Release courtesy of the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee

U.S. Ski & Snowboard announced today it is honoring the University of Utah as the winner of its 2022 U.S. Ski & Snowboard Collegiate Impact Award, which honors the top-contributing school on the 2022 U.S. Olympic skiing and snowboarding teams in Beijing. As part of the recognition, Mark Harlan, director of athletics at Utah, will be honored during the Team USA Collegiate Recognition Awards that will run in conjunction with the National Football Foundation’s 64th Annual Awards celebration on Dec. 6, 2022, in Las Vegas.

At the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, 16 U.S. Olympians on the alpine and cross country ski teams competed collegiately. Utah had six current student-athletes representing Team USA in Beijing – more than any other school on U.S. Ski & Snowboard – and the Utes are being recognized with the 2022 U.S. Ski & Snowboard Collegiate Impact Award for this contribution. The athletes that competed for both U.S. Ski & Snowboard and University of Utah at the Games include Keely Cashman (alpine), Kevin Bolger (cross country), Luke Jager (cross country), Mo Lebel (alpine), Novie McCabe (cross country) and Sophia Laukli (cross country).

“Being a collegiate athlete is an incredible feat. Athletes learn how to balance academics and sport while competing for their team, which are crucial skills to both the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team and Team USA,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard President and CEO Sophie Goldschmidt. “We are thrilled to present the University of Utah with the 2022 U.S. Ski & Snowboard Collegiate Impact Award, and thank them for being such an important part of our sports. We look forward to seeing what our mutual athletes can accomplish next!”

U.S. Ski & Snowboard joins seven other National Governing Bodies that will participate in this year’s Team USA Collegiate Recognition Awards—a celebration that will honor sport-specific contributors (NGB Collegiate Impact Awards) and overall Team USA contributors (Team USA Collegiate Impact Awards) to the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 and the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Beijing 2022.

More information about the Team USA Collegiate Recognition Awards and Team USA’s collegiate footprint in Beijing can be found online at TeamUSA.org/CollegiateImpact.

*NOTE: Student-athlete is defined by the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee as any individual who is/was a member of a collegiate roster (varsity/club/other) and/or competed in outside competition for a university or college. Student-athletes impacted by transfer circumstances were included in the totals for each institution attended.

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A partnership with the U.S. Ski & Snowboard became official last May: the Omini brand will kit all sports for the next 10 years. 

Release courtesy of Kappa.

Torino, 29 November 2022 – After the announcement on May 10th of a 10-year partnership between Italian brand Kappa® and U.S. Ski & Snowboard, the first winter collection produced by Kappa®’s R&D center is now available online at Kappa.com and inside the main retail stores.

The first Kappa® US SKI & SNOWBOARD offer – activewear version of the racing clothes worn by the athletes on the U.S. team – includes: ski jacket and pants, fleece sweater, ultra-light down jacket, heat-sealed windproof, waterproof down jacket, cotton T-shirt, tracksuit (hoodie + pants), visor hat and a wool hat in dark navy blue with U.S. Ski & Snowboard team logos. There will also be, for a few exclusive items, in white and red, designed to represent colors of the Stars and Stripes.

Six young athletes from U.S. Ski & Snowboard are protagonist of the advertising campaign shot in Salt Lake City (Utah, USA) last October, including alpine skier Bella Wright, freestyle moguls skier Kai Owens, freeskier Jay Riccomini, cross country skier Luke Jager and up-and-coming athletes Izzy Worthington and Bo Giddings.

It is the first time that a single outerwear and racing suit brand appears on the uniforms of all the winter sports teams of the U.S. Ski & Snowboard: alpine ski, snowboard, freestyle, freeski and cross country.

The new Kappa® 4CENTO 400 KOMBAT SL 2022 US uniforms immediately conquered the first two podiums in the FIS Ski World Cup 2022-23 season with a double victory by Mikaela Shiffrin in Levi, Finland, on 19 and 20 November.

ABOUT KAPPA®

Kappa® is one of the brands owned by BasicNet SpA, an Italian company that also owns Robe di Kappa®, Jesus Jeans®, K-Way®, Superga®, Sabelt®, Briko® and Sebago®, leading clothing, footwear and accessories brands for sport and leisure. BasicNet operates worldwide through a network of entrepreneurs who, under license, produce or distribute products with the Group’s trademarks. BasicNet provides these companies with research and development, product industrialization and global marketing services. All business processes take place solely via the internet, which makes BasicNet a “fully web integrated company”. BasicNet, based in Turin, has been listed on the Italian Stock.

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 2022, competing in seven teams; alpine, cross country, freeski, freestyle, snowboard, nordic combined, and ski jumping. In addition to fully funding 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

PARK CITY, Utah - U.S. Ski & Snowboard today announced Brandon Gayle as its newest Board Director. Gayle’s experience includes positions across several industries including Facebook, Instagram, Groupon and Bain & Company. He is currently the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Spurs Sports & Entertainment (SS&E), the parent company of the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs. Gayle also has notable board experience, including serving as a board member for the customer experience giant Zendesk and as Vice Chair of the private-public nonprofit greater:SATX Regional Economic Partnership. 

As COO of SS&E, Gayle currently leads the teams responsible for the organization’s operations across ticketing, premium seating, global partnerships, brand marketing, content and distribution, merchandising, as well as business communications. In addition to the NBA’s Spurs, the company’s portfolio includes the NBA G League Austin Spurs, the United Soccer League’s San Antonio FC, AT&T Center and Toyota Field. 

Prior to joining SS&E, Brandon spent more than six years in multiple roles with Facebook. As Director of Global Sports Partnerships & Solutions, his team was responsible for helping athletes and sports properties in North America create interactive content, including Instagram, Messenger and Oculus. Prior to this role, Brandon led global sports partnerships at Instagram, where his work ultimately led to Sports Business Journal naming him to their Forty Under 40 Class of 2018, as well as his selection to the Leaders Under 40 Awards Class of 2017 by Leaders and Aspire Academy. 

“We are very excited to have Brandon join our Board,” U.S. Ski & Snowboard Board of Directors Chair Kipp Nelson. “His experience across multiple companies will be invaluable. As we look to take our organization to the next stage, we will really benefit from his relevant knowledge in various areas.”

Gayle also served as Director of Strategic Partnerships at Groupon, as a consultant for Bain & Company and in a strategy and finance role with the New York Jets. He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA in Economics from Harvard College.

“I’m thrilled to be joining the board and to be a part of a dynamic organization that is known for supporting their athletes and fans at the highest level,” said Gayle. “U.S. Ski & Snowboard has incredible commercial momentum and a strong brand identity. I can’t wait to get to work supporting the board, CEO Sophie Goldschmidt, her leadership team and the organization's talented athletes.” 

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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 2022, competing in seven teams; alpine, cross country, freeski, freestyle, snowboard, nordic combined, and ski jumping. In addition to the fully-funded 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.