lake Placid, N.Y.) and Tara Geraghty-Moats (West Fairlee, Vt.) will represent USA Nordic’s U.S. Ski Jumping Team in three events in Lillehammer, two HS98m competitions Friday and Saturday, and one HS140m large hill competition Sunday.

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


ALPINE
Friday, Nov. 30

12:30 p.m. - World Cup men’s downhill, Beaver Creek, Colo. - NBC Sports Gold & NBCSN
2:00 p.m. - World Cup women’s downhill, Lake Louise, CAN - NBC Sports Gold & Olympic Channel
5:30 p.m. - World Cup women’s downhill, Lake Louise, CAN - NBCSN*

Saturday, Dec. 1
1:00 p.m. - World Cup men’s super-G, Beaver Creek, Colo. - NBC Sports Gold & NBCSN
2:00 p.m. - World Cup women’s downhill, Lake Louise, CAN - NBC Sports Gold & NBCSN
5:00 p.m. - World Cup men’s super-G recap, Beaver Creek, Colo. - NBC*
6:00 p.m. - World Cup men’s super-G, Beaver Creek, Colo. - Olympic Channel*
10:00 p.m. - World Cup women’s downhill, Lake Louise, CAN - Olympic Channel*

Sunday, Dec. 2
1:00 p.m. - World Cup men’s giant slalom, run 1, Beaver Creek, Colo. - NBC Sports Gold & Olympic Channel
1:00 p.m. - World Cup women’s super-G, Lake Louise, CAN - NBC Sports Gold & Olympic Channel
2:30 p.m. - World Cup men’s giant slalom, run 2, Beaver Creek, Colo. - NBC Sports Gold & NBCSN
5:00 p.m. - World Cup men’s giant slalom recap, Beaver Creek, Colo. - NBC*
6:30 p.m. - World Cup women’s super-G recap, Lake Louise, CAN - NBCSN*
11:30 p.m. - World Cup men’s giant slalom, run 2, Beaver Creek, Colo. - Olympic Channel*

CROSS COUNTRY
Friday, Nov. 30

6:00 a.m. - World Cup men and women’s sprint, Lillehammer, NOR - NBC Sports Gold & Olympic Channel

Saturday, Dec. 1
4:30 a.m. - World Cup women’s 10k, Lillehammer, NOR - NBC Sports Gold & Olympic Channel
6:15 a.m. - World Cup Men’s 15k, Lillehammer, NOR - NBC Sports Gold & Olympic Channel
12:00 p.m. - World Cup women’s 10k, Lillehammer, NOR - Olympic Channel*
9:30 p.m. - World Cup women’s 10k, Lillehammer, NOR - NBCSN*

Sunday, Dec. 2
4:15 a.m. - World Cup women’s 10k pursuit, Lillehammer, NOR - NBC Sports Gold & Olympic Channel
5:45 a.m. - World Cup Men’s 15k pursuit, Lillehammer, NOR - NBC Sports Gold & Olympic Channel
2:30 p.m. - World Cup women’s 10k pursuit, Lillehammer, NOR - Olympic Channel*
9:00 p.m. - World Cup women’s 10k pursuit, Lillehammer, NOR - NBCSN*

NORDIC COMBINED
Friday, Nov. 30

5:00 a.m. - World Cup men’s HS98 - Lillehammer, NOR - NBC Sports Gold & Olympic
8:30 a.m. - World Cup men’s 5k - Lillehammer, NOR - NBC Sports Gold & Olympic

Saturday, Dec. 1
3:30 a.m. - World Cup men’s mass start 10k - Lillehammer, NOR - NBC Sports Gold & Olympic Channel
8:15 a.m. - World Cup men’s mass start HS98 - Lillehammer, NOR - NBC Sports Gold & Olympic Channel

Sunday, Dec. 2
4:35 a.m. - World Cup men’s HS140 - Lillehammer, NOR - NBC Sports Gold & Olympic Channel
8:05 a.m. - World Cup men’s 10k - Lillehammer, NOR - NBC Sports Gold & Olympic Channel

SKI JUMPING
Friday, Nov. 30

9:45 a.m. - Men’s individual HS134 qualifying, Nizhny Tagil, RUS - NBC Sports Gold & Olympic Channel
11:30 a.m. - Women’s individual HS98, Lillehammer, NOR - NBC Sports Gold & Olympic Channel
7:00 p.m. - Women’s individual HS98, Lillehammer, NOR - Olympic Channel*

Saturday, Dec. 1
9:45 a.m. - Men’s individual HS134, Nizhny Tagil, RUS - NBC Sports Gold & Olympic Channel
11:15 a.m. - Women’s individual HS98, Lillehammer, NOR - NBC Sports Gold & Olympic Channel
7:00 p.m. - Men’s individual HS134, Nizhny Tagil, RUS - Olympic Channel*
8:30 p.m. - Women’s individual HS98, Lillehammer, NOR - Olympic Channel*

Sunday, Dec. 2
6:45 a.m. - Women’s individual HS140, Lillehammer, NOR - NBC Sports Gold & Olympic Channel
10:00 a.m. - Men’s individual HS134, Nizhny Tagil, RUS - NBC Sports Gold & Olympic Channel
7:00 p.m. - Men’s individual HS134, Nizhny Tagil, RUS - Olympic Channel*
8:30 p.m. - Women’s individual HS140, Lillehammer, NOR - Olympic Channel*

Fans can catch all the action in spectacular high definition via NBC Sports online at NBCSports.com/Live or through the NBC Sports app which is available on the iTunes App Store, Google Play, Windows Store, Roku Channel Store, Apple TV and Amazon Fire. Exclusive commercial-free coverage will be available for subscribers of the NBC Sports Gold Pass, available here: https://www.nbcsports.com/gold/snow

Fletcher 15th In Planica Grand Prix

By U.S. Ski & Snowboard
September, 23 2018
Fletcher jumping
Taylor Fletcher scored 88 points the HS140 jumping portion of Sunday's Grand Prix. (Romina Eggert)

Taylor Fletcher (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) posted the third-fastest roller-ski time to finish 15th in Planica, Slovenia at a Summer Grand Prix.

"Today was a solid day. Nothing too special. I was late on my jump which caused me to miss out on a bunch at the end of the jump," Fletcher said. "The race was good, for sure, but I was all alone and didn't get any help out there. With that, I am still happy with today as it was handfuls better than any competition from last year. Progress is all that matter and I am moving forward."

Fletcher scored 88 points in the HS140 jumping portion, then turn a 10k time on 23:09 in the roller ski, just 5.9 seconds from the top time of the day.

Austria's Mario Seidl posted a jumping score of 127.8 and held on for an 8.5-second victory. Norway's Espen Bjoernstad was second and Aguri Shimizu of Japan was third. 

"It was a pretty good day for Taylor and we're happy with the overall result," said USA Nordic Head Nordic Combined Coach, Martin Bayer.

RESULTS
Men's HS140/10k
 

Loomis Leads USA At Summer Grand Prix

By U.S. Ski & Snowboard
August, 22 2018
Jasper Good, Ben Loomis, and Jared Shumate
Jasper Good, Ben Loomis, and Jared Shumate posted career-best results in the second Summer Grand Prix Nordic Combined in Austria Wednesday. (USA Nordic)

Ben Loomis (Eau Claire, Wis.) posted a career-best summer Grand Prix Nordic Combined result, finishing 18th Wednesday in Villach, Austria. Teammate Jasper Good (Steamboat Springs, Colo.), also posted a career-best result in 23rd. 

"It's great to see [Loomis] consistently improving,” said USA Nordic Team Director Clint Jones. “These events are a good barometer to see where we're at as we approach the winter competition schedule. Ben has put a lot of focused energy into his training and for it to be paying off is exciting."

Finland’s Ilkka Herola won the event, as Austria's Franz-Josef Rehle was second and teammate Mario Seidl was third. Loomis was 28th in the jumping portion and started two minutes and 24 seconds behind jump winner Rehle. In the 10k roller ski, he posted the eighth-fasted time and finished less than a minute off the podium. Jared Shumate (Park City, Utah) was 33rd Wednesday. 

The Summer Grand Prix, which is the equivalent to Winter World Cup, continues Aug. 24 and 25th in Germany. The 2018-19 World Cup season kicks off Nov. 23-25 in Ruka, Finland.

RESULTS
Men’s Individual Gundersen 10.0 km
Overall Standings (after two of three events)

Geraghty-Moats Dominates Nordic Combined in Germany

By U.S. Ski & Snowboard
August, 19 2018
Tara Geraghty-Moats
Tara Geraghty-Moats celebrates her victory in the second Ladies’ Individual Gundersen/5k summer Grand Prix event in Germany Sunday. (USA Nordic)

Tara Geraghty-Moats (West Fairlee, Vt.) took the win in the second Ladies’ Individual Gundersen/5k Summer Grand Prix event in Oberwiesenthal, Germany Sunday. 

“I had never jumped here before, and I’ve obviously never competed in Nordic Combined before," said Geraghty-Moats, who finished second in Saturday's inaugural ladies event. "The second day I felt like everything came together, I felt much more on top of things on the ski jump and was rewarded with a little bit easier ski so I didn’t have to fight so hard to be on the podium.”

Geraghty-Moats showed her cross-country prowess after a good jump and ended her race one minute and 14 seconds ahead of Russia’s Stefaniya Nadymova, who won Saturday's event. Germany's Jenny Nowak finished third again Sunday. 

The jumping event shook yesterday’s ranking up quite a bit with Nowak taking a narrow lead over Geraghty-Moats (94.5 m) and Austria's Lisa Hirner (95 m), who shared the second intermediate position with 106.1 points each. This meant a four-second delay on Nowak, who had shown 96 meters (107.1 p.).

In the 5k roller ski race, Geraghty-Moats was never in any real danger of losing the victory after she left Hirner, Nadymova and Nowak behind in the first lap of the race. The Russian and the German skied together for most of the second round but going out on the third lap, Nadymova emerged as the stronger roller-skier and put some distance between her and the local hero. 

In the men's Individual Gundersen/10k, Ben Loomis (Eau Claire, Wis.) was the top American in 28th. Jasper Good (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) was 30th.

RESULTS
Women
Men
 

Geraghty-Moats Second In Inaugural Ladies’ Nordic Combined

By U.S. Ski & Snowboard
August, 18 2018
Tara Geraghty-Moats Second in Nordic Combined
Tara Geraghty-Moats finishing second at the inaugural Ladies’ Nordic Combined summer event in Oberwiesenthal, Germany, Saturday. (Sandra Volk)

Tara Geraghty-Moats (West Fairlee, Vt.) stepped onto the podium, finishing second, at the inaugural Ladies’ Nordic Combined Summer Grand Prix in Oberwiesenthal, Germany, Saturday. 

"It was a dream come true to finally be able to compete in women’s nordic combined on an international level,” said Geraghty-Moats after winning the 5k roller ski following her fourth-place result in the jumping portion. "I’m using this weekend to learn the level I have to be at to have success in combined."

Russia's Stefaniya Nadymova won after scoring 102 points in the Individual Gundersen and then holding off a charging Geraghty-Moats by three seconds in the 5k roller ski for the victory. Germany's Jenny Nowak was third.

"I made some mistakes today and learned a lot but I came away with a good result and having had a huge amount of fun competing with small but strong field," Geraghty-Moats added.

In the men's team event, Austria's Franz-Josef Rehrl and Mario Seidl took the victory. For Team USA, Ben Loomis (Eau Claire, Wis.) and Jasper Good (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) finished 11th.

RESULTS
Women individual Gundersen
Men’s team event

Athletes to Shine Bright in New York City

By U.S. Ski & Snowboard
August, 15 2018
Jonny Moseley introduces athletes at last year's New York Gold Medal Gala.
Jonny Moseley introduces athletes at last year's New York Gold Medal Gala. (U.S. Ski & Snowboard)

U.S. Ski & Snowboard will host its annual New York Gold Medal Gala at the Ziegfield Ballroom in New York City, New York, on October 25, 2018. Olympic ski and snowboard stars including Lindsey Vonn, Red Gerard and Jessie Diggins, among many more, will descend on New York City for the event, now in its 52nd year. The New York Gold Medal Gala plays a critical role in raising funds which directly help ski and snowboard athletes achieve their goals of being the Best in the World.

A small number of tickets are still available for what will be the social highlight of the snowsports world, but demand is high so anyone considering attending should click here to purchase. However, even those who cannot make it to the New York Gold Medal Gala can still take part in the event by bidding on some incredible auction items here

Among the highlights of this year’s Gala live auction is an ultimate VIP experience for four people to attend the 2019 FIS Snowboard Freestyle Freeski World Championships in Park City, Utah. This package includes a sneak-peak behind-the-scenes tour of a competition course, a VIP dining experience at High West Saloon in historic Park City, the use of four Gold Passes for skiing or riding at Deer Valley Resort and/or Park City Mountain and dinner with Kyle Mack, 2018 Winter Olympic Silver Medalist in Big Air Snowboarding, among many others.

“The passionate support from our New York community and everyone who flies in from around the world always makes the New York Gold Medal Gala a festive celebration of our athletes’ journeys to become the Best in the World, “ said U.S. Ski & Snowboard President and CEO Tiger Shaw. “Each year I am astounded and humbled by the generosity of this community. Without support like this, historic Olympic moments such as those we witnessed during the 2018 Winter Games wouldn’t be possible. This year’s Gala will be a culmination of all of that hard work and a chance to look forward to the next four years.”

The New York Gold Medal Gala will raise nearly $2 million for U.S. skiers and snowboarders through the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Foundation – a critical element of funding for the United States’ Olympic national governing body of ski and snowboard sports. The Gala’s storied history began in 1967 as the Ski Ball, which sought to benefit alpine athletes on the U.S. Ski Team. Today the tradition continues as a celebration of all of U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s ski and snowboard athletes, including some of the biggest names in sport. It has become a staple of the New York City social philanthropic scene and provides a grand send-off for athletes before the start of the winter competition season.

This year’s event will be hosted by Gala favorite and Olympic legend Jonny Moseley, gold medalist at the 1998 Olympic Winter Games for moguls skiing. This year’s event chairs are U.S. Ski & Snowboard Foundation trustees David Saunders, John Townsend III and Dani Virtue. The event will be sold out, such is the demand for tickets, and participants will have a chance to celebrate some already iconic moments from the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, such as Red Gerard’s gold medal in slopestyle snowboarding and Kikkan Randall and Jessie Diggin’s historic gold medal in cross country skiing. The night’s program includes a silent and live auction as well as a spectacular technology and dance fusion performance by iLuminateLabeled as the “best new act in America” during their run on America’s Got Talent in 2011, attendees of this year’s Gala will see dancers in electrified glow-in-the-dark suits performing a dynamic routine guaranteed to dazzle the crowd.

The evening kicks off at 6 p.m. with a star-studded White Carpet immediately preceding the official start of the Gala, from 5 to 5:45 p.m. This is a great opportunity to connect with some of the greatest athletes in the world. Athletes confirmed for attendance so far include:

Lindsey Vonn, 2018 and 2010 Olympic Bronze Medalist; 2010 Gold Medalist, alpine
Shaun White 2006, 2010, 2018 Olympic Gold Medalist, halfpipe snowboarding
Jessie Diggins, 2018 Olympic Gold Medalist, cross country
Red Gerard2018 Olympic Gold Medalist, slopestyle snowboarding
David Wise, 2014 and 2018 Olympic Gold Medalist, halfpipe skiing
Alex Ferreira2018 Olympic Silver Medalist, halfpipe skiing

Kyle Mack, 2018 Olympic Silver Medalist, big air snowboarding
Brita Sigourney, 2018 Olympic Bronze Medalist, halfpipe skiing
Casey Andringa, 2018 Olympian, moguls

Mac Bohonnon, 2014 and 2018 Olympian, aerials
Ashley Caldwell, 2012, 2014 and 2018 Olympian, aerials
Annalisa Drew, 2014 and 2018 Olympian, halfpipe skiing
Breezy Johnson, 2018 Olympian, alpine skiing
Tess Johnson2018 Olympian, moguls
Jaelin Kauf, 2018 Olympian, moguls

Hagen Kearney2018 Olympian, snowboard cross
Alice McKennis, 2018 Olympian, alpine skiing

Kylie McKinnon, 2018 Olympian, aerials
Alice Merryweather, 2018 Olympian, alpine skiing 
Brad Wilson, 2014 and 2018 Olympian, moguls
Hannah Kearney, 2010 Olympic Gold Medalist; 2014 Olympic Bronze Medalist, moguls
JJ Thomas, 2002 Olympic Bronze Medalist, halfpipe snowboarding

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

For ticket purchase and live auction information, please click here.

To stay up to date on the New York Gold Medal Gala happenings, search #NYGoldMedalGala on social media.

Ski Jumping, Nordic Combined Titles Awarded at L.L.Bean U.S. Championships

By U.S. Ski & Snowboard
July, 31 2018
Kevin Bickner
Kevin Bickner soars to gold in the HS134m event at the L.L.Bean U.S. Ski Jumping Championships. (Tom Kelly)

Kevin Bickner (Wauconda, Ill.) and Nita Englund (Florence, Wis.) were the top U.S. finishers in HS134 competition at the 20th annual Springer Tournee/L.L.Bean U.S. Championships at the Utah Olympic Park on July 27. Taylor Fletcher (Park City, Utah) and Tara Gereghty-Moats (West Fairlee, Vt.) won their respective nordic combined U.S. titles.

U.S. athletes now move on to Europe next to complete their summer training prior to the kickoff of the World Cup season in Lillehammer, Norway in December.

“I’m excited to go over to Courchevel and see how I compare to the rest of the world right now,” said Bickner, who also won the Springer Tournee in 2015.

“We’re coming off a good training this spring and summer and we’re all ready and looking forward to getting some more competitions under our belt,” noted 2018 Olympian Ben Loomis, who finished second to Fletcher at the Springer Tournee.

RESULTS
Men and Women’s HS134
Men and Women’s HS100 Nordic Combined

Olympians Take A Somewhat Unfamiliar Center Stage

By Megan Harrod
July, 30 2018
Speaker Bureau

U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes are used to competing on the big stage – particularly those who have made the U.S. Olympic Team. However, what doesn’t often come naturally is the ability to speak confidently publicly – both in front of crowds and to the media. Just last week, though, a new program known as the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Speaker’s Bureau was launched through their Athlete Career & Education (ACE) team, led by Director Julie Glusker.

Offered to 10 elite-level U.S. Ski & Snowboard Olympic and World Championship athletes – both current and alumni – U.S. Ski & Snowboard partnered with the Slomoff Consulting Group to lead a year-long, intensive training program for a select group of athletes looking to learn what it takes to be a successful keynote speaker.
  

“We teach all of our clients to approach speaking the way great athletes approach their skill, by developing awareness, control and consistency."
- Danny Slomoff, Slomoff Consulting Group

Danny Slomoff, who has worked closely with U.S. Ski & Snowboard President & CEO Tiger Shaw for the last several years, was first introduced through Board of Trustees contacts. For the last three years, Slomoff has offered generous pro bono work to athletes and staff of U.S. Ski & Snowboard from across all sports. Oftentimes, those who have met with Slomoff have said his training has been some of the most beneficial they’ve received from the organization, off the snow.

Glusker is particularly excited about the program because it is an excellent opportunity for these athletes to share their compelling sport and life stories, build public speaking skills progressively throughout the year, and develop as effective, impactful speakers. Slomoff and his team of skilled professionals will provide personalized, targeted coaching to each of the athletes during the year, as well as introduce them to corporations and organizations and help them prepare for U.S. Ski & Snowboard events, galas, engagements, media and personal sponsor activities. Speaker’s Bureau topics include preparation and practice of presentations and talks, marketing, slide and video development, writing and publishing articles. All of this valuable, meaningful coaching is being donated by Slomoff Consulting Group.

Slomoff takes great pride in the work he does, and it certainly shows, as he grew emotional at the end of the two-day Speaker’s Bureau, following the final presentations – almost akin to a proud father.

“We teach all of our clients to approach speaking the way great athletes approach their skill, by developing awareness, control and consistency,” Slomoff remarked. “These world-class athletes understand the work needed to develop a new skill and are accustomed to putting in the coaching and practice time to master it. They were able to make progress very quickly and take leaps and bounds toward greatness. We cannot wait to see them reach their potential as peak performing speakers.

The Speaker’s Bureau entailed two full days of training with the first day being more of a group setting. Athletes met for an initial welcome session before breaking into two groups to work in small group scenarios with four skilled coaches. In these small groups, they broke down the basics of successful speaking through improv work, with the belief that successful public speaking is acting more than it is public speaking. They discussed topics like awareness of body language, tone, tempo, diction and the psychology of public speaking and connecting with your audience.

Without giving away too much, some of the key points were: try not to have an ego, care for the listener, when your content and your energy match, there is authenticity, the importance of talking with your face, voice, and fingers and having a strong message and purpose. The coaches worked with each individual athlete utilizing their strengths and improving their weaknesses. They broke down the skills and then rebuilt them over the next two days so there was a progression that athletes could see. This approach, of course, coincides well with the type of performance/feedback loop the athlete is accustomed to in their sport.

The final goal is to get these current and former U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes into speaking engagements, but more so it is to build professional skills and allow them to experience the courage it takes to make mistakes and then make improvements and move forward in a setting that may be more uncomfortable to them than the mountain. The results were positive, and the athletes may have surprised themselves more than anything.  

“It was a great opportunity to work on a skill set that will benefit athletes long after their competitive careers are over."
- Alex Deibold, U.S. Snowboard Team

U.S. Alpine Ski Team alumnus and four-time Olympian Marco Sullivan (Squaw Valley, Calif.) commented on how beneficial the training was. “It was amazing to me that the room was full of Olympians and World Champions of our respective sports but we were all acting like beginners when it came to addressing a crowded room of people,” Sullivan said. “Everyone was excited to overcome our anxiety and luckily, we are all very coachable so we made huge gains with Danny and his team in just the two days that we were together. I think that speaking and being able to express ourselves is part of being a professional sportsman that often gets overlooked. I am excited to see all of the athletes in our group progress over the next year. I think it can only be positive for the individuals and U.S. Ski & Snowboard.”

World Championship gold medalist and Olympian aerialist Ashley Caldwell (Ashburn, Va.) echoed Sullivan’s sentiments. “I loved the Speaker's Bureau this weekend. I was a little nervous going into the training but came out feeling much more confident speaking in front of any size group of people,” reflected Caldwell. “Danny and his team were awesome to work with. It was incredibly fun and humbling to learn and be embarrassed with a group of your peers, who happen to all be Olympic athletes. We all walked out of our two-day series exponentially more confident and excited about sharing our stories!”

2014 Olympic bronze medalist snowboard cross athlete Alex Deibold (Boulder, Colo.) – perhaps one of the most comfortable in front of crowds going into the two-day Speaker's Bureau – walked away with a lot of valuable learnings from the two days that have made him even more comfortable center stage. “I thought the Speaker's Bureau was a challenging and insightful experience. It was a great opportunity to work on a skill set that will benefit athletes long after their competitive careers are over. I’m looking forward to honing my newfound knowledge and hopefully putting it to use.”

Shaw was there to watch athletes give final presentations and was very impressed with how they worked together and the progress they made as a group, “I’m very excited to see you work together over the next year,” noted Shaw. “I’ve worked with Danny for years now, but it’s heartwarming to see world-class athletes mesh as a group from different sports in the organization and pair up with world-class coaches. All involved did a very good job.”

Athletes involved included: 
Mac Bohonnon (Madison, Conn., Aerials - Freestyle)
Maddie Bowman (South Lake Tahoe, Calif., Pro Halfpipe - Freeskiing)
Ashley Caldwell (Ashburn, Va., Aerials - Freestyle)
Alex Deibold (Boulder, Colo., Snowboard Cross)
Nick Goepper (Lawrenceburg, Ind., Pro Slopestyle - Freeskiing)
Hannah Kearney (Norwich, Vt., Moguls - Freestyle)
Jaelin Kauf (Alta, Wyo., Moguls - Freestyle)
Steve Nyman (Sundance, Utah, Alpine)
Marco Sullivan (Squaw Valley, Calif., Alpine Alumnus)
Andrew Weibrecht (Lake Placid, Calif., Alpine Alumnus)