The U.S. Para Snowboard Team ended the season on top in Mt. Sima, where Brenna Huckaby, Noah Elliott and Darian Haynes won, and three more finished on the podium. 

The athletes took on the same dynamic course set from yesterday, where the difficulty was accentuated by the cold weather overnight. The course featured unforgiving, tight turns that could easily take even the best horizontal. 

After the first run, Huckaby, Elliott, and Haynes had the fastest times in their categories, while Mike Minor was second and Zach Miller was third. 

Despite winning their classification in the first run, Huckaby and Elliott both put down electric victory laps to improve on their already winning runs earlier in the day. Elliott put on a banked slalom clinic all day, taking a risky high line that paid off in the end. This is Elliott’s sixth win of the season.

Huckaby won for the seventh time this season in the women’s LL-1/LL-2 event. Dennae Russell ended the season with a fifth place finish, followed by Courtney Godfrey in sixth. Darian Haynes improved upon her results from yesterday in the women’s UL event to finish on top, alongside teammate Peggy Martin in second. 

In the men’s UL event, Mike Minor continued his successful weekend to finish on the podium again in second place. 

Zach Miller earned his fourth podium finish of the season, finishing third in the men’s LL-2 classification. Keith Gabel was right behind, finishing fourth, alongside Evan Strong in fifth and Joe Pleban in seventh. 

The U.S. Para Snowboard Team is up north in Mt. Sima, Yukon, Canada for the final banked slalom World Cup of the season, and it seems the athletes plan to go out with a bang. Brenna Huckaby, Noah Elliott, Mike Minor and Peggy Martin all finished on top. 

Due to weather cancelations, this is only the second banked slalom World Cup, and third banked slalom event this season, the first back in late November in Landgraaf, Netherlands. 

Following a successful run one, the athletes head into run two, running in reverse order of their results from the first run. Brenna Huckaby, Mike Minor and Noah Elliott all had the fastest times in their classes, allowing them to run last, learning from the runs of their competitors

The course was highly technical, with a set created specifically to allow athletes to gain a lot of speed right out of the gate; if the athletes weren’t ready for the speed, they would quickly lose control. 

The course took a beating throughout the day, getting tracked out and developing large ruts and other terrain that the athletes had to navigate. 

Darian Haynes took a fall in run two, allowing Peggy Martin to move ahead and take the win in the women’s UL category. 

In the women’s LL-1/LL-2 event, Brenna Huckaby showed why she is one of the best to ever do it, setting the fastest women’s time of the day. After taking home the snowboard cross Crystal Globe last week, Huckaby is poised to earn the banked slalom and overall globes following tomorrow’s race. Dennae Russell finished fifth, followed by Courtney Godfrey in sixth. Rebecca Johnston did not start. 

Mike Minor led in the first run. With just one rider to go in run two, Minor’s time was overtaken by Maxime Montaggioni of France. With everything on the line, Minor put down one of the fastest and riskiest runs of the day to retake first; his first win and fourth podium of the season. 

Noah Elliott continued his dominant season today, holding on to the lead the entire way to finish on top of the podium in the men’s LL-1 category. Elliott finished third in the overall snowboard cross season standings last week, and currently leads the banked slalom and overall standings. He has the potential to earn both with a clean run tomorrow. 

In the men’s LL-2 class, Zach Miller led the way for the U.S. finishing third, his third podium of the season. Keith Gabel was close behind, finishing fifth, followed by Evan Strong in sixth and Joe Pleban in seventh. 

Tomorrow, the athletes will race the final FIS Para Snowboard World Cup event of the season, banked slalom finals in Mt. Sima. The banked slalom and overall season Crystal Globes will be awarded following the race. Run one is set to begin at 2:15 pm ET followed by run two at 3:15 pm ET. Watch live on Facebook. 

Another day, another slew of podiums for the unstoppable U.S. Para Snowboard Team, including Brenna Huckaby’s fifth win of the season.  

The conditions could not have been better for racing in Big White, British Columbia, Canada. The snow was crisp and clean, the sky was clear, and the temperature hovered around 26 degrees Fahrenheit, a stark contrast from yesterday’s snowy weather.  

Brenna Huckaby faced a tough final but came out victorious for the fifth time this season, her second podium in two days. Courtney Godfrey improved on her result from yesterday, finishing sixth followed by Dennae Russell in seventh in the women’s LL-1/LL-2 classification. 

On the men’s side, Noah Elliott led the way for the U.S. once again, finishing second in the LL-1 event. This is his fifth podium of the season. Colby Fields of Adaptive Action Sports finished sixth in the men’s UL class, moving up from his 10th place finish yesterday. 

Keith Gabel went two for two on the weekend, finishing third again in the men’s LL-2 event, his 61st career World Cup podium. Evan Strong won the small final to finish fifth overall, followed by Zach Miller in seventh and Joe Pleban in ninth. 

RESULTS
Women
Men

Brenna Huckaby and Keith Gabel landed back on the podium in the first of two snowboard cross events at the snowboard cross World Cup Finals in Big White, British Columbia, Canada. 

It was a cloudy, cool day with temperatures hovering just below freezing in Big White. This created perfect compact snow conditions for a snowboard cross event. Snow started to fall halfway through the day, covering the icy racing surface with a layer of powder, complicating things for racers. 

The team had a strong showing in the qualification round, sending 10 athletes to the finals. Brenna Huckaby led the women in the semi finals, winning her heat to advance to the big final. Dennae Russell and Courtney Godfrey of Team Utah advanced to the women’s small final.

Ultimately, the women’s LL-1/LL-2 big final was a battle, with Huckaby finishing second overall. This is Huckaby’s fifth podium of the season. Russell finished fifth, followed by Godfrey in seventh. Godfrey is returning from a gnarly fall in Pyhä in February, which forced her to withdraw from the races due to concussion protocol. 

In the stacked men’s LL-2 event, Zach Miller, Keith Gabel, Evan Strong and Joe Pleban advanced to the finals for the United States. Gabel put on a solid performance to make his way onto the podium for the fourth time this season, finishing third overall. Just off the podium was Miller in fourth, Strong in sixth and Pleban in eighth. 

Noah Elliott, the current World Cup overall Crystal Globe leader, was leading in the men’s LL-1 big final until an unfortunate fall took him out of podium contention. He finished fourth on the day. 

In the final event of the day, Mike Minor continued his successful season, finishing fifth in the men’s UL classification. Colby Fields of Adaptive Action Sports took 10th.

Tomorrow, the team is back in action in Big White for the final snowboard cross event of the season, where the snowboard cross Crystal Globes will be awarded. Brenna Huckaby currently leads the women’s LL-2 snowboard cross standings, with 130 points separating her and Romy Tschopp of Switzerland. Noah Elliott is sitting in second place, with the opportunity to take over the standings tomorrow. Qualifications are slated for 2:00 pm ET, with finals at 3:30 pm ET.
 

Every year at the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Congress awards ceremony in May, U.S. Ski & Snowboard recognizes the work of those behind the scenes and the people and organizations that provide athletes of all ages with opportunities to participate in ski and snowboard competitions.

U.S. Ski & Snowboard members can nominate in many of the award categories, including The Paul Bacon Award for excellent event organization, the John J. Clair Award for outstanding service to national teams and more.

How the process works

• Nominations for these awards are accepted from members who have a valid and current membership for the 2023-24 Season. 
• Each sport committee also submits its own nomination.
• Selection of awards winners is determined by a vote of the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Awards Working Group in early April.
• Winners are announced in May.

How to nominate

• Read through the categories open to public nomination.
• Click on the nomination link for each individual award for which you wish to nominate.
• Complete the nomination paying special attention to highlighting accomplishments required for each award.
• Nominees must also be current members of U.S. Ski & Snowboard.
• Click to submit.
• Remember, you need to submit nominations for each award separately.

DEADLINE TO SUBMIT NOMINATIONS: Friday, March 29, 2024

PUBLIC NOMINATION CATEGORIES

Paul Bacon Award (event organization)

The Paul Bacon Award is given to an individual or group for the greatest contribution to U. S. Ski & Snowboard in the field of race organization during the 2023-24 season. Traditional nominees include local clubs or individuals whose work has made a difference in providing good events for athletes.

PAUL BACON AWARD Nomination Form

John J. Clair Award (service to national teams)

The John J. Clair Jr. Award is given for outstanding service that benefited the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team in 2023-24. Past recipients have included outside team support personnel, donors, journalists, movers and shakers. Most recipients have been individuals, though some organizations have been recognized. The recipient’s service should be to the national teams.

JOHN J. CLAIR JR. AWARD Nomination Form

Bud & Mary Little Award (service to FIS or USOPC)

The Bud & Mary Little Award is a lifetime achievement award presented to an individual who has contributed significantly through a long-term involvement with the International Ski & Snowboard Federation or U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee. Recipients are eligible to receive the award only once. Achievement should be lifetime; it is not specific to this past year.

BUD & MARY LITTLE AWARD Nomination Form

Buddy Werner Award (sportsmanship)

Have you seen any great acts of sportsmanship this past year? Nominations should be based on actions from the 2023-24 season. It is only open to individuals.

BUDDY WERNER AWARD Nomination Form

Russell Wilder Award (service to youth)

The Russell Wilder Award recognizes the most outstanding effort during 2023-24 in focusing the interests of American youth on the sports of skiing or snowboarding. It can be awarded to an individual or an organization.

RUSSELL WILDER AWARD Nomination Form

OFFICIALS NOMINATION AWARD CATEGORY*

West Family Award (outstanding official)

The West Family Award is a lifetime achievement honor, recognizing an outstanding certified official at any level.  Nominations come from the pool of current U.S. Ski & Snowboard Officials membership.

WEST FAMILY AWARD Nomination Form

*Nominations only open to those who hold a current U.S. Ski & Snowboard Officials membership. 

FIS TECHNICAL DELEGATE NOMINATION AWARD CATEGORY^

Westhaven Award (outstanding FIS technical delegate)

The Westhaven Award is a lifetime achievement award, recognizing an outstanding FIS technical delegate for his or her service over time. Nominations come from the pool of current FIS TDs.

WESTHAVEN AWARD Nomination Form

^Nominations only open to those who hold a current U.S. Ski & Snowboard Technical Delegate membership. 

The U.S. Para Snowboard Team wrapped up their snowboard cross series today, Feb. 23, in Grasgehren, Germany, where Brenna Huckaby (LL1) and Noah Elliott (LL1) went back to back landing on top of the podium.

The wet, mushy snow from yesterday’s warm conditions froze overnight, creating a solid racing surface. However, as the storm rolled in around the course, it became covered it in snow that eventually turned to rain, creating interesting conditions for riders to overcome. 

"The weather was super unpredictable. The first race was super warm with almost slushy snow conditions," said Huckaby. "The second day, it was colder and a bit firmer, which was much better. I think a big part of the sport is being prepared for all conditions, so thankfully, the snow didn’t impact me too much."

While battling the mixed precipitation, Huckaby continued her reign on the circuit, winning her fourth straight snowboard cross World Cup. Right behind her was Kate Delson, who finished third. Delson is an up-and-coming Para snowboard athlete training with Team Utah Snowboarding, the same club Huckaby started her journey with back in 2013. Huckaby posted a photo of Delson on her Instagram story following the race, saying, “P.S. this girl crushes it! So excited for the future of our sport.” Another emerging athlete, Dennae Russell, finished fifth today to round out the U.S. women’s results. "I’m super proud of everyone for showing up and giving their all regardless of the conditions, and I’m excited to see how much the sport progresses this season," said Huckaby.

On the men’s side, Noah Elliott also took home his fourth win of the season. Elliott has won every World Cup event this season that he has started in, an impressive feat considering the depth of competition and transitions between snowboard cross and banked slalom. In the men’s LL2 classification, Keith Gabel landed on the podium for the second time this season in third. Zach Miller was just off the podium in fourth, followed by Evan Strong in sixth and Joe Pleban in ninth. Mike Minor made it to the final in the stacked men’s UL class but finished just off the podium in fourth. 

The team is now traveling to Colere, Italy for two banked slalom races and one snowboard cross event Feb. 28-Mar 3.

RESULTS
Women
Men

It was a victorious day for the U.S. Para Snowboard Team in Grasgehren, Germany as Noah Elliott (LL1) and Brenna Huckaby (LL1) both stood atop the podium for the third time this season. 

The warm, wet weather made for difficult conditions for riders across the board. Huckaby told FIS Para Snow Sports, “you have to be really light on your snowboard, which we don’t see very often. The riding was not what we’re typically used to, but everyone did amazing and gave it their all.”

The U.S. team didn’t seem phased by the conditions. Just behind Huckaby in the women’s LL1-LL2 classification was Kate Delson, who finished in second place, followed by Dennae Russell in fourth. 

On the men’s side, it was a battle in the LL2 event where Zach Miller led the way for the U.S., finishing third in his first snowboard cross World Cup event of the season, an impressive feat after missing the last event in Pyhä, Finland.

"It’s [finishing on the podium] a great feeling, and a huge relief," said Miller. "I had a lot of time between this and the last race I competed in, but I spent it training hard at home so I could hit the ground running once I got here, and I was able to do exactly that." When asked about his preference between snowboard cross (sbx) and banked slalom, Miller said, "I personally do best in banked slalom, however the tactics of SBX, and the sheer excitement of dropping into a race with three other athletes is just so incredible. SBX is so exciting, and today was a great showcase of that! Moving forward, it’s about building on this momentum and making days like this more consistent. Our team is becoming a well-oiled machine because we’ve put a lot of effort into creating a good system, and now it’s about trusting the process and improving every day. As long as we’re doing that, we’ll just keep getting faster"

Just off the podium was Keith Gabel in fifth, followed by Evan Strong in sixth and Joe Pleban in ninth. Rounding out the results was Mike Minor in the Men’s UL classification, finishing seventh. 

The team takes on another snowboard cross event in Grasgehren tomorrow, Feb. 23, before heading to Colere, Italy, for a mix of banked slalom and snowboard cross World Cup events Feb. 28-Mar. 3. 

The U.S. Para Snowboard Team completed their second snowboard cross World Cup event of the season in Pyhä, Finland, Wednesday morning with five athletes on the podium, bringing the podium count for this event to 10 overall. 

It was a freezing, windy day in central Finland, with temperatures hovering around -2 degrees Fahrenheit. Athletes adorned tape across their faces to protect themselves from the environment. 

Brenna Huckaby continued to dominate her field, finishing first once again in the LL1/LL2 classification. Huckaby has podiumed in every World Cup event so far this season. Following behind Huckaby was Dennae Russell, who finished third for the second time this weekend. 

On the men’s side, Mike Schultz (LL1) earned his best result of the season, finishing second.

“The last two weeks in Finland have been a lot of fun with the team and super productive with my performance. With the delayed start to my season, I couldn't be happier with my results after the two World Cup events and bringing home a couple of silver medals,” said Schultz. “Next up, [I am continuing] preparation back in Minnesota for my next World Cup snowboard cross and banked slalom competitions in Italy.” 

Keith Gabel (LL2) also had a season's best performance and first podium.

“I feel boardercross suits my riding style well [vs boarder cross]. I’ve been training hard at my home mountains in Aspen and coaching with the local program, so that’s forced me to rethink some of my riding and make some adjustments,” said Gabel. “My focus moving forward is to continue my progress this season, chipping away at my weaknesses and building on my strengths. The World Cup season is a marathon, and it’s important to focus on the process vs the results.”

Mike Minor also finished third in the UL classification, adding his second podium of the week. Joe Pleban (LL2) finished sixth. 

Looking forward, the team is sticking in Pyhä for a few more weeks to continue training before heading into their next World Cup in Grasgehren, Germany, for two more snowboard cross events Feb. 22-23. 

RESULTS
Women
Men

The U.S. Para Snowboard team dominated their first snowboard cross World Cup of the season this morning in Pyhä, Finland, where five U.S. athletes found the podium, including Brenna Huckaby taking first place in the women's LL1-LL2 category. 

Despite a gentle snowfall, the sun peeked through the clouds to shine over the snowboard cross course in central Finland, displaying the snow ghosts around the racers. The team has been spread worldwide since their last World Cup event in Landgraaf, Netherlands, in November, training, spending time with family and for many, doing professional speaking events. But after a week-long training camp in Pyhä, the athletes were prepared to take on their first World Cup event of 2024. 

Huckaby led the way for the U.S. women in the LL1/LL-2 classification, landing on the top box for the first time this season following up two podiums (one second, one third) in Landgraaf. Huckaby’s preferred event is snowboard cross over banked slalom, and with a record of two Paralympic snowboard cross medals (one gold, one bronze) and four World Championship medals (two gold, two silver) in snowboard cross, it is clear as to why. “⁠It feels really good to be back in a start gate! This season is all about how far I can push my riding, and we are off to a great start with that,” said Huckaby. “In the past two [Paralympic] games cycles, this was the year I was pregnant with each of my daughters and I’ve always been focused on recovering. Since I’m not going to be pregnant this game cycle, I’m excited to see how much progress I can make. My goal is to get as strong as possible and push my snowboarding limits [moving forward].”

Joining Huckaby on the podium was Dennae Russell, one of the U.S. team's emerging athletes who finished in third. Just off the podium was Courtney Godfrey, another emerging athlete who unfortunately took a hard fall during the qualification rounds but finished fourth. 

On the men's side, Mike Schultz (LL1) and Keith Gabel (LL2) led the team, both finishing on the podium in second place. Joe Pleban finished seventh in the LL2 class. Mike Minor rounded out the podium in third place in the men's UL classification.

“As always, I’m happy to race in the place I call home,” said Minor, speaking to his home base in Finland. “It feels really great to step onto the podium at our first boardercross event of the year.  I had a really rough start to the big finals heat.  I made a crucial mistake in the start section, which caused me to spin out 180 degrees and switch into turn one. I then needed to throw a cab 180 to regain my regular stance, which left me far in the back of the pack. There was a wreck about halfway down the course, though, which ended up putting me back into the podium mix. I have a few things I need to clean up moving forward. I’m happy with my overall performance today, especially coming off a rough injury last week.”

The team takes on another snowboard cross event tomorrow in Pyhä at 3:30 am ET.

RESULTS
Women
Men

The world's most dominant Para snowboard team took no time showing this year's competition that they are stronger than ever. The season kicked off in Landgraaf, Netherlands, with a set of banked slalom events, where the U.S. Para Snowboard Team secured seven podiums throughout two days of competition. 

The competition was held in the “ice box,” an indoor venue that the team has grown to love, as it has become a familiar stop to start the season.  

Noah Elliott’s back-to-back wins highlighted the event in a stacked field in the LL1 classification. Elliott, a two-time Paralympic medalist, has been an integral part of the U.S. team since 2017.

“I am thrilled to have had such an incredible start to the season. All summer, I have been preparing mentally and physically for how intense the season will become,” said Elliott. “I made it a point to spend more time in my recovery and strength training in preparation to ride at my absolute best. Moving forward, I’m continuing to train hard and push myself. I’m really looking forward to spending more time with my teammates on snow and at competitions.”

Due to a smaller pool of participants in the women’s LL1 and LL2 classifications, athletes will compete in combined-class events this season. Despite competing against athletes in different classifications, Brenna Huckaby showed her dominance in the women’s field by bringing home second and third-place finishes. 

On day one, Evan Strong was also on the podium in the first event in third, followed by Keith Gabel in fourth, Zach Miller in fifth, and Joe Pleban in sixth. Additional podiums on day two of the competition came from Mike Minor in second and Miller in third. Just off the podium was Gabel with another solid fourth-place finish, along with Strong in fifth and Pleban in sixth.  

The team is heading into a training block before their next World Cup event in Pyha, Finland, in February.

RESULTS
Men, Day One
Women, Day One
Men, Day Two
Women, Day Two