2013 in Review: Part 2

Missed the beginning? Part One is here.

April

The month kicked off with a nice round of pink eye, so I was forced to wear my glasses (which I never wear except at home) for nearly a month!

I enjoyed some Skyline while still home in Indiana.

I watched enough Game of Thrones with my brother that he decided our family needed its own crest (that's a bulldog and a puggle on it, for those who didn't know).

I worked at Olympic gold medalist Ted Ligety's homecoming celebration at Park City Mountain Resort.

I attempted a juice cleanse (spoiler alert: it did not go well).

I celebrated closing day at Park City Mountain resort by busting out this lovely old speed suit from my speedskating days.

I had a handful of adventures with this lovely duo, Ashley and Korey...

...including an AWOLNATION concert at the University of Utah. 

I had a birthday! And my lovely parents got me a stand mixer! 

Julia took me to a French bakery so I had some macarons instead of birthday cake. 

And...a moose decided to walk through the parking lot outside my apartment. 

May

The month started with a 5k in Salt Lake City with my roommates.

I expressed my feelings towards the Romney name (because there are maybe 10 people out there in the world unaware of them).

I had a run that went so well that it inspired this selfie.

I went to the Spiral Jetty with Korey and Ashley.

 We also went to Twin Falls in Idaho.

I participated in Running with Ed, a Ragnar-like relay race that supports the Park City Education Foundation.

I kayaked the Provo River with Debbie, my wonderful former roommate.

I discovered a fantastic cupcake place in Provo, as well. It's basically the only thing I'll go to Provo for. 

June

I went hiking around Powder Mountain with Julia.

Running on the Rail Trail in Park City became a pretty regular thing for me, as I was training for a half marathon. One day, a herd of sheep decided to join me on my run.

I made s'mores cupcakes. 

I decided to get bangs again (and after reviewing these photos, I think I may have to do it again in the near future).

I relived high school and went to a Fall Out Boy concert. It was amazing. 

Ashley joined me for the concert!

I continued volunteering at Furburbia. There were a ton of kittens over the summer!

I went to a painting thing with Julia. I was pretty proud of the finished product! 

I ended the month with more running. The Willow Creek trail became my favorite weekend trail...can't you see why?!

2013 in Review: Part 1

2013 is almost over! It's been a busy year for me, mainly with work preparations for the upcoming Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, but there have also been a lot of fun adventures with friends and family! I've got quite a lot to review, so I'll do it in a few parts.

January

The year started off (as it usually does for me...although for in 2014!) in Florida, but I quickly headed from sand to snow and returned to Park City.

 I started skiing pretty regularly in January, so I gave in and bought my first pair of ski boots!

And that purchase was promptly followed by the purchase of my own skis!

Off the snow, I decided to run my first half marathon and opted not to train for it. While not the smartest decision I've ever made, I did, in fact, complete it.

In-N-Out is a must-have post-race. 

Julia and I went to Las Vegas after my half marathon for a bit of sun and fun.

I had my first Sundance Film Festival experience! Julia and I managed to get premiere tickets to A.C.O.D. (starring Adam Scott, Amy Poehler, Jessica Alba, Catherine O'Hara...and even more) despite being on the waiting list and sat in the front row.  

I was just a few feet away from these lovely actors. 

The month wrapped up with the Visa Freestyle International at Deer Valley...a truly wonderful event!

February

I worked at the Sprint U.S. Grand Prix, where I got to watch some amazing athletes do incredible things in the halfpipe, including Shaun White.

And then I got the flu.

 I decided that bangs were a good idea.

 I continued to ski as often as I could.

I explored Park City.

I worked at a skicross/snowboardcross event at the Canyons. 

March

I started volunteering a Furburbia, a wonderful animal shelter in Park City. They take animals from kill shelters and keep them at Furburbia as long as it takes to get them adopted!

 I skied my first black diamond at Deer Valley!

Nigella Lawson tweeted at me.

Yep, more skiing.

 Julia and I got crafty and made a bunch of homemade pizza. My personal favorite combination was ricotta cheese, peppers, garlic and bacon!

I went home for Easter at the end of March and, of course, normal hijinks ensued.

Holidays with USSA Athletes

Holidays with USSA Athletes
By Riley Steinmetz

For the athletes of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association, the holidays are often a busy time of year. It’s the middle of competition season and, especially during an Olympic year, there is a lot to prepare for. Whether overseas or at home, though, they find a way to celebrate with their loved ones and teammates during the holiday season.

“As a team that spends so much time together, we're practically like a family,” cross country skier Kikkan Randall said, “We get together and do a little gift giving, maybe some baking if we can find a kitchen and share the time together.”

Because the U.S. Cross Country Ski Team has races in Europe immediately following Christmas, they typically do not have the opportunity to come back to the families in the USA. Still, the team makes sure to celebrate the season as best they can. Randall brought one of her family’s traditions along to inject some humor into the holidays.

“My family has this tradition where we all draw names out of a hat and then write a poem about that person and get them a small gift,” she explained, “Then, the person has to read the poem written about them before they try and guess who wrote it—a kind of secret Santa with a twist! We've brought this tradition to the U.S. Cross Country Ski Team for the last few seasons and we usually have the poem night a couple weekends before Christmas. It's quite the riot!”

“It makes for a pretty funny night,” cross country skier Andy Newell said, “Some are short, simple haikus, while others are long songs and always pretty embarrassing.”

For some athletes, despite the busy Olympic year schedules, this season comes with the opportunity to go home for the holidays for the first time in years.

“I'm thankful I have gotten to be with family for Christmas almost every year,” moguls athlete Heather McPhie said, “The previous two Olympic cycles, I was grateful that my family could travel to me as we had Gold Cup right after Christmas, but this year we actually have two weeks off for Christmas.”

While others get to spend the holidays stateside, it does not mean that there is a break from training. For ski jumping and nordic combined athletes, Olympic Trials take place in Park City, UT, only days after Christmas.

“This holiday season, we will be getting ready for the Olympic Trials in Park City on January 28th,” nordic combined athlete Taylor Fletcher said, “I would like to see everyone out there to watch the top athletes in the nation fight for the automatic berth to the Olympics. I hope to be in the fight for that so I can take the pressure off and let myself perform!”

Fletcher’s teammate and Olympic Champion Billy Demong will also be hoping to earn an Olympic berth at Trials, but Demong returned to Park City a week earlier for another competition, the FIS Nordic Combined Continental Cup at Soldier Hollow and Utah Olympic Park. Demong won two of days of competition and placed second in another, earning the U.S. Nordic Combined Ski Team an additional World Cup spot.

“Part of my reasoning for coming home was not only to help earn a spot for the next period of World Cup, but also to be with my family,” Demong explained, “I’m based here in Park City, so now I’m looking forward to being able to be home and take a few days to go skiing with my family and just enjoy the holidays stateside. I’m looking forward to kicking back a little bit and then ramping up again for Olympic Trials and the next period of World Cup.”

Whether in Europe or at home, the athletes of the U.S. Ski Team, U.S. Snowboarding and U.S. Freeskiing have found a way to celebrate their favorite parts of the holiday season.

“My main tradition around the holiday is to be with people I love and take a break from the often crazy travel schedule that is our December through March,” McPhie said.

“I love to make cookies for Santa,” halfpipe snowboarder Arielle Gold said, “You can never be too old for that!”

“The only tradition I try to bring with me is my Denver Broncos jersey, a good attitude and hard work for the competition season,” Fletcher said, “With all these combined, a good time will be had!”

Ultimately, despite their busy schedules, the holidays are a time to relax and spend time with loved ones—even for Olympic Champions.

“I’ve spent one Thanksgiving in the United States since 1998 and I’ve spent one Christmas in Europe,” Demong said, “Christmas has always been a priority to be home whether it was years ago with my parents in Lake Placid or now home with my family in Park City. It’s a good time to take a break.”

Happy holidays from everyone at the USSA!

Celebrating USSA Thanksgiving

Celebrating USSA Thanksgiving
By Riley Steinmetz

For skiing and snowboarding athletes, Thanksgiving often becomes just another day. For some, it’s a competition day. For others, it’s just another travel day during a long journey to far flung destinations in Europe. This year, though, a few athletes took matters into their own hands and hosted USSA Thanksgiving several weeks before the actual holiday.

“Because a lot of us are going to be out of town for Thanksgiving, I thought it was really important to get everyone together and celebrate before we're scattered across the world,” slopestyle skier Emilia Wint said.

“Since I don't get to spend Thanksgiving with my family, it was nice to be with people who feel like family,” snowboardcross athlete Jackie Hernandez said.

Wint, along with fellow slopestyle skier Jess Breda, organized the event while another slopestyle skier, Ashley Battersby, offered her house in Wanship, Utah, as the location. Dozens of athletes were invited and asked to bring their favorite Thanksgiving dish to share.

“My favorite part of USSA Thanksgiving was the collaboration,” cross country skier Noah Hoffman said, “Every single person contributed a vital part of the meal. Everything was homemade. Everyone clearly put a lot of time and effort into their dish and many of us were cooking way out of our comfort zones.”

From turkey to pie, all of the traditional foods were present at USSA Thanksgiving. And with over 20 athletes contributing to the dinner, there was no shortage of good eats.

“I would say the best food contribution was by Mac Bohonnon,” Breda said, “He made mashed sweet potatoes with some sort of crust on top. It probably could have been considered a dessert with the amount of maple syrup and butter that were in it and it went perfectly with the tart cranberry sauce!”

“The butternut squash stuffing,” nordic combined athlete Nick Hendrickson said, “I actually don't know who brought it, but it rocked.”

While many of the recipes were tried and true favorites, there was one Thanksgiving staple that required a little bit of experimentation: turkey.

“Emilia and I were in charge of the Thanksgiving staples: turkey, cranberry sauce and gravy,” Breda said, “But this was our first time ever cooking a turkey and we cooked two! We cut out the turkeys' backbone and broke the breast bones so the turkeys laid flat and each cooked in under two hours. It was quite an experience!”

Despite the nontraditional scheduling of the holiday, the athletes were excited to have the chance to get together with teammates and celebrate the spirit of Thanksgiving.

“I have not been able to enjoy Thanksgiving with my family since 2004,” Hoffman explained, “As a skier, missing holidays becomes normal. Consequently, it felt very special to do Thanksgiving with my USSA teammates, who have become some of my best friends.”

Since the dinner was held in Wanship, just a short drive from the USSA Center of Excellence in Park City, Utah, athletes from a variety of sports and disciplines were able to attend.

“We had friends from slopestyle, snowboardcross, halfpipe, freestyle aerials, one of our strength interns and a couple nordic skiers,” Hendrickson said, “I've never seen a more tight knit group of athletes in the gym than this summer."

Despite the busy schedules and Olympic season looming ahead, it was an opportunity to relax and enjoy the true spirit of the holiday.

“It was just a good way to get together and have some fun before the season kicked off,” Wint said, “We didn't do much of the traditional Thanksgiving practices, but the vibe was there, so I don't think they were necessary!”

“My family Thanksgiving is all about having fun, laughing and being with people you care about,” skicross athlete Whitney Gardner said, “And USSA Thanksgiving was all of that!”

Celebrating 100 Days to Sochi

Celebrating 100 Days to Sochi
By Riley Steinmetz

NEW YORK, NY (Oct. 31) – On Tuesday, the U.S. Olympic Committee threw a party to celebrate the 100 day countdown to the Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. The venue? Times Square. U.S. Ski Team, U.S. Snowboarding and U.S. Freeskiing athletes were out in full force, showing their Olympic spirit both at the Times Square event and at the New York Gold Medal Gala, the USSA's largest fundraising event.

The day began bright and early with several athletes appearing on the Today Show and continued into the evening, when musician Gavin DeGraw put on a free show.  In between, athletes signed autographed and demonstrated their sports to fans on jumps and rails brought to Times Square for the event.

“It’s awesome to see all the support for the athletes,” snowboarder Chas Guldemond said, “The excitement is building! It’s awesome to be able to be snowboarding here in New York City.”

The demonstrations, set up by Park City Mountain Resort and Powder Corp., brought tricks from the mountain into the urban core of the city.

“It’s just like a melting pot of every different culture and language in New York City,” freeskier Gus Kenworthy said, “It’s cool to be able to showcase what we do to all these people and hopefully garner a bunch of attention and awareness of our sports and ourselves as athletes before the Games.”

With only 100 days until the Games begin, many of the athletes participating were also preparing for the beginning of competition season.

“It's so great to be here in New York City to celebrate with all the other athletes as we hit an important milestone,” nordic combined Olympic Champion Billy Demong, who roller skied with Matt Lauer to kick off the day, said, “Right now, we’ve started transitioning and are at this turning point between a successful training season and competition season. It's a good breaking point as we all prepare to hit the road.”

The day presented athletes with a variety of opportunities. The newly-minted U.S. Olympic SportsMan of the Year, Ted Ligety, received his award from the USOC. Lindsey Vonn, fresh off of a Monday Today Show appearance, was featured as a guest on Late Night with David Letterman. The following day, athletes celebrated 100 days to the Olympic Winter Games Opening Ceremony at the New York Gold Medal Gala.

One of the highlights for many athletes, though, was the chance to meet and share their excitement with athletes from other sports.

“I look up to all of these Olympians a lot,” ski jumper Sarah Hendrickson said, “So, it's really cool to be involved in these activities with them and meet a bunch of athletes that we don't get to see that much.”

For others, the enthusiasm surrounding the day’s festivities was a preview of things to come.

“There’s a lot of positive energy,” freestyle aerialist Dylan Ferguson said, “That’s what the Olympics are all about—bringing athletes together to represent their country. It’s amazing to bring everyone together and feel that energy that we’re going to feel when we walk into the Opening Ceremony.”

For freeskiing athletes, the excitement began a day early. The night before the USOC’s celebration, The North Face hosted an event to unveil the Olympic freeskiing uniforms. The uniforms, produced in the United States, are meant to be a celebration of the rebellious American spirit.

“I’m really impressed with The North Face uniforms,” slopestyle skier Nick Goepper said, “They’re super stylish and you can definitely tell that they really took in the athlete input. I’m pretty stoked to wear them at the Olympics.”

For more news and information on the latest events in your favorite sports, visit usskiteam.com,ussnowboarding.com and usfreeskiing.com.

Interns Train the Best in the World

Interns Train the Best in the World
By Riley Steinmetz


PARK CITY, Utah (Oct. 30) - In sports where wins are calculated in hundredths of seconds, athletes need a skilled team to make them Best in the World. The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team High Performance staff is constantly innovating and creating new programs to ensure athletic success. The department's internship program takes some of the brightest students in the country and gives them the tools they need to continue the evolution of sport science while working with the sport's most accomplished athletes.

“It's been an eye-opening experience when it comes to sport science and high performance,” intern Bret Kelly said, “You learn a lot in school and undergraduate studies, but when you come here and actually work with some of these athletes, you just learn on a different level.”

The program gives interns the opportunity to not only work with world-class athletes, but also to take responsibility for creating programs and running tests.

“Since day one, they put us in a role. I really got thrown into it,” Alex Bunt said, “It's more just observing the whole time-they trusted us to test World Champions. It's an awesome environment."

USSA High Performance's integrated staff includes physiologists, strength coaches, dietitians, physical therapists, athletic trainers, sport science/technology and a full-time chef, providing services such as physical testing, athletic development programming, sports medicine and nutrition services, technology research and athlete education. The interns play an integral role in the high performance team.

“The strength and conditioning internship has been a phenomenal opportunity to help educate and develop young, up-and-coming coaches,” said Strength and Conditioning Coach Michael Naperalsky, “The interns get to work with elite-level athletes and see what it takes to prepare for competition on the world stage. It's very fulfilling to help mentor them through the summer. Their hard work with our program has been a tremendous help in preparation for this year's Olympic Winter Games in Sochi.”

The first six weeks of the internship are spent completing an extensive educational curriculum, with lectures, presentations, hands-on skill sessions and practical assessments on a variety of topics. The interns learn about energy systems, measure blood lactate, teach Olympic lifts and progressions, test athletes using a force plate, and refine their coaching and teaching styles while understanding different training philosophies.

“In the beginning, it was a little overwhelming with the amount of information,” Bunt said, “Now, everything is just kind of second nature. It feels good to just understand why we're doing everything. I now have all of this practical exercise physiology knowledge that I can take back to school.”

Once intern coaches have a sound understanding of coaching methods and procedures, they are fully immersed among the staff to coach, test and work with athletes. While the internship is focused on strength and conditioning, it also incorporates facets of physiology, professional development and high performance athletics, with each intern completing a variety of presentations, projects and programming for his or her teams.

“We're working with some of the best coaches in the world,” Bret Kelly said, “After the first month here, I think all of the interns were talking about how much more we had learned than at school. We're definitely on the cutting edge of high performance here and, hopefully, can take that into future jobs.”

With a variety of sports science professionals from all over the world, the high performance staff at the USSA includes individuals from every imaginable background. According to the interns, though, this unique blend of people coming together is part of what makes everything work as well as it does.

“A lot of people have different philosophies on training and come from different backgrounds,” Bricker said, “It's cool to see how they all mesh together, changing and adapting based on what other people are doing. Everyone takes some points from each other and molds it into a new training system.”

While based out of the USSA's Center of Excellence in Park City, UT, the interns also had the opportunity to take part in activities outside of the gym, exploring the area and trying out new sports. 

“My first few weeks, getting to know the area, the staff and the athletes-everything was new and exciting,” Kerry Kelly said.

With the Olympic season already underway, the interns are looking forward to seeing the athletes they have worked with aim for gold in Sochi.

“I'm so excited, but I think I'm going to be nervous, too,” Alexandra Stadnik said, “I've become good friends with a few of the athletes so I'm really going to be cheering for them. I'll probably be yelling at the TV or computer screen at work or home. I know it'll be at weird hours because I'm going to want to watch it live.”

“I'm a lot more personally invested in the Games now,” David Bricker said, “It's going to be cool just to know a lot of the athletes that you see competing more personally. It's been great and they've all been really friendly.”

Even though the Games are still months away, though, the interns have already had the opportunity to witness athletic feats that left them impressed.

“I was doing bike tests with some of the nordic combined guys,” Bricker recalled, “They're riding at these amazing numbers while carrying on a conversation.”

Ultimately, the program rewarded the interns for the hard work they put into it. All agreed that they were leaving the USSA with the skillset they needed to take their careers to the next level.

“If you want to be in the strength and conditioning field, then this internship is what you need to do,” Stadnik said, “The USSA and the staff here are leading the country in sports performance technology. You're going to have to work hard and make sacrifices. If I didn't put in the time, I know I would not have gotten out of it everything I wanted to.”

The internship period runs for seven months, from April through October each year, with the application process starting in early January. Successful interns have a strong desire to be a professional strength and conditioning coach, and previous experience with exercise physiology and strength training.

To learn more about the USSA High Performance Internship Program, contact Michael Naperalsky at mnaperalsky@ussa.org.

2013 USSA High Performance Interns 
David Bricker
Alex Bunt
Sherrie Johnson
Bret Kelly
Kerry Kelly
Alexandra Stadnik
Brendan Wall

Behind the Scenes at Media Summit

Behind the Scenes at Media Summit

By Riley Steinmetz

PARK CITY, Utah (Oct. 3) - Ever wonder where those heartfelt Olympic athlete interviews that flood the television during every Games come from? Every Olympic year, the U.S. Olympic Committee schedules a Media Summit, an event where media from around the world can hear from all of the top American athletes in one place. This year, the event was held in Park City.

“I think it’s very fitting having a Media Summit in Park City—it’s such a winter wonderland,” freestyle moguls athlete Pat Deneen said, “It’s a really great opportunity for us to share our stories. That’s been really fun.”

In addition to interviews, media also had the opportunity to attend demonstration events for several different sports. Nordic combined athletes Taylor and Bryan Fletcher were on hand at the USSA Center of Excellence in Park City to demonstrate cross country skiing to dozens of media outlets.

“I haven’t experienced anything like this before,” Taylor Fletcher said, “It’s fun to get your image and name out there to everyone who’s going to cover the Olympics. Every chance I have to get out there and share my story and our team’s goals is a good opportunity.”

For the athletes, it was about more that talking to reporters and camera crews. It was also an opportunity to come together as Team USA. Figure skaters, bobsledders, skiers, snowboarders and more were able to meet and make friends in different sports.

“We get to see a lot of our friends from different sports here,” cross country skier Andy Newell said, “It’s fun because we don’t see each other that much. It’s fun to bring the team together.”

Despite the busy schedule, though, the athletes still had time for a little fun.

“My favorite part was the comedian Pete Holmes,” ski jumper Lindsey Van said, “We got to just joke around and laugh.”

And while some of the athletes may have lacked certain skills for portions of the event, they still had a good time.

“I thought that the singing part was going to be really, really painful,” snowboarder Justin Reiter said, “And I’m sure for the people that actually have to end up hearing my voice, it will be painful, but shooting it was awesome. It was super fun.”

The Media Summit was an opportunity to showcase some of the athletes’ talents off of the slopes, as well. During a session with NBC, the teams got a chance to show off their singing voices.

“Andy Newell is the best singer on the cross country team,” cross country skier Liz Stephen said, “He actually just recorded his first CD. He’s amazing at guitar and singing and sings us all to sleep sometimes if we’re lucky.”

“[Singing] was a pretty interesting way to start off the morning!” alpine skier Alice McKennis said, “I’d say Laurenne [Ross] has the best voice on our team.”

Ultimately, though, the Media Summit was an excellent way for athletes to balance the demands of the media in an Olympic year with their intense training schedules.

“In a small period of time, I can meet with so many media and get a lot of things done,” snowboarder Chas Guldemond said, “That’s really important for me so that, moving forward, I can focus on my training.”

For more information and behind-the-scenes photos from Media Summit, follow the U.S. Ski Team, U.S. Snowboarding and U.S. Freeskiing on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Injuries and Olympics

About a week and a half ago, I found out that I have a stress fracture in my foot. That means no more running for 6-8 weeks. Despite my somewhat love-hate relationship with running in the past, I miss it! There's nothing quite like being told you can't do something to make you want to do it!

So, this lovely boot is my latest accessory. I had a follow up appointment this morning and it looks like I'll be wearing it for another 2-4 weeks. At least it'll be ski season by the time I'm out of it!

This weekend, the 2013-14 season kicked off with the first alpine World Cup in Soelden, Austria. The U.S. did pretty well, with Ted Ligety winning for the men and Mikaela Shiffrin claiming a career-best sixth for the women. It's kind of crazy to think that it's already season again! We've been working our butts off all summer at work to prepare for this and it's here!

On a related note, I leave for Russia in 98 days.

I'm so excited to watch these athletes I work with every day compete in Russia! I'm also slightly terrified of all of the crazy things that will inevitable come up between now and then! Part of why I love working in sports so much is the crazy, terrifying lead up to these events. You work insane hours and pour your heart into everything, but it's all worth it. It's so cool to sit there watching athletes walking in during Opening Ceremony knowing that you played a role in getting them there. 

As one of my colleagues recently said at a conference, "We all work for the Olympics. How cool is that?!"

The answer? It's really, really cool.