U.S. Ski & Snowboard recognizes key medical staff retirements and welcomes new additions as the organization enters the 2026-27 season.

After two decades of service to the U.S. Ski & Snowboard and its athletes, Dr. Tom Hackett will step away from his longtime role as Head Team Physician for the Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team. His leadership and expertise have been instrumental in supporting generations of athletes on the World Cup and Olympic stages.

Just after the 2026 Olympic Winter Games, Dr. Hackett received U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s prestigious Julius Blegen Award, recognizing his exceptional service and commitment to athlete care. Throughout more than two decades with U.S. Ski & Snowboard, Dr. Hackett volunteered his expertise at training camps, World Cup events and multiple Olympic Winter Games across multiple sports. Widely regarded as one of the top orthopedic surgeons in sports medicine, he has treated and operated on countless elite athletes, helping preserve and extend careers at the highest level of competition.

“Dr. Hackett has been a trusted leader and invaluable part of our medical team for more than two decades,” said Senior Director of Medical Operations Robyn Hase. “His expertise and unwavering commitment to athlete care have made a lasting impact on generations of athletes and staff. We are deeply grateful for everything he has given to the organization.” 

Though leaving his position, Dr. Hackett will remain actively engaged in the organization, leading the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Medical Council.  

Longtime physician Dr. Andrew Cooper, an orthopedic surgeon in the Salt Lake City, Utah valley, will also step away from the organization after more than 12 years of service. During his tenure, he served as Head Team Physician for the Stifel U.S. Freeski Team, traveling globally to care for elite freeskiers while also serving as a team physician during multiple Olympic Winter Games, World Championships, X Games and World Cups. His commitment to athlete care and performance has left a lasting impact across the organization.

“Dr. Cooper’s dedication and passion for supporting our athletes have been instrumental to the success of our teams over the years,” said Hase. “His professionalism and commitment to excellence have earned the respect of athletes and colleagues alike. We thank him for his tremendous contributions to the organization.” 

The organization will welcome two new physicians to support the Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team: Dr. Adam Wilson and Dr. Joseph Ruzbarsky. Dr. Wilson, an orthopedic surgeon based in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, will take over Dr. Hackett’s role as the Head Team Physician for snowboard. He began working with U.S. Ski & Snowboard in 2016 during his Sports Medicine Fellowship in Taos, New Mexico and has since traveled extensively with the snowboard team both domestically and internationally. Dr. Ruzbarsky will support Dr. Wilson as the assistant snowboard team physician, traveling to competitions and navigating athletes’ medical needs. Dr. Ruzbarsky is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon with subspecialty certification in Orthopedic Sports Medicine, currently practicing at The Steadman Clinic in Aspen, Colorado.

“We are excited to welcome Dr. Wilson and Dr. Ruzbarsky to our medical team,” said Hase. “Their experience working with elite athletes and dedication to athlete health and performance make them great additions as we look ahead to the 2026-27 season.”

TIME announced a list recognizing the 100 most influential figures shaping the global landscape of sports. Four athletes from U.S. Ski & Snowboard earned a place on the list, including Mikaela Shiffrin, Lindsey Vonn, Jessie Diggins and Oksana Masters. In the first list of its kind from TIME, athletes from across the entire sports landscape were recognized, including legends like Lionel Messi, LeBron James, Shohei Ohtani, Jannik Sinner and many more. 

Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team athlete Shiffrin, who was named to TIME 100’s Most Influential People list in 2023, is the winningest skier of all time and showed the world how to meet the moment when she captured Olympic gold in the slalom – her fourth Olympic medal – in Milano Cortina 2026. Shiffrin won the race by 1.5 seconds, the largest margin in any alpine slalom race since 1998. Throughout her storied career, Shiffrin has reset nearly every record in the sport. Four Olympic medals, including three golds and one silver, 15 World Championship medals, 18 overall FIS Crystal Globes, 110 World Cup wins, 121 World Cup podiums, and the status as the greatest alpine skier of all time.

“It’s an incredible honor to be recognized by TIME on their TIME100 list as an Icon in Sports alongside so many inspiring people,” said Shiffrin, in an Instagram post. “To be honest, recognition like this always feels a little surreal. Even after all these years, there’s still a part of me that wonders, ‘Is this real?’”

For Vonn, the recognition comes after a year many would call one of the most remarkable comebacks in sports. At 41, the Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete went into her fifth Olympic Games following a remarkable return from retirement that included eight podiums and a lead in the World Cup downhill standings heading into Milano Cortina. Nine days before the Olympic downhill, a crash at the Crans Montana World Cup left her with a torn ACL, but she refused to give up on her Olympic dream and made her return to the women's downhill. Seconds into the race, she crashed. Yet the story of Vonn is not measured by results; it is measured by what it means to keep showing up. 

“Honored to be named in the 2026 TIME100 Sports List!!” said Vonn in an Instagram post. “To be recognized alongside so many incredible athletes is truly humbling… Congratulations to everyone included. What an inspiring group of people to share this moment with. This past year has reminded me why I love this sport. Returning to the top of my sport and chasing a dream that so many thought was impossible has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.”

Jessie Diggins is the most decorated cross country skier in American history and officially retired at the end of the 2025-26 season with four Olympic medals – including the sport’s first Olympic gold, won alongside her teammate Kikkan Randall at the 2018 PeyongChang Olympic Winter Games –  four overall World Cup titles, 90 World Cup podiums, 30 World Cup wins, eight World Championship podiums and the most World Cup starts of any cross country skier in history. The Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team alumna’s inclusion on the TIME100 sports list is a fitting capstone to a career that elevated the sport to the masses, normalized the conversation about mental health in elite sport and reinforced the belief that there is always more to race for than a number on a results sheet. 

"So very honored and humbled to be listed as a leader in TIME 100 Sports alongside such incredible athletes," said Diggins. "I have had the gift of so many amazing role models throughout my life, and to be named alongside some of them is an honor that I don’t take lightly."

The most decorated Paralympic athlete of all time, Oksana Masters has won 24 Paralympic medals, competing for the U.S. across cross country skiing, biathlon, cycling and rowing at both the Winter and Summer Paralympic Games. Masters was born in Ukraine with birth defects suspected to be caused by radiation poisoning from the Chornobyl disaster and at age 14, both of her legs were amputated. She was adopted at age seven and moved to the U.S. from Ukraine. She began with rowing, winning her first bronze medal at the 2012 Paralympic Winter Games in London. Then, she won two medals in the 2014 Games in Sochi in cross country skiing. In PyeongChang 2018, Masters won her first gold in the cross country 1.5k sprint and five medals in total. Next, cycling. She claimed gold at the 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo. In the 2022 Beijing Games, she became the first American to win seven medals in one single Games. At the Paris Paralympic Games, she won two gold medals; in Milano Cortina, she won three. 

“Being recognized by TIME as a TIME 100 Sports Honoree is an incredible honor – not just because of the company I’m standing alongside,” said Oksana, in an Instagram post. “This list includes some of the most iconic athletes, pioneers, and voices in sport and broadcasting. To be mentioned among them is something I never could have imagined.”

Read the full list and how athletes were nominated here. TIME will host the first-ever TIME100 Sports Gala on July 16 in New York City.