In partnership with the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC), U.S. Ski & Snowboard is working to combat mental health issues prevalent in elite sport. Both organizations are taking a three-step approach to create awareness, remove stigma, and effectively communicate the resources available. The mental health concerns surrounding athletics have heightened following the release of Podium Pictures’ HBO film, Weight of Gold, which showcases the highs and lows of elite athletes’ mental health. Director Brett Rapkin, explained, “I started researching post-Olympic depression and was blown away when I discovered how common it was. My intention was to talk about this rollercoaster and the struggles faced by athletes. The reaction was incredibly powerful and served as an inspiration to me to do more of this kind of work.”

In addition to the complimentary Weight of Gold viewing access provided to all U.S. Ski & Snowboard national team athletes by Podium Pictures and HBO, U.S. Ski & Snowboard held a panel webinar on Dec. 30 in collaboration with the USOPC, Podium Pictures, and the Speedy Foundation. The panel discussed the film and provided resources for athletes seeking help. One of the panel members, Dr. Alex Cohen, Senior Sport Psychologist at the USOPC, who works closely with U.S. Ski & Snowboard out of the USANA Center of Excellence in Park City, Utah shared, “There is no wrong door to go through, and there should not be a dozen steps to get the resources needed. We are more than happy to help athletes navigate these resources.” Along with sharing resources, the panel provided an honest discussion on the topic with the hopes of decreasing some of the stigma surrounding mental health. 

Recent efforts of U.S. Ski & Snowboard include requiring Question, Persuade, and Refer (QPR) Training for all staff members. QPR Training teaches three simple steps to help save a person from committing suicide. In addition to having all staff trained on this topic, U.S. Ski & Snowboard plans to require QPR training of all athletes prior to the start of competition next year. The USOPC has also taken strides to combat mental health issues with the hiring of Dr. Jessica Bartley as its Director of Mental Health Services. Dr. Bartley now serves as both an advocate and a resource for any athlete struggling with mental health. “I am so grateful that I have the opportunity to be a resource for athletes, and it is my mission to build an infrastructure that athletes can access at all times.”

Although both organizations are taking steps to improve mental health resources, there is still more to be done. “Raising awareness, decreasing stigma and providing best practice mental health resources to U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes is a top priority,” said  U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s Director of High Performance and Co-Chair of its Mental Health Committee,Troy Taylor. “Research shows that more than 35% of professional athletes suffer from a mental health crisis, so it is imperative that we create an environment where we can talk about mental health openly, honestly and ensure everyone gets the support they need, when they need it.” Over the coming months, U.S. Ski & Snowboard plans to further improve the organization’s understanding of the main obstacles for athletes and create feasible solutions to support athletes in the best ways possible.

Mental Health Resources
United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee: www.teamusa.org/mentalhealth
The Speedy Foundation: https://www.thespeedyfoundation.org
Michael Phelps Foundation: https://michaelphelpsfoundation.org
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention: https://afsp.org
Crisis Text Line: https://www.crisistextline.org
Mental Health First Aid: https://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org  
 

If you or someone you know is experiencing an urgent mental health issue, we encourage you to text HOME to 741741, or call (800) 273-8255 to speak to a mental health professional. In the process of helping yourself, you may be inspiring courage in others to seek help as well.

If you are a U.S. Ski & Snowboard athlete, member, or staff, and feel you need support or would like to talk, don’t hesitate to reach out to USOPC Sr. Sport Psychologist Alexander Cohen or USOPC Director, Mental Health Services Jessica Bartley as resources.
 

Alexander Cohen, Ph.D., CMPC
Sr. Sport Psychologist
United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee
alexander.cohen@usoc.org
(M) +1 719-216-6376

Jessica Bartley, Ph.D., CMPC
Director, Mental Health Services
United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee
jessica.bartley@usopc.org
(o) +1 719-866-2125
 

Four American women, led by two-time Continental Cup champion Tara Geraghty-Moats,  will make history participating in the first-ever International Ski Federation (FIS) nordic combined World Cup competition. Friday's event in Ramsau, Austria, is another stepping stone for the hopeful introduction of women’s nordic combined into the Olympic Winter Games program. 

The event was originally scheduled in early December at Lillehammer, Norway but delayed due to COVID-19 restrictions, then rescheduled for January, and then rescheduled again for Austria.

FIS initiated a Continental Cup program in the 2018 season, with a plan to debut a World Cup level tour in 2020-21, along with inclusion in the 2021 FIS Nordic Ski World Championships this February in Oberstdorf, Germany. 

Geraghty-Moats, who won tour titles in 2019 and 2020, will headline four Americans. Also competing will be Tess Arnone, Alexa Brabec and Annika Malacinski.

“This is a very notable milestone for women's nordic combined to eventually be included in the Olympics,” said Geraghty-Moats. “It's much more favorable for us to have both a World Championships and a World Cup tour. And having a World Cup enables the field to grow and for us to prove that the sport is at a high level and show the world what our potential is.”

In the past two years, 17 different nations have scored Continental Cup points. 

“Over the past two years on the Continental Cup, there's been more competitors, more nations, and the level of competition has gotten higher. It's been really cool to see that transformation and see it happen so quickly,” she said.

National ski federations like Austria, Germany, and Norway are investing in their women’s teams with larger coaching and wax teams.

Nordic combined remains the only event in the Olympics without women’s participation. USA Nordic officials see the World Cup and World Championship inclusion as important steps but are continuing to push for a women’s Olympic event.

“Over the past three years of the women’s Continental Cup we’ve seen tremendous growth in both the quality of competition and number of nations,” said Olympic champion and USA Nordic Executive Director Billy Demong. “The World Cup debut is important, but it should be seen in the context of a step towards Olympic inclusion on the 2026 program in Milan-Cortina. The women have shown the depth and quality of athleticism in their sport and should be provided with that opportunity.”

As the two-time defending champion, Geraghty-Moats’ young USA Nordic teammates are looking up to her for leadership. “I’m really trying to just be their teammate and vice versa,” she said. “They’re working really hard and they have really great attitudes. They're just looking to do the best they can. It's really been amazing to have them here.”

It’s unclear now what the rest of the season will bring with an uncertain schedule leading up to the Feb. 27 World Championship debut for women’s nordic combined in Oberstdorf, Germany. While COVID is clearly impacting schedules and travel, Geraghty-Moats has felt comfortable.

“We are able to move around comfortably and safely, which is really important,” she said. “A huge thanks goes out to everyone trying to keep us safe - FIS and USA Nordic. There definitely is a lot of looking at regulations and having to plan ahead. And it takes a lot more energy and a lot more planning. But life is surprisingly normal here.”

Women’s ski jumping will also open its 2020-21 season in Ramsau with five Americans competing. Making the start for the USA will be Annika Belshaw, Anna Hoffman, Paige Jones, Nina Lussi, and Logan Sankey (Steamboat Springs, Colo.).

In men’s nordic combined in Ramsau, Taylor Fletcher and Ben Loomis will start in the second weekend for the men’s World Cup tour.

HOW TO WATCH

Friday, Dec. 18
3:30 a.m. FIS Nordic Combined World Cup Women's HS98 - LIVE, Ramsau, AUT, Streaming Peacock
7:45 a.m. FIS Nordic Combined World Cup Women's 5k - LIVE, Ramsau, AUT, Streaming Peacock
12:00 p.m. FIS Ski Jumping World Cup Men's HS140 - LIVE, Engelberg, SUI, Streaming Peacock

Saturday, Dec. 19
4:30 a.m. FIS Nordic Combined World Cup Men's HS98 - LIVE, Ramsau, AUT, Streaming Peacock
8:15 a.m. FIS Nordic Combined World Cup Men's 10k - LIVE, Ramsau, AUT, Streaming Peacock
10:00 a.m. FIS Ski Jumping World Cup Men's HS140 - LIVE, Engelberg, SUI, Streaming Peacock

Sunday, Dec. 20
5:00 a.m. FIS Nordic Combined World Cup Men's HS98 - LIVE, Ramsau, AUT, Streaming Peacock
9:15 a.m. FIS Nordic Combined World Cup Men's 10k - LIVE, Ramsau, AUT, Streaming Peacock
10:00 a.m. FIS Ski Jumping World Cup Men's HS140 - LIVE, Engelberg, SUI, Streaming Peacock

U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes return to FIS World Cup competition this month, and the networks of NBC will broadcast more than 75 hours of live and same-day coverage in November and December on NBC, NBC Sports Network, and The Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA, from Levi and Ruka, Finland, Lillehammer, Norway, and Copper Mountain Colorado. Coverage begins with the FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup women’s slalom from Levi on Saturday, Nov. 21.

NBC Sports’ presentation of the 2020-21 FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup season begins with the women’s slalom from Levi, Finland, next Saturday, Nov. 21, at 7 a.m. ET live on Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA, NBCSports.com, the NBC Sports app, and OlympicChannel.com. An encore presentation of the race will be presented later in the evening at 12 a.m. ET on NBCSN.

The winningest slalom skier of all time and three-time Olympic medalist Mikaela Shiffrin is expected to make her 2020-21 FIS Ski World Cup competition season debut in Levi, and the Olympic Channel will broadcast the second run slalom event live on Saturday, Nov. 21 at 7 a.m. EST. Mikaela owns four career victories at the World Cup stop in Finland, including winning there in each of the last two seasons. NBC Sports’ Steve Schlanger (play-by-play) will call the action alongside former U.S. Ski Team alumnus speed skier Steve Porino (analyst).

The Olympic Channel will also provide live coverage of the FIS Cross Country World Cup sprint, skiathlon, and team sprint events from Lillehammer, Norway, Dec. 4-6; and same-day coverage of the FIS Freestyle World Cup moguls from Ruka, Norway, on Dec. 5. NBC, NBCSN, and the Olympic Channel will provide live and same-day coverage of the Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix, and the Visa Big Air presented by Land Rover from Copper Mountain, Colo., Dec. 18-19.

Last week NBC announced exclusive streaming of winter Olympic sports has moved from NBC Sports Gold’s “Snow Pass” to Peacock Premium. Peacock Premium will also become the exclusive home to all FIS events held in Austria, beginning with the FIS Freeski World Cup in Stubai, Austria on Nov. 21. Peacock Premium will also provide live streaming coverage of alpine, cross country, freeski, freestyle, ski jumping, nordic combined, and snowboard events throughout the season. 

Check out the current television broadcast and streaming schedule for November and December for all sports are available here. Sport-specific broadcast and streaming schedules are available below:

• Alpine
• Cross Country
• Freeski
• Freestyle
• Ski Jumping
• Nordic Combined
• Snowboard

Broadcast and streaming schedules on Peacock Premium will be updated on a weekly basis throughout the season.