Mammoth Mountain Named Overall Club Of The Year
The Mammoth Mountain Ski & Snowboard Team has been named the 2018-19 Club of the Year by U.S. Ski & Snowboard. Mammoth Mountain is one of over 400 clubs across the country that provide opportunities for aspiring athletes to achieve their dreams. The award will be presented May 16 at the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Congress in Park City, Utah.
In making its selection, the national organization looked at clubs that provided a strong introduction to multiple ski and snowboard sports, as well as development opportunities for advancement. As a Best in the World athletic organization, U.S. Ski & Snowboard provides opportunities for aspiring athletes to achieve their dreams at all levels. But the ability to meet that goal depends on the support and leadership provided at grassroots clubs across the country. Clubs are an essential resource for parents and an introductory point for young athletes to engage in competitive skiing and snowboarding, and clubs provide an invaluable service in helping young athletes take vital steps along the pathway to the top.
Mammoth Mountain, under the leadership of Director of Athletics Pete Korfiatis, has developed one of the premier ski and snowboard programs worldwide, producing both Olympic champions and weekend rippers, continually placing top athletes on U.S. teams. The program provides fundamental skills in a supportive team environment with a focus on personal goals both on and off the snow. One of the keys to the success of the program is the unique partnerships it has developed with the community, including the Mammoth Mountain Community Foundation and Mammoth High School. Additionally, Mammoth Mountain is an official training venue partner of U.S. Ski & Snowboard, further strengthening the ties between Mammoth Mountain and U.S. Ski & Snowboard.
“As a U.S. Ski & Snowboard Gold Club and High Performance Center, the Mammoth Team is on a continual quest for excellence as we are aware the other clubs and teams across the country are pushing just the same," said Mammoth Director of Athletics Pete Korfiatis. "Mammoth has had a longstanding history of supporting the Olympic movement, whether it’s our home team or U.S. national team athletes. It was a philosophy of our founder, Dave McCoy, and one that still remains within Mammoth Resorts and Alterra Mountain Company. We, as a team, a resort and as a company is honored to receive the award as it’s a first for Club of the Year and Snowboard Club of the Year.”
The program is noted for its depth of tenured coaches with significant competition experience and high level of certification. Mammoth Mountain is a gold level podium club. The program is a past recipient of both Alpine and Freeski Club of the Year, as well as this year’s Snowboard Club of the Year, but it is the first time it has achieved the overall U.S. Ski & Snowboard honor. It is also a regular host for national Project Gold camps as well the National Coaches’ Academy plus both the national team and club training.
“We are fortunate to have so many great clubs providing opportunities for young ski and snowboard athletes. Mammoth Mountain has truly distinguished itself with a high-level program that embraces sport at all levels.”
- U.S. Ski & Snowboard Club Development Manager Ellen Adams.
Adaptive: National Sports Center for Disabled
The National Sports Center for the Disabled is one of the largest therapeutic recreation agencies in the world, with deep roots in adaptive skiing. The Center hosted two major races for Para-Alpine Skiing this past season. The Winter Park Open is an early season development race that the national team uses to identify the next generation of athletes while tuning up their performances to be prepared for World Cup and World Championship competition. It also played host to the U.S. and Canadian National Championships for super-G, giant slalom, and slalom. Under the leadership of Competition Director Erik Peterson, the Center has a reputation for hosting great races and supporting athletes.
Alpine: Burke Mountain Academy
Vermont’s Burke Mountain Academy, under the leadership of Head of School Willy Booker, was recognized not only for its own programs but for its partnership with regional and national programming. Burke has aligned its programming with U.S. Ski & Snowboard to extend value across a wide swath of athletes. The club played host to over 44 races this season including Speed Week and other regional training projects, the Eastern Cup Finals and the January U16 National Championships National Performance Series (NPS) including early training for all three national regions. Burke expanded the knowledge of its staff with professional development opportunities as well as maintaining a strong commitment to both coach and official certification.
Burke athletes distinguished themselves with results at U14 and U16 levels regionally and nationally. At the FIS level, Burke had multiple athletes participating in D Team projects with a strong showing in FIS events.
Cross Country: Stratton Mountain School SMS T2
The Stratton Mountain School T2 Elite Team, under the direction of Nordic Program Director Sverre Caldwell and coach Patrick O’Brien, comprises seven members of the U.S. Ski Team including A Team members Jessie Diggins, Sophie Caldwell and Simi Hamilton, along with 2019 U.S. SuperTour overall winner Julia Kern plus Ben Ogden who contributed to the first-ever Junior Worlds gold medal in U.S. history. First-year team member Alayna Sonneysn took a strong win in the American Birkebeiner. SMS T2 has continued to elevate ski performance at every level from the junior through World Cup and has been a strong partner that demonstrates the importance of common goals and collaboration.
Freeski: Waterville Valley BBTS
The fabled Waterville Valley BBTS program has been a longtime strong partner with U.S. Ski & Snowboard and has now become a rising star in freeski. Under the leadership of Shuffleton, the club now has five freeski athletes in the top 10 on the NorAm tour with four podiums including two wins across NorAm and Rev Tour events this season and two athletes invited to Junior Worlds. The club has shown a commitment to the sport as a regular event site and a dedicated U.S. Ski & Snowboard training center with a four-season airbag and trampoline center and a dedicated partnership with its host resort. One of the most prestigious clubs in the Eastern USA over the decades, it currently has nearly 400 members with programs for kids up through international competition.
Freestyle: Killington Mountain School
A longtime strong program in freestyle under the leadership of Kris Pepe, Killington Mountain School offers programming for athletes from six years old up through post-graduate with a track record in delivering athletes to the World Cup level. This year Killington enlarged its opportunities for age and ability level training with the addition of youth sessions to summer on-snow and airbag training camps. Killington also stepped up to organize a wide range of events including the Eastern Championships, Killington Klassic Moguls, KMS Four Season Airbag Extravaganza, Bear Mountain Mogul Challenge and more. Killington had three athletes earn spots at Junior Worlds plus five separate moguls athletes with top-10 finishes at U.S. Freestyle Championships among 14 who qualified to compete. The team also had a strong presence in NorAm and divisional competitions. Thanks to its broad programming reach, Killington saw impressive growth in 2019 with 25 new athletes coming into the program.
Ski Jumping/Nordic Combined: Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club
A long established nordic club program under the leadership of Olympian Todd Wilson, Steamboat Springs Winter Sports saw its program grow to record levels in 2019 - the largest jumping and nordic combined club in the country. Most notably, the club is showing a strong gender balance with the onset of women’s nordic combined in addition to women’s ski jumping. Steamboat women took titles in U20 ski jumping, U16 men’s and women’s nordic combined as well as men’s and women’s team sprint at U.S. Championships. Steamboat also qualified seven athletes for Junior Worlds. The club also played host to a successful men’s and women’s FIS Nordic Combined Continental Cup in December - the first women’s event ever held in the USA.
Snowboard: Mammoth Mountain Ski & Snowboard Team
In addition to its overall Club of the Year title, Mammoth Mountain Ski & Snowboard Team was also recognized as Snowboard Club of the Year. With some of the best training facilities in the world in its innovative Unbound Terrain Parks, Mammoth Mountain has consistently produced some of the top riders in the world including Olympic gold medalist Chloe Kim and U.S. Open champion Maddie Mastro, as well as current Rookie Team members Tess Maud and Dusty Hendrickson. It holds a major USASA event each year, providing a proving ground for young riders. Under the leadership of Program Director Ben Wisner, a level 300 coach, the club has a strong focus on coach certification.