U.S. Ski & Snowboard Establishes Partnership with CVA and Sugarloaf
CARRABASSETT VALLEY, Maine (June 28, 2017) – U.S. Ski & Snowboard has announced Carrabassett Valley Academy and Sugarloaf as the newest additions to its training partnership program. CVA has been designated as a U.S. Ski & Snowboard High Performance Center and Sugarloaf as a Team Development Site.
As a high performance center, CVA will collaborate with U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s Park City- based Center of Excellence and other high performance centers to share best practices in strength and conditioning, sport science and sports medicine. It will also serve as a site to host training and education sessions for U.S. Ski & Snowboard clubs in the region. CVA’s training facility, the Anti-Gravity Complex, boasts strength training venues, trampolines, an indoor skate park, basketball court, spin and yoga room, climbing wall and a variety of outdoor training sites.
“The connection with U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s High Performance Team will be an invaluable resource for the school,” said CVA High Performance Director Shelby Downing. “It is a great advantage, not to mention huge inspiration, to be able to see U.S. team members in action in the gym and on the fields.”
Sugarloaf is a regular stop on the FIS NorAm Cup Tour and has hosted multiple regional and national championships as well as a FIS World Cup and Junior World Championships. As a U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team Development Site, Sugarloaf will provide on-hill training days for regional and national development projects and access for U.S. Ski Team athletes.
Multiple Olympic athletes have emerged from CVA and Sugarloaf's program, including (l to r) Kristen Clark-Rickenbach, Bode Miller, Emily Cook and Seth Wescott. (Getty Images)
“Since the FIS World Cup in 1971, Sugarloaf has been a proving ground for the nation’s top skiers and snowboarders,” said Sugarloaf General Manager Karl Strand. “From Bode Miller to Kirsten Clark and Seth Wescott, many of the country’s greatest athletes have cut their teeth right here in Carrabassett Valley, and we are honored to open our doors to the next generation of competitive snowsport athletes.”
“These partnership programs have provided hundreds of our regional and national athletes with the training opportunities they need to take their performance to the next level,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard President and CEO Tiger Shaw. “The facilities at CVA and Sugarloaf will be invaluable resources for our national teams and local clubs as we prepare for the Olympic season and beyond.”
CVA and Sugarloaf join eight other resorts, academies and facilities that have established formal partnerships to support U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes. The training partnership program was formalized last winter and is available to U.S. Ski & Snowboard gold and silver certified clubs and resorts around the country.