U.S. Ski & Snowboard and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee announced their full support for Dexter Paine in his candidacy for the International Ski & Snowboard Federation (FIS) Council. 

As a visionary leader with a deep commitment to skiing and snowboarding and its athletes, Paine has been involved in governance at both the national and international levels for decades. He served as a member of the FIS Council Executive Committee from 2014-22 and has acted as an ex-officio honorary member from 2022 to the present. Throughout his time with FIS, Paine focused on transparency, communication and inclusivity, including championing for female representation on the Council, longer terms for athlete representatives and the inclusivity of Paralympic sports. 

Paine currently serves as a member of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee Board of Directors (2021-present), is on the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Foundation Board (2002-24) and is actively involved in the Salt Lake City 2034 Olympic Winter Games bid. Previously, Paine was Chairman of the Board of the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Board of Directors (2006-19) and was on U.S. Biathlon’s Board of Directors (2020-24). He has extensive experience in event delivery as an Executive Committee member of the 2015 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in Vail/Beaver Creek, Colorado and the 2019 Freestyle, Freeski & Snowboard World Championships in Park City, Utah. 

Paine is the chairman at Paine Schwartz Partners and has more than 25 years of investment experience and 35 years in the private equity industry. In addition to his professional achievements, Paine is widely respected for his integrity, vision and dedication to the sport. His collaborative approach and strategic mindset have positioned him as a trusted leader within the skiing and snowboarding community.

The U.S. Ski & Snowboard Board of Directors firmly believes that Paine’s extensive experience and unwavering passion make him the ideal person to represent the interests of athletes and federations worldwide, unanimously putting forward his candidacy. 

"Dexter Paine's dedication to the advancement of skiing and snowboarding is unparalleled,” said Sophie Goldschmidt, President & CEO of U.S. Ski & Snowboard. “His leadership has consistently propelled our sports forward, and we know he will bring that same level of commitment and expertise to the FIS Council. We are proud to endorse Dexter and are confident in his ability to advocate effectively for the interests of athletes and federations around the world."

Gene Sykes, Chairman of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee, also voiced his support. "As an organization committed to supporting American athletes on the global stage, we recognize the importance of strong leadership within international federations,” said Sykes.
“Dexter’s proven track record of leadership and advocacy aligns perfectly with the values of the Olympic movement. We fully endorse Dexter's candidacy for the FIS Council and believe he will be an outstanding representative for skiing and snowboarding on the international level."

Olympic champion Kikkan Randall, who has served on the IOC Board, USOPC Board and FIS Council, echoed the sentiments: “Dexter has been an incredible leader and advocate for skiing and snowboarding across all levels. He understands the complex needs of all stakeholders and has always championed the athletes' voices in the process. He brings a wealth of experience, tremendous passion and dedication to making sport fair, safe and positioned for growth. Dexter is well respected across the sports universe and has been an excellent collaborator between organizations. I am proud to endorse Dexter’s candidacy.”

The election for the FIS Council takes place at FIS Congress on June 5, 2024. 

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

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

How the process works

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

How to nominate

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

DEADLINE TO SUBMIT NOMINATIONS: Friday, March 29, 2024

PUBLIC NOMINATION CATEGORIES

Paul Bacon Award (event organization)

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

PAUL BACON AWARD Nomination Form

John J. Clair Award (service to national teams)

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

JOHN J. CLAIR JR. AWARD Nomination Form

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

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

BUD & MARY LITTLE AWARD Nomination Form

Buddy Werner Award (sportsmanship)

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

BUDDY WERNER AWARD Nomination Form

Russell Wilder Award (service to youth)

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

RUSSELL WILDER AWARD Nomination Form

OFFICIALS NOMINATION AWARD CATEGORY*

West Family Award (outstanding official)

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

WEST FAMILY AWARD Nomination Form

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

FIS TECHNICAL DELEGATE NOMINATION AWARD CATEGORY^

Westhaven Award (outstanding FIS technical delegate)

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

WESTHAVEN AWARD Nomination Form

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

The duo of Alexa Brabec and Kai McKinnon finished second overall in the FIS Nordic Junior World Ski Championships team sprint HS 102/2x4.5k in Planica, Slovenia, bringing home the first-ever medal in a women’s nordic combined team event at Junior Worlds for the United States.

On the hill, McKinnon started things off with an 84.0 meter jump for 89.1 points. Brabec then put together an 89.5 meter jump for 107.4 points (196.5 total points), securing the fifth position for the sprint, starting +0:29 back of first place.

In the race, Brabec and McKinnon were able to move into third place after 0.7k, and then moved into second place after 3k. The duo then moved into first overall after 4.5k, as they battled with Japan for the gold medal. Brabec and McKinnon were neck and neck with Japan until the final stretch after 8.2k, crossing the finish line at 9k just +0.7 behind Japan, as Brabec and McKinnon secured the silver medal for the United States.

“Wow, what an amazing day for Alexa and Kai,” said Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined Sport Director Anders Johnson. “This team has really exceeded our expectations at Junior World Championships, and I couldn’t be more proud. A huge shoutout to our coaches, Michael and Garrett for their hard work, and the Norwegian team for their amazing support.”

Results
Women’s Nordic Combined HS102/2×4.5km

Alexa Brabec brought home the first-ever medal in women’s nordic combined for the United States at Junior World Championships, striking silver in the HS102/5k in Planica, Slovenia. Kai McKinnon was able to record a top 10 finish as well, placing sixth overall in her first-ever Junior Worlds appearance.

On the hill, Brabec jumped to the 10th position, putting together an 86.5 meter jump for 97.1 points, +1:08 behind first place for the 5k race. McKinnon jumped to 15th, as she went 79.5 meters for 94.3 points. Ella Wilson finished 29th, going 71.0 meters for 73.7 points, with Haley Brabec rounding things off in 30th, jumping to 71.0 meters for 68.4 points.

In the 5k, Brabec skied up to fourth place after 1.25k, before sliding into first place after 3.75k, just +0.7 seconds in front of Finland’s Minja Korhonen. Brabec crossed the finish line in second overall, +1.5 seconds behind Korhonen to bring home the silver medal for the United States.

“Unbelievably proud of Alexa and Kai,” said Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined Sport Director Anders Johnson. “Alexa has been on a roll the past few weeks building into the Junior World Championships and really fought hard for her silver medal today. And with Kai right behind her in sixth place, it shows how strong our women’s nordic combined team is at the moment.”

Haley Brabec finished the 5k in 26th place, with Wilson right behind in 27th.

Results
HS102/5km

Updated roster below as of Dec. 23, 2023, including alpine, ski jumping, nordic combined and ski cross teams. The previously sent out press release was incomplete. 

U.S. Ski & Snowboard formally nominated the Youth Olympic Winter Games (YOG) alpine, nordic combined, ski jumping and ski cross teams slated to compete Jan. 19 - Feb. 1, 2024 in Gangwon Province, South Korea. The four teams are in addition to the cross country, freestyle, snowboard and freeski teams, which were nominated earlier in the fall.

The 2024 Youth Olympic Games, held every four years, will welcome more than 1,900 athletes from more than 80 National Olympic Committees to the home of the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang. Historically, the Youth Olympic Games was created by the former president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Jacques Rogge with a mission to bring together the world’s best young athletes and educate and inspire the next generation of Olympians.

At the 2020 Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne, Switzerland, 96 athletes across 16 sports represented the United States. The games helped catapult the careers of many national team athletes, including 2023 world champion and alpine skier River Radamus, who found success at the Youth Olympic Games in 2016, winning three gold medals. 

“I am very impressed by this group of alpine skiers set to represent the U.S. in Gangwon,” said Anouk Patty, U.S. Ski & Snowboard Chief of Sport. “These alpine skiers have an incredible opportunity with the Youth Olympic Games to put their alpine ski racing to the test among international competitors.” 

There will be five alpine events at the Games including a slalom, giant slalom, super-G, alpine combined and mixed team parallel. Ski cross will feature men's and women's individual ski cross, as well as a mixed team ski cross. 

“We are thrilled to announce this talented group of U18 athletes and look forward to seeing them compete on the Youth Olympic stage," said Alpine Development Director Chip Knight. "It’s going to be an exceptional experience for them, and we hope they can bring home some medals too!” 

The ski jumping and nordic combined teams also show great promise this year. A majority of the nordic combined team will be getting their first taste of international experience and will put their talents to the test on the international stage after a strong season of domestic results. 

“This year’s team is strong and I’m looking forward to seeing how they perform in South Korea," said Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined Sport Director Anders Johnson. "Gangwon should be a very exciting event, and I’m looking forward to watching our athletes perform their best and represent our country.”

Nordic combined will include a men’s and women’s individual 4k and 6k race, a mixed team 4x3.3k relay, mixed team normal hill and men’s and women’s individual normal hill. The ski jumping schedule will include individual and mixed team events. 

Full nominations for alpine, nordic combined, ski jumping and ski cross are below. The full roster for cross country, freestyle, snowboard and freeski can be viewed here. The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee will officially name the teams in January.  

2024 U.S. Youth Olympic Games Team
(hometown; club; birthdate)

ALPINE

Women

• Annika Hunt (East Burke, VT; Burke Mountain Academy; 11/30/2006)
• Christina Winchell (Stowe, VT; Mount Mansfield Academy; 1/31/2006)
• Nicole Begue (Miami Beach, FL; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; 12/19/2006)
• Named, but cannot attend due to injury: Stella Buchheister (Carbondale, CO; Team Summit; 8/20/2006)

Men

• Stewart Bruce (Avon, CO; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; 2/2/2006)
• Jevin Palmquist (Eagan, MN; Team Summit; 3/6/2007)
• Alternate: Jack Schrady (Truckee, CA; Sugar Bowl Ski Team & Academy; 3/9/2006)

Alpine Staff

• Sam Damon – U.S. Ski & Snowboard Eastern Region Director
• Doug Elsey – Team Summit
• Scott Houser – Ski & Snowboard Club Vail
• Jillian Barile - Mount Mansfield Academy 

SKI JUMPING

WOMEN

• Estella Hassrick (Madison, WI; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club / U.S. Ski Jumping Team development team; 5/21/2006) 
• Josie Johnson (Park City, UT; Park City Ski & Snowboard / U.S. Ski Jumping Team; 10/3/2006)

MEN

• Jason Colby (Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club / U.S. Ski Jumping Team development team; 3/30/2006)
• Sawyer Graves (Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; 9/30/2008)

SKI JUMPING STAFF

• Karl Denney - Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club

NORDIC COMBINED

WOMEN

• Kai McKinnon (Lake Placid, NY; New York Ski Educational Foundation / U.S. Nordic Combined Team development team; 5/6/2008)
• Ella Wilson (Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; 3/4/2008)

MEN

• Anders Giese (Wilmette, IL; Norge Ski Club; 8/6/2008)
• Arthur Tirone (Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; 2/8/2008)

NORDIC COMBINED STAFF

• Michael Ward - Park City Ski & Snowboard / U.S. Nordic Combined Team domestic coach
   

SKI CROSS

WOMEN

• Morgan Shute (Allendale, NJ; Carrabassett Valley Academy; 9/13/2006)
• Maggie Swain (Kingfield, ME; Carrabassett Valley Academy; 7/10/2006)

MEN

• Walker Robinson (Frisco, CO; Team Summit; 6/27/2006)
• Aiden England (Truckee, CA; Team Palisades Tahoe; 8/11/2006)

SKI CROSS STAFF

• Rodney Robinson - Team Summit
• Michael Phelan - Carrabassett Valley Academy

HOW TO WATCH
A live stream of the YOG will be at https://olympics.com/en/gangwon-2024/ starting with the Opening Ceremony. 

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
For the full schedule of events, visit https://olympics.com/en/gangwon-2024/schedule.

U.S. Ski & Snowboard officially announced the 12 athletes that were named to the U.S. Nordic Combined Team for the 2023-24 season.

“Our nordic combined athletes have been working very hard this summer, adjusting to a new staff, new training programs and an overall new philosophy,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined Sport Director Anders Johnson. “With any major changes, it takes some time to find your footing, and our athletes have stayed determined and motivated through the process. I feel very confident that this new system will produce some great results.”

Two-time Olympian and four-time World Championships team member Ben Loomis, as well as 2022 Olympian and 2023 World Championships team member Stephen Schumann return to lead the men’s nordic combined team for the 2023-24 season. Women’s nordic combined will be led by two-time World Championships team member Annika Malacinski, who is the only athlete to be named to the U.S. Nordic Combined A Team.

The 2023-24 FIS Nordic Combined World Cup season is scheduled to kick off with men’s nordic combined competitions in Ruka, Finland from Nov. 23-26 and women in Lillehammer, Norway Nov. 30-Dec. 3. The World Cup season will then wrap up for both men’s and women’s nordic combined in Trondheim, Norway, as athletes will compete from March 15-17.

2023-24 U.S. Nordic Combined Team

(Hometown; Club; College/University; Birthdate)

A TEAM

Women

Annika Malacinski (Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; Colorado Mountain College; 05/09/2001)

B TEAM

Women

Alexa Brabec (Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; University of Utah; 10/08/2004)

Men

Ben Loomis (Eau Claire, WI; Flying Eagles Ski Club; DeVry University; 06/09/1998)
Carter Brubaker (Anchorage, AK; Nordic Skiing Association of Anchorage; Arizona State University; 12/21/2003)
Niklas Malacinski (Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; Colorado Mountain College; 12/07/2003)
Stephen Schumann (Park City, UT; Park City Ski & Snowboard; Arizona State University; 03/14/2000)

C TEAM

Men

Grant Andrews (Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; University of Utah; 12/03/1997)

D TEAM

Women

Eva Minotto (Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; 05/05/2008)
Kai McKinnon (Lake Placid, NY; New York Ski Educational Foundation; 05/06/2008)

Men

Caleb Zuckerman (Norwich, VT; Ford Sayre Ski Club; 11/01/2005)
Elias Oswald (Anchorage, AK; Nordic Skiing Association of Anchorage; 9/10/2007)
Skyler Amy (Anchorage, AK; Alaska Winter Stars/Team AK Ski Jumping; 11/19/2005)

2023-24 Nordic Combined Coaches & Staff

Chief of Sport: Anouk Patty
Nordic Combined Program Director: Anders Johnson
Nordic Combined Head Coach: Truls Johansen
Nordic Combined Jumping Coach: Christian Ingebrigtsen
Nordic Combined Assistant Coach: Michael Ward
Nordic Combined Press Officer: Riley Elliott 

2023-24 FIS Nordic Combined World Cup Schedule

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