On February 2, 2020, two-time Olympic champion Mikaela Shiffrin’s world stopped turning when her dear father, Jeff Shiffrin, unexpectedly and tragically passed away. Shortly thereafter, the entire world came to a halt as COVID-19 swept the globe. 

With challenges, come opportunities. 

The name Mikaela Shiffrin has become a household name across America and around the world over the last several years. At just 25 years old, the skiing phenomenon is already a two-time Olympic Champion, five-time World Champion, and a 66-time World Cup victor. She was featured on the March 2020 cover of Sports Illustrated, which named her the world’s most dominant athlete. Anyone who has seen Mikaela ski knows they are watching history in the making, and it’s thrilling. The powerhouse that is Mikaela Shiffrin—the speed, the precision, the focus, the resiliency—reflects the values and discipline instilled in her by her parents from a very young age. In 2020, it is the gift of resiliency that has taken center stage.

Following a tragic accident at the family home, Dr. Jeffrey Scott Shiffrin—known to his family and friends as Jeff—passed away with his family by his side. Like so many fathers, Jeff was the foundation of the family and his absence is felt deeply by them every day. As Mikaela said, he was “our mountains, our ocean, our sunrise, our heart, our soul, our everything. He taught us so many valuable lessons...but above everything else, he taught us the golden rule: be nice, think first.” 

He has also left a strong legacy behind in his two children, Mikaela and Taylor, and in the many lives he touched throughout his journey as a doctor, husband, father, friend, and mentor. Raised in Dover, New Jersey, Jeff often spent weekends with his family at Stratton or Sugarbush in southern Vermont. At age 13, he joined the race team at Great Gorge Ski Resort (now Mountain Creek). He later raced on the Dartmouth Ski Team and remained active in the sport all his life, oftentimes seen with his camera around his neck on the side of the mountain, or in the finish area.

In March, Mikaela returned to Europe with a plan to get back in the start gate. However, COVID-19 caused an abrupt end to the season for Mikaela and her U.S. Ski & Snowboard teammates. In response to the COVID-19 crisis and setbacks it has created for U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes across all sports, a group of generous donors (six families) have stepped up and offered to match, dollar for dollar, every single contribution raised up to $1.5 million, creating the “Jeff Shiffrin Athlete Resiliency Fund.”

“To me, resiliency is the ability to experience something really difficult—hardship, pain, struggle—to experience that, and to get to the other side of it, holding on to some form of strength or purpose,” said Mikaela. “And it doesn’t mean you were the same person that you were before…but you keep that strength, you keep that toughness or that determination you had before. In a sense, it’s just holding on to the fire that you had, that kept you going…that kept you motivated and moving forward. So, really, resiliency is just not giving up.”
 

 

 

 

 

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There is something about trying to explain something that’s unexplainable. From the moment my brother called, to the 10 hr plane ride, to the following 9 hrs that I laid in that hospital bed with my dad waiting for them to say it was time to go and simultaneously hoping they never would, to the moments this summer with my mom and brother where we could actually smile or laugh together, to the overwhelming amount of *everything* that has cascaded down on us for the last 7 months, to now. This moment, where I’m trying to explain something that’s unexplainable. Why? Because hidden somewhere deep down within every single one of us is this incredible thing that I want to share with you in hopes that you may find it within yourself. A thing that exudes Hope. Bravery. Sadness. Anger. Joy. Pain. A thing that reveals our scars as if they branded us only yesterday, yet also finds a way to envelope them in a thin layer of the softest fabric. Something that can slightly dull the ache, the screaming coming from every fiber of our being. Resiliency. That thing is resiliency. And it has become more essential to my life over the last 7 months than I ever thought it would be. I’m sure a LOT of people have felt and currently feel that way. So maybe if I give you some hope, you can give me some too. Maybe if I share some strength, you might kindly return the favor. After all, we are in this together. The stories we are sharing through the Jeff Shiffrin Athlete Resiliency fund will send shivers down your spine, make you want to get up and dance, make you want to cry, and make you laugh, all at the same time. They are stories of heart and soul, and they are being told hand in hand with a massive effort to help the athletes of @usskiteam continue training and competing in their sports during one of the most challenging, frustrating and confusing times any of us have faced and may ever face. I am so incredibly proud to share this with you now. And I am so incredibly thankful to everyone who has helped bring this to life for our athletes. Throughout it all, together we can keep the flame alive. Learn more at keeptheflamealive.org. #keeptheflamealive

A post shared by Mikaela Shiffrin ⛷💨 (@mikaelashiffrin) on Sep 21, 2020 at 6:52am PDT

In creating the Jeff Shiffrin Athlete Resiliency Fund, the Shiffrin family, coupled with these generous donors, wanted to honor both Jeff’s legacy, as well as contribute to the ongoing pursuit of excellence for all athletes across all sports. Better days are still ahead, and the thrill and challenge of athletes’ Olympic dreams are worth fighting for. 

In honor of Jeff’s life and legacy, U.S. Ski & Snowboard is proud to announce the launch of the Jeff Shiffrin Athlete Resiliency Fund campaign. The Shiffrin family believes that great goals can be achieved through hard work, discipline, and resiliency. 

The goal of the Jeff Shiffrin Athlete Resiliency Fund is to keep athletes’ skis and boards on the snow, despite potential storms ahead. Funds raised will assist in U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s ability to support all athletes and teams during these uncertain times. The Jeff Shiffrin Athlete Resiliency Fund will sustain coaching, training camps, and competition expenses now, and hopefully, help bridge the gap through the end of the 2022 fiscal year.

“We thank Mikaela, her mother Eileen, and brother Taylor, for their generous and incredible time and energy in working with our Foundation in honoring Jeff’s legacy,” stressed Tiger Shaw, President and CEO of U.S. Ski & Snowboard. “We are deeply grateful to the six families that have committed more than $1.5 million to launch the Jeff Shiffrin Athlete Resiliency Fund: Phill & Liz Gross, Paul & Wendy Raether, Eric & Sara Resnick, Andy & Linda McLane, Steven & Mary Ann Read, and Steve & Diana Strandberg.”

“Donor contributions will support athletes across the U.S. alpine, freestyle, freeski, snowboard, and cross country teams as we continue our journey to the 2022 Beijing Olympic Winter Games and address ongoing challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Jeff Shiffrin Athlete Resiliency Fund will allow us to be nimble in being prepared for unexpected expenses in the run up to and during the Olympic Games. ”

Mikaela rallied a crew of alumni athletes and current athletes who embody the definition of “resiliency,” including Olympic champions Jonny Mosely, Kikkan Randall, Jessie Diggins as well as three-time World Champion Jeremy Bloom and three-time World Cup winner and Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team downhiller Steven Nyman, to share their unique stories of resilience. The 185 alpine, cross country, freestyle, freeski and snowboard athletes will be encouraged to share their stories of resilience, and those who have inspired them, in U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s social media challenge to #KeepTheFlameAlive. 

Prior to this public launch, U.S. Ski & Snowboard raised more than $800,000 in contributions towards the $1.5 million match goal. For more information about the Jeff Shiffrin Athlete Resiliency Fund and to donate, visit keeptheflamealive.org.

 
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U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes perform quite literally on the edge—on their skis and their boards—gaining an edge over the competition is the difference between earning a podium or not, and in one medal versus another. As skiing and snowboarding has evolved over time, so too has U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s understanding of what makes an athlete successful. When the difference between success and failure is on the edge, finding a competitive advantage becomes paramount. 

Enter Lily Koffman. In 2019 during her senior year of undergrad, Lily read an article in Faster Skier describing U.S. Ski & Snowboard Performance Data Manager Gus Kaeding’s work using data to better inform Team criteria, specifically for the cross country team. As an undergraduate at Harvard University studying statistics on the hunt for a thesis project, and a member of the Harvard Cross Country Ski Team, Lily thought to herself: “That’s cool. I wonder if he needs any help.” Her outreach to Gus led to a summer fellowship, funded by the American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation and Women in Sports Tech, which just wrapped its second year. Although Lily didn’t find her senior thesis, she is playing an instrumental role in helping U.S. Ski & Snowboard mold better athletes through science. 

Athletes and coaches are no strangers to collecting and analyzing data, including: daily nutrition, sleep habits, levels of fatigue and stress, repetitions and loads in the gym, number of jumps, number of training runs, snow conditions, etc. But how do you turn those numbers and logs into useful information and calls to action? Think of Lily and Gus as the codebreakers; these two analyze and interpret data across all sport disciplines for meaningful insights. 

“A lot of the information we have previously relied on [for developing athletes] is anecdotal,” explained Gus. “I think especially in skiing and snowboarding we have lots of opportunities to make decisions going forward based on fact, not just something your coach told you that his or her coach told them before that.”

Gus started with U.S. Ski & Snowboard three years ago and since then has streamlined how athlete data is collected, managed and analyzed. “Now we have enough data that we can have these dedicated projects and attract talented people like Lily to help us. We have the problem, here’s the data, now solve this.”

Lily focused on three major projects for U.S. Ski & Snowboard including analyzing Mikaela Shiffrin’s data, the entire Alpine development system, and ACL injuries across sport. And because she’s partially funded by the American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation (Birkie), she investigated female participation in the Birkie event. 

The American Birkebeiner is the largest, and one of the longest, cross country ski races in North America. It sees about 20% female participation annually and the organization employed Lily to make recommendations, based on the data, of what they could do to attract and retain more women. Through her research, Lily found that this problem isn't unique to the Birkie. Lily was surprised to learn that the Norwegian Birkebeiner also has about 20% female participation as well. 

“Skiing is super popular in Norway. [So these findings were] somewhat reassuring. It’s not specific to the American Birkie, but a worldwide problem in skiing. Conversely, world marathon running participation is about 40% female. So there’s lessons to be learned, what did running to do increase participation and how can we apply this information to skiing?” 

Lily made several recommendations based on running’s successes. “A lot of growth in women’s distance running is attributed to social and charity running groups. Skiing can benefit from a similar focus on community and charity. It’s also important to make marathon skiing more accessible. On snow training every day isn’t essential to being able to ski the Birkie. There’s this perception of this really competitive culture. If you’ve never done a ski marathon it’s hard to show up and have confidence that you can do it too, especially if you don't have a skiing background.” 

Lily recommended training plans and equipment guides, similar to what’s prevalent in the marathon world, as well as identifying community ambassadors who can encourage women to try skiing the Birkie, and to come back year after year. 

As a woman in a largely male-dominated field, Lily’s perspective as a woman can help bring women-specific issues to the forefront of sport science. A review of 1,382 exercise medicine studies published between 2011 and 2013 found that females made up 39 percent of total study participants. Among 188 studies published in two academic journals in early 2015, females made up 42 percent of study subjects. Among studies in sport science, females accounted for only three percent of participants.   

“I think it's one of the things that I am personally interested in,” Lily said. “It’s important to grow the presence of women in data roles so [more people start] paying attention to the gender angle. I’m trying to do my part to make [those stats mentioned] more 50% [across the board].”

Lily’s first project with U.S. Ski & Snowboard was to overlay two-time Olympic champion, five-time World Champion and winningest slalom skier of all-time, Mikaela Shiffrin’s training and wellness data with her race data to discover what the most important variables were in the week before a race. It was an exciting endeavor, but not as straightforward due to Mikaela’s overall success, “It’s a hard thing to look at, to measure performance, especially with someone like Mikaela,” Lily explained. “The problem is, what is success? [Mikaela] might win, and she wins often, but it might not be a ‘great’ race.” 

“Because Mikaela wins so often, having a win doesn’t really tell you how good of a race it was itself,” added Gus. Lily had to come up with a new metric that showed which races were actually Mikaela’s best performances. Lily presented this information to Mikaela’s team earlier this summer, with the intention of repeating the process this season, to determine successes and new learnings.

From there, Lily took on the daunting task of analyzing the entire alpine development system from youth to National Team athletes, as well as NCAA skiers. “This was the first comprehensive analysis that lays out the entire alpine environment from youth to elite skier,” said Gus. “It was a pretty hard analysis. We’re fortunate to have Lily for this because I’m pretty confident that she is one of few in the entire ski world who has the skill to do such a task; it’s very complex. [We now have a] historical analysis from everything that’s happened (how skiers move through the system compared to other nations), which can help shape the direction going forward.”

“Going into a project I have no goal of what I want to see,” Lily explained. “[For the alpine project] the question was ‘What does the career path of different skiers in the U.S. look like?’ The first step is to make a lot of visualizations. Then something might grab my attention, so I focus on that aspect.” 

Although her fellowship is wrapped for the summer, Lily will continue to work on the ACL project as she pursues her master’s degree in biostatistics at Harvard this year. This is of particular interest to U.S. Ski & Snowboard, as being able to actively prevent season and career-ending injuries could be a serious game changer. 

“Our ACL data is among the biggest data sets of ACL injury that I have ever seen,” explained Gus. “One thing that we have that no other ACL data sets have is that we know a lot of what athletes are doing before they were injured.” Other ACL data sets mostly come from a medical perspective, the starting point for this data is once the person is injured, not what happened beforehand. “For [our athletes] we know their strength numbers in the gym, what kind of snow they were skiing on, how many snow days in a row they had… we know if they had traveled the week prior, if there was another existing injury beforehand. There’s lots of things to look at.”

“[I want to see] if I can identify any trends in who is getting injured, what they were doing when they got injured and return to snow timeline protocols,” said Lily. 

“No data set is perfect,” said Gus. “But we have the whole lifecycle and as much data as you could hope for given the lack of frequency we have for this injury. Our goal is to continue [that trend] of lack of frequency [in ACL injuries].”

Data analysis is increasingly a critical element in high performance innovation. Using data to first identify problems and then make decisions based on proven trends means working smarter. Having talented, passionate individuals working behind the scenes making sense of what’s actually happening in the field is crucial in empowering athletes to reach their full potential. 

“We’re fortunate because we have cool things to work on,” said Gus. “That’s attractive for a young person in the field of data. We should be taking advantage of these young people who think differently [than how I or someone else was taught].”

U.S. Ski & Snowboard is taking applications for its female data fellowship program for 2021. If you’re a female in sports tech interested in opportunities with U.S. Ski & Snowboard, please contact Gus Kaeding at gus.kaeding@usskiandsnowboard.org.

About the American Birkebeiner® Ski Foundation
Located in Hayward, Wisconsin, the American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation (ABSF), a 501(c)(3) organization, is known for its signature American Birkebeiner “Birkie” Ski Marathon held each February.  The ABSF creates inspiring events to assist all ages and abilities in living a healthy, active lifestyle.  Learn more at www.birkie.com.

About Women in Sports Tech, Inc. 
WiST is a non-profit organization driving growth opportunities for women in sports tech and innovation, from interns to executive leadership roles, while providing a pathway for highly motivated college students to discover and explore opportunities within the field. Corporate support includes Nike, IBM Sports, the NBA, Spartan Race, and Catapult Sports. To learn more about how WiST is working to #ChangeTheRatio for women, go to womeninsportstech.org.

The nature of a competitive athlete is to be on the road, traveling the globe to chase podiums, climb rankings, and secure a position at the top of one’s sport. For snowboarders, the “top of one’s sport” takes on a few different meanings. Does it mean landing a closing segment in a Teton Gravity Research annual film? Is it going viral with a street edit? Or is it earning a spot at the top of an Olympic podium?

There are many elements of snowboarding that riders would like to pursue but can’t find the time, energy, or funding to commit to a project outside of their particular specialization. Last season, seven-time FIS Crystal Globe winner Chris Corning and U.S. Snowboard Pro Team member Chase Blackwell made it a point to film alongside a grueling event schedule with the goal of producing their first-ever film, Teal. 

“I wanted to showcase our riding in a different light than what people are used to,” said Chris. “I wanted to bring the street riders into the eyes of competition fans and get the competition riders in front of the powder and street followers.“

Riders on the project included Windham Miller, Brett Moody, Sam Klein, Colton Carroll, Conor Carroll, TJ Holman, and Sam Anderson. Alex Harvey took on the responsibility of filming and editing with filming support from Calen Albert. It was all hands on deck with athletes also assisting in capturing secondary footage from different angles. 

Although the project isn’t complete, Chris and Chase both agree that like competition, producing a snowboard film is not easy with many unique challenges.

“I’d say competition and filming are both pretty difficult, but we are out of our element when producing a snowboard film,” said Chase. “In a contest, it’s very routined and we have a set schedule. That’s often not the case when filming. Plus, we don’t have to build the jumps or the pipe we’re competing on.”

Chris also noted a major difference related to the timeline in both worlds. 

“Doing well at a contest has such instant gratification compared to producing a movie,” he said. “I think it’ll take longer for the emotions around successfully completing the movie to set in.”

Whether filming or competing, it helps to enjoy spending time with your fellow athletes. While Chase and Chris are both friends and U.S. Snowboard Teammates, their schedules are very different as riders who compete in halfpipe and slopestyle. The two riders may not share an event schedule, but they do share the motivation and interest to get out and create. 

“Working on the Teal project with Chase was rewarding in the sense that it allowed us to become closer friends,” said Chris. “We compete in different disciplines, so we don’t always get to travel together, so this was a great opportunity for us to ride and have some fun.”

For Chase, riding with Chris offered up more than just comradery, it was a chance to feed off Chris’s experience and his eye for the backcountry. 

“I had so much fun working with Chris,” Chase reflected. “He’s done more backcountry filming and filming in general than I ever have. Chris was really helpful and knowledgeable about what we were hitting and what tricks/angles for shots were going to look the best. All in all, we’re just really good friends, so getting to shred backcountry with him was all time.”

The movie title Teal speaks to the riders in the film. Like the color, each rider is unique and has yet to truly find their place in the mainstream. Teal sets out to give these riders a home. They may not all belong to one crew, but they came together to embrace each other’s out of the box styles with out of the box features. 

In a world where content rules, filming has become a critical element in building any snowboarder’s personal brand. Last season, Chase and Chris managed to find the best of both worlds, successfully competing at an elite level while working on a collaborative film project. With riders usually having to be laser-focused and dedicated to one element of the sport to find any level of success, it’s a beautiful thing when athletes like Chris and Chase make time to pursue a passion project. 

As Chase and Chris pack their bags for U.S. Ski & Snowboard training camp at the Stomping Grounds Park in Saas Fee, Switzerland, they have more than just on-snow pursuits to look forward to this Fall. Stay tuned for the release of Teal coming soon!

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The U.S. Snowboard and Freeski Slopestyle Teams returned to snow for their first on-snow camp of the summer at Official Training Site Timberline Resort & Ski Area in Mt. Hood, Ore. July 20-July 30. 

The highlight of the camp was U.S. Snowboard Slopestyle Rookie Team member Addie Gardner strapping back up for the first time since sustaining a significant back and pelvis injury at the 2019 Modena Ski Pass Big Air World Cup. Addie was greeted with open arms by her teammates. 

“She has had a tough road ahead of her and worked hard to get back on snow since her injury in October,” said Slopestyle and Big Air Pro Team Head Coach Mike Ramirez. “It was a special moment being there for her return to snow with some of her best friends and teammates. For her second run, we Facetimed her parents so they could be part of the moment as well."

Addie felt she had a successful camp and was grateful to be back doing what she loved with her favorite crew.

“I don’t think It could have gone any better,” said Addie. “Having the support and hype from my teammates from the start of the day to the finish was amazing. I wouldn’t have wanted to share my first time back on snow with anyone else. I am so thankful and it felt amazing! I was sore at the end of the day, but it was worth it.”

Addie was joined by fellow rookie team riders Courtney Rummel, Isabella Gomez, Liam Johnson, as well as pro riders Ty Schnorrbusch and 2020 FIS Big Air Crystal Globe Winner Chris Corning. MIke described Corning as, “a consummate pro who leads by example.”

Co-Slopestyle and Big Air Pro Team Head Coach Dave Reynolds expanded on Chris’s leadership role. 

“It was a small group in the 'bubble' with mostly rookies and it was awesome for them to see just how Chris operates,” said Dave. He does all the right stuff and gets after it on the hill. He made an effort to take Liam (Johnson) under his wing a bit and make him feel welcome and comfortable with it being his first camp with the team.”

For the freeskiers, it was a similar story of getting reacclimated to snow and reuniting with friends and teammates. U.S. Freeski Slopestyle and Big Air National Development Team Coach Ryan Wyble shed some light on the dynamic at camp, which included U.S. Rookie Team members Marin Hamill, Rell Harwood, Jenna Riccomini, Bella Bacon, Richard Thomas, Troy Podmilsak, and Hunter Henderson.

“All of the new and returning athletes on my team knew each other before camp, but it was really a good experience to finally get everyone together in person and spend more time together,” said Ryan. “There were some great sessions on the mountain with both new and returning athletes pushing each other to do tricks, which was epic to see at the first camp. Off the hill, there was also a lot of time spent between new and returning athletes participating in the limited activities that were available to us.”

Although social media channels are flooded with fun and light-hearted content coming out of the glacier, it’s still very apparent that U.S. athletes are lucky to be back on snow amidst a global pandemic. 

“It was a big undertaking to plan out this first camp back on snow, with lots of help and support from our medical staff,” said Ryan. “Just to get everyone to Timberline, on snow, and back home safely was a big accomplishment. After so much time living in our own little bubbles during this pandemic, it was really a great feeling to have the whole team together and to see the athletes push and feed off each other on the hill. I think we all shared a renewed appreciation for the sport we love. That environment was certainly missed over the last four months.”

The U.S. Snowboard and Freeski Teams will look to take their training to European glaciers this fall to continue their preparation for the 2020-21 competition season. They will first head back to Park City, Utah to U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s Center of Excellence as well as the Utah Olympic Park for airbag training. 

Be sure to follow the U.S. Freeski and Snowboard Team on social media below. 

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We all know U.S. Snowboard Team athletes can ride on snow, but do these skills translate to other boardsports? Scanning athlete Instagrams this off-season sure would make you think so. Skateboarding, surfing, wakeboarding and wake surfing may not be mentioned word for word in their training regiments, but there are clear crossover skills and style that makes for a very pleasant Instagram viewing experience. 

 

 

 

 

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Happy go skate day! Get out there and do some skating today 🛹❤️|| 🎥 and edit: @cal.vid || #goskateday #skateboarding

A post shared by Sean (@seanfitzsimons) on Jun 21, 2020 at 6:27pm PDT

Although many riders skate for fun, U.S. Snowboard Halfpipe Pro Team Head Coach Rick Bower respects skateboarding’s heritage and sees the cross-training benefits of riding transition off the snow. 

“Snowboarding has been and always will be directly influenced by skateboarding,” said Rick. “All of our tricks come from skateboarding and the snowboard halfpipe is the most obvious representation of that direct influence. The very best cross-training a halfpipe snowboarder can do is learn to skate transition, with the vert ramp being the holy grail of transition mastery.  A vert ramp enhances the skills needed to be a world-class halfpipe snowboarder such as balance and manipulating the human body through the constantly changing curvature of a massive transition from vertical to horizontal.”

 

 

 

 

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good to be back ✨ • • @rockstarenergy #rockstarenergy

A post shared by sonny alba (@sonora.alba) on Jun 8, 2020 at 4:28pm PDT

Skating is one thing, but what about taking the board to water? Six-time FIS Snowboardcross World Champion Lindsey Jacobellis feels surfing not only keeps her connected to the outdoors, but also offers a great workout. 

“Getting in the water is so healing,” said Lindsey. “I love being out in nature, especially if I surf at first light and there are only a few people out. I find that surfing helps my cardio and also my upper body strength. It is a nice way to change up the routine a bit.”

 

 

 

 

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Fun clips from last week.... open to free coaching advice 🏄🏼‍♀️ 😝 @quiverboards @blenderseyewear @teamtoyota @stickybumpswax @paulmitchell #surf #waco #bsrcablepark #bikini #waves @bsrsurfresort Thanks for all the video clips @darrin_shigeiseat

A post shared by Lindsey Jacobellis (@lindseyjacobellis) on Jun 13, 2020 at 11:55am PDT

What about wakeboarding? It’s not just gravity anymore. The use of a tow line adds another element to consider. Whether you are just carving or getting airborne, there is no letting go if you want to keep the flow. U.S. Snowboard Pro Team member Chris Corning recently picked up wakeboarding and shared his opinion on the similarities and differences to snowboarding. 

“I have been wakeboarding a few times now and have been loving it,” he said. “The hardest part is learning how to use the rope. That can either be for passing it when spinning, the pull going up the wake on the boat, or jumps and rails on the cable. I really like wakeboarding to keep a board under my feet in the summertime!”

 

 

 

 

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@rockstarenergy spike all nights and wakeboard all day. 3rd time at the cable park. Starting to make sense. Videographers @sbergeron919 @daltonmize

A post shared by Chris Corning (@chriscorning) on May 31, 2020 at 9:23pm PDT

Meanwhile, U.S. Snowboard slopestyle and halfpipe rookie team member Fynn Bullock-Womble is a sponsored boat and cable wakeboarder who competes on a professional level. Although very different, Fynn feels the sports are complimentary.

The two disciplines are quite different,” said Fynn as he wrapped up a day on the boat.  “Snowboarding is primarily lower body and wakeboarding is upper body. However, the edge control, air awareness, and balance established riding rails and features make the two sports very complimentary. I truly love all aspects of both sports and feel incredibly grateful to be able to pursue a career in both industries.”

 

 

 

 

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Sooo this happened yesterday 😳 I just want to say thank you so much to @dirtymikedowdy for helping me with landing this! Go check out his new wakeu program. Mike has done an amazing job setting this amazing program up and having him guide you through the tricks on video is so next level, thanks again @dirtymikedowdy Thanks to the boys @parker_swope @kyle_rowdy @barrettswope @codyhunnicutt_ for hyping me up to do this and @parker_swope for stomping his right after! 🎥: @codyhunnicutt_ #wakeboarding #me #happy #summer #love #follow #share #instagram #mustwatch #viral

A post shared by ₣Ɏ₦₦ ฿ɄⱠⱠØ₵₭ (@fynn_tastic) on Jun 18, 2020 at 4:16am PDT

The skatepark, the ocean, and the wake all offer U.S. riders what they need in the off-season -  a chance to express themselves, have fun, and continue to build on their skill sets. Many people assume that these sports just come easy to U.S. Snowboard Team athletes, but just as they put time in on snow to dial in their competition runs, their work ethic translates to their off snow riding as well. It’s who they are, it’s in their DNA, and it is sure fun to watch. 

Check out some of the action from the U.S. Snowboard Team this summer below. There’s no shortage of entertainment here, so be sure to check them out and follow for more content from U.S. Snowboard Team athletes.
 

U.S. Snowboard Team on Instagram

Dusty Henricksen

 

 

 

 

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New 1:) #trefliptail \ VC @dillon.henricksen @monsterenergy #monsterenergy

A post shared by Dusty Henricksen (@dustyhenricksen) on Jun 30, 2020 at 7:01pm PDT

Chase Blackwell

 

 

 

 

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Was going crazy so had to find a way to keep sane. #quarantinecompound @_nickgroulx @tracyb8989

A post shared by Chase Blackwell (@chase_ing_snow) on Apr 20, 2020 at 7:03pm PDT

Maddie Mastro

 

 

 

 

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Afternoon surf 🏄🏼‍♀️

A post shared by Maddie Mastro (@maddie_mastro) on May 28, 2020 at 4:16pm PDT

Judd Henkes

 

 

 

 

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Nothing to do but surf haha 📹 @philalbritton

A post shared by Judd Henkes (@juddhenkes) on Jun 28, 2020 at 12:45pm PDT

Lyon Farrell

 

 

 

 

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A few on the flat bar! @rockstarenergy Clip: @myleslaurion

A post shared by LYON 🦁 (@lyonfarrell) on Jul 1, 2020 at 12:51am PDT

Brock Crouch

 

 

 

 

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I know everyone’s over waco clips. But this ones for #Internationalsurfingday hope everyone got some waves 🎥 @mynamescameron

A post shared by Brock Crouch (@brockcrouch) on Jun 20, 2020 at 7:27pm PDT

Ty Schnorrbusch

 

 

 

 

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home🖤

A post shared by Ty Schnorrbusch (@tyschnorrbusch) on Mar 18, 2020 at 5:18pm PDT

Joey Okesson

 

 

 

 

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Mic’d up #skate

A post shared by Joey Okesson (@joeyokesson) on Apr 29, 2020 at 4:39pm PDT

Jack Coyne

 

 

 

 

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Sk9 boarding 🤳🏻: @wyatt__hall

A post shared by JACK COYNE (@jackrcoyne) on May 27, 2020 at 4:25pm PDT

Hagen Kearney

 

 

 

 

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Sunset yoga 📷 @ben_eng

A post shared by Hagen Kearney (@hagenkearney) on Jun 15, 2020 at 8:56am PDT

Lucas Foster

 

 

 

 

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Dream trick on this thing, finally came together tonight ✔️❤️ Thanks for filming @finn_tershy and thanks to all the skate fam for the stoke @thedropboardshop @brothersgraves @finn_tershy @willtn3 @jparrster @nickytnelson . . . #skateboarding #telluride #colorado #skatelife

A post shared by Lucas Foster (@lucasfoster_) on Jun 10, 2020 at 6:19pm PDT

Tessa Maud

 

 

 

 

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haven’t skated since september and i couldn’t b happier to b back on my board :) ive missed it sm 🥰🥺| @luna.s.smith

A post shared by tessa (@tessamaud_) on May 27, 2020 at 7:29pm PDT

Jake Canter

 

 

 

 

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Couple clips from today filmed by @chipproulx 🤝 @oski dunks💧💧💧🦋 #skateboarding

A post shared by Jake Canter (@jake.canter) on May 28, 2020 at 4:39pm PDT

Liam Johnson

 

 

 

 

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sk8

A post shared by Liam Johnson (@liamjshreds) on Jun 18, 2020 at 12:17pm PDT

Jake Vedder

 

 

 

 

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🎥 @maxwell.behm

A post shared by Jake Vedder (@jake_vedder) on May 12, 2020 at 5:31am PDT