PARK CITY, UTAH – U.S. Ski & Snowboard has announced ClimateCase and CatTongue Grips as its newest partners in the mobile accessories category.

ClimateCase, the Official Insulating Smartphone Carrier of the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team, is an insulating smartphone carrier that can prevent a cellphone issue that almost everyone has faced at one time or another. After just 15 minutes below 32°F or above 95°F a cellphone may shut down completely to protect itself, leaving users vulnerable and out of touch. The ClimateCase was launched to address that issue by providing protection for smartphones from overheating and freezing.

“Prolonged exposure to harsh temperatures can permanently damage a smartphone and its internal battery,” said ClimateCase’s CEO Lisa Lambert. “With the ClimateCase, U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s athletes and staff can protect their phones from harsh conditions, both on and off the mountain. It also protects against accidental drops, so users are covered in most all situations.”

CatTongue Grips are the perfect anti-slip solution for a mobile device and can be used directly on the device or existing case. CatTongue Grips feel great in users’ hands and are functional and super durable for everyday use or for extreme athletes to use. There are over 50 designs as well as a customization option, so users can make each grip their own.

“As lovers of all things art, we wanted this product to not only have a fantastic grip, but to include fun, feel-good artwork and design for a more personal touch,” said Missy Kelly, co-founder and president of CatTongue Grips. “Plus, CatTongue Grips are recyclable, extremely durable, waterproof and can stand up to the variable terrain and conditions U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes encounter.”

For more information, visit climatecase.com and cattonguegrips.com.

PYEONGCHANG, South Korea – Five-time U.S. Olympian Kikkan Randall – who made Olympic history by winning the first-ever U.S. gold medal in cross country skiing – was elected by her peers to the International Olympic Committee Athletes’ Commission. She joins Finnish ice hockey player Emma Terho as newly elected members of the 20-person commission that serves as a link between athletes and the IOC.

Randall and Terho will serve eight-year terms. The pair will be confirmed as members of the IOC on Feb. 25. As a U.S. IOC member, Randall will also become a member of the USOC board of directors. Voting took place among all competing Olympians from Feb. 1-21 in the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Villages.

“Wow, what amazing news to get today,” said Randall. “I have so much passion and energy to put toward the Olympic Movement and it feels so good to have the athletes put their faith in me. I look forward to representing the athletes and making the Olympic Movement strong in the future. This is going to be a really fun ride.”

On Wednesday, Randall (Anchorage) and teammate Jessie Diggins (Afton, Minn.) made history by winning the first Olympic medal in cross-country skiing for U.S. women (team sprint). In 2013, the duo became the first-ever U.S. world champions in cross-country skiing in the same event. Overall, Randall has skied in nine world championships, also winning silver in 2009 (sprint) and bronze in 2017 (sprint) after taking the 2015-16 season off for the birth of her child.

Randall is a three-time overall world cup sprint champion, three-time world championship medalist, 27-time world cup podium finisher and the first U.S. woman to earn a top-10 finish in cross-country skiing at the Olympic Winter Games.

“Kikkan has had a very strong impact across many sports as both a role model and a leader of athletes,” said Olympian Tiger Shaw, who is president and CEO of U.S. Ski & Snowboard. “Her engagement with youth has become a hallmark, touching thousands of young girls through both her results as an athlete and a leader with Healthy Futures, and Fast and Female.”

Randall’s seat is one of two that become available when current chair Angela Ruggiero of the U.S. and member Adam Pengilly of Great Britain finish their eight-year terms on Feb. 25. Randall was one of six athletes vying for the two positions.

The goal of the IOC Athletes’ Commission is to ensure that the athletes’ viewpoint remains at the heart of Olympic Movement decisions. The majority of members of the commission are elected directly by Olympic athletes. Members of the commission are also present on the majority of other IOC commissions, and the chair serves on the IOC executive board.

“Kikkan has always represented Team USA to the highest levels,” said USOC CEO Scott Blackmun. “She’s a selfless and consummate athlete, professional, wife, mother, and advocate, and will no doubt have an extremely positive impact on the IOC Athletes’ Commission. Angela has set the bar high over the last eight years as she tirelessly advocated on behalf of athletes from all over the world, and Kikkan will no doubt further her legacy.”

Ruggiero – a four-time Olympic medalist in ice hockey – was elected to the IOC Athletes’ Commission during the Olympic Winter Games Vancouver 2010. She became vice chair in 2014 and chair in 2016.

“Congratulations to Kikkan for this well-deserved honor,” said Ruggiero. “Serving in a key leadership role on behalf of the athletes at the center of the Olympic Movement is not only a great honor, but an important responsibility. Kikkan’s a proven and dedicated advocate for athletes, and I look forward to seeing the positive impact she’ll have in this new role.”

In addition to her athletic accomplishments, Randall has served as an active ambassador for youth through leadership engagement with both Healthy Futures and Fast and Female – organizations that promote the benefits of healthy, active lifestyles to youth. She also played a key role in establishing greater leadership engagement for athletes within the International Ski Federation.

Nominated by their respective National Olympic Committees, the six candidates originated from three continents and five sports. Joining Randall and Terho as candidates were Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen (Norway, cross-country skiing), Ander Mirambell (Spain, skeleton), Hong Zhang (China, speedskating) and Armin Zoeggeler (Italy, luge).

IOC Athletes' Commission (as of Feb. 26)

• Kirsty Coventry, Chair
• Danka Bartekova, Vice Chair
• Nadin Dawani
• Tony Estanguet
• Chelsey Gotell
• Daniel Gyurta
• Britta Heidemann
• Stefan Holm
• Yelena Isinbaeva
• Aya Medany
• Saina Nehwal
• Kikkan Randall
• Seung-Min Ryu
• Luis Scola
• Patrick Singleton
• Emma Terho
• James Tomkins
• Sarah Walker
• Hayley Wickenheiser

Previous U.S. IOC Athletes' Commission Members

• Bob Ctvrtlik, Volleyball
• Edwin Moses, Track and Field
• Angela Ruggiero, Ice Hockey

SALT LAKE CITY – Westminster College congratulates its 18 U.S. Ski & Snowboard student-athletes who will compete for Team USA in South Korea next month. All of campus will be watching and cheering them on as they pursue their athletic dreams. 

Westminster is proud to be an Official Education Partner of U.S. Ski & Snowboard, the national governing body for competitive skiing and snowboarding. U.S. Ski & Snowboard nominated 18 Westminster students for the 2018 team last week. The athletes will represent the United States next month in events like giant slalom, moguls skiing, snowboardcross and Nordic combined. Athletes train at the Center of Excellence in Park City, Utah, while studying 30 minutes away at Westminster College in Salt Lake City.

Together, Westminster and U.S. Ski & Snowboard help national athletes achieve excellence in the classroom and on the slopes. More than 140 U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes have attended Westminster College since the partnership began in 2005. The average GPA for all Westminster U.S. Ski & Snowboard students is 3.6. While they all compete in snow sports, they’re individually earning degrees in and exploring varied passions like art, entrepreneurship, physics and biology. They balance intense training schedules and rigorous coursework with inspiring determination.

QUOTES
Megan McJames, three-time Olympian, amateur baker, Westminster junior and finance major
“I think the type of person that I am — and most athletes are — is a little type-A. We like to do our best at everything. When you’re pursuing your best in sports, those skills translate into school and vice versa.

As an athlete, school has been a great outlet for me to take a break from thinking about skiing all the time and realize there is other stuff out there. It has given me skills that translate into making me who I am.”

Abby Rinquist, ski jumper and Westminster art major
“I’m super grateful to get one-on-one time with professors who appreciate what I do. They’re all supportive of the dreams that I have as a student, and the dreams that I have as a person and an athlete.”

Faye Guilini, three-time Olympian, Grand Prix champ, Westminster junior and accounting major
“I was the kid who was in summer school a lot. It took me an extra year to graduate high school and I didn’t really see secondary education as an option. Then I made the national team and thought ‘if I can be the best at my sport, I can get through college.’ I started at Westminster and saw that these professors are willing to be there when you’re in South America or halfway around the world. That’s very beneficial. I have a 3.9 GPA, something I never thought I would have.”

2018 Team USA members from Westminster College

• Maddie Bowman (freestyle): junior, biology
• Bryce Bennett (alpine): first-year, undeclared
• Ryan Cochran-Siegle (alpine): sophomore, physics
• Alex Ferreira (freestyle): sophomore, finance
• Bryan Fletcher (Nordic): junior, health education
• Taylor Fletcher (Nordic): sophomore, marketing
• Jared Goldberg (alpine): sophomore, undeclared
• Faye Guilini (snowboard): junior, accounting
• Devin Logan (freeskiing): sophomore, communication
• Wiley Maple (alpine): sophomore, history and psychology
• Megan McJames (alpine): junior, finance
• Madison Olsen (freestyle): sophomore, business
• Abby Ringquist (ski jump): junior, art
• Morgan Schild (freestyle): first-year, undeclared
• Liz Stephen (cross-country): first-year, undeclared
• Brita Sigourney (freestyle): junior, business
• Darian Stevens (freestyle): first-year, business
• Jacqueline Wiles (alpine): first-year, undeclared

Facts about Westminster’s U.S. Ski & Snowboard Students:

• Thirty-three U.S. Ski & Snowboard alums have graduated from Westminster
• Currently, 52 student-athletes are attending Westminster
• More than 140 student-athletes have taken classes at Westminster
• Westminster students have competed in two previous Winter Olympic Games:
  • 2010 Vancouver
    • 14 students
    • One bronze
  • 2014 Sochi
    • 23 students
    • Two gold, one silver, one bronze
• U.S. Ski & Snowboard students compete in a variety of competitions throughout the year, including X Games, FIS World Cups and Grand Prix events

Visit www.westminstercollege.edu/us-ski-and-snowboard for more information.

Media Contacts:  Krista DeAngelis and Arikka Von, 801-832-2682
About U.S. & Ski Snowboard:

U.S. Ski & Snowboard is the Olympic sports organization based in Park City, Utah, providing leadership and direction for elite athletes competing at the highest level worldwide and for tens of thousands of young skiers and snowboarders in the USA, encouraging and supporting all its athletes in achieving excellence wherever they train and compete. 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. One of the oldest and most established sports organizations worldwide, directly tracing its roots back to 1905, U.S. Ski & Snowboard receives no direct government support, operating solely through private donations from individuals, corporations and foundations to fund athletic programs that directly assist athletes in reaching their dreams.

About Westminster:
Westminster is a private, independent and comprehensive college in Salt Lake City, Utah. Students experience the liberal arts blended with professional programs in an atmosphere dedicated to civic engagement. With the goal of enabling its graduates to live vibrant, just and successful lives, Westminster provides transformational learning experiences for both undergraduate and graduate students in a truly student-centered environment. Faculty focus on teaching, learning and developing distinctive, innovative programs, while students thrive on Westminster’s urban Sugar House campus within minutes of the Rocky Mountains. For more information, visit www.westminstercollege.edu or follow WestminsterSLC on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

The integration of technology and sport has a long, rich history. This is especially true in snowsports where equipment and technological innovations have helped increase speed, performance, pure spectacle and safety in all snowsports disciplines.

Now, in 2018, Virtual Reality is the latest technological innovation to be introduced to the sporting world, especially for U.S. Ski & Snowboard, the Olympic organization that is the governing body for ski and snowboard sports in the USA.

U.S. Ski & Snowboard, based in Park City, Utah, have been working in the VR field with STRIVR in a project funded by U.S. Ski & Snowboard partner Visa and the United State Olympic Committee. STRIVR are the California-based VR specialists whose work in VR helps to improve the performances of individuals, corporations, and sports teams. In the case of U.S. Ski & Snowboard, this work is specifically with their High Performance division, under the leadership of Troy Taylor, High Performance Director at U.S. Ski & Snowboard.

“We first started working with STRIVR around two years ago,” explains Taylor. “Since then, we have seen that the value of the work we do with STRIVR is confirmed in the feedback we have from our athletes and their coaches taking part in World Cup and Olympic events. They feel that 360 video and VR increases both the confidence and performance of the athletes in events.

U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes are using 360 videos and VR in multiple ways in competition, from inspections of the race course, helping athletes learn the lines they will race through, to helping athletes rehabilitate from injuries.

“Our athletes have very limited time and opportunities to train on race courses when they are competing in World Cup or Olympic events,” Taylor said. “The clear advantage of VR is that it is a great way to help athletes get more used to and learn specific courses, which is an obvious performance benefit. The implementation of VR is also part of a larger strategy of US Ski & Snowboard’s High Performance department to embrace the leading edge of technology and innovations to equip our athletes with the latest tools to aid their performance.

“The feedback we have from our athletes suggests that the biggest benefit of using VR is building confidence,” Taylor continued. “They feel they know the courses they will race on better, so when they come to ski on it during a race they enter the start gate with an increased confidence level. That is a big part of competition, having the confidence to attack parts of the course where you can find time, so that’s a clear benefit.”

In simple terms, through the work U.S. Ski & Snowboard is doing with STRIVR in VR, the organization now has “mental access” to each course their athletes compete on, meaning they can mentally prepare for the race they are going to ski: the positions of the gates, the terrain, the way the turns appear—all this mental preparation and visualization is crucial to this sport at the highest level. Before STRIVR, it was impossible to get these repetitions unless you just closed your eyes. Now it’s completely possible and very advantageous for athletes competing right across the U.S. Ski & Snowboard sport spectrum.