In response to the recent discussion put forth by Ski Racing Media about collegiate ski racing and the relationship between NCAA skiing and the U.S. Ski Team, many members of the community wanted to weigh in with their perspective and have asked that we publish their pieces, so their voices are heard. 

One of these individuals is alumna Heidi Voelker, who was a 12-year member (1985-1997) of the U.S. Ski Team. Heidi wrote this piece in response to a Ski Racing Media article, USST, NCAA butt heads over NorAm schedule. 

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I am writing to express my opinion on the recent articles about the development differences between the USST and NCAA. I am a three-time Olympian and have been involved in this sport for over four decades. I am also the parent of a first-year FIS athlete, who will one day have to make a choice in this regard (if he is fast enough to be in that position).

Choices are always difficult, we make them every day, yet they come with trade-offs. Skiing for the National Team or a college program are very different; they both require exceptional talent and speed. The rewards for success and risks are also different between the two. The path you take depends on your goals and ambition. There is no wrong path, but you will be forced to choose and in so doing, you will be faced with trade-offs. Some say you can do both, I disagree. Are their exceptions? Yes. But, if your measure of success is defined by World Cup, World Championship or Olympic podiums, the success rate through college racing is very low and data backs this up.

Prior to the inception of the World Cup tour in 1966, college skiing was the path to the World Championships and Olympics. Once the season long World Cup tour was established, governing bodies around the world had to adjust and because of competitive forces, the path to these events changed. 

When I ask young children, who ski race what their goals or dreams are, they say “I want to ski in the Olympics, my dream is to win a Gold medal”. I have never heard “My goal is to ski for a certain college”. That’s not a knock, it’s just the way it is.

The World Cup is the highest level of competition that we have in skiing. It takes sacrifice, effort, talent and ultimately speed to achieve success. The mission of the National Team is to develop competitive athletes that win races, World Championship and Olympic medals. Especially Olympic medals, because that’s their currency of currency, their funding is based upon it.

The USST path is a full-time job. You compete against other athletes from other countries that train year-round. If you don’t, you are at a huge disadvantage and that compounds every year that you are not on that path. The USST has their development process, while not perfect, it again provides funding for athletes on the D and C teams, which was sorely lacking over the last five years and something that helped me in my career.  To make the team is great, but the goal of the program is to have skiers on the A Team, competing for podiums. That’s the truth; the tip of the spear is sharp and not always accommodating to athletes that can’t perform to this level.

This process requires solid progression and can’t take more than five years to show results, given funding limitations. Talent can be identified and progressed; however, some athletes will not make the next step and the Team is forced to make decisions. This is a risk with this path, not everyone who makes the National Team leaves happy. But if you have the speed it’s your path to ski at the highest level of this sport and achieve Olympic dreams. There are great skiers like the Phil and Steve Mahre, Tamara McKinney, Bode Miller, Lindsey Vonn and Mikaela Shiffrin who have gone this path, stood on podiums-making a trade-off, forgoing college.

There is a lot of discussion around having the National Team accommodate the college schedule. The National Team needs to build their schedule for the benefit of their athletes. 90% of these races are on foreign soil. In the U.S. our highest level of racing is NorAm. In Europe, they have Europa Cup and World Cup. U.S. athletes must be able to adapt to living and racing in Europe. It is very rare that an athlete can show up in Europe, learn the lifestyle, be comfortable, and be competitive right away. It takes a couple years for this to happen.

That means that the D and C team athletes must compete over there. Our NorAm races are preparation and test events for the D and C team athletes. Ultimately, they need to compete in high level FIS and Europa Cup races in Europe and make their mark there, so NorAms need to be scheduled before the races in Europe or later in the season which conflicts with the college schedule.

College ski racing is a cool experience. Being able to ski race for four years at a great college or university and walk away with a degree is a great opportunity. With that said, the educational requirements, testing and workload are demanding and when you add alpine training, NCAA rules and the college calendar they simply do not align with the requirements of competing at a high level on the World Cup. Comparing other college sports and the progression to the pros is not accurate; there are so many differences in international ski racing and the countries that are represented. People just need to come to grips with this fact. 

The College path is an excellent option for athletes who don’t want to go the National Team route or for those who have been with the national team for two to three years but did not make the next level. NCAA Division 1 is very competitive and a spot on any team is not easy to achieve, even if you are trying to migrate from the National Team. College ski racing is very rewarding; my brother and sister took this path and they loved their experience.

In the end, all athletes need to understand which path is the best for them. There are trade-offs and sacrifices with both, as well as unique experiences. While each path requires a high level of commitment, the body of work are different, and choices must be made.

— Heidi Voelker
Former U.S. Ski Team Member

In response to the recent discussion put forth by Ski Racing Media about collegiate ski racing and the relationship between NCAA skiing and the U.S. Ski Team, many members of the community wanted to weigh in with their perspective and have asked that we publish their pieces, so their voices are heard. 

One of these individuals is current U.S. Ski Team B Team athlete and 2019 NCAA slalom champion, who currently attends the University of Denver (DU), Jett Seymour. Jett wrote this piece in response to a Ski Racing Media article, USST, NCAA butt heads over NorAm schedule. 

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The United States Ski Team and their view on college skiing has been a very controversial topic for years. From my perspective it is a very interesting conversation that is more complex than coaches and administrators make it seem. First, I would like to say that I agree with both sides of this article and both have valid points. However, as in most controversial issues; both make points that I disagree with and have a different view based on my experience.

Let’s first talk about the NorAm schedule, the premise of this article. NorAms are designed to create a platform for the best athletes in North America to make it onto the World Cup and hopefully become successful at the highest level of competition. That being said, the NorAms must cater towards the schedule of the World Cup skiers. This past season, watching some of the top skiers in North America such as Simon Fournier, River Radamus, and Brian Mclaughlin race world cups was an absolute treat. However, competing on the World Cup is difficult; everything must go right on your one run down the course in order for you to make it into the top 30 and be able to compete in the second run. Rarely do we see someone like Lucas Braathen break into the top 30 world cup start list their first-year racing World Cup. There will always be athletes that will make it look easy, but, there are also athletes that have shown so much speed but just need one little thing to go right for them to make a huge break through and that might take a year or two of racing World Cup. But athletes must race NorAms in addition to World Cups in order to keep FIS points low and ensure a second year on the World Cup circuit. When the NorAms are scheduled over top of the World Cup races, North American skiing as a whole is making it harder on the athletes to succeed at the highest level in the sport. “The NorAms serve multiple roles, but that one is absolutely critical because without serving that role, our athletes have no pathway to the top in the world,” said Shaw. “And that’s our job, as the people who run the national team” (Ski Racing Media). I completely agree with this quote and I think that Tiger Shaw has a very good point. Europa Cups do not overlap with World Cups for the most part, so why should NorAms?

Can college skiing be a part of the “pipeline”?

This is a difficult question. In my experience after going through this process of using the college circuit as a viable option to make it to the World Cup there really isn’t a right answer to this question. Multiple athletes have proven that it is possible, but I don’t think there are a lot of people that really understand exactly how hard it will be. First, there is the challenge of making it onto a college team fresh out of high school, which is hard; the level of skiers on the college circuit is high. Second, being able to improve your skiing in college is more difficult than it would be with the USST. I was lucky enough to be able to train and travel with the USST the whole time I was in college and without that access to World Cup level training, I would not have had the success that I have had. However, I think that if I were to skip college and go straight to the USST I would be in a different place in my career.

College provided me with the opportunity to really find who I was as a human. I left high school with very little knowledge about skiing, tuning, ski set ups, and ultimately the real world. I was able to learn so much about skiing that I do not think I would have learned if I didn’t have to take full ownership of my skiing career. However, I had two pretty bad seasons in a row and I really struggled mentally and physically. I was so programmed from my younger years to take as many runs as possible and to just keep skiing that I ended up hurting myself more than helping myself, mainly during early season. It takes a unique person to be able to thrive in college and embrace the struggle, learn from all the mistakes, take the lessons you have learned and apply them to your career. Going the college route is not for everyone. Going straight to the USST I think is for sure the easier route and if there are the right coaches and athletes, for your career in my opinion, I think it would be more beneficial. In my case, the first year on the team, there were still team fees and the financial strain of skiing was still falling on my shoulders. I was able to alleviate that while getting an education, which was a no brainer. I was a little boy when I went to college; I weighed 145 pounds at most and was immature. In my specific scenario attending college was the best option at the time and I wouldn’t change the way I did it at all. The amount of effort you put into the route you choose to go determines how much you are going to get out of it. At the end of the day, the effort I put into workouts is the same at the University of Denver as it would be with the USST, the turns I make training with the University of Denver are still the same ones I would make with the USST, and the dedication I have to the sport remains the same no matter where I am skiing.

One point in the article that I thought was a little unfair is about the “frantic athlete”: an athlete willing to sacrifice it all in order to be top 10 in the world. According to the article by Ski Racing Tiger Shaw said an athlete with other goals or aspirations is probably an athlete that should not be involved with the U.S. Ski Team. [See Ski Racing notation below] I had the opportunity to talk with Tiger Shaw about these quotes and he defined a “Frantic Athlete” a little differently: someone that has always had their eyes set on making the next step at each level of the sport. As in, moving from winning NorAms to winning Europa Cups and World Cups. Still, in the world we live in you must be one of the best racers in the world to make any sort of money from ski racing. When I was stressed out and unsure of the path I chose, that inherent ambition to be the best in the world was crucial in reminding me why I do what I do. However, often we are only training four hours a day—with recovery or a lift, five, maybe six hours. The other hours can be used for anything that you want, so having other goals and aspirations should be encouraged. Obviously having a full class load is a stressful way to fill those hours and racing in Europe is hard to manage, but having something to give your mind a break from ski racing is important.

I am extremely grateful for the opportunities to race on the NCAA circuit along with representing our country. I think us athletes need to remember how lucky we are to have ski racing be part of lives. Ultimately, there is no right answer on what the best options for athletes is because it is very specific to each athlete and I think that all parties should support skiers that show potential. At the end of the day good skiing is good skiing and good skiing can be made into fast skiing.

— Jett Seymour
U.S. Ski Team

Starting with the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team in early June, U.S. Ski & Snowboard worked closely with several domestic ski areas, including Mt. Bachelor, to coordinate unique summer on-snow training camp opportunities for its national teams. 

Members of the men’s World Cup technical team—led by Forest Carey, including two-time Olympic champion Ted Ligety, Olympians Tommy Ford and Ryan Cochran-Siegle, and World Junior medalists/up-and-comers Ben Ritchie and Luke Winters—hit the snow at Mt Bachelor, in Bend, Ore. for a 10-day giant slalom and slalom camp. 

All sanctioned U.S. Ski & Snowboard training camps are subject to a rigorous set of criteria adhering to local, state, and federal public health orders as well as the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) return to training guidelines to ensure the safety of its athletes and staff.

Working closely together with Mt. Bachelor Sports Education Foundation (MBSEF), Forest and assistant coaches Ian Garner, Ryan Wilson and Will Courtney conducted a successful 10-day camp, with early morning training and World Cup-like conditions. MBSEF Executive Director John Schiemer and his team, including Alpine Director Nils Eriksson, were psyched the guys were there and helped Forest and the team immensely. Each afternoon, athletes received physical therapy at Rebound’s West Clinic. Rebound is an official medical provider for the U.S Ski & Snowboard Team. 

“The athletes were engaged, excited, motivated—it was a really nice environment. The local community was welcoming and really helpful,” Forest emphasized. “Brett Gingold, the doctor who was on the ground, made everything happen and provided a lot of local knowledge, and helped us feel safe.” Forest also mentioned how helpful the MBSEF crew helped, including driving snowmobiles while the athletes were lapping. “We were fortunate the mountain was closed, so we were training with snowmobiles,” said Forest. “There was very little demand for accommodation so we had spacious accommodations...it was a good way to kick off having camps. It worked out pretty smoothly.”

In total, the men skied for 10 days, with eight days of giant slalom training and two days of slalom training when the weather was less than perfect. “It’s a really nice trail—it’s like a 55-second GS, with really nice terrain,” Forest added. “They got about 60 runs in the camp. We also did two days of slalom when the weather wasn’t as good. Working on the normal stuff. It was nice to get out there this time of year for a little experimenting and try to get the pressure above the fall-line, and powerful turns. Each guy was able to try that out with their feelings and with input from each other. We salted pretty much every day, getting up there very early, so the snow was fine.” 

With the salted snow, Oregon local (Gresham) Luke Winters, mentioned the conditions were much like many of the World Cups this past season. “The training and conditions at Bachelor were a bit northwest-wet and variable, but the salt worked and we were able to get some quality training on a great hill. As far as I'm concerned, the conditions were similar to most GS World Cups this year.” World Cups like Yuzawa-Naeba, Japan, Alta Badia, Italy, Garmisch, Germany, and Hinterstoder, Austria, all had that springlike, salted surface. 

Ryan Cochran-Siegle, who just came off of the best season of his career on the World Cup, was relieved to get back on snow in some capacity with their small group. “The last time any of us was on snow in a serious training environment was back at the beginning of March when we were at the time preparing for Kranjska Gora [Slovenia],” Ryan said. “All of a sudden, our season ended like the flip of a switch and for a short moment, skiing was put on the back burner to return home safely and learn how to be a part of a new social-distancing world. To be back on snow again after everything we have all been through was a refreshing feeling. At the same time, it also felt a little like tiptoeing through your house in the middle of the night. It’s all familiar territory to be skiing again, but not everything is experienced in the same light right now. COVID precautions added to the detail we put in place with our training and housing environments, but eventually, it became close to normal over the course of a few days of getting used to.”

Bend, Ore. hometown boy Tommy was stoked to get back on snow at his home hill when it reopened at the end of May, saying that “Returning to snow to gates for the first time since early March was lovely. Didn't skip much of a beat. Skiing at Bachelor when it reopened at the end of May really helped get my ski feet back on.”

“Mt. Bachelor let us train on Thunderbird, the main run, that has a nice gradual break over with a consistent pitch that breaks over again just before a compression and trail turn that leads into an off-kilter false flat then gradually turns,” Tommy said. “It was a dream come true to train on that hill with my team! We had some early mornings and some salty days. I feel like we were all able to learn and improve our skills.”

Ryan was quick to mention they knew the privilege it was to be at Mt. Bachelor and they all took it seriously in order to get the most out of the opportunity. “We also had a great daily dialogue and communication among athletes and staff that helped offer different perspectives between us from which we learned extensively. Fortunately, we had close to perfect terrain for our needs thanks to Mt. Bachelor who gave us full reign of Thunderbird while there. Easily the best trail I’ve ever skied at Mt. Bachelor, as it’s still the only trail I’ve ever skied at Mt. Bachelor,” he added.

Though Luke admits the break in the spring due to COVID-19 didn’t feel as long as it was, he says it was good to get back on snow and is thankful for the solid training in his home state of Oregon. “Being an Oregonian, it was nice for Bachelor to open up and keep me as local as possible,” said Luke. “Training on the same hill I spent a lot of time on as a kid brought back some fun memories and it was good to do it with fellow U.S. Team athletes this time around. Hopefully, we can make it an annual trip. Thanks to Mt. Bachelor and MBSEF for all the help.”

Luke’s focus during the camp was on giant slalom. “This next season I want to ski as much GS as I can and work on being a two event tech skier in the coming years,” he commented. “Taking my slalom fundamentals I have been focusing on in the last year and transferring what I can to GS.” Tommy’s focus was “on activating and utilizing my inside ski while also doing all the other stuff well too. The other stuff being, staying out over the ski and rotated out with my shoulders as the forces build. Strong move down the hill at the top of the turn. In slalom, working to use the skis like a trampoline rather than skis. That was interesting.”

As for Ryan, his focus for the camp was on discovering the right cues to get him back where he was at the beginning of March. “For me, this included driving over the front of the ski at the top of the turn, disciplined level upper body through the apex with strong lateral outside half core engagement, and sticking with my bottom half to finish the turn, upper body following my lower body,” he said. 

All of the athletes shared similar sentiments of gratitude for the training opportunity, and Tommy commented, “A big thank you to Mt. Bachelor, MBSEF, our dedicated snowmobile drivers, Rebound PT, Boss Sports Performance, my parents, and the U.S. Ski Team. It really takes a village.” Ryan added, “Thank you to all of the supporters, volunteers, staff, medical team, teammates, Rebound Therapy, Mt. Bachelor, city of Bend, and U.S. Ski and Snowboard for making such a great first camp possible! There was a crazy amount of hard work and jumping over hurdles that went into making it happen and we are all just so incredibly thankful and appreciative that it did!”

 

 

 

 

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Recognizing the challenges people are facing each day during such uncertain and sensitive times. It seems progress is being made thanks to the many individuals doing what is necessary to overcome these battles. This includes many sacrifices I cannot ever fully know nor understand, but I will continue doing the best I can to be supportive and empathize during such difficult conflicts. . . Our team took our own step in the right direction today with our first successful training camp @mtbachelor in the books after a long hiatus off snow. Looking forward to our next opportunity to continue working on this progression. Thank you to the many many people who helped make this camp possible (groomers, sled drivers, medical staff, slipper volunteers, coaches, technicians, @rebound_pt, teammates, @usskiteam), you made it well worth our while. Needless to say, it felt good to be back on snow and to rediscover that type of focus again. #oneteam

A post shared by Ryan Cochran-Siegle (@rc.s) on Jun 12, 2020 at 3:29pm PDT

Finally, the time together in Mt. Bachelor in what has been a tumultuous time in the world, as protests against social injustice abounded across the country, gave the team time to have thoughtful and serious discussions about what was going on in the world. “As a final note,” added Tommy, “although we were back on snow and stoked for some sense of normalcy, we recognized, as a group, that ‘normal’ is changing and we were having daily discussions about Black Lives Matter, policing, and legislation. I've talked about continuity and consistency in my skiing for a while and the same applies to social change. Let's put the work in. Vote.”  

Though much remains unknown with regards to future training opportunities in the COVID-19 landscape, the men’s tech team plans to travel to Mt. Hood, Ore. in July for a camp at U.S. Ski & Snowboard's official training site Timberline Lodge and Ski Area. 

U.S. Ski & Snowboard sanctioned training camp attendance is optional. U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes and staff should not feel pressure to travel to train. All sanctioned training camp policies and protocols are subject to change based on local, state, and federal public health orders, updated guidance from the USOPC, or updated U.S. Ski & Snowboard policies.

Collegiate skiing has a long and storied history in the United States, from the Dartmouth Outing Club hosting the country’s first ski race on the slopes of Mt. Moosilauke in 1927 to Bob Beattie moving from CU to coach the National Team in 1961, and then starting the World Cup in 1967. Early Winter Olympic teams consisted almost entirely of collegiate athletes before the dawn of the World Cup and the professionalization of modern ski racing as we know it today. Tiger Shaw is an example from the 1980s of an athlete who was on the U.S. Ski Team, left the team to race D-1 for Dartmouth, and then made it back onto the National Team where he went on to have World Cup success and compete in the Olympics.

In the mid-1990s, college races became FIS sanctioned for the first time. This allowed college athletes to compete for their school while continuing to work on lowering their international FIS ranking. And with that connection to the international gold standard, athletes could also continue to compete in regional FIS races, NorAms, and even World Cups when their schedules allowed. As a result, college competition regained relevancy as a high-level circuit for athletes who still wished to compete at an elite level.

One of the early pioneers in legitimizing this new pathway was Thomas Vonn, a 2002 Olympian who was named to the National Team, dropped, and then returned to the U.S. Ski Team to ultimately score two top-15 results after dominating the NCAA circuit for a year at St. Lawrence in 1999. Jimmy Cochran, a 2006 and 2010 Olympian who had five career top-10 World Cup results, also paved the way from college to the U.S. Ski Team after competing in the NCAA ranks for Middlebury and UVM in the early 2000s. On the women’s side, one of the biggest success stories has been Leanne Smith, who competed for UNH in 2006 before making the National Team and going on to achieve two World Cup podiums in her career. Dave Chodounsky later utilized the pathway from NCAA to the U.S. Ski Team in a whole new way, completing a four-year degree at Dartmouth in 2008 before forging a 10-year career with the National Team and earning eight top-10 World Cup results.

In recent years, the collegiate FIS-U circuit in the U.S. has become the highest level of domestic competition below the NorAm Cup. Many international athletes have recognized the opportunity to earn a top-notch education, sometimes even on scholarship, while continuing to ski race at a very high level. Combined with the opportunity to also attend NorAm races and score minimum FIS point results, the U.S. collegiate circuit has become an attractive option for athletes who have either not yet qualified for or did not achieve criteria to remain on their national teams. Leif Haugen, Roni Remme, Jonathan Nordbotten, Laurence St.-Germain, and Tanguy Nef are all recent international success stories who have spent time competing in the United States’ collegiate ranks. Americans like Paula Moltzan have seized this opportunity too, making the leap to the U.S. Ski Team’s B Team and achieving World Cup success during or after racing NCAA.

The U.S. Ski Team values the collegiate circuit for providing high-level competition increased domestic density, and an enduring pathway for athletes to continue to develop their skills in the sport of ski racing. Not only does it provide a bounce-back option for athletes like Thomas Vonn, and also Paula more recently, but also a development route for “late bloomers” like Jimmy Cochran and Dave Chodounsky. Moreover, collegiate racing has proven to be instrumental in inspiring a team mentality and long-term love of the sport for many of our best coaches and club leaders.

Still, collegiate skiing is not the World Cup. There are important benefits of college racing that the successful athletes all mention—having balance in their lives, skiing for a team, learning to perform consistently, and rekindling the passion for the sport. But it requires extraordinary desire and commitment to make the jump from the collegiate ranks to those of the World Cup. The international success stories have almost all been athletes who were identified early by their national team but fell off due to either poor performance, injury, or budget cuts. And then they fought tooth and nail to claw their way back to the top. Haugen, Remme, Nordbotten, St.-Germain, and Nef are all examples of this, and of athletes who missed consecutive weeks of school at a time to chase NorAm results and ultimately compete in Europe.

Many of our National Team athletes also appreciate the benefits of college even if they do not race NCAA. Over half of our adult alpine National Team members are currently enrolled in college, and we support them with up to $6,000 a year in tuition reimbursement. Tommy Ford did not race NCAA but has four terms remaining en route to a Dartmouth degree. He also has two World Cup podiums to date. Andrew Weibrecht has a Dartmouth degree, and two Olympic medals. Laurenne Ross just graduated from the University of Oregon this spring and has two World Cup podiums in her career so far. Nina O’Brien is already a junior at Dartmouth and on her way to graduating while still in the prime of her career. These are just a few of the many examples of athletes who are balancing the pursuit of higher education with a full-time World Cup schedule.

In recognition of our mutual interest, U.S. Ski & Snowboard works collaboratively with representatives from the two collegiate leagues, RMISA and EISA, to be transparent about NorAm and national calendar planning and the myriad considerations involved—including the needs of Canada and our resort partners, the National Team, and those of emerging development athletes. At the NorAm level, U.S. races are typically scheduled early-season in Colorado, where many teams are already training and within driving distance for most of the western schools, and mid-winter on the East Coast, where the majority of collegiate athletes attend school. The National Championships are scheduled to take place in the same side of the country as the NCAA Championships, to limit cross-country travel as much as possible.

Understanding the whole picture, from the value of high-level domestic collegiate competition to the cut-throat level of World Cup competition, the U.S. Ski Team also works with collegiate athletes to provide them with high-level exposure opportunities to spark their athletic development. Sam DuPratt (UU), Jett Seymour (DU), and Jimmy Krupka (DAR) are successful examples of recent collegiate D-1 athletes who worked closely with the U.S. Ski Team World Cup and Europa Cup teams to achieve impressive results in the last year and ultimately earn a berth on the National Team for next season. Katie Hensien is on the National Team but is also racing for DU. At the Development level, collegiate athletes are routinely invited to regional and national training projects to help foster their skillset and provide supplemental training opportunities outside of NCAA regulations.

While there is often negative commentary that pits the U.S. Ski Team against NCAA skiing, as well as a real difference between the level of collegiate and international competition, the two circuits have a long history of successfully working together. We will continue to seek ways to collaborate on a robust domestic collegiate racing series as well as provide a viable alternate pathway to the World Cup.

—Tiger Shaw, Jesse Hunt, and Chip Knight, U.S. Ski & Snowboard

Each and every one of U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s more than 170 athletes has a unique story, and that story has only gotten more unique since their 2019-20 season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After returning back home to Portland, Oregon, Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team athlete and Olympian Jackie Wiles settled in for the longest stint she’s been home in a long time. Her quarantine binge of choice? Watching all 23 Marvel movies, from Captain Marvel to Spider-Man: Far From Home.

Alpine Communications Manager Megan Harrod spent some time catching up with Jackie (a.k.a. “Janky lil J”) , a speed specialist who had just returned to the FIS Ski World Cup tour after suffering a knee injury prior to the 2018 Olympics that had her sidelined for the entire 2018-19 season. Join us for this athlete touch base, as we talk about what she’s been up to since returning home from Europe early, what her quarantine life looks like, and the recent adventure she embarked on prior to returning to snow for the first camp of the 2020-21 season at Copper Mountain, Colo.—an Official Training Site for U.S. Ski & Snowboard. 

Megan Harrod: First of all, what have you been up to in quarantine? Have you picked up any new skills or refined any existing skills?
Jackie Wiles: Quarantine has been quite the new experience, but I am honestly loving this time at home to slow down a bit. I have really enjoyed lots of time to cook, spring clean, bake lots of banana bread, and also watched all 23 Marvel movies (total of 40 hrs. 48min) in order with my roommate. Besides that, I’ve been in full training mode, and I feel lucky that I have over the years slowly built up a home gym that is now coming in handy.

MH: How long have you wanted to summit Mt. Hood? Can you share a bit about the planning process?
JW: I’d say the last five years or so I have thought about climbing Mt. Hood. Growing up skiing in Oregon, I never considered myself a mountaineer and thought only experts summited the mountain. If you know what you are doing the risk isn’t very high, but there are still situations that people struggle with and need to be rescued every year, and fatalities do occur. Since I have picked up ski touring more in the last couple of years, I realized one day I wanted to summit. The ski racing community is a small tight-knit family here, and I reached out to my friend Aaron Zarosinski, asking if I could join one of his treks. We had a total of nine in our group, and leading the way were the John and Lisa Rust. They are big-time climbers and Lisa has even climbed Mt. Everest, so you could say I felt safe in good company!

MH: What was your route? Did you take the Magic Mile and Palmer lift and then hike from there, or did you start from the bottom?
JW: We started at the base of Timberline Lodge and ski toured most the way up until we had to take skis off the last bit. We then used ice axes, harnesses, ropes, and crampons. We took multiple breaks for water and snacks so it ended up being around six hrs. Starting around 5:30 am, we took the South Side Palmer Glacier Route, at the top we used the left chute through The Pearly Gates, reaching the top around 11:30 am. Sadly the clouds came in at the top so visibility was bad. I didn’t mind too much though, because the experience was still so rad. Now it gives me an incentive to do it again and look out from the highest point in Oregon! 

MH: It’s been such a weird time, and you had more time at home than you’ve probably ever had (barring injury/recovery times)…what are you most excited about? Are you anxious to return to snow?
JW: I haven’t been home this long for quite some time so I’m appreciating the moment for what it’s worth. I wouldn’t say I am too anxious just because I skied a bit this spring at home before resorts shut down and still been out ski touring so I’ve felt connected to the snow. However, it will definitely be nice to get on snow training again soon!

On Monday, June 8, we posted a letter from our CEO and President, Tiger Shaw, sharing how U.S. Ski & Snowboard was taking steps to develop a more inclusive and diverse community within the snowsports industry. 

Being open to different voices and taking the time to listen is our first step. One voice we’d like to share with you is African American Alpine Ski Coach Charles “Chuck” Harris. Chuck reached out to Tiger after reading the letter on our website, with his own letter. Chuck called us out, called Tiger out, and asked us to take a deep and critical look at ourselves. This lead to an extended conversation between Chuck and Tiger and will be the beginning of a productive, lasting relationship committed to affecting real change in creating more diversity in skiing and riding.

We recognize that as an organization we are not leaders on the subject of racial diversity. But our platform is large and so we are humbled and honored to share Chuck’s voice with our community and beyond. 

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Open Letter on Diversity in Our Sport

Mr. Shaw,

First I am an African American Alpine Ski Coach. 

I read your post on the USSA website regarding diversity. I must say you have a lot of work to do. I have been in and around the sport of ski racing for a great many years. I wonder if you actually realize how hard it is going to be to change the culture of our sport and the cities and towns where it resides. It will NOT be easy and it will be resisted. A lot of that resistance will not be overt but it will be there.

First let me address what you and the leadership of USSA know or don’t know. Do you know how many athletes of color are members of USSA? Do you know how many coaches of color are in USSA? How many alpine officials of color are members of USSA? How many people of color are in leadership positions in member clubs? If you have to scramble to find the answer or call over to membership, that is part of the problem. If membership doesn’t know that is an even bigger problem. Because that means it wasn’t important for you to know. In the time I have been here in the Far West (since 1994) I never once have seen the CEO at a divisional race. I would hope at some time the leader of US Ski and Snowboard would head out and see what goes on in this sport. If you want to change things you and the leadership need to get out to where things are happening at the ground level and listen without reservation. Yes you (USSA) did do the survey regarding women in the sport and yes women in this sport get treated very poorly by many of the men. I have often told some of my female colleagues “female is the new black.” You can take most of the negative comments regarding black people from 40 years ago, remove the slur for black and insert female or other slur. It’s the same degrading comment. The only thing that changed was the gender. Yet that same survey left me feeling that I and people that look like me in this sport are not important.

My involvement in Alpine Ski racing and the ski industry has given me some of the greatest moments of my life. There is something magical about alpine racing. Something pure. Athlete, mountain, clock. No judges it is fair down to its core. No judges no opinion, fastest time wins. Skiing has taken me to Europe and South America. It has made me not only bi-lingual but given me an extended family outside the US. My Grandmother was born in S. Carolina in 1885. 20 years after the Civil War. A woman with more grace and dignity despite what she faced in the world than I will ever have. For her skiing was like travelling to the moon. It was not even in the realm of the possible. Black people simply did not ski. For me 3 generations later to be a professional alpine coach speaks to my family's journey. One of the greatest moments for my family my mom and my aunts and cousins was seeing me march in opening ceremonies at the Olympic games. For my mother that was the culmination of a dream that took over 100 years of hard work. I wish my dad had been still alive to see it. But then it leads to the other question why am I the only one? Why after all these years are there so few that look like me?

Skiing has also produced moments of blinding rage. Rage that I have to choke down because reacting would only have negative repercussions for me in the long run. I can’t afford to be mad. I can’t allow myself to react. I ask you this. Have you ever been afraid of travelling to any community for a ski event? I have. Have you ever worried that you might reserve a hotel room and when you arrive it suddenly magically wouldn’t be available? That has happened to me. There are places I have had to go to in this industry where I order take out and stay in my room because I don’t feel safe in that community. In many cases if I do go out I only go in groups of other coaches that I know. Getting into an altercation with the locals or the local police would only serve to damage myself, my program and my athletes. In order for me to be able to move forward in my career I cannot fight back. Have you ever been pulled over by the police, had your truck searched, emptied onto the sidewalk and then been left there? The phrase “I have rights” never comes out of my mouth.  That would in most cases result in a night in jail and me not being on the hill the next day to do my job. How do you think I felt when I purchased a hot chocolate and coffee at a ski resort during a FIS race and looked at my receipt and it said “Ghetto Mocha”. After getting the Olympic coaching job from the Argentine Federation I had a parent say to me ”How did you luck into that job?” I just bit my tongue and replied ”I did the work”. All the work, study and years I put in to be awarded no earn that level of trust, taken down to “He must be lucky” You have to wonder why it is that at times I have felt more respected and welcome in Argentina than in my birth country. The same feeling my father had upon returning from Europe after World War 2.

There are many challenges facing people of color in our sport. For most of us professional involvement means that we will not be living and working in a location where there are many people that look like us. In some cases the Resort or club can be a warm welcoming place but the community not so much. Add to that factor that most ski towns do not have large populations of color to draw employees from. We are also in an arms race in this and other sports. There are parents with the “Country Club” mentality who will spend large sums of money on their child. That gives the impression that someone of modest means cannot afford to compete and that drives away talent. Because talent and inclusion is not what they want in the sport.

I would suggest you first find out who, and where we people of color are in this sport. Maybe reach out to Forrest Kingshaw, Schone Malliot, Eric Smith, Andre Horton, or myself. You will never know or maybe even understand what it’s like to be us. But at least you might get some guidance and perspective. The change we need in our country, society, and our sport will not be brought about by people of color. It can’t. We have been waiting for that change after how many repeated injustices. It will only happen when the rest of you say enough, we will not do this, we will not allow this anymore.

We have come to a crossroads here in the US. A fire is raging, a fire that was started by over 200 years of kindling. A few years ago after another incident of a police stop gone horribly wrong, one of my athletes asked me a question. This child looked at me and said “Stuff like that doesn’t happen to you coach?” I could see the look in his eyes when I told him “yes it has happened to me.” It gave me hope for our futures. I could see that he saw the injustice in it.  I could see that that type of injustice just touched home for him. A child KNEW it was wrong. And it broke my heart that I had to be the one to reveal that fact of life to him.

Respectfully,

Charles A. Harris
Coach lvl 400, TD 4, Ref 4, CO 4, Instructor National de Argentina (4)
Head Mens Speed Coach Argentina Olympic Team 2002
USSA Clinic Leader

U.S. Freeski Team member, Maggie Voisin, 21, from Whitefish, Montana and Park City, Utah, has won the NASJA Competitor of the Year Award for 2020.

The award honors a North American snowsports competitor who has distinguished themselves in amateur or professional competition during the current season. The winner was selected by an online vote of Active Press, Retired Press and Corporate members.

Previous winners include Pam Fletcher, Billy Kidd, Jean Claude Killy, Ted Ligety, Phil Mahre, Bode Miller, Mikaela Shiffrin, Lindsey Vonn, and others.

“This award from NASJA is particularly meaningful to me. It shows how hard work pays off. In fact, I’m planning a full competition season next year, with Dew Tour, X Games, the Grand Prix series and international World Cups on the schedule,” Maggie says.

Maggie, a two-time Olympian (2014, 2018) had one of the best comeback seasons the freeski community has ever seen. After getting ACL surgery at the beginning of 2019, there was much uncertainty surrounding her success last season. She proved her strength and determination, however, with multiple podiums and a variety of new tricks. On the X Games Tour specifically, Voisin showed exponential progression throughout the season. She gradually improved in every X Games competition, earning bronze in Aspen slopestyle, silver in Norway’s big air, and gold in Norway’s slopestyle. Voisin also podiumed at the Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix and Dew Tour.

To close out the season in Norway, Maggie completed a perfect double cork 1260 safety, marking the end of her incredibly successful contest season. Voisin’s triumphant season was a direct result from the hard work and passion she put into getting back to the top of the sport. She is resilient, determined, and hungry to become one of the best female freeski athletes in the world. In addition to being an impressive athlete, she is a positive, encouraging, and cooperative leader within the team.

Voisin deserves the recognition for her legendary comeback season.

The award is named for ski and travel journalist Paul Robbins, a wordsmith and historian for the U.S. Ski Team for 30 years, who died at his home in Vermont in February 2007. Robbins, whose wit, humor and vast knowledge was legendary, was 68. 

Words by NASJA.org 
 

U.S. Ski & Snowboard does not condone acts of violence, underage drinking, or discriminatory language or actions that criticize, ridicule or otherwise disparage another individual’s race, color, creed, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, religion, or age. U.S. Ski & Snowboard recently became aware of content that portrays Deven and Kiernan Fagan behaving in a way that is in violation of U.S. Ski & Snowboard's Athlete Agreement and Code of Conduct. Effective immediately, Deven and Kiernan will be subject to a formal, indefinite suspension. Kiernan and Deven’s return to U.S. Ski & Snowboard sanctioned activities is reliant upon completing diversity and sensitivity education. U.S. Ski & Snowboard will work closely with Kiernan and Deven in the coming months to evaluate their progress and team status.

Spring usually means crushing slush bumps at U.S. Ski & Snowboard official training site Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows for the mogul skiers of the U.S. Freestyle Ski Team. However, due to the impacts of Covid-19, this prep season is unprecedented for professional skiers across the country and around the world. 

Stay-at-home restrictions meant U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s high-performance staff had to pivot in a major way to make sure athletes could still successfully execute their prep season training programs. Limited access to gym equipment and the inability to train together in person created an opportunity for improvisation.

The Moguls’ Athletic Development Coach, Josh Bullock, devised #OperationHomebody to address his new reality of remote training. Josh’s approach was simple: combine each athlete’s individual program with a few weekly challenges and incorporate social media to engage and connect with the whole team, including staff. New U.S. Ski & Snowboard partner, Hydro Flask, provided gear to keep everyone hydrated throughout #OperationHomebody and quickly became favorite adventure companions as athletes sought to diversify their physical fitness outside.

 

 

 

 

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Now that ski season over I’d prefer if the weather would stay more like this and less like that ➡️ #hydroflask #heyletsgo #operationhomebody #mygorillabow #iamspecialized

A post shared by Hannah Soar (@hannsoar) on May 12, 2020 at 5:00pm PDT

“OperationHomebody was a huge success!” said Hannah Soar. “Over the weeks I pushed myself to improve my mile time — one of the once-weekly challenges — and met my goal of a sub-6-minute mile. It was both physically and mentally challenging to get myself to push my limits each week. Having the leaderboard and OperationHomebody made me feel connected with my team, encouraging me to put my best foot forward every week in pursuit of my goals.”

Every Sunday the week’s theme was announced to the group, from supporting Goggles for Docs to celebrating Mothers’ Day. On Monday athletes had to complete a one-mile timed trial and Wednesday athletes did a one-minute pushup challenge. In an individual sport like mogul skiing, being part of a team creates camaraderie and friendly competition. Athletes push themselves when they are around each other. Incorporating social media into training created a sense of community that would otherwise be missing during this camp. 

 

 

 

 

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Hiking around 🙂 #heyletsgo #operationhomebody #hydroflaskadventures

A post shared by Kai (@kai.owens_) on May 10, 2020 at 7:45pm PDT

Learning to adapt to virtual reality for moguls wasn’t as impossible a task some might assume. “Since the onset of my tenure, I have made the attempt to educate [my athletes] to the point of being out of a job, to where they can function independently of direct supervision,” Josh explained. “Good coaching means the athlete can develop and solve motor problems independently. Training is training, so nothing has really changed. We still want quality movement and we still want athletes to reach certain physical capacities so that they can ski at the highest level  while remaining healthy.” 

That is not to say there are no challenges. Like every organization right now, the U.S. Moguls Team is figuring it out. The biggest challenge is that every athlete is on a slightly different program based on the resources available to them. Some athletes have in-home gyms, while others have traded weights for sandbags. The inability to coach in person also means that most feedback is retroactive and based on video content. Josh can’t correct technique in the moment as he’d be able to when on-site with someone.  

 

 

 

 

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How nice is to be outside?! Thank you, @hydroflask for keeping me hydrated and happy out on the golf course! @usskiteam @hydroflask 🏌🏼‍♂️ #HeyLetsGo #OperationHomebody

A post shared by Nick Page (@nickpage58) on May 5, 2020 at 10:44am PDT

The goals for the team during the early prep season remain unchanged in this very changed world. “We first want to see great movement quality,” explained Josh. “Then we can focus on the capacity for exertion, and stress tolerance. They need to accumulate enough training so that they can tolerate stress, eventually the stress of competition and everything that comes with that.” Athletes being able to perform a variety of movements efficiently plays into injury prevention. Laying the groundwork before getting on snow, before the season ramps up, means that their bodies are prepared to tolerate the added exertion of the competition circuit, including travel, jet lag and access to varied nutrition while on the road.

 

 

 

 

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First camp adventure of the season📍// @hydroflask #heyletsgo

A post shared by Jaelin Kauf (@jaekauf) on May 23, 2020 at 10:45am PDT

The true test of #OperationHomebody will be when athletes are able to get back into a more typical training routine. But so far Josh is pleased to see that the team has learned to work together remotely. “The current team is a natural split-squat, with athletes on World Cup, NorAm, or in rehab, and I can’t always be with each sub-group,” said Josh. “Right now I’m able to meet athletes where they’re at. Some want to video chat, some want to text, etc. Being more versed in e-learning and virtual engagement will make for more fine-tuned processes as we move through this next season.”

 

 

 

 

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Staying hydrated in the mountains thanks to @hydroflask #heyletsgo #operationhomebody @usskiteam pc: @aliciamitchelll

A post shared by Landon Wendler (@_landonwendler) on May 24, 2020 at 4:23pm PDT

Athletes at the highest level of sport confront challenges that are difficult to comprehend for the average Joe. They juggle training, competition, sponsorship obligations, media requests, time with family, and the more obvious physical challenges that come along with competing against the best athletes in the world. 

However, one of the most taxing elements elite athletes face involves the mental side of the sport. U.S. Freeski Halfpipe Team member and double-Olympic gold medalist David Wise is no stranger to the mental strength required to achieve greatness. 

“My career, for better or for worse, can only be described as tumultuous,” said David. “I have had the opportunity to stand on the peak of all peaks and been dragged through the lowest of lows. Along the way, I’ve learned that while we can’t control what happens to us, we can control how we think and even feel about it. If we can control how we think and feel about a situation, we can control how we react to it. If we can maintain control of our actions in the midst of difficult situations, our chances at a favorable outcome drastically increase.”

Most recently, David has been working to pass on his knowledge, strategy, and perspective to other athletes as part of his newly formed Mental Giants program.  

“I saw both a need and an opportunity to help up and coming athletes with mental strength because of my history as a competitor,” said David. “Over the years, I learned tips and tactics that develop mental strength. I learned how to be in a relaxed state of mind in the midst of chaos. I knew that if I could help other athletes overcome mental hurdles and be the best athletes they could be, that it would be worth it. It has become one of the most rewarding things that I do. I love watching people do their absolute best when it counts.”

Most recently David has been working with U.S. Moguls Team athlete and Columbia University student Olivia Giaccio. Olivia discovered a post from David on social media that really resonated with her personal situation. She took it upon herself to reach out to David and they have been working together ever since. 

“I initially got involved with the Mental Giants program through David's Instagram,” Olivia reflected. “At the very end of 2019 and the beginning of 2020, David posted a series of photos with lengthy captions reflecting upon the past decade. His commentary felt eerily similar to what I was going through at that exact moment, which was wild to read. Especially from a skier that I had initially followed due to his success at the Olympics and X Games. When I was reading his posts, I was one day away from getting ACL surgery. I direct-messaged David to say that his posts were incredibly inspiring and to see if he had any particular sports psychologists that he'd recommend. I woke up to his response on the morning of my surgery, and I was honestly pretty stunned. Not only by the fact that he had actually responded, but also to hear that he was actually developing a mental program of his own and would be willing to work with me. I jumped at the opportunity and we got started immediately.”

So, how does a moguls and halfpipe skier work together? Their sports are not the same and they are both very different people, yet they still have the ability to relate and learn from each other. Olivia outlined exactly how they were able to successfully connect. 

“We’ve both put way too much pressure on ourselves in the past,” she said. “We both find it exciting to push the sport in new ways. Both of our identities have been centered around skiing, even though we’ve also learned to ground ourselves in other ways. In short, I think we’ve learned a bunch of the same lessons, particularly those that he experienced early on in his competitive career.”

David and Olivia have spoken about once a month and have regularly communicated by email and text since that first direct message on Instagram. However, the new COVID-19 landscape has proved challenging and most of their conversations have shifted to the digital arena. This hasn’t slowed down their pace at all with Olivia sending David weekly emails detailing her progress both within and outside the sport. David’s initial focus with Olivia has been rooted in goal setting. 

“Most people set goals based around external things like podiums or dollar figures or likes or followers, but that is not mentally tough goal setting. For example, If I approach any given competition with the goal of winning, I could land the best run that has ever been done, but if the judges don’t like my skiing on that particular day, I will be dissatisfied because I didn’t win. However, if I set a goal of doing my best run on that day, I will still be satisfied and joyful when I land a good run. Even if I am slightly disappointed that the judges didn’t see it the same way. It’s about not giving people or circumstances power over you. I like to start slow and have an athlete focus on what parts of their sport they enjoy right now and why they are doing what they do. That way when the competition gets more intense, they can stay tied to the moment and enjoy the ride.”

Olivia has taken David’s lessons to heart. Although she has dreamed of taking home Olympic gold, today she understands that there is much more to it. It will be a beautiful journey as Olivia’s physical talent and mental toughness pave the way for future success. 

“Since I was 10, I’ve always said that Olympic Gold is the biggest goal of mine, so who better to help me achieve it than a two-time Olympic Gold medalist? But, as cheesy as it sounds, I want to strive to become the best version of myself as an athlete, competitor, and individual each and every day. I like to think that I’m open to learning in order to foster self-improvement in whatever way I can, and while David’s help isn’t the only way I’m improving my mental game, I’m incredibly grateful for his vital role in my journey thus far.”

FOLLOW:

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@oliviagiaccio
@mrdavidwise

Facebook
@OGMogulSkier
@mrDavidWise

Website
http://www.oliviagiaccio.com/