The 2018-19 season brings the following changes for Coach, Official, and Club Volunteer members.

• Background screening
  • Now required every two seasons
  • Minimum age requirement of 18 years
• SafeSport Training
  • The Core Center for SafeSport Training is required once.
  • A refresher course is required on an annual basis every season following the completion of the Core Center for SafeSport Training for each participating adult.
• Fast Start Coaching Course: Now required for Level 100 certification

These changes are in part due to legislation passed by Congress called ‘Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse and SafeSport Authorization Act of 2017.’  Federal law now requires that adults who have regular contact or are in positions of authority over athletes must receive consistent education on prevention and reporting.

More details regarding SafeSport are available on the U.S. Ski & Snowboard website.

SafeSport education and implementation, and the protection of youths and people of all ages engaged in sport at all levels are the number one priorities today for National Governing Bodies (NGBs) across the United States.

Thousands of people take part in U.S. Ski & Snowboard events, training programs and competitions annually, from grassroots levels right up to elite, and U.S. Ski & Snowboard is placing the very highest possible emphasis on making sure every participant can do so in an environment that is free from abuse, hazing, and bullying.

Recently, the US Congress passed the “Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse and Safe Sport Authorization Act of 2017”, which now makes failure to report suspected child sexual abuse to police a violation of federal criminal law. This is an important step up in policy and one that U.S. Ski & Snowboard applauds and has implemented across our organization.

Federal law now requires that adults who have frequent contact with athletes or are in positions of authority over athletes must receive consistent and regular education on the critical importance of prevention of all forms of abuse, bullying, and hazing, and are empowered to report whenever they suspect something untoward is taking place.

At our recent Congress, U.S. Ski & Snowboard announced a number of operational updates to ensure that our organization is implementing best practice across all levels of our organization in this critical area. This will start from the grassroots with U.S. Ski & Snowboard member clubs, and extend to all areas of the Center of Excellence.

All employees of U.S. Ski & Snowboard must complete SafeSport training and background screening before their first day of work. All interns, volunteers and contractors who have access to the Center of Excellence, or who frequently interact with athletes, and those who have access to confidential U.S. Ski & Snowboard information related to the organization or athletes, must also complete SafeSport training and background screening before their first day of interning, volunteering, or beginning contract work.

The changes will also impact U.S. Ski & Snowboard member clubs, as they will be required to implement the same standards of SafeSport training and education, and background screening, as all those who work at or with U.S. Ski & Snowboard in Park City, and at the FIS events in the United States. These mandatory requirements will include:

• Criminal background screening for all employees, coaches, officials, and volunteers who are in regular contact with athletes, or in positions of authority over athletes
• Consistent education on prevention of sexual abuse, bullying, and hazing, and clear reporting structures in place to enable anyone who is concerned about any of these areas to be able to come forward and report
• The development and implementation of policies to limit, as much as possible, one-on-one interactions with athletes at any time
• Implementation and enforcement of policies and preparation for and quick response to random audits for compliance by the US Center for SafeSport
• Background screening and SafeSport training: Now required all employees, coaches, officials, and volunteers who are in regular contact with athletes, or in positions of authority over athletes every two seasons
• Fast Start Coaching Course: Now required for Level 100 certification

These policies and processes are in the process of implementation across all levels of U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s member programs. More details regarding SafeSport are available on the U.S. Ski & Snowboard website.

PARK CITY, Utah (May 1, 2018) – U.S. Ski & Snowboard will recognize more than 50 athletes, coaches, clubs, and leaders who have supported skiing and snowboarding at this week’s annual U.S. Ski & Snowboard Congress. The awards include gold awards, silver awards, athlete, coach and club of the year awards in each sport, and sport-specific awards.

The organization’s highest honor, the Julius Blegen Award, will be awarded to the late Bruce Crane, acknowledging his lifetime of service to skiing and snowboarding. Crane spent much of his life serving his passion both professionally and as a volunteer in the sport of ski racing. Throughout his career, Crane served as a competition director for multiple organizations and worked at the 1998 and 2002 Olympic Winter Games. He was world acclaimed for his work in race timing and scoring, athlete ranking systems, and racecourse homologation. Crane was honored many times for his service, including the Westhaven Award for service as a technical delegate in 1997 and the Bud and Mary Little Award for his work with the International Ski Federation (FIS), and the U.S. Olympic Committee in 2002.

U.S. Ski & Snowboard announced various gold awards, including Olympic champion Jessie Diggins as the recipient of this year’s Beck International Award, Rowmark Academy’s Troy Price (Salt Lake City) as development coach of the year, Dave Reynolds and Mike Ramirez as international coaches of the year and Alaska Pacific University Nordic Ski Center as club of the year. Additionally, Brad Ghent (Edwards, Colo.) will receive the Westhaven Award for his service as a U.S. Ski & Snowboard and FIS technical delegate.

The Utah Olympic Park, Waterville Valley Resort, Craftsbury Outdoor Center and Central Cross Country Skiing will receive silver awards for their service to and support of the sports. The Utah Olympic Park, winner of the John J. Clair Jr. Award, serves as a training center for the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team for elite and development level athletes in multiple Olympic disciplines. Waterville Valley and Craftsbury Outdoor Center will receive the Paul Bacon Award for their event organization, including the 2018 U.S. Freestyle Moguls Championships at Waterville Valley and two SuperTour stops at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center. Central Cross Country Skiing will receive the Russell Wilder Award for service to youth through its Nordic Rocks program.

Other silver award recipients include Tom Johnston (Bud and Mary Little Award) for his service to the FIS and the U.S. Olympic Committee, Ritchie Date (West Family Award) for his work as a U.S. Ski & Snowboard official, Dr. Jamie Watkins (J. Leland Sosman Award) for his service as a team physician and Olympic Champion Kikkan Randall (Buddy Werner Award, and Team Athlete Giving Back Award) for her sportsmanship and leadership as well as her work with the Fast & Female program.

All of this year’s awards will be presented at the Chairman’s Awards Dinner on May 3 in Park City.

2018 U.S. SKI & SNOWBOARD JULIUS BLEGEN AWARD RECIPIENT

Bruce Crane (Park City, Utah)

U.S. SKI & SNOWBOARD GOLD AWARD RECIPIENTS

Westhaven Award (top U.S. Ski & Snowboard technical delegate) – Brad Ghent (Edwards, Colo.)

U.S. SKI & SNOWBOARD SILVER AWARD RECIPIENTS

Paul Bacon Award (event organization) – Waterville Valley Resort + Craftsbury Outdoor Center & Nordic Ski Club

John J. Clair Jr. Award (service to the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team) – Utah Olympic Park

Bud and Mary Little Award (service to FIS/USOC) – Tom Johnston (Pinedale, Wyo.)

Buddy Werner Award (athlete sportsmanship, leadership) – Kikkan Randall (Anchorage, Alaska)

Russell Wilder Award (service to youth) – Central Cross Country Skiing, Nordic Rocks

J. Leland Sosman Award (service as team physician) – Jamie Watkins, MD (Snowmass Village, Colo.)

West Family Award (U.S. Ski & Snowboard official) – Richie Date (Park City, Utah)

Team Athlete Giving Back Award – Kikkan Randall (Anchorage, Alaska)