The Beck International Trophy is the highest athlete honor from U.S. Ski & Snowboard, recognizing the top athletes in international competition for the year. It’s also the organization’s oldest, dating back to 1931. The 68 recipients over nearly a century represent a remarkable cross section of the greatest U.S. Olympic ski and snowboard champions of all time. For only the second time in history, two athletes tied for the penultimate honor - Mikaela Shiffrin, whose World Cup tally is now at 66, and cross country junior world champion Gus Schumacher.
 

Beck International Trophy

Alpine Athlete of the Year
Mikaela Shiffrin
(Edwards, Colo./Ski & Snowboard Club Vail)

It’s an incredible honor to share the award with three-time World Junior Champion cross country skier Gus Schumacher.
   - Mikaela Shiffrin

The 2019-20 story of Mikaela Shiffrin (Edwards, Colo./Ski & Snowboard Club Vail) was told less in her six World Cup wins and 13 podiums, and more in how she fought through professional and personal challenges that tested her at every turn. Shiffrin was honored with the Beck International Trophy as overall athlete of the year, along with the comparable award in alpine. 

It was a season of highs, including a late January weekend in Bansko, Bulgaria where she won two speed events and amassed 250 World Cup points in front of her parents, to the deepest of lows with the death of her father a week later. While the entire World Cup family grieved with her, she fought back courageously to return to the tour a month later, only to have the season end prematurely a day before her return. It is the fourth time Shiffrin has won the Beck International Trophy, and the fifth time she has won Alpine Athlete of the Year.

“Wow. I am SO humbled,” said Shiffrin. “It’s an incredible honor to share the award with three-time World Junior Champion cross country skier Gus Schumacher. It’s super impressive to see a junior athlete receive this prestigious award, and I’m looking forward to following Gus’ success throughout his career with the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team. I’d also want to thank my team and teammates, U.S. Ski & Snowboard, and the ski community as a whole for your outpouring of love and support through what has been an unimaginable time in my life. Your words and thoughts lifted me up when I needed it most.”
 

Beck International Trophy

Cross Country Athlete of the Year
Gus Schumacher
(Anchorage/Alaska Winter Stars)

Wow, I didn’t know how big it was until I realized Mikaela was the other recipient.
   - Gus Schumacher

At just 19, Alaskan Gus Schumacher (Anchorage/Alaska Winter Stars) is rewriting the cross country skiing history book in America! He becomes the first junior skier to win the Beck International Trophy since cross country skier Bill Koch won in 1975. At the Junior World Championships, Schumacher took the first individual gold by an American junior in the 10k classic. To top it off, he anchored the USA men to their second straight relay gold and third straight medal performance in the team event. A product of the Alaska Winter Stars program, Schumacher has been a catalyst on a junior team that has been winning Junior Worlds medals over a three-year span.

“Wow, I didn’t know how big it was until I realized Mikaela was the other recipient. After that call, I realized it was a super big deal. It was cool because she’s just a regular person - she was so nice and seemed genuinely interested in my skiing. I’m honored to be sharing the Beck Award with her.”
 

Sport Athletes of the Year

Freeskiing Athlete of the Year 
Maggie Voisin
(Whitefish, Mont./Whitefish Mountain Resort Freestyle Team)

Strength and determination overcame uncertainty for two-time Olympian Maggie Voisin (Whitefish, Mont./U.S. Slopestyle Pro Team), who came back from knee surgery to score five consecutive podiums. She was recognized with the Freeskiing Athlete of the Year Award.

Her hard work led to exponential progression through the X Games tour, winning slopestyle bronze in Aspen, then hitting big air silver and slopestyle gold in Norway. Her X Games medals came on the wings of landing a perfect double cork 1260 safety to close out a season that also saw her on the Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix and Dew Tour podiums. Voisin’s positivity and encouragement has positioned her as a team leader.

“I can’t thank the U.S. Ski & Snowboard community enough for this award. I don’t know what my life would look like without skiing and it’s truly hard to express the kind of love and excitement it gives me every day. To keep it simple, I absolutely love what I do and am so grateful for the support and love to all the people who helped me along the way.” 
 

Freestyle Athlete of the Year
Jaelin Kauf
(Alta, Wyo./teamboat Springs Winter Sports Club) 

Veteran moguls skier Jaelin Kauf (Alta, Wyo./U.S. Freestyle Moguls Team) scored four World Cup podiums including a win to close out the season ranked third in the world. She was honored with the Freestyle Athlete of the Year Award. Kauf is consistently one of the fastest women on the moguls World Cup circuit and this season brought two new tricks to competition - a cork 7 and a back mute. Her athletic progression is a tribute to her strong work ethic and her desire to be the best at what she does - all contributing to her confidence on the course. Known as a team leader, she attributes much of her success to the strength of her teammates in always pushing each other. Kauf also won the award in 2018.

"There is so much that goes into what we do,” said Kauf. “I have an amazing support group of family, friends, sponsors and this entire organization that make it possible for me to do what I love and have fun with it! I love skiing and competing, and my passion for the sport is what continues to drive me."
 

Nordic Combined Athlete of the Year 
Tara Geraghty-Moats
(West Fairlee, Vt./New York Ski Education Foundation) 

A second straight season title came to Tara Geraghty-Moats (West Fairlee, Vt./New York Ski Education Foundation) this season, on the wings of five Continental Cup wins and two podiums. She was recognized as U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s Nordic Combined Athlete of the Year. Along the way she impacted the youth of the world, serving as a sport ambassador for the International Olympic Committee at the Youth Olympic Games and was named Nordic Combined Athlete of the Year by the International Ski Federation. Women make their FIS World Cup debut next winter, as well as being a part of the World Championships next February in Oberstdorf, Germany. Geraghty-Moats has established herself as a notable international figure in the push for Olympic inclusion. It was the second straight year she has earned the athlete of the year recognition.

"To see my hard work translate into a graceful step forward for gender equality at the Youth Olympic Games, that was special and will give me motivation for years to come. I am honored to receive this award and thank my coach, Tomas Matura, my family and my supporters around the globe, especially those at U.S. Ski & Snowboard and USA Nordic.”
 

Ski Jumping Athlete of the Year
Andrew Urlaub
(Eau Claire, Wis./Flying Eagles Ski Club)

Wisconsin teen Andrew Urlaub had a breakout season at every level of international competition. Urlaub, an 18-year old out of the Flying Eagles Ski Club in Eau Claire, Wis., scored five top-30 finishes on the FIS Cup, including a fourth in Zakopane, Poland - just a point off the podium. He also notched it up a level with five top-30s on the higher level Continental Cup. And he came away with a top-20 finish at the Junior World Championships in Oberwiesenthal, Germany.

“To win this award shows me that my dreams as a kid are coming true,” said Urlaub. “I owe it to my parents, teammates, and supporters who constantly push me to be my best. Thanks to everyone who followed my season through the ups and downs, and cheered from home.”
 

Snowboard Athlete of the Year
Dusty Henricksen
(Mammoth Lakes, Calif./Mammoth Mountain Snowboard Team) 

Wow, what a breakout season 17-year-old Dusty Henricksen (Mammoth Lakes, Calif./U.S. Snowboard Rookie Team) had! Henricksen made history at the U.S. Open, landing the first-ever backside quad cork 1800 in slopestyle competition. He also took Youth Olympic Games gold in slopestyle and earned his first World Cup win at the Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix at his home of Mammoth Mountain. What stood out all season was his maturity, optimism and positivity as he solidified himself as a top contender in the world of competitive snowboarding.

“This season was huge for me and I realized how much I love snowboarding. There’s nothing that can beat the adrenaline rush when you learn a new trick or land your full run. I am incredibly thankful for everyone that contributes to this development process, which is so important to my success and the pursuit of my dreams.”

U.S. Ski & Snowboard has announced its 2020 team for the Winter Youth Olympic Games Lausanne 2020 set for January 9 - 22 in Switzerland. Nominations include those age-eligible athletes who qualified based on published selection criteria in the 2019 winter season. 

Lausanne is known as the “Olympic Capital,” and has been the home of the modern Olympic Movement for more than 100 years. More than 50 international sporting organizations are based in this region. The Youth Olympic Games (YOG) serves to inspire the next generation to embody the Olympic values of Respect, Friendship, and Excellence. Competing in a location so steeped in Olympic history and tradition will set the tone for what is sure to be an awesome few weeks of competition. America’s next generation of ski and snowboard greats will compete for youth Olympic glory and put the world on notice. 

Since the last YOG, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) increased alpine quotas for major nations to two athletes per-gender. The U.S. finished top-eight in the Hodler Cup at the Junior World Ski Championships, qualifying alpine for a third spot per gender. 

“We have a good group of young athletes on our [alpine] team,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard Alpine Development Director Chip Knight. “These are all U18 athletes, so it will be the first major international championship event of their careers. They are all really excited to participate, and to compete for medals with the best athletes their age in the world.”

Because of a fourth overall team performance in the Marc Holder Award standings in 2018, the International Federation du Ski (FIS) and the IOC awarded the United States three Youth Olympic starts per gender in the disciplines of cross country, ski jumping and nordic combined - a step up from the usual one per gender in previous years. The Marc Hodler Award is based on total Junior World Nordic Ski Championships, including a nation’s points awarded for cross country, ski jumping and nordic combined. 

Snowboard and Freeski athletes will compete in halfpipe, slopestyle/big air, and ski/snowboardcross events. Quota spots for U.S. athletes were earned based on the team’s performance at FIS Junior Worlds in 2019. Some of the standout performances at the 2019 FIS Junior Worlds events included a men’s podium sweep in Freeski halfpipe, two podium finishes in Freeski slopestyle, two podium finishes in Freeski big air, one podium finish in Snowboard halfpipe, and one podium finish in Snowboard slopestyle. 

“We have a really strong team of development athletes nominated to this team and we are looking forward to a fun and exciting event and experience in Switzerland,” said Sport Development Senior Manager for Freeski and Snowboard Ashley Diebold. 

For the full roster of athletes representing the United States, visit teamusa.org.

2020 U.S. Ski & Snowboard Youth Olympic Team
(Hometown; Club; USASA Series (if applicable); Year of Birth)

Alpine
Women
Lauren Macuga (Park City, Utah; Park City Ski & Snowboard Club; 2002)
Emma Resnick (Vail, Colo.; Ski and Snowboard Club Vail; 2003)
Nicola Rountree-Williams (Edwards, Colo.; Independent/Private; 2002) 

Men
Daniel Gillis (Guilford, Conn.; Burke Mountain Academy; 2002)
Maxx Parys (Bethel, Maine; Gould Academy; 2002)
Trent Pennington (Shalimar, Fla.; Ski and Snowboard Club Vail; 2002)

Cross Country
Women
Kendall Kramer (Fairbank, Alaska; Nordic Ski Club of Fairbanks; 2002) 
Sydney Palmer-Leger (Park City, Utah; Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation; 2002)
Nina Seemann (Bondville, Vt.; Stratton Mtn School, 2002)

Men
Will Koch (Peru, Vt.; Stratton Mtn School; 2002)
Brian Bushey (Montpelier, Vt.; Green Mtn Valley School; 2002)
Kai Mittelsteadt (Bozeman, Mont.; Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation; 2002)

Snowboard 
Halfpipe
Men
Jack Coyne (Edwards, Colo..; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; Rocky Mountain Series; 2002)
Kolman LeCroy (Mammoth Mountain, Calif.; Mammoth Mountain Ski and Snowboard Team; Mammoth Unbound Series; 2002)

Women
Tessa Maud (Carlsbad, Calif.; Mammoth Mountain Snowboard Team; Unbound Series; 2003)
Athena Comeau (Rutland, Mass.; New Hampshire Series; 2002)

Slopestyle/Big Air
Men
Jake Canter (Evergreen, Colo.; Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club; Aspen Snowmass Series; 2003)
Dusty Henricksen (Mammoth Lakes, Calif; Mammoth Mountain Snowboard Team; Unbound Series; 2003)

Women
Ty Schnorrbusch (Monroe Township, N.J.; Tom Anderson, Rocky Mountain Series 2002)
Courtney Rummel (West Bend, Wisc.; Adam Junio; Midwest Best Series; 2003)

Snowboardcross
Men
Connor Schlegel (Highlands Ranch, Colo.; Vail Ski & Snowboard; Rocky Mountain Series, 2002)
Theo McLemore (Pittsburg, Penn; ISTC; Rocky Mountain Series, 2002)

Women
Acy Craig (Stowe, Vt.; Carrabassett Valley Academy, Southern Vermont Series, 2002)
Madeline Lochte-Bono (Durango, Colo.; ISTC; Rocky Mountain Series, 2003)

Freeski 
Halfpipe
Men
Connor Ladd (Lakewood, Colo.; Rocky Mountain Series; 2003)
Hunter Carey (Winter Park, Colo.; Winter Park Competition Center; Rocky Mountain Series; 2002)

Women
Svea Irving (Winter Park, Colo.; Winter Park Freeride Team; Rocky Mountain Series; 2002)
Hanna Faulhaber (Carbondale, Colo.; Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club; Rocky Mountain Series; 2004)

Slopestyle/Big Air
Men
Kiernan Fagan (Brownfield, Maine; Wy’East Mountain Academy; Rocky Mountain Series; 2002)
Hunter Henderson (Madbury, N.H..; Waterville Valley BBTS; New Hampshire Series; 2002)

Women
Montana Osinski (Darien, Conn.; Stratton Mountain School; Southern Vermont Series; 2003)
Jenna Riccomini (Port Matilda, Penn.; Team Summit; Rocky Mountain Series; 2004)

Skicross
Men
Eli Derrick (Harrisonburg, Va.; Carrabassett Valley Academy; Maine Mountain Series; 2002)

Ski Jumping
Men
Erik Belshaw (Steamboat Springs, Colo.; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club / USANS; 2004)
Landon Lee (Eau Claire, Wisc.; Flying Eagles Ski Club / USANS; 2002)

Women
Annika Belshaw (Steamboat Springs, Colo.; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club / USANS; 2002) 
Paige Jones (Park City, Utah; Park City Ski & Snowboard / USANS; 2002)

Nordic Combined 
Men
Niklas Malacinski (Steamboat Springs, Colo.; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club / USANS; 2003) 
Carter Brubaker (Anchorage, Alaska; Team Alaska / USANS; 2003) 

Women
Tess Arnone (Steamboat Springs, Colo.; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club / USANS; 2003)
Alexa Brabec (Steamboat Springs, Colo.; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club / USANS; 2004) 

LIVE STREAM
Live stream of the Olympic Channel will be up in the US at TeamUSA.org/Lausanne2020 starting with Opening Ceremonies. It will be free of charge with no log-in needed. You can see their schedule here: https://www.olympicchannel.com/en/live/.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
For the full schedule of events, visit Lausanne2020.sport. 

The Utah Olympic Park was buzzing with excitement as athletes from across the nation flew for national titles in ski jumping and nordic combined.

Before getting into Saturday's jumping competition, the nordic combined skiers went head to head in a mass start race up the Utah Olympic Park road on roller skis. The mass start format, which is slowly being introduced to the World Cup circuit, flips the order of nordic combined. Taylor Fletcher (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) crossed the finish line first followed by Jared Shumate (Park City, Utah) and Stephen Schumann (Park City, Utah). This meant that Fletcher went into today’s ski jumping competition with a sizeable lead on Jared Shumate and his other teammates.

On the women’s side, Annika Malacinski (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) won Friday night’s race ahead of Tess Arnone (Steamboat Springs, Colo.). Though she would head into Saturday’s jump with an advantage, she still needed to fend off Tess Arnone on the jump hill for the title.

On the jump hill, Grant Andrews and Annika Malacinski proved to be the best jumpers in the nordic combined event. Andrews flew 92.5 meters while Malacinski flew 70 meters. Malacinski started the sport of nordic combined just under two years ago. Saturday she won her first national championship. 

However, Malacinski is already looking forward. “First I want to better my technique, work on flying, and get faster at skiing,” she says. All of this is with one specific goal in mind. “The end goal is the Olympics,” she says. In five days Malacinski will head to Europe for a training camp, eager to keep improving at the torrid rate she has since starting the sport just two years ago.

While Malacinski’s long jump was enough to cement her title, Grant Andrew’s impressive jump couldn’t quite catapult him into the lead over Fletcher- though it was an exciting effort. Fletcher now has four national titles and continues to set the standard for the nordic combined team. “I’m getting older so it’s nice to show that I can still beat up on the younger guys a bit,” says Fletcher laughing. When asked if he was worried about any of his younger teammates he says, “I was definitely a little worried about Jared, he’s been progressing really well and Grant has been putting in good jumps.”

In the end, Fletcher’s speed on the course still keeps him unrivaled. Now Fletcher and the rest of the nordic combined team will take some time to recover before the Norwegian team arrives in Park City for a joint training camp. This will give the American athletes some exposure to the top competitors in the sport including World Champion Jarl Magnus Riiber.

In the ski jumping event, we saw some very close competition. After the first round, Kevin Bickner (Wauconda, Ill) and Nina Lussi (Lake Placid, N.Y.) were the leaders with 99 and 88.5 meter jumps respectively. Lussi went into the second round with a comfortable 10-point lead over Anna Hoffman (Madison, WI). Hoffman has had somewhat of a breakthrough summer posting career-best results so far. She continued that trend Saturday improving her second jump to 85.5 meters, not enough to oust Lussi but enough to land on her first-ever national championship podium.

This was Lussi’s third national title in ski jumping but, Saturday was extra special for her. The last time Lussi competed on this hill in Park City was during the 2018 Olympic Trials when she blew her knee out “I figured since I’ve been training on this hill the last few weeks, that I had put that behind me. Though the other day, I tweaked my knee a bit.” This definitely turned national championships into a mental battle for Lussi. “In the end, I had to have a little self-talk and I said to myself that I was going to jump.” Lussi’s then had two very solid jumps in today’s competition. She raised her skis above her head in the outrun and pumped her arms in celebration- smiling to the crowd. “I took it and went with it,” says Lussi.

Bickner headed into the second round with Casey Larson (Barrington, Ill.) and Decker Dean (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) seven and nine points behind. Consistency is key so Bickner by no means had things locked up. That is until he stomped down a 100-meter jump in the second round. When asked what it feels like to land at 100-meters Bickner says, “It’s not the most comfortable thing but it’s definitely a ton of fun.”

Bickner now has three national titles next to his name. This one was special though after a year where he claims there were some struggles. “I’ve had to fix a lot of things this summer, it’s been a lot of work,” says Bickner. The season is incredibly long and we are only in the middle of summer, however, progress is always celebrated. “Coming out and winning this title shows that I’m headed in the right direction,” says Bickner. He hopes to keep things moving in that direction as he flies off to Europe next week to compete in a few Summer Grand Prix events.

RESULTS
Men’s Nordic Combined
Taylor Fletcher (Steamboat Springs, Colo.)
Grant Andrews (Steamboat Springs, Colo.)
Stephen Schumann (Park City, Ut)

Women’s Nordic Combined
Annika Malacinski (Steamboat Springs, Colo.)
Tess Arnone (Steamboat Springs, Colo.)

Men’s Ski Jumping
Kevin Bickner (Wauconda, Ill.)
Casey Larson (Barrington, Ill.
Decker Dean (Steamboat Springs, Colo.)

Women’s Ski Jumping
Nina Lussi (Lake Placid, N.Y.)
Anna Hoffman (Madison, Wis.)
Annika Belshaw (Steamboat Springs, Colo)