U.S. Ski & Snowboard announces today that Kristen Bourne will join the U.S. Cross Country Ski Team staff as D-Team coach.

Bourne, who has worked with the team on several projects as a ski technician and coach, replaces Kate Johnson, who coached the D-Team for the past two seasons. 

“It was such a great experience to be with this team for the past two seasons,” said Johnson, who will return to the collegiate coaching ranks. “Kristen is an outstanding coach and will make a great addition to the team. I’m looking forward to being a huge supporter of the team from the sidelines.”

Thanks to a Women’s Sports Foundation grant and support from the U.S. Ski Team, Bourne joined the team for the Davos, Switzerland, Dresden, Germany, and Lahti, Finland FIS Cross Country World Cups last season, working with multiple athletes, in addition to joining the service team for ski testing and preparation.

“We were grateful for those opportunities to work directly with Kristen and to expose her to coaching and (ski) teching at the World Cup level,” noted U.S. Cross Country Team Director Chris Grover, who added that Bourne was very instrumental in the team’s success in all of these events. “She meshed super well with the team and added immediate value with both her coaching and teching ability.”

“I'm super excited to be joining the team and to hit the ground running,” Bourne said. “I had a couple of opportunities this past year to get a taste of the World Cup with the team and learn the system. Both experiences left me feeling inspired, excited, and ready for more. I'm really looking forward to getting to know all of the athletes better and being part of their pursuit of excellence and success at the highest level.”

Last summer Bourne also worked with current D-Team athletes Will Koch, Sammy Smith, and Michael Earnhart during a National Training Group camp in Park City. “Due to the poor air quality from all of the fires we spent a decent amount of time indoors on the roller ski treadmill,” she recalled. “We ran interval sessions and distance technique sessions on it which ended up being a great opportunity to work one-on-one with some of the athletes.”

Bourne holds Bachelor's degree in Sports Science from Northern Michigan University, in Marquette, Michigan, and she is currently working on her Master's degree in Exercise Physiology from The College of Saint Scholastica, in Duluth, Minnesota. She is also a former professional cross country athlete having competed in numerous FIS races, and U.S. and Norwegian National Championship events. She was also a two-time member of the U.S. Junior/U23 FIS World Championships Team. 

For the past few years, she has been the assistant cross country coach at The College of Saint Scholastica, and a U23 coach for the Craftsbury Green racing team in Craftsbury, Vermont. She also served as World Cup ski tech for U.S. athlete Bill Harmeyer in Lahti, Finland, last season.  

In addition to cross country skiing, Bourne is an avid outdoorswoman. “I love going on trail runs and adventures with my dogs and I just started dabbling with mountain biking,” she said, adding that she will spend her summer in Craftsbury, Vermont, and spend time working with many U.S. Cross Country Team athletes who spend their summer prep period training in Vermont, while also working with Development Team athletes across the U.S.

Bourne joins an experienced U.S. Cross Country Team staff that includes the following:

• Cross Country Program Director: Chris Grover
• Head Coach: Matt Whitcomb                    
• World Cup Coach: Jason Cork                                     
• D Team Coach: Kristen Bourne
• Development Team Coach: Greta Anderson                                                                            
• Cross Country Sport Development Manager: Bryan Fish                       
• Cross Country Sport Coordinator: Adam St. Pierre              
• Cross Country Communications Manager: Tom Horrocks

U.S. Ski Team athlete and 2022 NorAm Overall Champ Ava Sunshine Jemison, pictured here standing atop the podium in Sugarloaf, Maine, has been named Golden Ski Award winner for the second-straight year. 

Each season the New England Ski Museum presents this award to the most promising male and female junior alpine racers in the Eastern U.S. Their awards will be presented at a reception to be held at the New England Ski Museum at New Hampshire’s Cannon Mountain, Friday, June 10th, from 5 to 7pm.

Ava Sunshine Jemison
This is the second time Ava has won this coveted award. She showed impressive results during her first season as a U.S. Alpine Development Team athlete. Highlights included top-10 NorAm finishes in all five disciplines, including a win in slalom and one in alpine combined, which culminated in her winning the NorAm Overall title. In January, she won the giant slalom at the Italian National Championships, rounding out an excellent European swing that included multiple podium finishes. Ava also earned a silver medal in super-G at the World Junior Ski Championships in Canada and finished in the top-ten in the slalom and alpine combined as well. Over the course of the season, her world rank improved from 430 to 56 in slalom while her giant slalom world rank improved from 263 to 129. Ava’s hard work, dedication, and stellar results have earned her a nomination to the 2022-23 U.S. Alpine Ski Team B Team.

John Kerbaugh 
At the age of 16 in his first year of FIS racing as an U18 competitor, John started strong. At early regional slalom events at Sunday River he sliced through the field and moved up about 100 spots each day. A few weeks later, still starting at the back of the pack, he managed a top-10 finish in an Eastern Cup giant slalom, and he grabbed his first FIS win just a few days after that. By the end of December he was ranked second in the world for his age in giant slalom. He continued to progress throughout the year scoring Nor-Am points in alpine combined and finishing just outside the top-30 in NorAm slaloms on back-to-back days. In March, John became a national champion for the first time at the U18 National Championships in Vail, winning both runs of the giant slalom and taking the overall title by nearly one second. John finished the season with more strong results in giant slalom and slalom. He ended the year ranked third in the world for his age in giant slalom, and 12th in slalom. 

The Golden Ski Award has been presented to the top junior male and female skiers in the East since 1969, the year after the modern World Cup circuit started. Many of the Golden Ski winners have gone on to World Cup and Olympic gold as well. In 1975, the Golden Ski was "lost." In 2007, the New England Ski Museum was given some artifacts, and in that donation was the original Golden Ski. ESWA revitalized the honor. “The Golden Ski Award is the oldest honor given to junior alpine ski racers that exists today,” says Jim Gregory, Chair, of the New England Ski Museum’s Golden Ski Award Committee. “We are proud this year to honor Ava Sunshine Jemison, for the second time, and John Kerbaugh, two extraordinary athletes. We look forward to watching them pursue their goals and set the bar even higher in the sport we all love so much.”

Previous Golden Ski Award Winners:
1969: Tyler Palmer, Karen Middleton
1970: Charles Bent, Karen Middleton
1971: Rod Taylor, Judy McNealus
1972: Laurent Gaudin, Jody Palmer 
1973: Jerry McNealus, No female winner
1974: No award
1975: Scott Light, Holly Flanders
1976-2007: Award Lost
2008: Bump Heldman, Julia Ford
2009: Nolan Kasper, Julia Ford
2010: Ryan Cochran-Siegle, Julia Ford
2011: Ryan Cochran-Siegle, Mikaela Shiffrin
2012: Ryan Cochran-Siegle, Mikaela Shiffrin
2013: Kieffer Christianson, Mikaela Shiffrin
2014: Sam Morse, Alice Merryweather
2015: Drew Duffy, Nina O’Brien
2016: Ben Ritchie, Cecily Decker
2017: George Steffey, Patricia Mangan
2018: Jimmy Krupka, Abigail Jewett
2019: Ben Ritchie, Claire Thomas
2020: Ben Ritchie, Zoe Zimmermann
2021: Ben Ritchie, Ava Sunshine Jemison

Release courtesy of Jim Gregory, Chair: Eastern Ski Writers Golden Ski Award, presented by the New England Ski Museum.

Contact:
Jim Gregory (cell: 609-505-6252, email: nyleski@verizon.net)

Following a crash in Cortina d' Ampezzo, Italy this past January, Olympian Breezy Johnson announced she would sit out the upcoming Beijing Olympics to focus on healing. Johnson, who was seventh in the downhill at PyeongChang in 2018, was a favorite—along with Italy's Sofia Goggia, who was also injured recently at Cortina—for the downhill win in Beijing.

Recently, Johnson caught up with Ski Racing to discuss her injuries and her return to snow plan. She said, 

“I basically had a bad cartilage lesion when I crashed in Cortina. I tore a large chunk of cartilage off of my knee. I actually tore my ACL earlier in January and was succeeding in skiing without it,” Johnson said.

After the first crash, Johnson opted out of the upcoming speed events in Zauchensee, Austria. Feeling recuperated and ready to race a week later, she finished fourth in the first downhill training run in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. Then she crashed during the second training run, tearing the meniscal roots in the same (her right) knee. 

“The only reason I didn’t talk about tearing my ACL when I did it is that I feel there’s a lot of judgment in our sport about ACL tears and re-tears,” she says. “People may think, ‘do you really think you can do this without an ACL?’ I told myself yes.  I was going to try to compete without it. I did compete without it. What people are doing and what people are capable of is somewhat their business. Remember, you’re not in my body. You’re not in my shoes.”

As far as her return back to the mountain, Johnson is hopeful for a September return and will be working hard in the gym at the USANA Center of Excellence in the meantime. “Mentally, obviously, I’ve been struggling. Physically, it’s coming along,” she says. “Our goal is to get back on snow in September. We’re on track right now, working really hard in the gym all the time.”

Read the full article at SkiRacing.com. 

With three-time Olympic medalist Jessie Diggins leading the way, the U.S. women’s cross-country team has made major strides in recent years.

But outside of the athletes competing, the world of cross-country skiing remains something of a boys’ club.

“Women are really underrepresented in ski coaching, but also in the technician roles, which are massive in cross-country,” says U.S. cross-country program director Chris Grover.

A new proposal submitted to the FIS cross country committee by U.S. Ski & Snowboard aims to change this paradigm. Under the new guidelines, each cross-country team on the World Cup circuit will receive a maximum of eight “course access” bibs, so long as two are used by women.

Read the full story by Alex Azzi at OnHerTurf.NBCSports.com

Believe it or not, it is mid-May. For those following a traditional cross-country calendar, this means the start of a new training year, building toward the 2022/2023 competition season. And, for many of the top American athletes, this means it’s time to make an annual pilgrimage to Bend, Oregon for the on-snow camp of the season at the Mt. Bachelor Nordic Center.

The weather gods were kind to the camp attendees, with nearly a foot of fresh snow falling on Mt. Bachelor last weekend, restoring it to mid-Winter conditions. April was also a fruitful month for snowfall, setting up for a base-depth of 92” currently reported on the trails – not bad for May!

To learn more about the camp and what has made Bend and Mt. Bachelor a staple of the U.S. Ski Team’s early season training, FasterSkier connected with head coach Matt Whitcomb, who shared that he has been coming to Bend almost-annually for the last 26 years. 

He first experienced the trails at Mt. Bachelor during the 1996 U.S. National Championships. 

...Read the Full Story by Rachel Perkins at FasterSkier.com

 

 

 

 

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U.S. Ski & Snowboard announced Wednesday that 44 athletes across all sport disciplines at all levels have received awards through the Jeff Shiffrin Athlete Resiliency Fund. 

Last June, U.S. Ski & Snowboard, in collaboration with the Shiffrin family, announced that the Jeff Shiffrin Athlete Resiliency Fund (JSARF) would live on as a newly established need-based, direct-to-athlete funding source for U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes. The goal was to raise $250,000 with every dollar being matched by a generous anonymous donor up to $125,000. Thanks to 60 donors, the campaign reached its goal of $250,000 to be distributed to athletes across all sports at all levels, from Development Team to A/Pro Team, based on a combination of both need and merit. 

Athletes are able to use the funds toward any cost related to their sports career, including but not limited to living expenses, medical expenses, and rehabilitation from injury. Being a JSARF award winner means that an independent review committee, comprised mostly of former athletes, believes that these athletes are capable of breaking through to the next elite level of their sport. The committee was impressed by the stories of athlete resilience and acknowledged the hard work and dedication the athletes have demonstrated. 

In the inaugural year of providing the JSARF awards, the program has achieved the following milestones:

• 60 donors contributed to the campaign
• 44 applicants were awarded stipends of up to $13,000
• Multiple athletes from all sport disciplines received awards
• 59% of the awards went to female athletes and 41% went to male athletes
• The vast majority of award recipients received 50% or more of their total funding request
• Applicants spanned all levels of sport, from first-year team members to Olympic athletes

Several award winners have expressed that this funding is providing them with the opportunity to keep their sports careers moving forward, particularly Development Team/Rookie Team athletes.

Two-time Olympic champion, six-time world champion, and mental health awareness advocate Mikaela Shiffrin shared her thoughts about the impact the Fund has had on the organization and her teammates. “My Dad was passionate about elite sports and believed in supporting athletes who are hardworking, disciplined, and constantly pushing themselves to be better and overcome challenges to compete at the top of their game,” she reflected. “His passion for sport and athletes lives on through this fund, which we created to honor his life and legacy.” 

Shiffrin, her mother Eileen, and her brother Taylor shared that they created the fund in their father and husband’s name so “his legacy will live on and he will continue to contribute to the ongoing pursuit of excellence for all athletes across all sports.” 

U.S. Ski and Snowboard CEO Sophie Goldschmidt added, “We’re delighted to be partnering with the Shiffrins on this important program, the number of athletes the JSARF is supporting just shows the impact. We’re extremely grateful to the Shiffrins and the donors for their commitment to this initiative and the lasting legacy.”

A new round of fundraising will also start this Father’s Day, for distribution in the spring of 2023.

U.S. Ski & Snowboard, the National Governing Body of Olympic skiing and snowboarding in the United States, announced today that the International Ski Federation (FIS) provisionally approved the United States’ hosting of four Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup events in the 2022-23 season, doubling the amount of alpine World Cups in the U.S. in recent years. The 2022-23 FIS World Cup schedules were confirmed on May 25 at the annual FIS Congress.

For the last five years, the U.S. has hosted two alpine World Cup events: the women’s Killington Cup in Killington, Vermont and the men’s Xfinity Birds of Prey at Beaver Creek, Colorado. Once the schedule is approved, the 2022-23 winter will mark the expansion of the domestic World Cup footprint as U.S. Ski & Snowboard will bring alpine ski racing to Palisades Tahoe in California and Aspen Mountain in Colorado, marking the most World Cups on American soil since the 1996-97 season.

“We are thrilled to bring four World Cups to U.S. venues this season to provide our country’s ski racing fans with more opportunities to see the best skiers across the globe compete on our home turf,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard President & CEO Sophie Goldschmidt. “This is a pivotal move for our organization and FIS to grow the sport within the United States and make events more accessible to attend. The expansion gives us a further opportunity to bring more attention to the sport domestically and inspire the next generation of U.S. athletes.”

The 2022-23 season kicks off in North America with the Killington Cup over Thanksgiving Weekend for a women’s slalom and giant slalom World Cup. The following week, the men head to Beaver Creek for the annual Xfinity Birds of Prey super-G and two downhills. Following World Cup stops in Europe, the men will return to the states for tech events at Palisades Tahoe on February 25-26, 2023, followed by speed events at Aspen Mountain on March 3-5, 2023. 

The Killington Cup, a regular stop on the women’s circuit since 2016, was the first World Cup to be hosted in the eastern United States since 1991 and has since become a favorite event of local fans and World Cup stars alike. It will be headlined by two-time Olympic champion and 2021-22 overall World Cup winner Mikaela Shiffrin. Shiffrin has won all five of the past Killington Cup slaloms in front of the yearly crowds of nearly 40,000 ski racing enthusiasts.

The Vail Valley Foundation—local organizers of the legendary Xfinity Birds of Prey race since 1997 and three FIS Alpine World Ski Championships at Vail/Beaver Creek in 1989, 1999 and 2015—and Beaver Creek Resort will once again play host to two downhills and a super-G. Athletes such as 2022 Olympic silver medalist Ryan Cochran-Siegle, 2021 Xfinity Birds of Prey podium star Travis Ganong and local legend River Radamus will be looking to show off in front of the home crowd.

Palisades Tahoe is a storied Olympic venue, having hosted the Olympic Winter Games in 1960. The mountain’s challenging terrain and dedication to snowsports have produced countless Olympians and World Cup champions since then; there are currently seven Team Palisades Tahoe athletes on the U.S. Alpine Ski Team. Palisades Tahoe most recently hosted a women’s World Cup event in 2017 on the same trails that crowned Olympic heroes more than 50 years earlier.

America’s Downhill returns to Aspen Mountain, an iconic venue with several decades of U.S. Alpine Ski Team history. Aspen was the host of the first World Championships held outside of the European borders in 1950 and the mountain has produced innumerable ski racing legends throughout the last century. Aspen has hosted more than 100 World Cup races for both men and women over the years and was home to the World Cup Finals in 2017.

The expansion of the alpine World Cup calendar in the United States is part of a larger plan to host more World Cup-level events in America across all U.S. Ski & Snowboard sports and genders in the coming years.

2022-23 U.S. WORLD CUP SCHEDULE 

ALPINE
Nov. 26-27: Killington Cup, Killington, Vermont; women’s slalom/giant slalom
Dec. 2-4: Xfinity Birds of Prey, Beaver Creek, Colorado; men’s super-G/downhill/downhill
Feb. 25-26: Palisades Tahoe, California; men’s slalom/giant slalom
March 3-5: America's Downhill, Aspen, Colorado; men’s super-G/downhill

FREESTYLE
Feb. 2-4: Intermountain Healthcare Freestyle International, Deer Valley, Utah; men's and women’s aerials/moguls

FREESKI & SNOWBOARD 
Dec. 16-17: Toyota U.S. Grand Prix, Copper Mountain, Colorado; men's and women’s halfpipe
Dec. 16-17: Visa Big Air Presented by Toyota, Copper Mountain, Colorado; men’s and women’s big air
Feb. 2-4: Toyota U.S. Grand Prix, Mammoth Mountain, California; men's and women’s halfpipe/slopestyle

U.S. Ski & Snowboard has announced nominations for the U.S. Snowboard Team halfpipe, slopestyle, big air, and snowboardcross disciplines for the 2022-2023 season. Nominations include those active athletes who qualified based on published selection criteria in the prior season. 

The current year’s U.S. Snowboard Team nominations include 29 pro-level and 20 rookie and development level riders headlined by 2022 Olympic medalists Chloe Kim, Lindsey Jacobellis, Nick Baumgartner, and Julia Marino. 

The U.S. Slopestyle and Big Air team continue to showcase the depth of U.S. talent with a roster of 19 riders deep. The men’s and women’s pro team includes some of the most accomplished riders in the world including Olympic medalist Julia Marino and past Gold Medalists Jamie Anderson and Red Gerard. The men’s pro team also includes Luke Winkelmann, Jake Canter, and Sean FitzSimons, who all earned their first World Cup podiums in 2022, plus Chris Corning who finished third in both Big Air and Slopestyle on the World Snowboarding Points List. New recruits to the U.S. Slopestyle and Big Air rookie team include Kaitlyn Adams, Rebecca Flynn, and Lucas Ferry.

Two-time Olympic gold medalist Chloe Kim headlines the women's pro U.S. Halfpipe Team, along with Maddie Mastro. The men’s pro team includes an incredible mix of veteran talent and youthful energy exemplified by 2022 Olympians Taylor Gold, Chase Josey, and Lucas Foster.

The next-generation U.S. Snowboard men’s halfpipe rookie team is re-upped with a whole new roster featuring Levko Fedorowycz, Noah Avallone, Kade Martin, Alessandro Berbieri, and Sumner Orr.

The powerhouse U.S. Snowboardcross Team, led by 2022 Olympic gold medalists Lindsey Jacobellis and Nick Baumgartner, continues to build, with top-10 World Cup finishers Faye Gulini and Stacy Gaskill on the women’s side and a deep men’s field including veterans Alex Deibold, Hagen Kearney and Senna Leith. The 15-member team reinforces the ranks this season with new women’s rookie riders including Junior World Championship silver medalist Brianna Schnorrbusch and NorAm winner Acy Craig. 

"Team USA is so grateful for the top-level riders returning to the team along with this fantastic group of newcomers to continue the legacy," said U.S. Snowboard Team Coach Mike Jankowski. "It truly takes a community to make this happen and we must acknowledge the clubs, families, and resorts who make it all happen."

Each athlete accepting their nomination to the U.S. Snowboard Team receives world-class program support, along with access to the U.S. Ski & Snowboard USANA Center of Excellence, as well as athletic benefits including expert coaching, sport science, sports medicine, and high-performance staff, and education opportunities. 

An official U.S. Snowboard Team announcement will be made in the fall. 

2022-23 U.S. Snowboard Team Nominations
(Hometown; Club; USASA Series; Birthdate)
*Newly named to the U.S. Snowboard Team

SLOPESTYLE / BIG AIR PRO TEAM

Men

• Red Gerard (Silverthorne, Colo.; Rocky Mountain Series; 6/29/00)
• Luke Winkelmann (Blowing Rock, N.C.; Kirk’s Camp; Rocky Mountain Series: 12/18/00)
• Sean FitzSimons (Hood River, Ore.; Mount Bachelor Sports Education Foundation; Central Oregon Series; 9/22/00)
• Chris Corning (Silverthorne, Colo.; Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club; Rocky Mountain Series; 9/7/99)
• Judd Henkes (La Jolla, Calif.; Mammoth Mountain Snowboard Team; Unbound Series; 4/3/01)
• Brock Crouch (Mammoth Lakes, Calif.; Mammoth Mountain Snowboard Team; Unbound Series; 8/22/99)
• Dusty Henricksen (Mammoth Lakes, Calif; Mammoth Mountain Snowboard Team; Unbound Series; 2/2/03)

Women

• Jamie Anderson (S. Lake Tahoe, Calif.; South Tahoe Series; 9/13/90)
• Julia Marino (Westport, Conn.; Southern Vermont Series; 9/11/97)
• Hailey Langland (San Clemente, Calif.; Tahoe Select Snowboard Team; Tahoe Series; 8/2/00)
• Ty Schnorrbusch (Monroe Township, N.J.; Tru Snowboarding, Rocky Mountain Series 5/15/02) 

SLOPESTYLE / BIG AIR ROOKIE TEAM 

Men

• Fynn Bullock-Womble (Mebane, N.C.; BK Pro; Rocky Mountain Series; 2/3/05)
• Jake Canter (Evergreen, Colo.; Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club; Aspen Snowmass Series; 7/19/03)
• Liam Johnson (Savage, Minn.; G Team; Upper Midwest Snow Series; 11/26/2004)
• Lucas Ferry (Pennington, NJ; American Snowboard Training Center; Southern Vermont Series; ​​6/16/2004)*

Women

• Kaitlyn Adams (Silverthorne, Colo.; Worldwide Snowboarding; Rocky Mountain Series; 9/16/2005)*
• Courtney Rummel (West Bend, Wisc.; Midwest Best Series; 11/12/03)
• Jade Thurgood (Salt Lake City, Utah; Park City Ski & Snowboard; Big Mountain West Series; 1/27/02)
• Rebecca Flynn (Victoria, MN; The G Team; Upper Midwest Snow Series; 7/24/2006)*

SNOWBOARDCROSS PRO TEAM 

Women

• Lindsey Jacobellis (Stratton Mountain, Vt.; Stratton Mountain School; Southern Vermont Series; 8/19/85)
• Faye Gulini (Salt Lake City, Utah; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; Rocky Mountain Series; 3/24/92)
• Stacy Gaskill (Golden, Colo.; Winter Park Competition Center; Rocky Mountain Series; 5/21/00)
• Meghan Tierney (Eagle, Colo.; Board Stars Race Team; Rocky Mountain Series; 1/15/97) 

Men

• Nick Baumgartner (Iron River, Mich.; Superior Series; 12/17/81); 4/16/98)
• Alex Deibold (Manchester, Vt.; Stratton Mountain School; Southern Vermont Series; 5/8/86)
• Hagen Kearney (Norwood, Colo.; International Snowboard Training Center; Rocky Mountain Series; 11/6/91)
• Senna Leith (Vail, Colo.; International Snowboard Training Center; Rocky Mountain Series; 4/8/97)
• Connor Schlegel (Edwards, Colo.; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; Rocky Mountain Series; 3/13/2002)
• Jake Vedder (Pinckney, Mich.; International Snowboard Training Center; Rocky Mountain Series
• Cody Winters (Steamboat Springs, Colo.; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; Rocky Mountain Series; 4/20/2000)

SNOWBOARDCROSS DEVELOPMENT GROUP 

Women

• Livia Molodyh (Hubbard, Ore.; Park City Ski & Snowboard; Mt. Hood Series; 6/30/99)
• Acy Craig (Stowe, Vt.; Park City Ski and Snowboard; Big Mountain West Series; 12/3/2002)*
• Bri Schnorrbusch (Monroe Township, N.J.; Gould Academy Competition Program; Maine Mountain Series; 1/30/2006)*

Men

• Tyler Hamel (Bethel, Maine; Gould Academy; Maine Mountain Series; 7/12/2004) 

HALFPIPE PRO TEAM 

Women

• Chloe Kim (Torrance, Calif.; Mammoth Mountain Snowboard Team; Unbound Series; 4/23/00)
• Maddie Mastro (Wrightwood, Calif.; Mammoth Mountain Snowboard Team; Unbound Series; 2/22/00)

Men

• Taylor Gold (Steamboat Springs, Colo.; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; Rocky Mountain Series; 11/17/93)
• Chase Josey (Hailey, Idaho; Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation; Big Mountain West Series; 3/31/95)
• Lucas Foster (Telluride, Colo.; Telluride Ski and Snowboard Club; Rocky Mountain Series; 9/17/99)
• Toby Miller (Truckee, Calif; Tahoe Select Snowboard Team; North Tahoe Series; 2/14/00)
• Joey Okesson (Southbury, Conn.; Okemo Mountain School; Southern Vermont Series; 8/23/2002)

HALFPIPE ROOKIE TEAM 

Women

• Sonora Alba (San Pedro, Calif.; Mammoth Mountain Snowboard Team; Unbound Series; 7/16/2006)
• Tessa Maud (Carlsbad, Calif.; Mammoth Mountain Snowboard Team; Unbound Series; 10/10/03)
• Bea Kim (Palos Verdes, Calif.; Mammoth Mountain Snowboard Team; Unbound Series; 1/25/2007)

Men

• Levko Fedorowycz (Topanga, CA; Mammoth Mountain Snowboard Team; Unbound Series; 8/21/2004)*
• Noah Avallone (Montauk, NY.; Stratton Mountain School; Southern Vermont Series; 5/16/2007)*
• Kade Martin (Bellyache Ridge, CO; Ski and Snowboard Club Vail; Rocky Mountain Series; 1/21/2006)*
• Alessandro Barbieri (Portland, OR; Tahoe Select Snowboard Team; USASA Division - Mt. Hood; 10/5/2008)*
• Sumner Orr (Weston, VT.; Okemo Mountain School; Southern Vermont Series; 3/22/2006)*

Follow the U.S. Snowboard Team:
Instagram: @ussnowboardteam
Facebook: @usskiandsnowboard
TikTok: @usskiandsnowboard
Twitter: @usskiteam

Wigwam, the 117-year-old company in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, has teamed up with U.S. Ski & Snowboard, the Olympic national governing body of skiing and snowboarding in the United States, as the official sock provider.

The multi-year deal will provide ski and snowboard athletes, coaches, and on-snow support staff with socks knit in the U.S.A. that provide comfort, durability, and unrivaled patented performance. 

“For more than 100 years, Wigwam has been dedicated to enhancing the lives of their customers,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard Chief Revenue Officer Michael O’Conor. “Their commitment to work with our athletes and coaches, and to develop socks specifically catering to athletic needs, will pay huge dividends as we enter another Olympic cycle.”

Wigwam recently provided athletes and staff competing in Europe, and on the world’s biggest athletic stage, with their SynchroKnit™ Snow Junkie socks to keep them warm, comfortable and support peak performance.  SynchroKnit™ technology knits socks with patented precision that enables socks to follow the natural contour of the foot. It is the only sock with a truly custom fit.

“We are delighted to have the opportunity to work side by side with U.S. Ski and Snowboard and partner at multiple levels,” said Chief Merchandising Officer Margaret Newhard. “Wigwam’s legacy in the outdoors runs deep and we feel confident this collaboration will not only strengthen athlete and support staff during their year-round training and competition, but also inspire upcoming generations of aspiring athletes.”

The partnership will include co-branded products, and social media content and campaigns centered around U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes

About Wigwam
Since 1905, Wigwam has been family-owned, rooted in Sheboygan Wisconsin, and committed to knitting socks in the United States. Its longevity can be credited to the company’s fervent commitment to quality, comfort, and innovation.  For four generations, Wigwam has been knitting socks with life in mind, no matter what it brings. Enhancing consumers everyday experiences is part of the brand’s legacy and part of what has led to the development of three patented technologies by the company. Ultimax® and INgenius® constructions elevate the properties of knitting yarns and maximize moisture management. SynchroKnit® powered by Wigwam® focuses on a revolutionary new way of knitting that provides a fit like no other because it is knit like no other. Wigwam’s craftsmanship is felt on every foot it touches. For more information visit www.wigwam.com.

About U.S. Ski & Snowboard
U.S. Ski & Snowboard is the Olympic National Governing Body (NGB) of ski and snowboard sports in the USA, based in Park City, Utah. Tracing its roots directly back to 1905, the organization represents nearly 200 elite skiers and snowboarders in 2022, competing in seven teams; alpine, cross country, freeski, freestyle, snowboard, nordic combined, and ski jumping. In addition to the fully-funded elite teams, U.S. Ski & Snowboard also provides leadership and direction for tens of thousands of young skiers and snowboarders across the USA, encouraging and supporting them in achieving excellence. By empowering national teams, clubs, coaches, parents, officials, volunteers, and fans, U.S. Ski & Snowboard is committed to the progression of its sports, athlete success, and the value of team. For more information, visit www.usskiandsnowboard.org.

For More Information:
Tom Horrocks
U.S. Ski & Snowboard
tom.horrocks@usskiandsnowboard.org

U.S. Ski & Snowboard has announced its U.S. Freeski Team halfpipe, slopestyle and big air nominations for the 2022-23 season. Nominations include those active athletes who have qualified based on published selection criteria in the prior season.

The  2022-23 U.S. Freeski Team nominations include 23 pro-level and 14 rookie freeskiers. These athletes make up the winningest freeski team in the world, earning an incredible five 2022 Olympic medals and 20 World Cup podiums this past season alone. 

2022 Olympic silver and bronze medalists, David Wise and Alex Ferreira, headline the U.S. Halfpipe Team on the men’s side, along with fellow Olympians Aaron Blunck and Birk Irving among the deep field of veteran athletes. Winter Park Competition Center’s Dylan Ladd is bumping up to the pro ranks following a breakthrough season taking his place among this nine-man team. 

On the women’s U.S. Halfpipe Team, it's 2022 Olympians Brita Sigourney, Hanna Faulhaber and Carly Margulies. Seventeen-year-old Faulhaber ended the season ranked second in the World Cup standings, along with Sigourney in the top ten.

The U.S. Halfpipe Rookie Team is getting a major boost with three-time Junior World Championship medalist Kate Gray, hailing from the Mammoth Mountain Freeski Team, joining the women’s team and two-time Junior’s medalist Matt Labaugh from Ski & Snowboard Club Vail, along with Pro Team Foundation’s Kai Morris and Park City Ski and Snowboard’s Ben Fethke adding to the men’s team. 

The U.S. Slopestyle Pro Team is once again packed, with 2022 Olympic Slopestyle gold and silver medalists Alex Hall and Nick Goepper, and Big Air silver medalist Colby Stevenson on the men’s side. The deep field also includes Olympian Mac Forehand, who finished this season ranked third in the World Cup slopestyle points list and eighth overall. Waterville Valley BBTS’s Hunter Henderson is making the jump up to the pro team after an incredible season, where he also finished among the top ten in World Cup slopestyle points. 

The U.S. Slopestyle women’s field features 2022 Olympians Maggie Voisin, Caroline Claire and Marin Hamill, who finished the season fifth in World Cup slopestyle standings. And Grace Henderson earned a bump up to the pro team—Henderson also hails from the Waterville Valley BBTS team. 

“These men and women have so much to be proud of in being nominated to this ‘best in the world’ 2022-23 U.S. Freeski team,” shared Head Coach Mike Jankowski. “They all operate with true passion and full dedication to the art of freeskiing. And the reward has been the top-notch results they have achieved so far. You can trust that they will continue to represent the USA with everything they have.”

Each athlete accepting the nomination to the U.S. Freeski Team receives world-class program support, along with access to the U.S. Ski & Snowboard USANA Center of Excellence, as well as athletic benefits including sport science, sports medicine, and education opportunities. 

An official U.S. Freeski Team announcement will be made in the fall. 

2022-23 U.S. Freeski Team Nominations 

(Hometown; Club; USASA Series; Birthdate) 
*Newly named to the U.S. Freeski Team

HALFPIPE PRO TEAM
Women 

• Brita Sigourney (Carmel, Calif.; Intermountain Series; 1/17/90)
• Carly Margulies (Mammoth Lakes, Calif.; Mammoth Mountain Freeski Team; Unbound Series; 12/24/97)
• Hanna Faulhaber (Carbondale, Colo.; Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club; Rocky Mountain Series; 9/04/04

Men 

• Aaron Blunck (Crested Butte, Colo.; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; Rocky Mountain Series; 4/12/96)
• Alex Ferreira (Aspen, Colo.; Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club; Aspen/Snowmass Series; 8/14/94) 
• Birk Irving (Winter Park, Colo.; Winter Park Freeride Team; Rocky Mountain Series; 7/26/99) 
• David Wise (Reno, Nev.; 6/30/90)
• Lyman Currier (Boulder, Colo.; Winter Park Freeski Team; Rocky Mountain Series; 8/28/94) 
• Dylan Ladd (Lakewood, Colo.; Winter Park Competition Center; Rocky Mountain Series; 8/29/01) 
• Cassidy Jarrell (Aspen, Colo.; Rocky Mountain Series; 8/31/99)
• Hunter Hess (Bend, Ore.; Mt. Bachelor Sports Education Foundation; Central Oregon Series; 10/01/98)
• Taylor Seaton (Avon, Colo.; 7/16/90)

HALFPIPE ROOKIE TEAM 
Women

• Kate Gray (Crowley Lake, Ca.; Mammoth Mountain Freeski Team; Unbound Series, 06/29/2006)*
• Svea Irving (Winter Park, Colo.; Winter Park Freeride Team; Rocky Mountain Series; 2/27/02)
• Riley Jacobs (Oak Creek, Colo.; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; Rocky Mountain Series; 8/14/2003) 

Men 

• Kai Morris (Aspen, Colo.; Pro Team Foundation, Rocky Mountain Series, 3/22/2004)*
• Matt Labaugh (Avon, Colo.; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail, Rocky Mountain Series, 01/05/2004)*
• Tristan Feinberg (Aspen, Colo.; Rocky Mountain Series; 4/23/2003)
• Ben Fethke (Boise, Idaho; Big Mountain West Series; 04/14/2006)*
• Connor Ladd (Lakewood, Colo.; Rocky Mountain Series; 9/26/03)
• Hunter Carey (Winter Park, Colo.; Winter Park Competition Center; Rocky Mountain Series; 6/12/02)

SLOPESTYLE / BIG AIR PRO TEAM
Women 

• Caroline Claire (Manchester Center, Vt.; Stratton Mountain School; Southern Vermont Series; 2/2/00) 
• Maggie Voisin (Whitefish, Mont.; Park City Ski and Snowboard; Big Mountain West Series; 12/14/98)
• Marin Hamill (Park City, Utah; Park City Ski and Snowboard; Big Mountain West Series; 4/5/01)
• Rell Harwood (Park City, Utah; Park City Ski and Snowboard; Big Mountain West Series; 6/1/01)
• Grace Henderson (Madbury, N.H.; Waterville Valley BBTS; New Hampshire Series; 4/28/01)

Men 

• Alex Hall (Salt Lake City, Utah; Park City Ski and Snowboard; Big Mountain West Series; 9/21/98)
• Nick Goepper (Lawrenceburg, Ind.; Cork Technologies and Consulting; Rocky Mountain Series; 3/14/94)
• Colby Stevenson (Park City, Utah; Park City Ski and Snowboard; Big Mountain West Series; 10/3/97)
• Mac Forehand (Winhall, Vt.; Stratton Mountain School; Southern Vermont Series; 8/4/01) 
• Cody LaPlante (Truckee, Calif.; Squaw Valley Freestyle and Freeride Team; North Tahoe Series; 2/15/02)
• Hunter Henderson (Madbury, N.H..; Waterville Valley BBTS; New Hampshire Series; 12/28/2002)

SLOPESTYLE / BIG AIR ROOKIE TEAM 
Women 

• Bella Bacon (Ellicottville, N.Y.; Agenda Freeski; Western New York Series; 1/29/04)
• Jay Riccomini (He/Him, Port Matilda, Penn.; Team Summit Colorado; Rocky Mountain Series; 3/12/2004) 

Men 

• Troy Podmilsak (Park City, Utah; Park City Ski and Snowboard; Big Mountain West Series; 8/23/2004)
• Konnor Ralph (Helena, Mont.; Wy’East Mountain Academy; Mt. Hood Series; 1/27/2003) 
• Charlie Gnoza (South Londonderry, Vt.; Stratton Mountain School; Southern Vermont Series; 8/2/2003) 

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