Our philosophy, based on the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Training Systems, is to instill a solid fundamental skill base and a passion for the sport in our young athletes before introducing advanced competition techniques and tactics. With this long-term development focus, we recognize that it takes outstanding coaches at every step in the process for athletes to reach their full potential in sport and in life.
Parents and guardians play a vital role in a child's athletic development. Parents introduce their children to skiing and snowboarding, helping them to develop a lifelong love of sport.
As a child grows in their athletic ability, parents are their advocate and their behind-the-scenes support. Parents invest an extraordinary amount of time and resources in order for their children to compete in skiing and snowboarding.
Athlete development supports the vision and mission of U.S. Ski & Snowboard to make the United States the "Best in the World!" in Olympic skiing and snowboarding. The mission is to provide strong leadership that establishes and supports athletic excellence in accordance with U.S. Ski & Snowboard's core values as well as design a clear path for achievement in the sports of skiing and snowboarding.
Education and research is integral to the advancement of knowledge and understanding of injuries in the sports of skiing and snowboarding, developing advanced skills and knowledge for both medical staff and pool participants who work closely with U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes, as well as developing strategies effective in the prevention of injury and illness in our athletes. Our department is dedicated to the furthering of our participation in research efforts in injury prevention in our sports through the U.S. Ski & Snowboard – SPRI Medical Research Group.
U.S. Ski & Snowboard Sports Medicine is dependent on the commitment of dedicated partners and volunteers who provide the additional resources necessary to ensure the best possible medical care for our athletes.
The regions and division have several functions but are primary to:
Acting as a collective governance organization for a group of divisions and/or states in common cause issues
Calendaring and supporting international FIS ski racing below the level of the national championships and continental cups
Conducting various regional championships for different age groups
Management of athletic teams of USSA member athletes from those regions to national championships and FIS continental cups
Regions and Divisions are geographic, structural units to organize and manage alpine, freestyle, and cross country sport programs below the national level. Regions are confederations of divisions or states that address the needs and purpose of the athletic pipeline between the divisional/state level and the national level.