FY 2006/07 Annual Report 2 • MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT The United States Ski and Snowboard Association just concluded one of the most important years in its over 100-year history. This achievement is thanks to the generous support of our donors and partners who continue to invest in USSA’s vision to be best in the world, and to the clubs, coaches, officials, parents and tens of thousands of volunteers who have provided leadership to young athletes. The 2006/07 season was highlighted with athletic success at all levels. Through the strong work of the USSA’s 400 clubs, the organization saw an eighth straight year of membership growth. And for the first time in history, we were able to increase athletic funding in a post-Olympic year! The hallmark of the year was the USSA Board of Director’s decision to move forward on a national training and education center – the Center of Excellence – to benefit all of USSA’s stakeholders. The facility will be a world class training TEAM center, but will also provide education, sport medicine and sport science to Constituent groups within USSA working in the USSA’s 400 clubs and 30,000 members. Physical conditioning is the partnership to be the best in the world cornerstone of any successful athletic program and the Center will provide that for athletes from clubs through the national teams. LOYALTY Steadfast allegiance to USSA’s Vision, It’s exciting for all of us to see great results from the World Cup and World Mission, Goals and Values Championships. But what really encourages me is when I see strong performance at World Junior Championships, Continental Cups or U.S. athletes INTEGRITY being named World Cup Rookies of the Year. It means that our pipeline, Steadfast, incorruptible adherence to truth comprised of USSA’s grassroots and development programs, is working! and USSA’s Core Values Our success stems from great volunteer leadership at all levels of the USSA. We’re appreciative of the vision of our USSA Board and sport committees, RESPECT now headed by Chairman Dexter Paine, and the enthusiasm of our Foundation Willing demonstration of care and concern Board of Trustees under the leadership of President Jeanne Jackson. toward others and an open-mindedness toward others’ ideas As we look to the future, we need to stay focused on our vision. We are striving to be best in the world athletically. But we need to do that in concert with our ACCOUNTABILITY USSA Core Values. We want to not only create great athletes, but we want to Responsibility of every individual to conduct create great people. That’s what Olympism is about! themselves in accordance with USSA values and expectations Our focus on being the best and our emphasis on values is why the American public invests in us. It’s why we are nearing the $60 million mark with our PERSEVERANCE Legacy Campaign. It’s why we have corporate sponsors and TV/broadband Unwavering commitment to the core values partners. And it’s why our tens of thousands of volunteers dedicate their time in pursuit of USSA’s Vision and Mission to helping young ski and snowboard athletes achieve their dreams. Thanks for your support! Sincerely, Bill Marolt President and CEO U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association ABOUT USSA • 3 The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association provides opportunities for athletes in the most exciting Olympic action sports. It is driven by a vision to be best in the world with an emphasis on building character through strong personal values. The USSA provides athletic programs in six Olympic sports including alpine skiing, cross country, freestyle, ski jumping, nordic combined, and snowboarding. USSA also manages two Paralympic sports (on behalf of USOC) in disabled alpine and cross country. Programs in each sport include grassroots competitions up through national teams. The USSA has 30,000 members, including over 22,000 athletes. A network of over 50,000 fans and donors provides ongoing support. Membership has continued to increase for eight years, with strong growth in youth membership – nearly half the athletes 13 and under. USSA Club & Competition Network A network of 400 USSA clubs provides opportunities to participate in all levels of skiing and snowboarding competition. The USSA provides education and support to local coaches, officials, parents and volunteers, a local and national calendar of events, competition rules, and a development system to provide for advancement from grassroots up through the national Team. The USSA sanctions over 4,100 events annually. Its focus is to provide the leadership and guidance to support competition venue development, approval of courses, inventory of protection equipment and education of clubs and officials. Over half of USSA sanctioned events are scored to its national ranking lists, providing measurements for athlete advancement. Development competitions in most sports include Junior Olympics (ages 11-19) and international Continental Cups including NorAm Cups, the USSA Alpine Super Series, the Cross Country SuperTour and the Chevrolet Revolution Tour in snowboarding. U.S. championships are conducted in each sport. And USSA’s alpine masters program (21 and older) features over 400 events annually. Over 5,500 parents and volunteers dedicate their time as USSA officials to ensure the best competition environment. USSA Education USSA Education is responsible for providing educational resources and opportunities to over 3,500 member coaches. A multi-level certification program provides training in sport-specific techniques and tactics, sport sciences, and sport management. Based on the national standards for sport coaches, the USSA program uses on-snow clinics, classroom, and online courses to deliver and test over 600 coaches annually. USSA Education has produced over 15 educational CDs and DVDs for use by coaches, parents and athletes. USSA is leading the way in the development of cutting edge, multi-media resources and courses, and is partnering with the USOC, other NGBS, as well as colleges and universities to provide the best training and education possible. USSA Major Events The USSA showcases its sports through national and international competitions including World Cups in alpine, freestyle and snowboarding in 2007, plus the Chevrolet U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix. The events are featured on national and international television and broadband. In 2007, the USSA produced 10-1/2 hours on NBC Sports, 22 hours on Versus, event highlights on Sprint PCS mobile phones plus nearly complete coverage of nearly all international World Cups plus major USSA alpine events on WCSN.com. Events bring strong economic impact to local communities. Recent studies (2005-06 season) showed a $4.56-million local impact for the Birds of Prey Downhill World Cup in Beaver Creek. The Chevrolet Freestyle Invitational in Deer Valley produced a $3.78- million impact with $1.97-million for the Breckenridge Grand Prix. The USSA has long been a leader in event production. In February, the USSA and the Tamarack Resort in Idaho pioneered a 22- foot halfpipe, the new Olympic standard, for the Chevrolet U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix, drawing the largest day crowd in the resort’s history. 4 • 2006/07 ANNUAL AWARDS Athletes, coaches, clubs and volunteers are recognized for their accomplishments and leadership as a part of the USSA’s annual awards program. Bill Demong, 2006/07 USSA Nordic Combined Athlete of the Year and recipient of the 2006/07 Beck Award for outstanding athlete. 2006/07 ANNUAL AWARDS • 5 USSA GOLD AWARDS USSA SILVER AWARDS Julius Blegen Award (highest service to USSA) Athletes of the Year Chuck Ferries, Sun Valley, ID Alpine Lindsey Kildow, Vail, CO (Ski & Snowboard Club Vail/Buck Hill) Beck Award (outstanding athlete) Cross Country Andrew Newell, Shaftsbury, VT Bill Demong, Vermontville, NY Disabled Steve Cook, Heber City, UT (NYSEF/Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club) Freestyle Nate Roberts, Park City, UT Nordic Combined Bill Demong, Vermontville, NY USSA Club of the Year (NYSEF/Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club) Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club Ski Jumping Lindsey Van, Park City, UT (National Sports Foundation) USSA International Coach of the Year Snowboarding Lindsey Jacobellis, Stratton Mountain, VT Alex Hoedlmoser, Austria (U.S. Ski Team) USSA Clubs of the Year USSA Development Coach of the Year Alpine Burke Mountain Academy Bryan Fish, Rhinelander, WI (Central Cross Country) Cross Country Central Cross Country Ski Team Freestyle Park City Freestyle Westhaven Award (USSA & FIS Technical Delegate) Ski Jumping/ Barry “Bear” Bryant, Ft. Myers, FL Nordic Combined Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club Snowboarding Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club Coaches of the Year Alpine International Alex Hoedlmoser, Austria (U.S. Ski Team) Alpine Domestic Chip Cochrane, Kingfield, ME (Carrabassett Valley Academy) Cross Country Chris Grover, Hailey, ID (U.S. Ski Team) Cross Country Domestic Bryan Fish, Rhinelander, WI (Central Cross Country) Freestyle International Scott Rawles, Breckenridge, CO (U.S. Ski Team) Freestyle Domestic Caleb Martin, Telluride, CO (Telluride Ski & Snowboard Club) Nordic Combined International Dave Jarrett, Heber City, UT (U.S. Ski Team) Nordic Combined Domestic Martin Bayer, Steamboat Springs, CO (Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club) Snowboarding International Jeff Archibald, Salt Lake City, UT (U.S. Snowboarding) Snowboarding Domestic Spencer Tamblyn, Steamboat Springs, CO (Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club) Chuck Ferries (left), winner of the 2006/07 Julius Blegen Award Paul Bacon Award (event organization) with Bill Marolt (right), USSA President and CEO Mount Bachelor Ski Education Foundation John J. Clair Award (service to benefit U.S. Ski Team or U.S. Snowboarding) Greg Johnson, Vail, CO Bud & Mary Little Award (FIS or Olympic service) Bob Dart, Winter Park, CO (Winter Park Ski Club) Buddy Werner Award (athletic leadership & sportsmanship) Nate Roberts, Park City, UT West Family Award (service as USSA official) P.J. Jenick, Avon, CO (Ski & Snowboard Club Vail) Russell Wilder Award (outstanding efforts with youth) Connie Webster, Cazenovia, NY (N.Y.