The 2018-19 season brings the following changes for Coach, Official, and Club Volunteer members.

• Background screening
  • Now required every two seasons
  • Minimum age requirement of 18 years
• SafeSport Training
  • The Core Center for SafeSport Training is required once.
  • A refresher course is required on an annual basis every season following the completion of the Core Center for SafeSport Training for each participating adult.
• Fast Start Coaching Course: Now required for Level 100 certification

These changes are in part due to legislation passed by Congress called ‘Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse and SafeSport Authorization Act of 2017.’  Federal law now requires that adults who have regular contact or are in positions of authority over athletes must receive consistent education on prevention and reporting.

More details regarding SafeSport are available on the U.S. Ski & Snowboard website.

SafeSport education and implementation, and the protection of youths and people of all ages engaged in sport at all levels are the number one priorities today for National Governing Bodies (NGBs) across the United States.

Thousands of people take part in U.S. Ski & Snowboard events, training programs and competitions annually, from grassroots levels right up to elite, and U.S. Ski & Snowboard is placing the very highest possible emphasis on making sure every participant can do so in an environment that is free from abuse, hazing, and bullying.

Recently, the US Congress passed the “Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse and Safe Sport Authorization Act of 2017”, which now makes failure to report suspected child sexual abuse to police a violation of federal criminal law. This is an important step up in policy and one that U.S. Ski & Snowboard applauds and has implemented across our organization.

Federal law now requires that adults who have frequent contact with athletes or are in positions of authority over athletes must receive consistent and regular education on the critical importance of prevention of all forms of abuse, bullying, and hazing, and are empowered to report whenever they suspect something untoward is taking place.

At our recent Congress, U.S. Ski & Snowboard announced a number of operational updates to ensure that our organization is implementing best practice across all levels of our organization in this critical area. This will start from the grassroots with U.S. Ski & Snowboard member clubs, and extend to all areas of the Center of Excellence.

All employees of U.S. Ski & Snowboard must complete SafeSport training and background screening before their first day of work. All interns, volunteers and contractors who have access to the Center of Excellence, or who frequently interact with athletes, and those who have access to confidential U.S. Ski & Snowboard information related to the organization or athletes, must also complete SafeSport training and background screening before their first day of interning, volunteering, or beginning contract work.

The changes will also impact U.S. Ski & Snowboard member clubs, as they will be required to implement the same standards of SafeSport training and education, and background screening, as all those who work at or with U.S. Ski & Snowboard in Park City, and at the FIS events in the United States. These mandatory requirements will include:

• Criminal background screening for all employees, coaches, officials, and volunteers who are in regular contact with athletes, or in positions of authority over athletes
• Consistent education on prevention of sexual abuse, bullying, and hazing, and clear reporting structures in place to enable anyone who is concerned about any of these areas to be able to come forward and report
• The development and implementation of policies to limit, as much as possible, one-on-one interactions with athletes at any time
• Implementation and enforcement of policies and preparation for and quick response to random audits for compliance by the US Center for SafeSport
• Background screening and SafeSport training: Now required all employees, coaches, officials, and volunteers who are in regular contact with athletes, or in positions of authority over athletes every two seasons
• Fast Start Coaching Course: Now required for Level 100 certification

These policies and processes are in the process of implementation across all levels of U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s member programs. More details regarding SafeSport are available on the U.S. Ski & Snowboard website.

PARK CITY, Utah (May 1, 2018) – U.S. Ski & Snowboard will recognize more than 50 athletes, coaches, clubs, and leaders who have supported skiing and snowboarding at this week’s annual U.S. Ski & Snowboard Congress. The awards include gold awards, silver awards, athlete, coach and club of the year awards in each sport, and sport-specific awards.

The organization’s highest honor, the Julius Blegen Award, will be awarded to the late Bruce Crane, acknowledging his lifetime of service to skiing and snowboarding. Crane spent much of his life serving his passion both professionally and as a volunteer in the sport of ski racing. Throughout his career, Crane served as a competition director for multiple organizations and worked at the 1998 and 2002 Olympic Winter Games. He was world acclaimed for his work in race timing and scoring, athlete ranking systems, and racecourse homologation. Crane was honored many times for his service, including the Westhaven Award for service as a technical delegate in 1997 and the Bud and Mary Little Award for his work with the International Ski Federation (FIS), and the U.S. Olympic Committee in 2002.

U.S. Ski & Snowboard announced various gold awards, including Olympic champion Jessie Diggins as the recipient of this year’s Beck International Award, Rowmark Academy’s Troy Price (Salt Lake City) as development coach of the year, Dave Reynolds and Mike Ramirez as international coaches of the year and Alaska Pacific University Nordic Ski Center as club of the year. Additionally, Brad Ghent (Edwards, Colo.) will receive the Westhaven Award for his service as a U.S. Ski & Snowboard and FIS technical delegate.

The Utah Olympic Park, Waterville Valley Resort, Craftsbury Outdoor Center and Central Cross Country Skiing will receive silver awards for their service to and support of the sports. The Utah Olympic Park, winner of the John J. Clair Jr. Award, serves as a training center for the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team for elite and development level athletes in multiple Olympic disciplines. Waterville Valley and Craftsbury Outdoor Center will receive the Paul Bacon Award for their event organization, including the 2018 U.S. Freestyle Moguls Championships at Waterville Valley and two SuperTour stops at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center. Central Cross Country Skiing will receive the Russell Wilder Award for service to youth through its Nordic Rocks program.

Other silver award recipients include Tom Johnston (Bud and Mary Little Award) for his service to the FIS and the U.S. Olympic Committee, Ritchie Date (West Family Award) for his work as a U.S. Ski & Snowboard official, Dr. Jamie Watkins (J. Leland Sosman Award) for his service as a team physician and Olympic Champion Kikkan Randall (Buddy Werner Award, and Team Athlete Giving Back Award) for her sportsmanship and leadership as well as her work with the Fast & Female program.

All of this year’s awards will be presented at the Chairman’s Awards Dinner on May 3 in Park City.

2018 U.S. SKI & SNOWBOARD JULIUS BLEGEN AWARD RECIPIENT

Bruce Crane (Park City, Utah)

U.S. SKI & SNOWBOARD GOLD AWARD RECIPIENTS

Westhaven Award (top U.S. Ski & Snowboard technical delegate) – Brad Ghent (Edwards, Colo.)

U.S. SKI & SNOWBOARD SILVER AWARD RECIPIENTS

Paul Bacon Award (event organization) – Waterville Valley Resort + Craftsbury Outdoor Center & Nordic Ski Club

John J. Clair Jr. Award (service to the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team) – Utah Olympic Park

Bud and Mary Little Award (service to FIS/USOC) – Tom Johnston (Pinedale, Wyo.)

Buddy Werner Award (athlete sportsmanship, leadership) – Kikkan Randall (Anchorage, Alaska)

Russell Wilder Award (service to youth) – Central Cross Country Skiing, Nordic Rocks

J. Leland Sosman Award (service as team physician) – Jamie Watkins, MD (Snowmass Village, Colo.)

West Family Award (U.S. Ski & Snowboard official) – Richie Date (Park City, Utah)

Team Athlete Giving Back Award – Kikkan Randall (Anchorage, Alaska)

PARK CITY, Utah (April 30, 2018) – U.S. Ski & Snowboard will recognize 31 individuals and organizations for Athlete, Coach, and Club of the Year awards at the upcoming U.S. Ski & Snowboard Congress. Top honorees this year include Jessie Diggins (Afton, Minn.), recipient of the Beck International Award, U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s top athletic honor, U.S. Snowboard Team’s Mike Ramirez and David Reynolds for Coach of the Year, Troy Price for Development Coach of the Year and Alaska Pacific University for Club of the Year.

Jessie Diggins made history this season when she and teammate Kikkan Randall (Anchorage, Alaska) brought home the gold medal in the team sprint at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea. It was the first U.S. women’s cross country medal and only the second cross country medal ever following Bill Koch’s silver at the 1976 Games. Diggins also had a spectacular World Cup season with eight podiums, including victories in Seefeld, Austria and Falun, Sweden.

“It is an honor to be receiving the Beck International Award, and I’m extremely grateful to the team that created so many extraordinary racing opportunities this season,” said Diggins. “Our coaches and staff have worked tirelessly, putting the rest of their lives on hold to travel the world with us and help us achieve athletic excellence. Our teammates have put in thousands of hours of training to push the level of skiing in this country forward. This season wouldn’t have happened without such amazing support!”

U.S. Snowboard Team coaches Mike Ramirez and Dave Reynolds led their team of 18 athletes to four Olympic medals, including two gold, three X Games medals, 11 World Cup podiums and an overall World Cup title. Their guidance and dedication to their team have helped U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s slopestyle and big air teams become the “Best in the World!”

As junior program director at Rowmark Ski Academy in Salt Lake City, Troy Price has fostered a high level of development for his athletes at Rowmark and the entire intermountain division. He established the division’s development committee nine years ago and has served as committee chair since its inception, playing a key role in managing development projects, running the Tri-Divisional Championships and fielding a Western Region team for this season’s Whistler Cup.

Alaska Pacific University has long supported the development and success of cross country skiing athletes at every level. This season, APU had a total of nine current and alumni athletes compete at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games, including Olympic Champion Randall, Sadie and Erik Bjornsen (Winthrop, Wash.) and Rosie Brennan (Park City, Utah).

All award recipients will be recognized at the annual Chairman’s Awards Dinner on May 3 in Park City.
 

2018 U.S. SKI & SNOWBOARD ATHLETES OF THE YEAR

• Beck International Award: Jessie Diggins (Afton, Minn.; SMS T2)
• Alpine Athlete of the Year: Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle/Vail, Colo.; Burke Mountain Academy/Ski & Snowboard Club Vail)
• Adaptive Athlete of the Year: Tyler Walker (Franconia, N.H./U.S Paralympic Team)
• Cross Country Athlete of the Year: Jessie Diggins (Afton, Minn.; SMS T2)
• Freestyle Athlete of the Year: Jaelin Kauf (Alta, Wyo.; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club)
• Freeskiing Athlete of the Year: David Wise (Reno, Nev.)
• Nordic Combined Athlete of the Year: Ben Loomis (Eau Claire, Wisc.; Flying Eagle Ski Club)
• Ski Jumping Athlete of the Year: Kevin Bickner (Wauconda, Ill.; Norge Ski Club)
• Snowboarding Athlete of the Year: Jamie Anderson (S. Lake Tahoe, Calif.; USASA South Tahoe Series)
   

2018 U.S. SKI & SNOWBOARD COACHES OF THE YEAR

• International/Snowboard Coach of the Year: Mike Ramirez + Dave Reynolds (U.S. Snowboard Team)
• Development/Alpine Domestic Coach of the Year: Troy Price (Rowmark Ski Academy)
• Adaptive International Coach of the Year: Graham Watanabe (U.S. Paralympics)
• Adaptive Domestic Coach of the Year: Erik Leirfallom (National Ability Center)
• Alpine International Coach of the Year: Chip White (U.S. Women’s Alpine Ski Team)
• Cross Country International Coach of the Year: Jason Cork + Matt Whitcomb (U.S. Ski Team)
• Cross Country Domestic Coach of the Year: Bryan Fish (U.S. Ski Team)
• Freestyle International Coach of the Year: Matt Gnoza (U.S. Ski Team)
• Freestyle Domestic Coach of the Year: John Dowling (Ski & Snowboard Club Vail)
• Freeski International Coach of the Year: Ben Verge + Andrew Woods (U.S. Freeski Team)
• Freeski Domestic Coach of the Year: Jesse Mallis (Stratton Mountain School)
• Ski Jumping/Nordic Combined International Coach of the Year: Uroš "Balki" Vrhovec (USA Nordic)
• Ski Jumping/Nordic Combined Domestic Coach of the Year: Colin Delaney (NYSEF)
• Snowboard Domestic Coach of the Year: Brady McNeil (Ski & Snowboard Club Vail)
   

2018 U.S. SKI & SNOWBOARD CLUBS OF THE YEAR

• Club/Cross Country Club of the Year: Alaska Pacific University Nordic Ski Center
• Alpine + Ski Jumping/Nordic Combined Club of the Year: Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club
• Freestyle Club of the Year: Winter Park Freestyle Program
• Freeski + Snowboard Club of the Year: Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club

In this update from U.S. Ski & Snowboard, I’m writing to share important topics with which our team is currently engaged.

Reflecting on the 2018 season, we have much to be proud of - from the Olympic Winter Games to the World Cup and Grand Prix circuits, to all major events in which our incredible athletes excelled. While we have had a number of great successes, this season has also revealed areas where we are simply falling short of our ambitious goals and objectives. My laser focus and that of our entire organization is on improving our operations, the culture of our teams and the effectiveness of our overall athletic development systems, all of which is aimed at helping our athletes become, and remain, the Best in the World while providing a safe and healthy environment.

Like every organization striving for excellence, we have, and always will have, challenges to face and tackle. We must always be committed to a culture of continuous improvement. We have made plans to address key challenges and opportunities over the last several years that we are already executing. At the same time, we are also carefully listening and responding to input and challenging every assumption and plan. We embrace public dialog and the feedback we receive from all quarters. We also hear and understand the need for more transparency. With this in mind, I wanted to share with you some key updates within our organization:

• Team structures: We are restructuring our freestyle and alpine departments to provide a new and renewed focus on domestic and development level programming combined with supporting our national teams. These restructuring efforts will be ongoing, and are focused on improved culture and domestic program integration.

• Athlete safety is of paramount importance and a fundamental priority for our organization. We are continuously evaluating how we improve SafeSport training, awareness and enforcement at all levels of U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s operations. Additional details on this critical work will be discussed further during U.S. Ski & Snowboard Congress in early May.

• Financial transparency is of critical importance and a goal of this organization. We publish information which gives clear details of our operating budget (available here), and will publish mid-May when our 2019 budget is final and approved, additional information about sport-specific athlete costs and benefits involving funding allocations and the specific steps we are taking to increase funding and decrease costs for our athletes. This includes the Bob Beattie Travel Fund and other campaigns supporters have so generously helped us all to create. Benefits of being a team member will also be detailed, including our highly utilized significant career and academic support.

The upcoming U.S. Ski & Snowboard Congress, May 1-5 in Park City, Utah will be the perfect opportunity for attendees to learn more about the important topics that our team is engaged with, and to provide thoughts, ideas and feedback on the changes we are implementing to help us achieve our vision and goals by executing our mission. Those who know me and this organization know that we always welcome any and all feedback. We are listening carefully and working hard to make U.S. Ski & Snowboard stronger, with our core focus, as ever, on athletes.

Thank you for your continued support.

Tiger Shaw
President & CEO
U.S. Ski & Snowboard