PARK CITY, UTAH  - U.S. Ski & Snowboard announced the appointment of Michael O’Conor to the position of Chief Revenue Officer. O’Conor comes to the organization with almost two decades’ experience of commercial business development within the Olympic sphere.

O’Conor’s hiring at U.S. Ski & Snowboard is serendipitous, as he was first introduced to the Olympic movement in Utah. In 2000 he took a position with OPUS - the joint venture between the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) and the Salt Lake City Olympic Organizing Committee - handling partnerships for the Sydney and Salt Lake Olympic Games. After a brief stint in the entertainment sector with the Sundance Institute developing corporate sponsorships, the call of sport beckoned O’Conor back to the USOPC where he has served in various roles in account management, event management, and sales. In 2011, he took over the commercial arm of the USOPC. Most recently, Michael has been working for the LA2028 joint venture with the USOPC, known as the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Properties (USOPP).

As Chief Revenue Officer, O’Conor will report directly to U.S. Ski & Snowboard President and CEO, Tiger Shaw, and will be responsible for driving all commercial revenue for the organization. In separating the sales and execution sides of sponsorship, O’Conor and his team will create new and innovative ways of raising money to support the athletes so they can focus on what they do best: skiing and snowboarding.

“We are so excited to have Michael joining the U.S. Ski & Snowboard family,” said Shaw. “Michael has proven himself to be a leader in commercial strategy, specifically in the Olympic sports space. He has a deep understanding of how to meet the challenges of creating value in commercial partnerships. I have no doubt that his expertise, gleaned from his tenure at the USOPC and the USOPP, will benefit our organization and allow us to give our athletes the best environment in which to train and compete, with the needed funding.”

O’Conor has always been involved in sports, playing soccer and baseball growing up in East Hampton, New York. He came to skiing later in life, which has proven ruinous for him in his family’s snow sports standings (he has all bases covered with one of his three children favoring snowboarding) as all are shredders on the mountain, including his wife. 

“I cannot keep up with anyone in my family. I’ve only had one moment in the sun when it comes to snow sports when I was asked to present the awards for women’s slopestyle snowboarding at the Copper Grand Prix in 2015,” O’Conor said. “I was lucky enough to present Jamie Anderson with her first-place award. It was so cool, one of the best dad moments of my life! My kids were really impressed with me.”

Luckily for U.S. Ski & Snowboard, O’Conor’s track record in sales rates higher than his skills on the slopes. Over the past 10 years, he has achieved considerable success drawing in partners to the Olympic movement such as Hershey’s, Liberty Mutual Insurance, and Smucker’s. He will be leaving his most recent role working for the USOPP, where he was focused on creating a value proposition that includes getting the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams and the Los Angeles 2028 Games to their sales goal.

“It is bittersweet to say goodbye to my friends and colleagues at the USOPP and the USOPC, but I am grateful to be staying involved with the USOPC’s mission through this new role,” O’Conor said. “Got to say I love my new office. Can’t beat being in the mountains!”

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.

Spyder, a leading ski and performance brand and long-time apparel partner of U.S. Ski & Snowboard, today launches a new freeski specific collection now available to the public. Over the past two years, Spyder has been working with athletes and designers to carefully create a new freeski collection that is both impressive in appearance and from a functional standpoint. U.S. Freeski Team member Maggie Voisin (Whitefish, Mont.) has been part of the design and development process since the beginning. 

“I’m so excited to be a part of the Spyder Team and to have worked closely with everyone at Spyder to help create the new freeski collection,” said Voisin. “This new line bridges the gap between stylish and technical gear. I know everyone will love the final product!’

Spyder has been the exclusive official apparel partner of the U.S. Ski Team since 1989. In 2019, they expanded their partnership with U.S. Ski & Snowboard, bringing on the U.S. freeski and freestyle teams. Today, Spyder is back in a big way in the freeskiing space. In the early years of the sport of freeskiing in the late 90’s, and the first decade of the 2000’s, Spyder and its Venom collection sponsored some of the godfathers of skiing such as Shane McConkey, Seth Morrison, Corey Vanular, JP Auclair and Kent Kreitler, just to name a few. U.S. Freeski Team head coach Skogen Sprang was sponsored by Spyder from 2004-2009.

“Team Venom was a large part of freeskiing then,” said Sprang. “They were an awesome sponsor and I am happy to see their continued support of the sport.”

Today, Spyder has taken on a new generation of freeskiers who continue to evolve and progress the sport. Members of the Spyder freeski team include Voisin, U.S. Freeski Team alumnus Bobby Brown (Breckenridge, Colo.), American Quinn Wolferman (Missoula, Mont.), as well as a notable list of international big mountain and competitive freeskiing athletes. You can expect big things from Spyder in the coming years. Check out their new 2019-20 freeski collection at spyder.com/freeski.

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 2018, competing in seven teams; alpine, cross country, freeski, freestyle, snowboard, nordic combined and ski jumping. In addition to the 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

About Authentic Brands Group​
Authentic Brands Group (ABG) is a brand development, marketing, and entertainment company, which owns a portfolio of global entertainment and lifestyle brands. Headquartered in New York City, ABG manages, elevates, and builds the long-term value of more than 50 consumer brands and properties by partnering with best-in-class manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers. Its brands have a global retail footprint in more than 100,000 points of sale across the luxury, specialty, department store, mid-tier, mass, and e-commerce channels and more than 4,950 branded freestanding stores and shop-in-shops around the world. ABG is committed to transforming brands by delivering a compelling product, content, business, and immersive brand experiences. It creates and activates original marketing strategies to drive the success of its brands across all consumer touchpoints, platforms, and emerging media. ABG’s portfolio of iconic and world-renowned brands includes Marilyn Monroe®, Mini Marilyn®, Elvis Presley®, Muhammad Ali®, Shaquille O'Neal®, Sports Illustrated®, Dr. J®, Greg Norman®, Neil Lane®, Thalia®, Michael Jackson® (managed brand), Nautica®, Aéropostale®, Juicy Couture®, Vince Camuto®, Herve Leger®, Judith Leiber®, Frederick's of Hollywood®, Nine West®, Frye®, Jones New York®, Louise et Cie®, Sole Society®, Enzo Angiolini®, CC Corso Como®, Hickey Freeman®, Hart Schaffner Marx®, Adrienne Vittadini®, Taryn Rose®, Bandolino®, Misook®, 1.STATE®, CeCe®, Chaus®, Spyder®, Tretorn®, Tapout®, Prince®, Volcom®, Airwalk®, Vision Street Wear®, Above The Rim®, Hind®, Thomasville®, Drexel®, and Henredon®. For more information, please visit authenticbrandsgroup.com.

About Global Brands Group Holding Limited 
Global Brands Group Holding Limited (SEHK Stock Code: 787) is one of the leading branded apparel, footwear and brand management companies. The Group designs develops, markets and sells products under a diverse array of owned and licensed brands and a wide range of product categories. Global Brands’ innovative design, capabilities, strong brand management focus and strategic vision enable it to create new opportunities, product categories and market expansion for brands on a global scale. In addition, the Group is the global leader in the brand management business through its joint venture, CAA-GBG Global Brand Management Group.
 

The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee has announced the finalists for the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame class of 2019. Olympic gold medalist and U.S. Ski & Snowboard freestyle team alumnus Jonny Moseley (Belvedere Tiburon, Calif.) is one of the 15 Olympians, nine Paralympians and three teams being considered for Hall of Fame induction. 

With his innovative approach and ability to progress the sport, Moseley will forever be dubbed a freestyle skiing pioneer. His achievements go far beyond his two Olympic medals, to landing new inverted rotations like the “Dinner Roll,” which were beyond his time and not well-received by FIS Judges in mogul competition at the time. There is no question about the vital role Moseley played in influencing moguls skiing to allow inverted tricks, and ultimately evolving the sport. 

Team USA and U.S. Ski & Snowboard fans can cast their vote at TeamUSA.org/Vote through Sept. 3 to help determine the class of 2019, which will mark the first class inducted into the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame since 2012.

“It is a privilege to introduce these deserving finalists for induction into the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame,” said Sarah Hirshland, USOPC CEO. “They represent the pinnacle of athletic achievement and personal excellence, both on and off the field of play. We honor them and are pleased to memorialize their legacy as America’s most inspiring athletes and teams.”

The finalists will be narrowed down to five Olympians, three Paralympians and one team for induction into the class of 2019. In addition to the public vote, U.S. Olympians and Paralympians and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic family also vote on the inductees. The Olympic and Paralympic family consists of the Athletes’ Advisory Council, National Governing Bodies, Multi-Sport Organizations, USOPC board of directors, members of the media, and corporate partners.

The class of 2019 will be announced on Monday, Sept. 23, and inducted on Friday, Nov. 1, during a ceremony in conjunction with the all-alumni U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Team Reunion in Colorado Springs, Colo. Red carpet arrivals, interviews and induction awards dinner at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center will be open to the media; credential information will be available in October. 

Opening in early 2020, the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum in Colorado Springs, Colorado, will become the new permanent home for the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame. Visit TeamUSA.org/HallOfFame to explore the history and achievements of all 141-current Hall of Fame members.
 

U.S. Ski & Snowboard recently named Ryan Wyble as the U.S. Freeski Team national development coach for slopestyle and big air. Wyble joins the team with 10 years of coaching experience with some of the nation’s top clubs including Park City Ski & Snowboard, Team Park City United, and Axis Freeride. 

“The team is so fortunate to have Ryan as the coach leading our rookie slopestyle team,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s Head Freeski and Snowboard Coach Mike Jankowski. “This crew has tons of momentum with Mac Forehand (Winhall, Vt.) winning the FIS World Cup overall title last season as a rookie. The rookie athletes are all currently working on adding super high-level tricks to their game, and it’s key to have someone with Ryan’s passion and experience leading that charge.”

Wyble was recently honored by U.S. Ski & Snowboard as the 2018-19 Development Coach of the Year, so it’s only natural Wyble continues his work with the next generation of freeskiers as a member of the U.S. National Team staff. Wyble’s skill set will complement the talented roster of U.S. coaches, and he has already seamlessly integrated into the program throughout the Timberline summer training camp recently held at Mt. Hood, Ore.

“Ryan brings a wealth of on hill expertise combined with an extraordinary moral character,” said U.S. Freeski Slopestyle/Big Air Pro Team Coach Dave Euler. “The rookies are an amazing group of athletes and I can’t wait to see what they can accomplish on and off the hill under Ryan’s lead. I could not be happier to have him joining the team.”

This past season Wyble had six athletes named to the U.S. FIS Junior World Championship Team. In addition, he was a former competitor in slopestyle and also was a featured athlete in 4bi9 Media Ski Films from 2007 to 2012. 

Wyble’s role will focus on working year-round with the rookie team athletes to help them reach their potential in hopes that they eventually graduate to the pro team level. He will also work with ski clubs across the country to identify and develop young talent at the club level, in addition to creating transparency with the next generation of athletes as it relates to the athlete development pipeline, and how each individual can eventually progress all the way to the U.S. National Team.
 

U.S. Ski & Snowboard has named Vladimir Lebedev as Head Aerials Coach for the U.S. Freestyle Ski Team. Lebedev will take over the position from Emily Cook, who has served as interim head coach since Todd Ossian left the team in May after a nine-year tenure. 

“We are excited to announce Vladimir as our head aerials coach for the U.S. Ski Team,” said Jeremy Forster, director of freestyle for U.S. Ski & Snowboard. “Vlad is widely respected within the aerials community and brings a history of coaching success with him to this team. His passion for the sport and clear vision sets a high standard for his athletes. I look forward to working with him in his new position.”

Born and raised in Uzbekistan, Lebedev was introduced to the sport of aerials skiing when he was five by his uncle who was president of the Uzbekistan Ski Association. Lebedev worked his way through the ranks and eventually moved to Moscow to compete for the Russian National Ski Team for 10 years, from 2000 - 2010. He earned a bronze medal at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Torino, the crowning achievement of his professional aerials skiing career. In 2011, Lebedev made the tough decision to move from competing to coaching, after sustaining a second injury to his right knee. 

Lebedev coached the Russian development team for four years, until the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi. From 2014 - 2017, Lebedev served as a World Cup coach. His athletes earned an impressive 12 medals at the Junior World Championships during his tenure, four of which were gold. He found success with Kristina Spiridoniva, who finished third in the Aerials Grand Prix in 2018, as well as with Ilya Burov, who earned a bronze medal at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang. 

Prior to being named head aerials coach for U.S. Ski & Snowboard, Lebedev served as a World Cup coach for the U.S. Moguls Team. Because of his expertise in aerial maneuvers, Lebedev was instrumental in helping many U.S. athletes improve their air executions on the moguls field. 

Eric Bergoust will remain on staff as World Cup Coach along with continuing his efforts in Development. He looks forward to working with Lebedev in his new position. “I’m excited to continue as World Cup Aerial Coach, working with Vladimir,” said Bergoust. “Vlad and I have been friends for over fifteen years and we work well together because we are both committed to doing whatever it takes to help our team succeed.”

Lebedev enjoys coaching because of the challenge. “All the athletes on the team are different. It’s up to me and my staff to find specific goals for each of them. We have a lot of conversations in the gym, on the ramps, on snow, etc, to come up with a strategy that works for each person. Coaching, especially in a discipline like aerials, is not like a regular nine to five job. Every day is a new and different day. I have to be in tune with each athlete, with how they’re feeling, etc, to make adjustments.”

One of Lebedev’s biggest goals moving into the 2019-2020 competition season is to create a cohesive team culture. With the end of the Ossian era, Lebedev knows it is important to get the athletes and staff all on the same page so that there is continuity and progression moving forward. 

Beyond the immediate, Lebedev has his sights set high for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing which will include the new Team Aerials event. “I am working on developing specific athlete plans through the 2022 Olympics. I break these down from yearly, to seasonal, to monthly, to daily goals. A lot of it is general because we are constantly making changes depending on how the day-to-day goes.”

Lebedev transitioned from the moguls to the aerials coaching staff this spring and the aerials athletes are already responding positively to him as a leader for their team. “After knowing Vlad for over a decade and working with him for the past couple months in Park City, it is obvious to me and my teammates that he is going to lead this team in a phenomenal fashion,” reflected three-time Olympian and 2017 Aerials World Champion Ashley Caldwell (Asburn, Va.). “The experience he brings from being an athlete, a coach for Russia, and a coach for the U.S. Moguls team, coupled with his enthusiasm and character are going to make for an unstoppable leader and head coach.”

The 2019-20 USASA membership launch will take place on July 1, providing substantial value for athletes, parents, coaches, and officials. For athletes, membership prices range from $0-$100 before October 1, depending on the age group. Ruggies are still free, while Groms are only $50. For coaches and officials, membership prices are $150 and $100, respectively. 

Click Here To Renew Your USASA Membership (As of July 1, 2019)

Along with the benefit of being able to participate in USASA sanctioned events, membership value is extensive. Added value for membership includes discounts to marquee freeski and snowboard camps, including $300 off Woodward Camps, $150 off Windells and High Cascade Camps, as well as discounts with SASS Global Travel. In addition, members also receive discounts for some of the industry's best products including hard goods at Donek and membership to ExpertVoice, a leading product advocacy platform created for industry influencers. Also, USASA will again offer global travel insurance through Global Rescue as the number one resource for your protection while traveling abroad.

The 2019-20 competition calendar will offer an improved and expanded athlete development pipeline for young skiers and riders, illustrating the commitment to provide a healthy future of our shared sports of freeskiing and snowboarding. More specifically, USASA will become the sole entry point for grassroots freeski and snowboard competition. The expanded development pipeline will offer five to six new co-hosted USASA, U.S. Ski & Snowboard, and FIS sanctioned regional events for slopestyle and halfpipe geared towards reducing travel costs and ultimately decreasing barriers to entry for young athletes looking to take the next step in their competitive journey. These changes are a result of fine-tuning the current development pipeline leading into FIS Nor-Am and other high-level freeski and snowboard competitions. 

This year, members will notice an increase in membership prices from the 2018-19 season, purely as a function of USASA’s commitment to ensuring that all officials, judges, and coaches have been thoroughly screened and educated relative to SafeSport policies and procedures. 

It would not be ski and snowboard season without the USASA Nationals. The 31st Annual USASA National Championships will take place at Colorado's Copper Mountain Resort, hosting freeski and snowboard slopestyle and halfpipe as well as ski cross, snowboard cross and parallel alpine snowboard events for all age groups. In addition, freeski and snowboard big air will be offered as a FIS-level competition demonstrating the commitment to aligning the development pipeline with the Olympic movement at the highest levels of the sport. 

Together, U.S. Ski & Snowboard and USASA look forward to another great year of excellence, respect, fun and serving as the first step in the competitive journey for all of snowboarding and freeskiing in the United States. 

Visit USASA.org to renew your membership starting July 1st.
 

U.S. Ski & Snowboard, the Olympic National Governing Body for ski and snowboard sports in the USA, has announced that Luke Bodensteiner, U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s Chief of Sport, will leave his post on 15 July 2019.

Bodensteiner has been part of U.S. Ski & Snowboard as both athlete and a highly valued member of staff since 1986 when he was first named to the U.S. Cross Country Ski Team. At the end of his athletic career in 1996 Bodensteiner transferred to a staff role and was promoted to High Performance Director in 2007, then EVP of Athletics, and then Chief of Sport, a title he has held since 2017. Under his direction, U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes won countless Olympic, World Cup, and World Championship medals and he leaves a lasting legacy of sporting success that saw nearly 50% of Team USA athletes who competed in the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang come from U.S. Ski & Snowboard.

“On behalf of our whole team, in particular, the hundreds of athletes who have worked with Luke over his decades with U.S. Ski & Snowboard, I want to thank Luke for his hard work, passion, vision, and determination to make our athletes the Best in the World. We wish Luke the very best for his future,” said President, and CEO of U.S. Ski & Snowboard Tiger Shaw. “In light of this news our leadership team has been working on the structure of our athletic department, and I will assume much of Luke’s role as we continue our focus of building on the successes of the past with new opportunities. In particular, we will continue the work being done on improving athlete funding as that is a key step towards improving the experience and environment for all our athletes and teams.”

‘This was a tough decision for us, but we spoke at length with Eileen, her Mom and her coaches and it was clear immediately that we had a chance to help make an incredible young athlete’s dreams come true,” said Luke Bodensteiner, U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s Chief of Sport. “Eileen is extremely proud of her Chinese heritage and the chance for her to promote the sport she loves among young people, especially girls, in the home of her mom, in what will be a home Olympic Games for Eileen, is something we will continue to support her in. We’re very grateful to Eileen for thanking U.S. Ski & Snowboard for the role we played in helping her dream come true and we wish her the best of luck in all her endeavors.’

CAVTAT, Croatia – The International Ski Federation (FIS) has honored longtime U.S. Ski & Snowboard communications professional Tom Kelly with its FIS Journalist Award. Kelly was recognized for his longstanding role in the sport as a spokesperson for U.S. athletes and leadership with the FIS Public Relations and Mass Media Committee.

Kelly, who retired from his role as FIS PR and Mass Media chairman a year ago, was recognized during the annual meeting of the federation in Croatia. Kelly was nominated for the award by the FIS committee directly and wins the FIS Journalist Award not only for his enthusiasm in promoting ski sport and 32 years of service within U.S. Ski & Snowboard but also for 14 years of strong and visionary leadership within the Committee. Kelly stepped down from his committee role and was named an honorary member by the FIS Council.

Last month Kelly was inducted into the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame. In his role with FIS, Kelly had long been an advocate for the award to recognize journalists and broadcasters for their work in telling the story of the sport. He is the 19th American recipient of the award, which dates back to 1996.

“This was quite an unexpected recognition and very much appreciated,” said Kelly. “I take great pride in the role I have been able to play with FIS through the PR and Mass Media Committee.”

The award is presented each year by FIS to journalists and broadcasters around the world. The American recipients are a who’s who of writers, photographers, producers and broadcasters who have worked to bring stories of the sport to the public.

While retired from his role at U.S. Ski & Snowboard, Kelly remains active in Olympic sport as a communications consultant and public speaker.

FIS JOURNALIST AWARD
U.S. Recipients

2018 – Tom Kelly, U.S. Ski & Snowboard (presented in May 2019)
2017 – Christin Cooper, NBC (presented in Mar. 2018)
2016 – Peter Graves, Sports broadcaster and announcer
2015 – Steve Porino, NBC
2014 – John Dakin, Vail Valley Foundation (presented in Feb. 2015)
2013 – John Meyer, Denver Post
2012 – Jonathan Selkowitz, Photographer
2011 – Tim Ryan, NBC
2010 – Hank McKee, Ski Racing
2010 – Paul Robbins, Freelance Journalist
2008 – Mike Clark, Associated Press
2007 – Gary Black, Ski Racing
2002 – Peter Diamond, NBC
2002 – Joe Jay Jalbert, Jalbert Productions
2001 – Anita Verschoth, Sports Illustrated
1999 – Charlie Meyers, Denver Post
1998 – John Fry, Ski Magazine
1997 – Bob Beattie, ABC/ESPN
1996 – William Oscar Johnson, Sports Illustrated