PARK CITY, Utah – U.S. Ski & Snowboard announced the appointment of marketing veteran Andy McKeon to the Chief Marketing Officer position. As CMO, McKeon will lead U.S. Ski & Snowboard marketing, communications, and partner support. McKeon assumes these roles as Chief Commercial Officer Dan Barnett steps aside for a move back to the United Kingdom.

“I dreamed about it as a kid - and finally, I’ve made the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team,” says the delighted McKeon. “It took me longer than I expected, but I never gave up. I was somewhat hampered by being an impressively slow ski racer, but I never let that put me off. Don’t give up on your dreams, kids!”

McKeon will report to U.S. Ski & Snowboard President and CEO Tiger Shaw and will be tasked with elevating the awareness of the organizations’ world-class athlete roster with a keen focus on digital strategy - including social media, content production/distribution, the account executive team, merchandise and support of athletes. U.S. Ski & Snowboard will merge its content, creative and communications groups, working as one mini-agency with McKeon leading the charge.

“I am thrilled to have Andy joining us,” said Shaw. “Andy is a world-class strategic leader in the sports world, with a track record and the experience to keep our teams out front. Our partners will enjoy the content and authentic stories of our athletes pursuing their dreams. It’s all about the members of our teams and their amazing successes.”

McKeon honed his storytelling skills at some of the best ad agencies in the world including Wieden + Kennedy in Portland, Oregon, where he worked on the Nike account and at Goodby Silverstein & Partners in San Francisco. The digital world fascinated McKeon, so he moved his family to Silicon Valley as a Director in Apple’s large internal Marcom team. He then spent six years at Facebook Inc. helping many of their most valuable advertisers and agencies transition to the digital age, including U.S. Ski & Snowboard partners Visa Inc. and Liberty Mutual Insurance.

He has also has been working with U.S. Ski & Snowboard as an advisor since 2013 and has worked with a number of athletes in various disciplines. McKeon has twice been a keynote speaker at the organization’s annual Partner Summit, tapping his lifelong passion for all snow sports, the mountains and the snow community at large. In his role at Facebook Inc., McKeon helped create a Facebook Live session with double Olympic champion Mikaela Shiffrin (Edwards, Colo.) and Sheryl Sandberg, and orchestrated live streams from events such as the World Cup Finals in Aspen.

“We have nearly 200 athletes in a diverse array of thrilling sports. Every one of them has a different and amazing story to tell. We are going to use our left and right brains to harness all the powerful and fast-changing channels like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Google, Twitter, TV and more to help them share their captivating stories and those of our incredible partners, with the world,” McKeon added. “Already we have Super Bowl-type reach every week – EVERY WEEK! – across all of our athlete and Team channels. The digital transformation means it’s an incredibly exciting time to be in marketing.”

“U.S. Ski & Snowboard also has the opportunity to play a more purpose-driven role in meaningful areas such as environmental preservation. We can’t take the mountains for granted. I’m committed to grow and spread the love of snow sports” says McKeon. “As a parent who is battling screen time and other cultural pulls, I think it’s the most wonderful family activity – quality time together, health and fitness, it teaches kids tenacity, executive functioning, independence, gives them a sense of community and as I’ve found – a lifetime of adventures and friendships.”

Originally hailing from the mighty hills of Australia, McKeon has an “unimpressive” (his word) background in alpine ski racing as a former member of the Australian National Team, is an avid and enthusiastic NASTAR participant, keen snowboarder and mogul skier – knees pending. He, his wife Anna and two children - Lauren (8) and Tucker (10) and dog Tiki (2 – 14 in dog years) will be relocating to Park City, Utah from Menlo Park, California. Lauren has high hopes of becoming an Olympic skier and a member of the PC Bladies, and Anna and Tucker are eager to kickstart their biathlon careers.

The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee today announced the finalists for the Team USA Awards presented by Dow, Best of August, which recognize the outstanding achievements of Team USA athletes from last month. U.S. Snowboard Team member Chris Corning (Silverthorne, Colo.), who won the opening FIS Snowboard World Cup big air in New Zealand, is among the finalists. Fans are invited to vote for their favorite athletes and teams at TeamUSA.org/Awards through midnight Monday, Sept. 9.

A total of 12 sports – including equestrian, figure skating, gymnastics, Para taekwondo, shooting, snowboarding, sport climbing, triathlon, water polo, water ski, wheelchair rugby and wrestling – are represented among the 13 finalists across men’s, women’s and team categories. The finalists’ collective accomplishments tell the inspiring story of U.S. Olympic and Paralympic athletes year-round.
 
AUGUST FINALISTS

Male Athlete of the Month
Jordan Burroughs (Sicklerville, N.J.), Wrestling
Won his third-straight Pan American Games title, winning the 74 kg. bracket in men’s freestyle with a perfect 3-0 record that included defeating two world medalists.

Brian Burrows (Fallbrook, Calif.), Shooting
Clinched the gold medal in men’s trap at the Pan American Games Lima 2019, earning a quota spot for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, Team USA’s first in the event since 2008. 

Chris Corning (Silverthorne, Colo.), Snowboarding
Opened the 2019-20 FIS World Cup season with a big air snowboarding win on the strength of his signature quad cork 1800, defeating the world No. 4 and 5 athletes and defending his title at the New Zealand event.

Johnny Hooper (Los Angeles, Calif.), Water Polo
Led the American men with 24 goals – over 20 percent of Team USA’s 117 goals – as the U.S. won the gold medal at the Pan American Games Lima 2019 and qualified for the 2020 Olympic Games.

Evan Medell (Grand Haven, Mich.), Para Taekwondo
Won three straight matches at the Parapan American Games to become the first U.S. gold medalist in the sport as taekwondo made its debut at the Parapan American Games in Lima, Peru.

Female Athlete of the Month
Simone Biles (Spring, Texas), Gymnastics
Won her sixth U.S. all-around title, earned three gold medals and a bronze in individual events and performed two skills never before performed by a female gymnast in competition: a double-double dismount on beam and a triple-double pass on floor.

Regina Jaquess (Santa Rosa Beach, Fla.), Water Ski
Secured gold medals in slalom, jumping and overall at the Pan American Games Lima 2019, took two titles at the national championships and led the U.S. to overall team silver at the world championships with a silver in slalom and bronze in jumping.

Alysa Liu (Richmond, Calif.), Figure Skating
Became the first U.S. woman to land a quad Lutz in competition and the first woman in the world to land a quad and triple Axel in the same program, winning the ISU Junior Grand Prix in Lake Placid by 21.52 points in her junior international debut.

Brooke Raboutou (Boulder, Colo.), Sport Climbing
Became the first American climber to qualify for an Olympic Games, finishing ninth in combined at the IFSC Climbing World Championships to earn a spot in Tokyo for the sport’s Olympic debut.

Katie Zaferes (Santa Cruz, Calif.), Triathlon
After earning third in 2017 and second in 2018, clinched the overall 2019 ITU World Triathlon Series title by winning the ITU World Triathlon Grand Final, her fifth podium finish – and fourth win – in eight WTS races this series.

Team of the Month
U.S. Eventing Team, Equestrian
Claimed the team gold medal at the Pan American Games Lima 2019 – with a final score over 30 penalty points lower than the silver-medal team – thus securing U.S. team qualification for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

U.S. Wheelchair Rugby Team
Defeated Canada, 58-47, in the gold-medal match at the Parapan American Games Lima 2019 to go undefeated throughout the tournament and punch its ticket for the Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 with the win.

U.S. Men’s National Team, Water Polo
Outscored its opponents, 117-27, to go undefeated and win the gold medal at the Pan American Games Lima 2019, qualifying for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

SELECTION PROCESS
Each National Governing Body may nominate one female, one male and one team per sport discipline. An internal nominating committee selects finalists to advance to the voting round. Votes received from NGB representatives and select members of the media account for 50 percent of the final tally, with the other half determined by online fan voting via TeamUSA.org/Awards.

Eight U.S. Freeski Team athletes are set to compete at the first FIS World Cup halfpipe event of the season in Cardrona, New Zealand September 6-7.

U.S. Pro Team athletes Birk Irving (Winter Park, Colo.), Hunter Hess (Bend, Ore.), Jaxin Hoerter (Breckenridge, Colo.), Lyman Currier (Boulder, Colo.), and 2019 FIS World Champion Aaron Blunck (Crested Butte, Colo.) will lead the way for the men.

“New Zealand is always a great place to start off the season," said Blunck. "It is a big contest with low pressure, so it if the perfect contest to just get comfortable and gain confidence leading into the North American season. Also, nothing beats the views down here in New Zealand, so that alone is an absolute treat!”

U.S. Rookie Team member Cassidy Jarrell (Aspen, Colo.) and U.S. Freeski Team alumnus Taylor Seaton (Avon, Colo.) will also participate. For the women, U.S. Freeski Rookie Team members Svea Irving (Winter Park, Colo.), Hanna Faulhaber (Carbondale, Colo.) and American Riley Jacobs (Oak Creek, Colo.) will take part. 

The freeski halfpipe competition will close out the snowsports portion of the Winter Games NZ at Cardrona Alpine Resort. Hoerter has already found success in the Cardrona halfpipe during Winter Games NZ finishing third in the Australian New Zealand Cup competition on Aug 28.

The last freeski halfpipe World Cup to take place at Cardrona was in September of 2017, where 2018 Olympic silver medalist Alex Ferreira (Aspen, Colo.) finished on the top of the podium. U.S. athletes will have their work cut out for them in their fight for the podium against a strong local field including New Zealand’s own Olympic bronze medalist Nico Porteous and brother Miguel Porteous. 

Tune in on the Olympic Channel to watch the U.S Freeski Team kick off the 2019-20 World Cup competition season.

HOW TO WATCH
*All times EST
Subject to change

FREESKI
Friday, Sept 6
7:00 p.m. - World Cup men’s and women’s halfpipe - Cardrona, New Zealand - Olympic Channel-TV & OlympicChannel.com
 

Dropping in through the roof of Telenor Arena U.S. Freeski Team member Alex Hall (Park City, Utah) earned his second career X Games gold medal in the big air competition in Oslo, Norway, Saturday. Also, U.S. Snowboard Team member Julia Marino (Westport, Conn.) banked her third consecutive X Games Norway big air medal, taking the bronze.

Hall’s win marks the first American X Games freeski big air gold since U.S. Freeski Team alumnus Bobby Brown (Denver, Colo.) won in 2012 in Aspen, Colo.

“This is a huge moment for me,” said Hall. “It really hasn’t sunk in yet. I don't do a ton of big air competitions, so I’m hyped on the result. The jump was so much fun and I really like the step over style. It was definitely the best time I have ever had at a city big air.”

 

 

 

 

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Sooo hyped to land this trick and get the 🥇 last night in @xgames Big Air!!! Always a good time skiing with the homies in front of a crowd. Congrats to @abmskier🥉and @hharlaut🥈for killing it! Thanks for the good times Norway 😁

A post shared by Alex Hall (@alexhallskiing) on Sep 1, 2019 at 7:58am PDT

Hall landed a beautiful and unique double cork 1620 bio Seatbelt Japan grab as well as a switch left double cork 1440 Buick to overcome strong performances from the rest of the field. Sweden’s Henrik Harlaut, who recently recovered from a near injury in May, found himself back in a familiar position on the podium taking home the silver medal, while Canada’s Alex Beaulieu-Marchand took the bronze. 

For the women, France’s Tess Ledoux won the gold, as Switzerland’s Giulia Tanno and Mathilde Gremaud finished in second and third respectively. 

Marino led the charge for the U.S. Snowboard Team by stomping a cab double underflip as well as a clean frontside 720 to lock down her place on the podium. 

“It was a super technical jump,” said Marino. “There were a lot of factors to consider between the drop in and the landing. Scaffold jumps are never easy and this one definitely stayed true to that sentiment. I was hoping to land a 1080 here this time, but with the condition of the jump, I wasn’t able to do so. I just focused on landing runs and was stoked to put them down.”

Double-Olympic gold medalist Jamie Anderson (S. Lake Tahoe, Calif.) finished fifth. After recovering from an ankle fracture in January of 2019, Austrian phenom Anna Gasser returned to win the gold, as Kokomo Murase of Japan took the silver.

For the men, Chris Corning made a strong run at the podium by landing both a frontside and backside 1440 to finish fourth. Corning was in medal contention throughout the majority of the event, but was bested on the third and final runs.  

After taking a full year off of competition to undergo treatment for Hodgkin's Lymphoma, the cancer-free and six-time X Games gold medalist Max Parrot of Canada won his first event back in a bib. Sweden’s Sven Thorgren took home the silver medal and Japan’s Yuki Kadano closed out the podium with the bronze. 

REPLAY
Julia Marino’s Bronze Medal Runs
Alex Hall’s Gold Medal Runs 

RESULTS
Men’s snowboard big air
Women’s snowboard big air
Men’s freeski big air
Women’s freeski big air

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST
*Same-day broadcast
**Next-day broadcast

SNOWBOARD
Sunday, Sept 1
7:00 a.m. - Men’s snowboard big air eliminations - Fornebu, Norway - ESPN NEWS**
9:30 a.m. - Women’s snowboard big air - Fornebu, Norway - ESPN NEWS**
1:00 p.m. - Men’s snowboard big air - Fornebu, Norway - ESPN NEWS**

Sunday, Sept 8
2:30 p.m. - Best of Ski & Snowboard at X Games Norway 2019 - ABC

FREESKI
Sunday, Sept 1
7:00 a.m - Men’s ski big air eliminations - Fornebu, Norway - ESPN NEWS**
1:00 p.m. - Women’s ski big air - Fornebu, Norway - ESPN NEWS**
4:00 p.m. - Men’s ski big air - Fornebu, Norway - ESPN NEWS**

Sunday, Sept 8
2:30 p.m. - Best of Ski & Snowboard at X Games Norway 2019 - ABC

“I just saw an open frontier and a history waiting to be written. I loved the challenge of it,” said Olympic and World Champion cross country skier Kikkan Randall (Anchorage, Alaska) on the topic of breaking boundaries for both women in sport and American cross country skiing. Randall’s story is an impressive one and one she relishes sharing in the hopes of inspiring the next generation of cross country skiers and fans. On October 24, Randall will be sharing her story as the keynote speaker for U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s 53rd annual New York Gold Medal Gala at the Ziegfeld Ballroom.

Randall’s ski story starts the day after her first birthday when her dad first put her on skis. It was love at first glide, and Randall was hooked on the feeling of skis on snow. Unsurprising, as skiing runs in her blood: she is the niece of two Olympic cross country skiers. Having a close familial tie to the Olympics taught Randall confidence early on that she could follow in their footsteps. In middle school, Randall connected the satisfaction of covering miles on her own power with competition. “I discovered what it felt like to turn my joy of skiing into chasing after goals and pushing my body to be faster and stronger. Ever since I got my first taste of competition, I’ve been motivated to build myself into a top international competitor.” 

Surrounding herself with those that supported her personally and athletically, and being prepared were the core attributes that Randall leaned on to drive her Olympic aspirations. At her first of five Olympic appearances, starting in Salt Lake in 2002, Randall finished 44th, which spurred a 10-year plan she and her coaches created to get her onto the Olympic podium. “As a 19 year old it was incredibly daunting to think about a 10-year process to get to that Olympic podium. However, once I had my plan, I could clearly see the immediate goals to work on. Being able to take a big challenge and break it into manageable pieces gave me something attainable to focus on right in front of me.”

To be the best it takes a village, and Randall attributes much of her success to the team that surrounded her. She learned the value and importance of team on her high school cross country running and ski teams. “From then on I knew being in a team environment not only helped me get the best performance out of myself, but it was also so much more invigorating and fun to chase performance together with my teammates and coaches. When I got onto the U.S. Ski Team, I craved the same sort of team environment that I’d had in high school and wanted to be competitive in relay events.”

Leading an impressive career was a prerequisite to achieving her dreams. “To truly be able to contend for an Olympic medal I knew I would first achieve success at the World Cup and World Championship level. Those were the short term goals that needed to be conquered in order to set myself up for the ultimate goal. I was never discouraged by the fact that no American woman had done it before me.” With 29 World Cup podiums (13 of which are victories), three World Cup overall sprint titles, three World Championship medals, and of course, the Olympic gold medal, Randall left nothing on the table. She was the first American woman to podium at a FIS Cross Country World Cup, win a FIS Cross Country World Cup, achieve a World Championship victory and finish top-10 at the Olympics. She was the first American to be named World Cup Champion and win an Olympic gold medal. 

When faced with a challenge, Randall does not back down. It’s been over a year since that historic day in PyeongChang, a fairytale ending to a storied 20-plus year career. But in that time, instead of getting to shift gears, Randall found herself on a new battlefield when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in May of 2018. She documented her fight via social media, showing the world the good, the bad and the in-between, and handled herself with immeasurable grace. “When met with adversity, I have always been able to reframe and refocus on what I can do in that moment and being patient and confident that I can get through anything. Every time I’ve had to face adversity and have been able to come through it stronger than ever, it gives me confidence for the next challenge I will face.” Randall underwent two excisions in November of last year, which yielded a clean report, and then 33 rounds of radiation. She currently has a clean bill of health and a new title to add to her resume: cancer survivor. 

Since being cleared, Randall has been on another kind of victory tour, supporting causes close to her heart. In accepting the keynote speaking position for this year’s Gala, Randall will connect the dots back to the team that propelled her through cross country skiing history. “Now that I’ve had a year to reflect on my career and what role skiing has played in my life, I am more passionate than ever about sharing that story and that enthusiasm of the sport I love. I’m excited to be able to share the story of how we went from obscurity to Olympic history, and get people inspired to continue supporting our athletes to keep pushing barriers and inspiring our country.”

“I want to take all the experience and perspective that took me over twenty plus years to collect and use it to help the next generation of athletes achieve their dreams and goals. I want to help improve the knowledge, resources, and support for our athletes to keep raising the bar of what’s possible in skiing and snowboarding.”

Having been a young female with an ambitious dream, Randall knows first hand the importance of strong role models. She was fortunate enough to have two strong ones closely related to her: her mother, and her Aunt Betsy Haines. “My mom was an athletic, strong and confident woman. My Aunt Betsy was the Alaska state mile record holder and a 1980 Olympian. I used to follow her around like a shadow.” 

“I looked up to female and male role models alike. Tommy Moe was a big inspiration for me when he won the Olympic gold in downhill in 1994. Picabo Street was another big role model for me. I even named my unicycle Picabo.” In turn, being a role model has been one of Randall’s favorite parts about being an elite athlete. She loves to encourage others to be healthy and chase their dreams.

This will only be Randall’s second time attending the Gala, as her rigorous training schedule was already well underway by the time October rolled around. She attended once, in 2012, while recovering from a stress fracture in her foot. “It was an incredible experience to personally meet so many of the people that helped support the Team and to get a chance to share what our team was working on. It’s fun now to think back to what has transpired since the 2012 Gala and imagine how the athletes who will be attending this year will continue to unfold.”

By staying connected to U.S. Ski & Snowboard, Randall remains close to her passion for skiing and to the people who are part of the core of who she is. Although retired from competition, she is still part of the team behind the team, serving as inspiration for rookie and veteran members alike—a friendly reminder that anything is possible with a plan and a support system.

“I have no doubt in my mind that I would never have achieved the level I did without an amazing team supporting, encouraging and sharing the journey with me. My proudest achievements from my 20-plus years as a ski racer are not the medals, it’s the moments I shared with my teammates along the way.”

For ticket purchase and auction information, please click here.

With less than 100 days until the FIS World Cup Cross Country season kicks off in Norway, U.S. Cross Country Ski Team athletes are ramping up their training intensity through a variety of camps and competitions both on and off the snow.

While Jessie Diggins (Afton, Minn.) and Julia Kern (Waltham, Mass.) are training at the Snow Farm in New Zealand, Caitlin Patterson (Craftsbury, Vt.) pulled on a bib, laced up her running shoes, and won the Race to the top of Vermont recently in 41 minutes, 23 seconds over the four-mile route that climbs 2,564 feet to the summit of of Mt. Mansfield. 

 

 

 

 

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Great day running to the Top of Vermont! #Vermont #Craftsburyrunners #timetoplay #salomonrunning #mountainrunning

A post shared by Caitlin Patterson (@caitlinmpatterson) on Aug 25, 2019 at 1:40pm PDT

“I was very happy with the race and it was a PR for me by a minute compared to the other years I’ve done the event,” Patterson said. 

Meanwhile, a number of U.S. Cross Country Ski Team athletes and coaches recently attended a 12-day camp in Trondheim, Norway, and pulled on some race bibs for a fitness check against a strong European field at the 2019 Troppidrettsveka - a four-race roller ski event in Aure, Hitra, and Trondheim, Norway.

“We had a very productive camp in Norway, capped by a hectic, and fun, four races in about 48 hours at Toppidrettsveka,” U.S. Cross Country Coach Chris Grover said. “The central focus of our camp was a mid-preparation season check-in on fitness and technique for the team, going head-to-head with some of the best athletes in the world. As Americans, we can be isolated from our European competition during the preparation months, and these two weeks were an opportunity to measure-up once again.”

Simi Hamilton (Stratton Mountain, Vt.), Kevin Bolger (Sun Valley, Idaho), Erik Bjornsen (Anchorage, Alaska), Sophie Caldwell (Stratton Mountain Vt.) and Sadie Maubet Bjornsen (Anchorage, Alaska) all strapped on roller skis for the four-race event, with Maubet Bjornsen taking a surprising victory in the 25k skate.

 

 

 

 

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Won a 25k race, raced a sprint race three hours later in a downpour, borrowed my coaches last name, and consumed more than my fair share of @theprobar . Thanks @toppidrettsveka for keeping it exciting. One more race through the city of Trondheim tomorrow to finish off this series. 📸: @zuzana.rogers

A post shared by Sadie Bjornsen (@sbjornsen) on Aug 23, 2019 at 11:04am PDT

“I have never done summer roller ski racing except for a few team races back in Alaska, so I had no idea what to expect,” Maubet Bjornsen said. “The 25k skate was super fun, because it ended with a 3k climb, something that would have been a weakness in my past. For whatever reason, my brain and muscles just clipped into place and I found myself chasing the leader and passing her halfway up the climb.”

The atmosphere at Toppidrettsveka was electrifying, and the competition was pretty stiff, just the ticket for Sadie’s brother Erik. “The roller ski racing scene here is a crazy good time,” Erik said. “The spectators, media, and athletes go all in, which makes an incredible event. I'm really happy I got to experience it!”

Hamilton, who spent some time testing new skis on snow in Oberhof, Germany, prior to joining the team in Norway, came away from camp - and three days of racing - with some encouraging results.

 

 

 

 

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The skiing in New Zealand is 🔥🔥🔥 right now. • 📸 @matt.d.whitcomb

A post shared by Simi Hamilton (@simihamilton) on Aug 9, 2019 at 9:27am PDT

“I was pretty psyched with the 15k in Trondheim,” said Hamilton. “I wanted to put together one good distance race in this tour so it felt good to do that … it was just cool to be back in the Scandinavian race atmosphere with tens of thousands of people cheering along the courses, live TV, etc. Our pre-Toppidrettsveka camp went well too...I felt like we were all able to maximize our training potential, especially living and training with the Italians that first week, but also still come into the races rested enough to put in some good efforts for this time of year.”

“Each athlete had at least one race where things didn’t go right, and at least one race with a performance breakthrough,” Grover added. “The races were an incredible learning experience for all of us, as usual. Sadie’s victory in the Aure-Brekka 25k skate was for sure a highlight, but our best team performance came in the final classic pursuit in Trondheim where USA athletes posted the second, fourth, seventh, 11th, and 13th fastest times of the day.”

Full results from the Toppidrettsveka are available here.

U.S. Ski & Snowboard has named Houston Deck as the Athletic Development Coach for aerials and freeski. Deck’s hiring comes on the heels of completing an internship with U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s High Performance team and he joins the organization with more than four years of athletic training experience. 

“We’re excited to welcome Houston into the U.S. Ski & Snowboard family full time,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s Director of High Performance, Troy Taylor. “Over the last five months as a high performance intern, Houston has proven himself to be a knowledgeable and skilled Athletic Development Coach, and he has showcased his ability to build effective relationships with athletes, coaches, and staff alike.”

Originally from Orlando, Fla., Deck graduated from Florida Southern College with a degree in Human Movement and Performance. He spent two years working under renowned sport scientist Dr. Mike Young at his Athletic Lab in North Carolina. There Deck gained experience working with elite athletes and implementing cutting edge developments in sports science. Following his time with Dr. Young, Deck returned to Orlando and worked in the private sector before returning to school to pursue his master’s degree in exercise science.

Deck came on to U.S. Ski & Snowboard as a high performance intern this past spring and has been working with athletes across all teams. “Since starting here it’s been an absolutely awesome experience working with Tschana [Schiller, Athletic Development Manager],” said Deck. “I’ve worked the most with snowboardcross - Hagen, Faye, Diebold, and Rosie have all been amazing. I’ve spent some time with [Michael] Bingaman and men’s alpine. We have 13 disciplines so there’s a lot to learn, it’s been really fun.”

In Deck’s new position he will be working with athletes of the U.S. Freestyle Aerials Ski Team and the U.S. Freeski Team. He approaches athletic development as a creative opportunity to engage his athletes in different ways. “I’ve enjoyed learning and using the almost unlimited amount of tools we have in our toolbox here,” he said. “While typical athletic development scenarios work, like hitting the weight room, we have lots of unique equipment: the skateboard bowl, the trampoline, the spring floor, etc. I like to be creative in my workouts, like building obstacle courses, so I keep the athlete interested.” 

Deck’s coaching philosophy is getting to know his athletes first as people, to make a connection with them. “Working with other populations can be rewarding, but being able to watch the athletes grow, and them being open enough to have us on their journey brings me goosebumps.”

When not working, Deck can be found enjoying Utah’s outdoor playground hiking, SUPing or mountain biking. He looks forward to the season ahead, his first real winter. “I haven’t been in any weather that’s below freezing really. It’s going to be a real wake up call, winter is coming!”

Top U.S. cross country athletes will join their Canadian counterparts at seven stops for the 2019-20 SuperTour. The tour is a series of International Ski Federation (FIS) sanctioned cross country events across North America produced by U.S. Ski & Snowboard together with its divisions and clubs.

“The SuperTour is one of U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s longest-running event series, and we’ve seen quite a number of U.S. National Champions, World and Olympic champions compete in SuperTour events over the years,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard Cross Country Sport Development Manager Bryan Fish.

The SuperTour is a vital component of U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s development program. Leaders of the SuperTour series earn World Cup berths throughout the season.  The SuperTour provides top-level racing at key cross country centers and providing a proving ground for club athletes with aspirations of qualifying for the U.S. Ski Team and competing on the FIS World Cup tour and in the Olympics. 

This season’s SuperTour features five stops in the United States and two in Canada, including the season opener Dec. 6-8 in Canmore, Alberta, and the SuperTour Finals in Vernon, British Columbia, March 26 through April 2. In between, U.S. stops will include Sun Valley, Idaho, Dec. 14-15; Houghton, Mich., Jan. 2-7; Craftsbury, Vt. Jan. 24-26; Minneapolis, Feb. 16-17 as a test event leading up to the Minneapolis World Cup in March; and the American Birkebeiner, in Cable, Wisc., Feb. 19 and Hayward, Wisc., Feb. 22.

A detailed SuperTour schedule, individual event information, and race results are available at USSkiandSnowboard.org/event-series/supertour 

2019-20 U.S. SKI & SNOWBOARD CROSS COUNTRY SUPERTOUR
Period 1
Dec 6-8
Canmore, Alberta, CAN
Men: sprint freestyle, 10k classic, 15k freestyle
Women: sprint freestyle, 5k classic, 10k freestyle

Dec 14-15
Sun Valley, Idaho
Men: sprint classic, 15k freestyle
Women: sprint classic, 10k freestyle

Period 2
Jan. 3-7
Houghton, Mich.
Men: sprint freestyle, 15k freestyle, 30k classic mass-start, sprint classic
Women: sprint freestyle, 10k freestyle, 20k classic mass-start, spring classic

Jan. 24-26
Craftsbury, Vt.
Men: sprint classic, 10k freestyle, 15k classic mass-start
Women: sprint classic, 5k freestyle, 10k classic mass-start

Period 3
Feb. 16-17
Minneapolis, Minn.
Men: sprint freestyle, 10k classic
Women: sprint freestyle, 5k classic

Feb. 19
American Birkebeiner
Cable, Wisc.
Men and women: sprint classic

Feb. 22
Hayward, Wisc.
Men: 50k freestyle Marathon mass-start
Women: 50k freestyle Marathon mass-start

Period 4
SuperTour Finals
Mar. 26 - April 2
Vernon, British Columbia, CAN
Men: freestyle TBA classic, TBA, sprint classic team relay, 50k freestyle mass-start
Women: TBA classic TBA, sprint classic team relay, 30k freestyle mass-start

Four U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes are headed to the Telenor Arena in Oslo, Norway for the fourth edition of X Games Norway Aug 31 for a one-of-a-kind big air competition.

U.S. Snowboard Team riders Chris Corning (Silverthorne, Colo.), Julia Marino (Westport, Conn,), and two-time Olympic gold medalist Jamie Anderson (S. Lake Tahoe, Calif.) all plan to compete. X Games Norway will serve as Marino and Anderson’s first competition of the 2018-19 season, while Corning will arrive in Scandanavia with momentum on his side after defending his Winter New Zealand World Cup big air title by landing his signature quad cork 1800 melon. 

“This is my second time competing at X Games Norway,” said Corning. “I ended up in third-place last year, so I’m hoping to improve on that and do well this time around. I always take each contest one at a time and try not to think much about the last one. I am excited to get the invited and am looking forward to the event.”

The defending X Games Aspen slopestyle gold medalist Alex Hall (Park City, Utah) will represent the U.S. Freeski Team and is excited to kick off the competition season in such unique circumstances. 

“I’m pretty hyped to be going out to Norway this time of the year,” said Hall. “It’s kind of crazy to be competing in an event as big as X Games at the end of the summer, but it should be really fun. Summer in Norway is always great!”

Event organizers have built the big air jump adjacent to the Telenor Arena and temporarily removed the stadium’s roof panels allowing for skiers and riders to drop directly through the roof of the stadium as part of the in-run to the impressive 130-foot tall kicker. Hall is excited about the opportunity. 

“The through the roof drop-in sounds insane,” he said. “I heard there is a metal beam on the in-run that’s only a few meters above the snow, so it should definitely be a crazy experience.”

It’s a small, but strong U.S. Ski & Snowboard crew headed to Norway for what should be quite the spectacle. Both Marino and Corning found their way to the podium in 2018 and will be looking to take over the top spot this year. 

“I'm looking forward to this X Games mainly because of the unique venue, said Marino. "Last year all of the events were in separate locations and this year all of the sports are going to be in the same stadium. Not to mention dropping in from outside the stadium and coming in through the roof is going to be so cool.”

With four U.S. Olympians on the start list, fans watching back on the mainland are in for a treat. However, with a strong international field including 2018 X Games Norway women’s snowboard big air champion Kokomo Murase from Japan as well as the freeski men’s 2018 gold and silver medalists from Norway, Birk Ruud and Oystein Braaten, U.S. skiers and riders have their work cut out for them. 

For more details on the athletes, schedule and more visit xgames.com/norway.

VIDEOS
The Build Has Begun
2019 Hype Reel

HOW TO WATCH
Subject to change
All times EST
@XGames - Streaming via ESPN App, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter
*Same-day broadcast
**Next-day broadcast

SNOWBOARD
Saturday, Aug 31
3:30 a.m. - Men’s snowboard big air eliminations - Fornebu, Norway - ESPN App
6:00 a.m. - Women’s snowboard big air - Fornebu, Norway - ESPN App
8:30 a.m. - Men’s snowboard big air - Fornebu, Norway - ESPN App

Sunday, Sept 1
7:00 a.m. - Men’s snowboard big air eliminations - Fornebu, Norway - ESPN NEWS**
9:30 a.m. - Women’s snowboard big air - Fornebu, Norway - ESPN NEWS**
1:00 p.m. - Men’s snowboard big air - Fornebu, Norway - ESPN NEWS**

Sunday, Sept 8
2:30 p.m. - Best of Ski & Snowboard at X Games Norway 2019 - ABC

FREESKI
Saturday, Aug 31
3:30 a.m. - Men’s ski big air eliminations - Fornebu, Norway - ESPN App
8:30 a.m. - Women’s ski big air - Fornebu, Norway - ESPN App
11:30 a.m. - Men’s ski big air - Fornebu, Norway - ESPN App

Sunday, Sept 1
7:00 a.m - Men’s ski big air eliminations - Fornebu, Norway - ESPN NEWS**
1:00 p.m. - Women’s ski big air - Fornebu, Norway - ESPN NEWS**
4:00 p.m. - Men’s ski big air - Fornebu, Norway - ESPN NEWS**

Sunday, Sept 8
2:30 p.m. - Best of Ski & Snowboard at X Games Norway 2019 - ABC
 

Aspen Snowmass, in collaboration with the U.S. Ski & Snowboard and Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club (AVSC), will host the 2020 U.S. Alpine Tech Championships Mar. 28-31 at Aspen Highlands. The agreement also ensures the return of the U.S. Alpine Tech Championships to Aspen Snowmass in March of 2022. Tech Championships include the disciplines of men’s and women’s slalom, giant slalom and parallel slalom. 

“We are thrilled to bring elite ski racing back to Aspen for U.S. Alpine Tech Championships, says U.S. Ski & Snowboard Director of World Cup Events, Lindsay Arnold. “The 2017 FIS Ski World Cup Finals were a highlight for many of our athletes, and U.S. Alpine Championships is always a great opportunity to expose our up-and-coming national talent to the likes of some of the best alpine ski racers in the world, such as double Olympic champions Mikaela Shiffrin, Ted Ligety, and more.”

Mark Godomsky, executive director of AVSC continues, “Hosting U.S. Alpine Championships will be very special for Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club. Not only will our older athletes have the chance to compete with the best in the country on their home hill, but our younger athletes will have the chance to watch, interact with, and be inspired by the top competitors in their sport. We are incredibly grateful and proud of the Aspen Highlands race venue, and can’t wait to share it with athletes and clubs around the country during this awesome event.” 

The last time Aspen Snowmass hosted a U.S. Alpine Tech Championships was 60 years ago, but ski racing runs deep in the Roaring Fork Valley, as the resort not only hosted the first World Championships outside of Europe in 1950, but has been a continuous stop on the World Cup circuit for both the men and women. Aspen also hosted the 2017 FIS Ski World Cup Finals. 

“Ski racing is deeply engrained in Aspen’s heritage and our mountains have seen ski racing triumphs from greats such as Billy Kidd, Franz Klammer, Tamara McKinney, Ingemar Stenmark, Alberto Tomba, and Mikaela Shiffrin,” says John Rigney, senior vice president, Aspen Snowmass. “We are honored to continue this storied history and look forward to providing the best possible races for the U.S. Ski Team athletes and up-and-comers vying for the honor of national champion.”

Prior to hosting the U.S. Alpine Tech Championships, Aspen Snowmass will host the 2020 and 2021 NASTAR National Championships at Snowmass Mar. 24-28, 2020 and Mar. 23-27, 2021. NASTAR is a youth feeder program for the U.S. Ski Team, and U.S. Ski Team athletes set the pace for NASTAR. For the first time, both events will be at the same venue, allowing the top recreational racers to have the unique opportunity to compete side-by-side with the best American alpine ski racing athletes. 

The first NASTAR National Championship was held in the Spider Sabich race arena on Snowmass in the spring of 1998 and the event has expanded to include all age groups from U6 to 95+. More than 50,000 racers will compete at 100 resorts across the country to qualify for a spot at the National Championships. Recreational racers compete within their age and ability group to earn a National Championship title and place in the final, Race of Champions. Each National Champion carries their handicap into the race to compete for the overall win. For more information about the NASTAR National Championships, visit www.nastar.com/national-championships. 

The U.S. Alpine Speed Championships venue announcement will be forthcoming. 

U.S. Alpine Tech Championships Event Schedule
March 28 Parallel Slalom (National Championships) – Snowmass, Colo.
March 29 Slalom – Men and Women – Aspen Highlands, Colo. 
March 30 Women’s Giant Slalom – Aspen Highlands, Colo. 
March 31 Men’s Giant Slalom – Aspen Highlands, Colo.