U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s Athletic Development staff works hard to improve the ways athletes train. One of their most recent initiatives, which centers specifically around female athletes, takes a unique approach towards improving athletic training and progression. 

The educational system from Orecco and the FitrWomen app will be used by U.S. Ski & Snowboard to help female athletes track their hormone levels and menstrual cycles. Female athletes will gain more knowledge about their personal physiology, know how to better fuel their bodies, and make better-informed decisions on their training schedules and intensity levels. With research-based advice, the educational programs and app will educate athletes on how to best prepare and rest their bodies for performance by advising them on how much sleep to get, when to schedule intense training sessions, what to eat, and more. 

U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s Athletic Development Manager, Tschana Schiller, primarily works with the cross-country and snowboard-cross teams and initiated the early stages of building knowledge around female athletes. For the past couple of months, Tschana has worked with physiologist Dr. Georgie Bruinvels - one of the leading experts involved with Orecco and creator of FitrWomen App - to help develop educational plans for female ski and snowboard athletes. 

“For right now, knowledge is power and I think that’s the first step,” said Tschana. Her ultimate goal is to educate female athletes so that they are able to do their sport in the best possible physical and mental state. “It has been proven that there are times when women will be able to optimize their performance based on fluctuating hormone levels,” she continued. “If we aren't paying attention to that, we are missing a huge chunk that could really help athletes understand how they recover or optimize their training better.”   

U.S. Ski & Snowboard plans to start with educational sessions, not only for female athletes but for the entire athletic development and medical teams. These educational sessions will teach staff how hormones can affect performance and how different stages of the menstrual cycle can impact a variety of other body functions, such as heart rate or respiratory rate. The benefit of these educational sessions is mainly directed towards athletes, but there are positive impacts on U.S. Ski & Snowboard staff as well. 

“We have mainly male coaches and athletic development staff,” says Tschana. “They work directly with these female athletes and yet don't experience the things a female experiences.” 

With this new opportunity, staff and athletes can develop even stronger relationships and understanding, which could translate to even stronger results. Another beneficial aspect of the initiative is the flexibility of participation amongst athletes. There will be some initial educational sessions for everyone, as well as questionnaires for the athletes about their cycle, but from that point on all involvement in the programs or projects is voluntary. “It is totally up to them if they are interested in learning more,” says Tschana. “If there are further questions they have or the coaches have, they can ask and if it’s just education, then that’s great as well and is still beneficial.”  

Two-time Olympian and five-time World Championship cross country team member Sadie Bjornsen, is excited to partake in this new initiative. “I have never tracked my period or hormones and have never really thought about doing it,” she says. “I believe in understanding what is going on in your body and finding coping mechanisms will help me as an athlete. I find the app as something that will further empower me and help me further utilize my body.” 

The Athletics Department is thrilled to start this female-oriented initiative. “There is certainly a female movement going on in the world right now and so for me, it’s empowering our athletes to understand, learn more, and take advantage of their unique physiology so they can use it to help them in any way,” says Tschana. “It’s a cool opportunity because it's not only teaching them how to be better athletes, but how to be healthier people in general.”  

With a strong team, eager athletes, and a high-performance legacy to uphold, this initiative is likely to be another helpful step towards having the best and healthiest athletes in the world. 

NormaTec, the industry leader in compression recovery technology for athletes, today announced a four-year partnership with U.S. Ski & Snowboard, the national governing body of competitive skiing and snowboarding in the United States. U.S. Ski & Snowboard provides leadership, direction, and support for tens of thousands of young skiers and snowboarders striving for excellence. NormaTec’s PULSE 2.0 Series systems will help U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes to achieve their goals to be best in the world in their sport by integrating superior recovery into training regimens.

The full team across seven disciplines including alpine, freeski, freestyle, cross country, ski jumping, Nordic combined, and snowboard, will have access to the NormaTec PULSE 2.0 Series Recovery Systems. U.S. Ski & Snowboard will also be constructing a dedicated NormaTec Recovery Room in the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Center of Excellence for the team to use as they train to compete at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games.

“We are proud to support U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes,” said Gilad Jacobs, CEO of NormaTec. “It is an honor to be partnering with a team that boasts some of the top performing winter sports athletes in the world and providing them the technology they need to continuously reach for their dreams here in the U.S. and around the globe.”

The NormaTec PULSE 2.0 Series Recovery Systems use compressed air and the patented NormaTec Pulse Massage Pattern created by a physician bioengineer to massage limbs, mobilize fluid, increase circulation, and facilitate faster recovery. NormaTec’s technology gives athletes a competitive edge by helping them recover quickly after training sessions and is also used as a high-tech warm up. The technology is relied on by 97% of all pro athletic teams in the United States.

"I have been absolutely loving my NormaTec recovery system,” said Olympic cross country champion Jessie Diggins. “Since opening the box, I’ve used them every single day! I love how the compression massage makes my legs feel after a hard workout, and it helps me recover quickly before second training. I also love how small and quiet they are, and how I can customize exactly what I want, even changing the pressure zones mid-session! These are now my go-to recovery tool."

Thanks to a unique partnership with World Cup Supply Inc. (WCS) and its European partner SPM, U.S. Ski Team athletes and U.S. Ski & Snowboard events will continue to have the on-hill equipment and safety-related support needed for the next four years.

“World Cup Supply is an important partner for our organization and we are thrilled to have them in the U.S. Ski & Snowboard family for the next four years,” said Tiger Shaw, U.S. Ski & Snowboard President and CEO. “Through this partnership we are able to produce safe and high-quality domestic events from the grassroots levels through to World Cup competitions for our athletes as we prepare for Beijing 2022. World Cup Supply is committed to safe ski and snowboard competition all over the world and we are fortunate to have their continued support.” 

As part of the agreement, WCS will supply gates, panels, safety fencing and other on-hill and event equipment for key domestic World Cup, NorAm and National Level events in alpine, snowboard, freeski, freestyle and cross country. WCS and SPM will provide thousands of gates and hundreds of panels annually for all Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team training and events domestically and in Europe. WCS will provide training bibs for all Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team athletes and air pads for domestic alpine World Cup and National Championships events. In addition, WCS will serve at the Official On-Hill Equipment Supplier for all NASTAR events. 

WCS is committed to athlete and spectator safety, offering race and event safety training and education as well as developing educational safety related videos for clubs and volunteers to help prevent on-hill injuries.

“Our primary goal for our long-term partnership with U.S. Ski & Snowboard is to ensure the athletes have what they need to train and be safe on the hill,” said Brad Williams, World Cup Supply, Inc. President. “The renewed agreement certainly accomplishes this goal and continues the partnership that began in 2006. The combination of high quality SPM products and a commitment from WCS to provide the best service possible, helps reduce the burden and stress associated with managing equipment and allows coaches and athletes to focus on the things that really matter to them.”

U.S. Ski & Snowboard will host its 53rd annual New York Gold Medal Gala at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York City on October 24. Olympic stars such as Lindsey Vonn and Kikkan Randall, and many more current U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes and legends will be available for media interviews.

WHAT
A “White Carpet” rollout for Olympic skiing and snowboarding legends ahead of U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s annual New York Gold Medal Gala. Members of the media must RSVP to the White Carpet to guarantee access to athletes. The New York Gold Medal Gala plays a critical role in raising funds that directly help ski and snowboard athletes achieve their goals of being the Best in the World. In its fifty-third iteration, this year’s theme, “Inspired by the Stars,” reminds fans and athletes alike the reason behind the grueling work it takes to be an elite team member. 

WHEN
Thursday, October 24 from 6 to 6:30 p.m.

WHERE
Ziegfeld Ballroom, 141 W 54th St, New York, NY 10019

WHO
Lindsey Vonn, Olympic Champion, three-time Olympic medalist, alpine skiing
Kikkan Randall, Olympic gold medalist, cross country skiing
Jonny Moseley, Olympic gold medalist, freestyle moguls skiing
Bryce Bennett, 2018 Olympian, alpine skiing
Kevin Bolger, 2017 U.S. Champion, cross country skiing 
Sophie Caldwell, 2014 and 2018 Olympian, cross country skiing
Ashley Caldwell, 2010, 2014 and 2018 Olympian, freestyle aerials skiing
Mick Dierdorff, 2018 Olympian, snowboardcross
Travis Ganong, 2014 Olympian and World Championships silver medalist, alpine skiing
Nick Goepper, 2014 Olympic silver medalist and 2018 bronze medalist, freeski slopestyle
Jared Goldberg, 2014 and 2018 Olympian, alpine skiing
Alex Hall, 2018 Olympian, freeskiing
Simi Hamilton, 2010, 2014 and 2018 Olympian, cross country skiing
Katie Hensien, 2019 Junior World Silver Medalist, alpine
Tess Johnson, 2018 Olympian, freestyle moguls skiing
Jaelin Kauf, 2018 Olympian, freestyle moguls skiing
Julia Kern, 2019 U.S. Champion, cross country skiing
Maddie Mastro, 2018 Olympian, snowboarding
Alice McKennis, 2010 and 2018 Olympian, alpine skiing
Alice Merryweather, 2018 Olympian, Junior World Downhill Champion, alpine skiing
Toby Miller, 2017 and 2019 World Championship team, snowboarding
Paula Moltzan, 2015 and 2019 World Championship team, NCAA Slalom Champion, alpine skiing
Steven Nyman, 2006, 2010 and 2014 Olympian, alpine skiing
Caitlin Patterson, Eight-time U.S. Champion, cross country skiing
Laurenne Ross, 2014 and 2018 Olympian, alpine skiing
Brita Sigourney, 2018 Olympic bronze medalist, halfpipe skiing
Winter Vinecki, 2019 World Championship team, freestyle aerials skiing
Maggie Voisin, 2018 Olympian, freeski slopestyle
Brad Wilson, 2014 and 2018 Olympian, freestyle moguls skiing

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

CONTACT
Members of the media can RSVP to the White Carpet to:
Lara Carlton
U.S. Ski & Snowboard Communications Manager
lara.carlton@usskiandsnowboard.org