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Alpine

2019-20 Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team Season Highlights

By Megan Harrod
April, 5 2020
Women's Speed Team Picture - Bansko
The 2019-20 season was a positive step in the right direction for the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team, with 15 FIS Ski World Cup podiums, one Junior World Championship medal, and seven NorAm titles. (Christophe Pallot - Agence Zoom/Getty Images)

The 2019-20 season was a positive step in the right direction for the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team, with 15 FIS Ski World Cup podiums, one Junior World Championship medal, and seven NorAm titles. Perhaps nothing wowed more than the two podiums on home turf by Olympic champion Mikaela Shiffrin at the HomeLight Killington Cup and Xfinity Birds of Prey victor Tommy Ford.

It was a solid start to the season for both the women’s and men’s teams that established a foundation for progress for the entire squad. That said, alpine athletes battled with challenging weather, shortened courses, unexpected accidents and a global pandemic that cut the season short. Even so, there are many positives to take away and focus on as the athletes showed insurmountable grit and perseverance in the face of adversity. 

“The ’19-20 season started strong at the Soelden World Cup GS, with three U.S. Ski Team athletes in the top five; Mikaela, Tommy and Ted (Ligety),” noted Alpine Director Jesse Hunt. “This weekend performance followed with victories by Mikaela in Levi and Killington, and Tommy in Beaver Creek made it clear that teams were firing in both genders and there was nothing more satisfying than demonstrating that in front of the hometown crowds.”

With the best start to a season in years, the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team hopped the pond to Europe, finding more strength and consistency. “When the team went to Europe, the men’s speed team consistently put up points by establishing five skiers in the top-30 and ultimately landing four athletes in the top-20 in the end of season standings—a feat not achieved as far back as 1967 when the FIS Ski World Cup began,” said Jesse. “At the development level, the NorAm titles were dominated by American athletes who secured 10 of 14—with seven of those 10 coming from U.S. Ski Team athletes. The abrupt end to the season due to the coronavirus left many opportunities hanging, and an unceremonious end for a developing and upward-trending U.S. Alpine Ski Team.”

Let’s start with the men, led by a trio of Olympians with impressive results from the World Cup kickoff in Soelden, Austria: Tommy, Ted Ligety, and Ryan Cochran-Siegle finished fourth, fifth, and 11th, respectively. With six top-15 results, four top-five results, two podiums, and a massive victory by .80 seconds at Beaver Creek, Colo., Tommy had his career-best season to lead the team.

With challenging conditions all season long in giant slalom, Tommy stayed calm when it mattered most. In Yuzawa Naeba Japan, when most athletes struggled on the dead, springlike snow, Tommy channeled his Pacific Northwest upbringing (shoutout to Mt. Bachelor) and moved from 10th first run to third for his second-career podium. When all was said and done, he landed in fifth in the world in giant slalom. With a more focused giant slalom schedule, Ted had a consistent and solid season, finishing ranked 12th in the world.

Ryan Cochran-Siegle really stepped it up this season, proving his multi-event talent. In 26 World Cup starts across five disciplines (parallel, giant slalom, alpine combined, super-G and downhill), Ryan had 22 top-30 results—scoring in every discipline. What was really impressive was Ryan’s touch on the speed boards. He skied into a career-best sixth place in Beaver Creek and then bested that in Bormio with a fifth place in the alpine combined. He was solid all season, finishing ranked 14th in the world in downhill, and 20th in both super-G and giant slalom. “RCS” is looking to bring that intensity into the World Championship year, and we can’t wait to watch.

Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team downhillers Ryan, Bryce, Steven, and Travis
Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team downhillers Ryan, Bryce, Steven, and Travis. (Max Hall - U.S. Ski & Snowboard)


The men’s speed team had more depth than ever before, with four athletes finishing in the top-20 in the world in downhill for the first time ever: Travis Ganong (13th), RCS (14th), Bryce Bennett (16th) and Steven Nyman (20th). Travis narrowly missed the podium, with two top-five results in downhill, and ended up ranked 12th in the super-G standings. Bryce laid down solid results once he found his flow in the new year, grabbing four top-15s and two top-10s—including his best-ever finish at Kitzbuehel, in eighth-place. That was after he wore jorts, a jean vest, and an American flag as a cape to the bib draw in front of thousands of roaring fans and then chose bib 1 with undeniable confidence. The crowd went WILD. Jared Goldberg had nine top-30 results, and two top-20s in downhill and ended the season with a Europa Cup victory.

With three women’s speed team athletes—Breezy Johnson, Alice McKennis, and Jackie Wiles— returning from significant knee/leg injuries, it was a rebuilding year. Alice started things off with a bang in Lake Louise, Canada, grabbing a top-10 in downhill. In just her third start back from back-to-back knee injuries, Breezy grabbed a top-five in Bankso, Bulgaria, just behind her teammate Mikaela in fourth. Despite missing almost half of the season, she ended up ranked 20th in the world in downhill. Alice Merryweather was a consistent point-scorer in downhill, super-G, and alpine combined this year, grabbing three top-15 results, and a career-best 14th in super-G. The whole team will look to come back strong in 2020-21, and ready for their favorite venue: Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy for World Championships.

Nina O'Brien had a breakthrough season, scoring points in seven starts across three disciplines (slalom, giant slalom, and parallel). The highlight for Nina was her career-best 11th in the Sestriere, Italy parallel giant slalom debut. Nina proved that she can hang with the best in the world in multiple disciplines, and it was great to see multiple Americans in the second run on numerous occasions on the women's tech side. She and teammate Paula Moltzan, who struggled with some back pain this season but still put down fast splits and some solid results in slalom, will look to build on that momentum, along with Mikaela. 


Then, there was Mikaela’s season. Certainly not 2018-19’s season, but still equally—if not more—impressive. Mikaela won six World cup races across four disciplines and podiumed in 13 of 19 starts. In Levi, Finland, she became the winningest slalom skier of all time, surpassing Ingemar Stenmark with 41 slalom victories. She finished the season with two more victories, bringing her career-win total to 43 slalom victories—tied for most discipline wins among women with former teammate Lindsey Vonn. 

With her massive 1.36-second margin giant slalom win in Lienz, Austria, Mikaela made history yet again as she earned 63rd World Cup victory, surpassing Austrian Annemarie Moser-Pröll into fourth on the all-time win list behind Marcel Hirscher (67), Lindsey (82) and Ingemar Stenmark (86). Across men and women, she tied Slovakia's Petra Vlhova and France's Alexis Pinturault for most World Cup victories, with six wins.

In a near-perfect weekend in late January, with her mother and father there to witness her brilliance, Mikaela was first, fourth, and first, in two downhills and a super-G on a speed track she had never been down before, in Bansko, Bulgaria - amassing 250 points on the weekend. Her win tally? Career victory number 66, just one shy of Marcel’s 67 victories. Despite missing nine races due to her father's unexpected and tragic passing, Mikaela ended up second in the overall standings, second in the slalom standings (by just 20 points), third in the giant slalom standings, fifth in the downhill standings, and seventh in super-G standings. For the fourth-straight season, (again, despite missing nine races), Mikaela was the top earner in prize money on the World Cup circuit, among the men and women.

At the development level, it was a Youth Olympic Games year at Lausanne, Switzerland, where the Americans, including Emma Resnick, put down some solid results, landing just off the podium in fourth in giant slalom, followed by Nicola Rountree-Williams in eighth. Though World Juniors at Narvik, Norway, were cut short due to the coronavirus outbreak, Keely Cashman led the way with three top-10 results, including bronze in the alpine combined. She also won the NorAm overall and downhill titles. AJ Hurt finished in sixth just behind Keely in the super-G at Worlds, and multiple NorAm podiums under her belt.

For the men, Bridger Gile took home the NorAm overall, alpine combined and giant slalom titles, while Ben Ritchie grabbed the slalom title, and Kyle Negomir the super-G title—each securing World Cup start rights for next season. Ben and Kyle each got more starts on the World Cup this season, making good progress forward, along with their teammate Luke Winters, who put the Americans back on the map for slalom with showing glimpses of brilliance and proving he can hang with the big dogs. Though he had a challenging winter, River Radamus grabbed a top-15 in Alta Badia, Italy's parallel giant slalom, finishing in 14th. It’s a trending progression for this crew, and they’re looking forward to putting the pieces of the puzzle together in 2020-21.

The Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team will look to build on the foundation laid in the 2019-20 season, in hopes of bringing medal-contending athletes to the Cortina 2021 World Championships through to the Olympic Winter Games in 2026 and beyond. Buckle up and get excited, the 2020-21 season will be one for the ages. 

Relive all the top moments of the year with the videos below!

 

Lindsey Vonn: The Final Season Nominated for Two Emmy Awards

By U.S. Ski & Snowboard
April, 1 2020
Lindsey Vonn: The Final Season Up for Two Emmy Awards
Olympic champion, winningest female alpine ski racer of all time and Land Rover Ambassador Lindsey Vonn's HBO documentary, Lindsey Vonn: The Final Season, has been nominated for two sports Emmy awards. 

Olympic champion, winningest female alpine ski racer of all time and Land Rover Ambassador Lindsey Vonn's HBO documentary, Lindsey Vonn: The Final Season, has been nominated for two sports Emmy awards. 

Known as the most decorated female alpine skier of all time, Lindsey intimately recounts her final season in this feature-length documentary, with a look back at her transcendent career, from child prodigy with humble beginnings at Buck Hill, Minn. to the Olympic champion and winningest female alpine ski racer. 

Teton Gravity Research, widely recognized as one of the premier documentary production companies in the outdoor action, adventure, and exploration space, had a camera crew embedded with Lindsey and the U.S. Ski Team throughout the winter months, capturing the final, intimate moments of her skiing journey.

The documentary is up for two Emmy Awards, each in good company, in the following categories: 

OUTSTANDING SPORTS PROMOTIONAL ANNOUNCEMENT
2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup (All Eyes on Us) FOX/FS1/FS2/FOX Deportes
ESPN (There’s No Place Like Sports) ESPN
Lindsey Vonn: The Final Season (Trailer [Teton Gravity Research]) HBO
Pariah: The Lives and Deaths of Sonny Liston (Trailer) Showtime
Unrivaled: Earnhardt vs. Gordon ([NASCAR Productions/DLP Media Group]) FS1

OUTSTANDING CAMERA WORK
24/7 (Kelly Slater) HBO
The Dawn Wall ([Red Bull Media House/Sender Films]) Netflix
Inside the NFL (Shots Of The Year [NFL Films]) Showtime
Lindsey Vonn: The Final Season ([Teton Gravity Research]) HBO
Super Bowl LIV (Next 100 [72andSunny/Prettybird]) FOX

If you’re looking for something to watch while in quarantine, check out her powerful story on HBO, HBO On Demand, HBO GO, HBO NOW and partners’ streaming platforms.

How Shiffrin Won Without Even Stepping into the Start Gate

By Megan Harrod
March, 24 2020
Mikaela Shiffrin NY Times

After missing more than a month of competition due to the tragic passing of her father, Olympic and World Champion Mikaela Shiffrin made the decision on March 5th to return to Europe for the final FIS Ski World Cup races of the season.

On the morning of March 11th, she announced she would be stepping into the start gate in Åre, Sweden—in what would be the final three races of the 2019-20 season. Later that day, FIS announced that the Åre, Sweden race series had been cancelled, therefore ending the season. At that point, Mikaela was still in the running for the overall, giant slalom, and slalom globes...though it would have been a challenge to win all three, it was possible. But, it wasn't about globes. Or winning. For Mikaela, just getting on a plane and heading over to Europe was a victory after all she had been through. 

Originally, the New York Times had planned to travel to Åre to cover Mikaela's quest for her fourth-straight overall title, but when reporter Karen Crouse boarded her flight to head to Europe, she had different goals. Her plan would be to cover Mikaela's potential return to the start gate, and the recent coronavirus outbreak. As it turns out, the coronavirus outbreak would lead to the abrupt end to the season, but Karen felt strongly about her message: that Mikaela had already won, without even stepping into the start gate. In her piece, entitled "For Mikaela Shiffrin, a Week Without Races Is a Resounding Success," Karen focused on what that return was like for Mikaela.  

Without stepping in the start gate, Shiffrin had accomplished what she had traveled more than 4,000 miles to do. So she accepted with equanimity the news, on Wednesday — less than 22 hours before the start of Thursday’s parallel slalom — that the competition had been canceled in the cascading fallout from the deadly spread of the coronavirus.

As Mikaela said in the article, 

If nothing else, I’m grateful that we came this far, even with the races canceled. So I got to get out there for that training session with full intentions of preparing for a race and skied with that intensity. I accomplished that, and that was all I had set out to do. It was maybe in the long term even better that I didn’t step into the start gate and have to deal with the mental challenges of knowing that the overall title was still in the cards, because the competitor in me probably would have come out and said, ‘I care about the results,’ even though that was never my focus.

One of the hardest steps in mourning is the "first one that takes you out of the house and out to face the world again. So whatever Shiffrin lost by not being able to race three times this week, she recognized that she gained infinitely more," wrote Karen. 

Mikaela's 2019-20 Season In Numbers
Though many—including Mikaela herself—believed this season to be disappointing compared to last year, it was what most athletes would consider a dream season. Nothing can live up to the historic 2018-19 season Mikaela had, with 17 World Cup victories, three World Championship medals, and record-smashing performances week in and week out. Vreni Schneider's 14 victories in a season was a record that stood for 30 years. Mikaela's 17 victories in a season will be hard for anyone to break...ever. Again, not impossible. But it will be extremely difficult. 

This season, Mikaela won six World cup races across four disciplines. She podiumed in 13 of 19 races. In Levi, she became the winningest slalom skier of all time, surpassing Ingemar Stenmark (40 victories) with 41 slalom victories. She finished the season with two more victories, bringing her career-win total to 43 slalom victories—tied for most discipline wins among women (Lindsey Vonn has 43 downhill victories, while Swede Ingemar Stenmark leads for the men with 46 giant slalom victories).  

With her massive 1.36-second margin giant slalom win in Lienz, Austria on December 28, 2019, Mikaela made history yet again as she earned 63rd World Cup victory, surpassing Austrian Annemarie Moser-Pröll into fourth on the all-time win list behind Marcel Hirscher (67), Lindsey Vonn (82) and Ingemar Stenmark (86). Across men and women, she tied Slovakia's Petra Vlhova and France's Alexis Pinturault for most World Cup victories, with six wins. 

In a near-perfect weekend in late January, with her mother and father there to witness her brilliance, Mikaela was first, fourth and first in two downhills and a super-G on a speed track she had never been down before, in Bansko, Bulgaria - amassing 250 points on the weekend. Her win tally? Career victory number 66, just one shy of Marcel Hirscher's 67 victories. Despite missing nine races due to her father's passing, Mikaela ended up second in the overall standings, second in the slalom standings (by just 20 points), third in the giant slalom standings, fifth in the downhill standings, and seventh in super-G standings. For the fourth-straight season, (again, despite missing nine races), Mikaela was the top earner in prize money on the World Cup circuit, among the men and women.

Buckle up and get excited, the 2020-21 season will be one for the ages. 

Read the full article on nytimes.com

Olympic Champions Shiffrin and Diggins Join Forces to Give Back

By Megan Harrod
March, 23 2020
Jessie Diggins Gives Back
Olympic champions Mikaela Shiffrin and Jessie Diggins have joined forces with professional tennis player Madison Keys to give back to their local communities in the face of the coronavirus outbreak under the "Kindness Wins #KindnessInCrisis" Initiative. 

Olympic champions Mikaela Shiffrin and Jessie Diggins have joined forces with professional tennis player Madison Keys to give back to their local communities in the face of the coronavirus outbreak with the "Kindness Wins #KindnessInCrisis" Initiative. 

Kindness Wins, a nonprofit that rallies athletes and acts as a collaborative engine for kindness, is organizing an online auction for professional athletes to support relief needs in their community. The initiative matches athletes who want to help those most in need of relief during this challenging and uncertain time, with 100% of the proceeds of the auction going to the organization(s) of the athletes' choice. 

Following their Instagram Live last week, Mikaela asked Jessie to get involved with the auction, in which Mikaela has decided to donate the proceeds to the Colorado Covid Relief Fund and Food Bank of the Rockies. Funds raised for the Colorado Covid Relief Fund will be used to support the needs of communities impacted by COVID-19 in both response and recovery. The fund will support work in three categories: prevention, impact, and recovery efforts. Funds raised for the Food Bank of the Rockies will be used to support anyone experiencing food insecurity due to COVID-19. The fund will support families thrive by efficiently procuring and distributing food and essentials to the hungry through our programs and partner agencies. Every $1 you give helps provide four meals.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Hey hey! I’m auctioning off some really cool autographed gear for #KindnessInCrisis (*including 2 of my @adidas x @barilla custom podium hats, a pair of my signature @oakley goggles, and the race suit I used to race in Lienz this past season!) 100% of the proceeds go to COVID-19 relief organizations. The proceeds for my items will go to 2 specific organizations— the CO Covid Relief Fund and Food Bank of the Rockies. You can help me, help those who are really in need. The link is in my bio and stories❤️ #KindnessWins! @KindnessWinsFoundation (PS there are some pretty sweet items from other athletes like @jessiediggins and @madisonkeys as well!)

A post shared by Mikaela Shiffrin ⛷💨 (@mikaelashiffrin) on

Jessie will donate all proceeds of her auctioned items to The Sheridan Story. Funds raised will directly support the increase in food inventory and provide meals to hundreds of thousands of children increasingly facing food insecurity in the Twin Cities area and beyond. Every $100 makes it possible for 25 children to receive meals.

Stay tuned throughout the next 14 days, as current athletes add more auction items, and more athletes join the mix. 

Check out the auction and bid now!

Alpine NorAm Finals and Canadian Alpine National Championships Cancelled

By U.S. Ski & Snowboard
March, 12 2020
logos

Due to ongoing and evolving concerns surrounding the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), Alpine Canada and U.S. Ski & Snowboard have cancelled the 2020 Alpine NorAm Finals scheduled for March 17-24 at Panorama Mountain Resort in British Columbia, Canada. The Canadian Championships, planned for March 25-28 at Panorama are also cancelled. 

In keeping with recommendations from the Government of Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and after consulting with medical advisors, we are prioritizing the health and safety of our community, fans, athletes, staff, and volunteers involved in these events.

“We would like to thank Panorama Resort and Management, the Race Organizing Committee and volunteers for all of their hard work preparing for the races,” said Vania Grandi, President and CEO of Alpine Canada. “The health and safety of our athletes, volunteers and community is of utmost importance and we applaud all those involved for making this difficult, but necessary decision.”

“We are sad to announce this cancellation, which includes our U.S. Alpine National Speed Championships (including DH, SG, and AC)” said Tiger Shaw, President and CEO of U.S. Ski & Snowboard. “Thank you to the local organizing committees, staff and volunteers who worked to get this event off the ground. The health and safety of our athletes and staff is our primary concern and we look forward to returning to NorAm alpine competition next season.”

### 

About Alpine Canada
Alpine Canada is the governing body for alpine, para-alpine and ski cross racing in Canada, as well as for Canadian ski coaches, providing education, certification, insurance and compliance with the coaching code of conduct. With the support of valued corporate partners and donors, along with the Government of Canada, Own the Podium, the Canadian Olympic Committee and the Coaching Association of Canada, Alpine Canada develops Olympic, Paralympic, World Championship and World Cup athletes to stimulate visibility, inspiration and growth in the ski community. In 2020, Alpine Canada celebrates 100 years of rich tradition in competitive skiing in Canada.

Follow Alpine Canada on social media to get the latest about our athletes and more: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, www.alpinecanada.org

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.

 

USCSA Hosts 42nd Collegiate Ski and Snowboard National Championships

By Andrew Gauthier
March, 11 2020
USCSA
Freeskiers on course at the 42nd Annual USCSA Collegiate Ski and Snowboard National Championships. (USCSA)

The five-day-long annual U.S. Collegiate Ski & Snowboard Association (USCSA) Collegiate National Championships in Lake Placid, N.Y. are underway and nearly 500 competitors are set to compete for national collegiate titles in alpine, nordic, snowboard and freeski events.

USCSA is the only ski and snowboard league where colleges and universities compete and qualify for post-season competition as a team. Emphasis on team performance is a departure from the typical individual or FIS World Cup scoring format often found in skiing and snowboarding, allowing entire teams to qualify for the USCSA Collegiate National Championships. The format also allows for a greater number of competitors to attend the event, with over 200 alpine athletes, 200 freeski and snowboard athletes, and 100 nordic athletes competing this week. 

“Coming to Lake Placid is always a treat for the USCSA,” said USCSA Executive Director Alec Tandara-Kuhns. “Between the historic venues, flexible and accommodating organizing staff and close proximity for a majority of the teams, Nationals in Lake Placid have been instant classics.”

Teams began their quest to qualify for the U.S. Collegiate Skiing and Snowboarding National Championships in their local conference competitions, held across 11 conferences spanning the nation this December. Top teams from each conference attend one of six regional championships, which determines who ultimately qualifies to participate in events at the Collegiate National Championship. Results from all events can be found at www.uscsa.com.

Teams representing 71 colleges and universities are competing at the 2020 USCSA Collegiate National Championships. This includes alpine, snowboard, freeski, and nordic teams which qualified through their regional championships, including powerhouses such as Westminster College (Snowboard), the University of Wyoming (Nordic), University of Colorado Boulder (Freeski), Rocky Mountain College (Alpine), and James Madison University (Snowboard). 

The USCSA Broadcast Network will bring audiences over 60 hours of live, multi-camera HD video coverage from all three competition venues at its web portal. Scott "Boss" Hogg returns to lead the USCSA Broadcast Team at alpine, joined by legendary snowboard announcer Mark Oliver AKA “The Beav” at snowboard/freestyle, as well as Bob “Coach” Underwood and Jared Newell at nordic. 

Visit http://www.uscsa.com/broadcast for more information, including live-timing, daily schedules, and on-demand archived broadcasts.

The USCSA is the sports federation for collegiate team ski racing and snowboarding in America. The USCSA believes that student-athletes of all levels and abilities should have access to quality and exciting venues of competition. USCSA athletes agree that their team orientation fosters a collaborative approach across their collegiate athletic and academic careers, and often this mentality proves indispensable in their adult lives and careers. The organization includes 162 colleges from coast to coast, fielding 4,954 male and female, alpine, freestyle, cross-country, snowboarding and nordic ski jumping athletes in over 300 events annually.

For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact atandkuhns@uscsa.com 

QUALIFIED INSTITUTIONS
Women

Babson College
Bowdoin College
Brown University
California State University Long Beach
Carnegie Mellon University
Castleton University
Clarkson University
College of St. Scholastica
Colorado College
Colorado Mesa University
Columbia University
Cornell University
Dartmouth College
Drexel University
George Mason University
Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Iowa State University
James Madison University
Lees-McRae College
Liberty University
McGill University
Michigan Technological University
Rocky Mountain College
San Diego State University
Sierra Nevada University
St. Olaf College
Stanford University
Syracuse University
The Claremont Colleges
The Ohio State University
Tufts University
United States Air Force Academy
United States Military Academy
University of British Columbia
University of California Los Angeles
University of California, Davis
University of Colorado Boulder 
University of Connecticut 
University of Idaho 
University of Maine at Farmington 
University of Maine at Presque Isle 
University of Nevada 
University of North Carolina at Charlotte 
University of South Dakota 
University of Vermont 
University of Virginia 
University of Washington 
University of Wisconsin Madison 
University of Wyoming 
Virginia Tech 
Western Colorado University 
Westminster College 
Whitman College

Men
Appalachian State University 
Babson College
California State University Long Beach
California State University Sacramento 
Carnegie Mellon University 
Castleton University 
Clarkson University 
Colgate University 
Colorado Mesa University 
Columbia University 
Cornell University 
Dartmouth College 
Drexel University 
Dunwoody Technical College 
Hamilton College 
Hobart and William Smith Colleges 
James Madison University 
Lafayette College 
Lees-McRae College 
Lehigh University 
Liberty University 
Michigan State University 
Michigan Technological University 
Northeastern University 
Northern Arizona University 
Paul Smith's College 
Rocky Mountain College 
San Diego State University 
Sierra Nevada University 
St. Olaf College 
Stanford University 
The Claremont Colleges 
The College of Idaho 
The Ohio State University 
Tufts University 
United States Air Force Academy 
United States Military Academy 
University of British Columbia 
University of California Los Angeles 
University of Colorado Boulder 
University of Connecticut 
University of Maine at Farmington 
University of Maine at Presque Isle 
University of Michigan 
University of Minnesota Duluth 
University of Nevada 
University of North Carolina at Charlotte 
University of Southern California 
University of Vermont 
University of Virginia 
University of Washington 
University of Wisconsin Madison 
University of Wyoming 
Virginia Tech 
Western Carolina University 
Western Colorado University 
Westminster College
 

Women's Alpine World Cup Races in Are, Sweden Cancelled

By U.S. Ski & Snowboard
March, 11 2020
Mikael Shiffrin in Åre
Mikaela Shiffrin in action during the FIS World Ski Championships Women's super-G on February 5, 2019, in Åre, Sweden. Mikaela had just announced her return to World Cup competition prior to the 2020 World Cups being cancelled due to the continued outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). (Alexis Boichard - Agence Zoom/Getty Images)

Due to the outbreak and situation with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), the upcoming FIS Women's Alpine World Cup races in Åre (SWE) have been cancelled after new recommendations from the Public Health Agency of Sweden.

The health and welfare of the athletes and all other participants, as well as the general public, are in the forefront and the priority of FIS and all stakeholders. FIS is fully compliant with the instructions and decisions of the National and Regional Governments and their Health Authorities in any recommendation regarding public gathers that impact FIS competitions.

Double Olympic champion Mikaela Shiffrin had announced earlier on Wednesday that she would make her return to action in Åre following the sudden passing of her father last month. 

The World Cup Finals scheduled in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy for March 16-22, were cancelled last week. The races in Åre, Sweden scheduled for March 12-14 were cancelled and will not be replaced on the World Cup calendar, meaning the 2019-2020 season is officially finished for the women.

Italy's Federica Brignone is the winner of the 2019-20 World Cup overall title, ending Mikaela's three-year reign. Federica becomes the first Italian ski racer since Alberto Tomba in 1995 to win the overall crystal globe, and the first Italian woman to win the title. She also wins the giant slalom globe, while Slovakia's Petra Vhlova wins the slalom globe. Despite missing the sitting out the last eight races, Mikaela was in contention for three globes heading into the final Åre tech series. She ended up second in the overall standings, trailing Federica by 153 points, second in the slalom standings, trailing Petra by a mere 20 points, and third in the giant slalom behind Federica (407 points) and Petra (333), with 314 points.

***

About FIS
FIS is the governing body for international skiing and snowboarding, founded in 1924 during the first Olympic Games in Chamonix, France. Recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), FIS manages the Olympic disciplines of Alpine Skiing, Cross-Country Skiing, Ski Jumping, Nordic Combined, Freestyle Skiing, and Snowboarding, including setting the international competition rules. Through its 131 member nations, more than 7’000 FIS ski and snowboard competitions are staged annually. Specific initiatives are undertaken by FIS to promote snow activities as a healthy leisure recreation, notably for the young. For more information, please visit www.fis-ski.com

Release courtesy of FIS.

Cashman Takes Home Career-First World Juniors Medal in Narvik AC

By Megan Harrod
March, 9 2020
Keely Cashman World Juniors Bronze AC
Keely Cashman grabbed her career-first FIS Junior World Ski Championships medal with a bronze in Monday's alpine combined in Narvik, Norway, to lead the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team. 

Keely Cashman grabbed her career-first FIS Junior World Ski Championships medal with a bronze in Monday's alpine combined in Narvik, Norway, to lead the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team. 

For the third-consecutive event at Narvik, the seemingly unbeatable Austrian duo of Magdalena Egger and Lisa Grill went 1-2. Magdalena finished just ahead of countrywoman Lisa in the super-G portion of the combined with a time of 59.24 seconds, while Lisa posted a time of 59.28. After getting fifth-place in Sunday's super-G, Keely proved she once again could hang with the Austrians, finishing just .31 seconds off Magdalena's pace in the super-G. All three ladies held their own in the slalom portion of the combined, and Keely secured her career-first World Juniors medal. 

Alpine Development Director Chip Knight noted that Monday's super-G was a more open super-G set, and less technical and turny. There was a lot more speed coming down that pitch, which resulted in a lot of DNFs. "Keely skied really, really strong in the super-G and put herself in a nice position and had a very solid, stable slalom run. These Austrian girls are very good skiers across the board...they have very fast skis. They get to the flats and they just motor at the bottom of the hill. They're a formidable duo with fast skis, but they were certainly capable slalom skiers as well, so I'm sure they'll be in contention in the last two races. It was great to sneak in there and get a medal today."

Keely said the conditions were challenging, but they reminded her of home, "it was super windy, so the start was moved down a bit, and the snow wasn't super wet, but it was really mushy, so it was pretty soft. It was kind of like skiing at Squaw, so it was familiar to me. I'm pretty happy with the result." Hopefully, she added, her result will help build the momentum for the rest of the group. "I think the boys are pretty happy with their slalom run, so hopefully it will help them do well in the super-G," Keely said. Chip agreed, saying that this medal was important for the team, and it will hopefully stoke the fire. 

She's feeling pretty good about her skiing in the tech disciplines and will look forward to the giant slalom and slalom events, though she knows the Austrians will be tough to beat. "I know they mainly ski speed events, so for me—as someone who doesn't solely ski speed—to be able to be up there with them is pretty cool. I was telling AJ that one of us needs to dethrone them because they've been winning every day," Keely said with a giggle (she and AJ grew up skiing together at Squaw Valley, Calif. and are best friends). 

Katie Twible, U.S. Ski Team Women’s World Cup and Europa Cup Assistant Coach was stoked about the progress Keely has made as well as her ability to keep it cool despite numerous delays. "Keely stepped up and skied awesome today!" Katie shared. "She has just been building all week. There were a ton, of course, holds and start/stops due to weather and crazy wind, and Keely came out of the start ready to roll. She skied well and nailed all the tough sections. It was a long day, with a ton of changes, so I'm really proud of her."

She added that AJ Hurt, who did not finish in the super-G portion of the alpine combined, carried a lot of speed and skied the top section well, but she came in with that speed and couldn't hold it. "She will be ready for the GS," said Katie. Olivia Holm also started for the U.S. but did not finish the super-G portion of the alpine combined. 

(Updated March 10th)
The men were originally supposed to ski both the slalom and the super-G portions of the alpine combined on Tuesday, but with weather coming in, the organizers modified the program. They were able to successfully run the slalom portion of the combined on Monday. The Americans put themselves in a solid position to strike after the slalom and heading into the super-G portion of the combined, with Bridger Gile in seventh, Isaiah Nelson eighth, Matthew Macaluso 12th, Jacob Dilling 18th, Bradshaw Underhill 19th, and Jack Smith in 27th.

Unfortunately, it rained overnight on Monday and the surface didn't refreeze, forcing the cancellation of the super-G and thus the cancellation of the alpine combined entirely. Up next, the women will take on the tech events, with the giant slalom on Wednesday. You can watch it live via Narvik's YouTube channel

RESULTS
Women's Alpine Combined
Men's Alpine Combined - Slalom (incomplete results)

WATCH IT LIVE
Catch all of the action via Narvik's YouTube channel

NARVIK 2020 JUNIOR WORLDS AMERICAN TEAM
Team Announcement

NARVIK 2020 COMPETITION SCHEDULE
March 10  – Men's alpine combined (CANCELLED)
March 11  – Women’s giant slalom
March 12  – Men’s giant slalom 
March 13  – Women's and men's slalom 
March 14  – Mixed Parallel Team Event

MORE INFORMATION
Narvik 2020 Official Website
Narvik 2020 Promotional Video

 

Cashman Fifth at World Juniors in Narvik to Lead the Americans

By Megan Harrod
March, 8 2020
Keely and AJ Junior Worlds
Keely Cashman led the way for the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team on Sunday at FIS Junior World Ski Championships in Narvik, Norway, finishing fifth in the super-G, while teammate AJ Hurt finished sixth. 

Keely Cashman led the way for the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team on Sunday at the FIS Junior World Ski Championships in Narvik, Norway, finishing fifth in super-G, while teammate AJ Hurt finished sixth. 

Nobody could catch Austria's Magdalena Egger, who finished first, while countrywoman Lisa Grill was second, just .28 seconds back. France's Karen Smadja Clement was third, just one one-hundredth off of Lisa. On the men's side, Stefan Riser of Austria grabbed the victory, while teammate Armin Dornauer was second, .51 back. Switzerland's Yannick Chabloz finished rounded out the podium in third, .54 seconds off of Stefan. 

Four American men made it into the top 20, with Bradshaw Underhill skiing into ninth-place, while Isaiah Nelson was 13th, Matthew Macaluso 15th, and Jack Smith 19th. Unfortunately, Bridger Gile—who was a favorite in super-G—got a little low and late, which resulted in a DNF. 

Nevertheless, Alpine Development Director Chip Knight was proud of the athletes and their progress, especially considering 36 athletes in the men's field did not finish. "We had a good day today in super-G today...great results from Keely and AJ, both finishing in the top-6, and some really positive finishes from our first-timers Bradshaw and Isaiah in ninth and 13th," reflected Chip. "The course set was very challenging in the middle section, with high-speed technical turns down the pitch and through the terrain, which caused a high DNF rate. The staff was proud of the way our athletes attacked the hill and skied strong when it counted."

Up next, the women and men will take on the alpine combined on Monday. The men were originally supposed to ski the alpine combined on Tuesday, but with weather coming in, the organizers changed the program in an effort to squeeze at least the slalom portion of the combined into Monday's program. Last year in Val di Fassa, Italy, Keely finished just off the podium in fourth. You can watch it live via Narvik's YouTube channel

RESULTS
Women’s Super-G
Men’s Super-G

WATCH IT LIVE
Catch all of the action via Narvik's YouTube channel

NARVIK 2020 JUNIOR WORLDS AMERICAN TEAM
Team Announcement

NARVIK 2020 COMPETITION SCHEDULE
March 9  – Women’s and men's alpine combined
March 10  – TBD
March 11  – Women’s giant slalom
March 12  – Men’s giant slalom 
March 13  – Women's and men's slalom 
March 14  – Mixed Parallel Team Event

MORE INFORMATION
Narvik 2020 Official Website
Narvik 2020 Promotional Video


 

 

Kvitfjell Super-G Cancelled Due to Weather; 2019-20 Speed Season Complete

By Megan Harrod
March, 8 2020
Kvitfjell, Norway

Due to the rain and snow mix, as well as fog in Kvitfjell, Norway on Sunday morning, the jury together with the organizing committee, decided to cancel the final super-G of the 2019-20 FIS Ski World Cup season. 

In a somewhat anticlimactic finish to an already challenging season, rife with weather issues and the Novel Coronavirus outbreak, Switzerland's Mauro Caviezel took the super-G globe with 365 points, with Austria's Vincent Kriechmayr in second with 362 points, and Norway's Aleksander Aamodt Kilde in third with 336 points. 

The Americans had two athletes in the top 25 in the super-G standings, with Travis Ganong in 12th and Ryan Cochran-Siegle in 20th. Steven Nyman finished just one point outside the top 25, finishing ranked 26th. 

The Crystal Globe chase continues, with Aleksander regaining the lead in the overall with 1,202 points over French tech savant Alexis Pinturault with 1,148 points after failing to finish in the top 30 in Saturday’s downhill. Unfortunately for Aleksander, super-G was one of his best events, and this will be a disadvantage for him heading into the final tech series of the season, where Alexis excels. Alexis was second in the last slalom, in Schladming, Austria and won the giant slalom in Hinterstoder, Austria, while Aleksander was sixth in the giant slalom.

Up next for the men is a giant slalom and slalom in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia on March 14-15. With the cancellation of World Cup Finals in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, the Kranjska Gora races will be the final races of the season.