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.

Back to School for TEAM Academy

Another original story for you!

Back to School for TEAM Academy
By Riley Steinmetz

PARK CITY, UT (Sep. 10) – For most teenagers, August and September are filled with a mix of anticipation and anxiety as another school year begins. For the students of the USSA TEAM Academy, though, the thought of starting a new school year was a relief.

“Last year, I was unbelievably nervous and didn’t know what to expect,” sophomore and alpine athlete Storm Klomhaus said, “But this year, I knew exactly what to expect and it was fun to see everyone and catch up.”

The USSA TEAM Academy opened its doors in August 2012 to a group of elite skiers and snowboarders. In May 2013, it graduated its first students, four freestyle and freeskiing athletes. It offers student athletes an alternative to traditional public schools and snowsports academies with its blended learning program consisting of both traditional classroom education and Advanced Academics online classes.

“I was in public school and then I went to online school on my own and I didn’t have anyone to help me,” junior and alpine athlete Isabella Wright said, “Coming here and having a totally different school program that works with our skiing is just a great benefit to our sport. You can set your own pace but you still have online teachers to help you and you have live teachers here at the Center of Excellence. It’s nice to have both.”

Both Wright and Klomhaus were part of the Academy’s opening class. During the Academy’s inaugural semester, it enrolled 22 students, with one teacher in the classroom to help them. For its second year, it has increased enrollment to 27 and added a second teacher. While the majority of TEAM Academy students participate in the program at the Center of Excellence in Park City, UT, some students also participate from the Lake Placid Olympic Training Center. Regardless of which campus they are at, though, students have been very enthusiastic about having a classroom experience that works with their athletic careers.

“They’re not really normal friendships that we form at TEAM Academy because we’re teammates,” alpine athlete Delilah Cupp said, “It’s a deeper relationship. We all support each other.”

“People think you miss out on the classroom experience because of the online learning, but it’s still school,” Klomhaus said, “We have classes where we all sit down together and talk and read. We have papers we have to write for Elaine [Peterson, a TEAM Academy teacher] and not just for our online teachers. We have a SAT/ACT prep course. It’s really the best of both worlds.”

Despite the curriculum’s flexibility, the students stressed that flexible schedules do not make for easy classes.

“It is challenging,” freestyle skier Ryan McElmon, who transferred to the Academy from a public school in Massachusetts, said, “It’s not like you come in here and breeze through things—it’s real school. People sometimes think online school is just a joke, but you have to work. Try to balance skiing and school—it’s not easy. Everyone thinks we have these mellowed out lives, but it’s not like that at all. We’re 100 percent go-go-go all the time.”

Often, the students balance a heavier workload than students at traditional schools due to their schedules. In order to let students focus solely on athletics while training or competing, the TEAM Academy staff helps students squeeze in more work when they are at home.

“We’re all working so hard on our classes to try to get as much done before we leave for Colorado in five weeks,” alpine athlete Megan McGrew said, “When you’re in Colorado for training and you’re skiing all the time, it’s impossible to get work done. We have the ability to get so much done right now and not have as much during the winter when we’re really busy.”

The staff is confident about the student athletes, as well. In the Academy’s inaugural year, students experienced victory at every level from NorAm events to World Cups and the X Games. Headmaster Dan Kemp is confident that these student athletes will continue to see great results.

“Going into the second year of TEAM Academy gives us a lot of excitement and a lot of energy because we have the successes of the first year,” Kemp said, “We saw that this is successful in helping students be the Best in the World in both the academic realm and the athletic realm. We are motivated to top those successes and support our student-athletes to the best of our ability.”

To learn more about USSA TEAM Academy and the athletes, visit http://ussateamacademy.org.

Hurricane for Hope

I'm starting to write a series of original content for work, so I thought I would share on here, as well! Last weekend, I had the privilege of volunteering at Hurricane for Hope, a fundraising event for The Speedy Foundation and the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation. Jeret "Speedy" Peterson was one of the first athletes I worked with in my career, back when I was a nervous intern at the USOC who had no idea what I was doing (photos here). He was kind, patient and definitely a great person to work with. When I heard that he had lost his lifelong battle with depression, it was tough. However, The Speedy Foundation is doing great work to carry on his legacy and work towards ending the stigma of mental illness. I was very proud to be a part of a great event.

Athletes Join Forces at Hurricane for Hope
By Riley Steinmetz

PARK CITY, UT (August 26) - U.S. Ski Team athletes past and present came together at the second annual Hurricane for Hope fundraiser to honor 2010 Olympic freestyle aerials silver medalist Jeret “Speedy” Peterson. The event, hosted by The Speedy Foundation and the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation, raised funds for both mental health issues and youth sports initiatives. 

The Speedy Foundation was created to help eliminate the stigma of mental illness by increasing awareness, enabling discussions and creating a safe environment. The Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation works to increase youth involvement in winter sports. The two organizations joined forces for the evening’s events, which included a silent auction and Flying Ace All-Stars big air show. 

“We’re making sure to carry on his legacy and spread his message. He was very, very passionate about talking about mental health and mental wellness,” Emily Cook, a two-time Olympian and former teammate of Peterson’s, said, “It was very important to him that all of us come together and support each other and just talk.” 

And come together they did. Dozens of current and former U.S. Ski Team athletes came to Park City for the event, reuniting with teammates they hadn’t seen in years. Among the alumni athletes at the event were 1998 Olympic Champion Nikki Stone, 2009 World Champion Ryan St. Onge and two-time Olympic medalist Shannon Bahrke Happe. 

“I think when you lose somebody like that, you realize how many good people are in your life and you need to celebrate those people,” Happe said, “There are so many people that loved him and tonight brings everyone together to talk about the good times and the amazing things he did.” 

While the U.S. Freestyle Ski Team was well represented at the event, it wasn’t just aerialists coming out to support the cause. The missions of both the Speedy Foundation and the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation have resounded strongly among the athletes of a variety of sports. Speedskating Olympic Champion Derek Parra, snowboarder Graham Watanabe and cross country World Champion Kikkan Randall were all on hand, mingling with the event’s attendees and sharing their experiences with Peterson. 

“I had the pleasure of meeting Speedy at the Olympic Games and he was always such a positive spirit,” Randall said, “It’s great to see the sports community coming together to celebrate a great life and highlight such an important issue—getting kids involved in sports and supporting them through the many challenges they may experience.” 

Later in the evening, the Flying Ace All-Stars—a group Peterson was once a part of—performed for a large crowd. The big air show included trampoline stunts, fireworks and an impressive array of jumps. For Peterson’s friends and former teammates, the performance was the perfect conclusion to the evening. 

“Speedy was a wild man. He was never afraid to get up there and do his big tricks,” Peterson’s 2010 Olympic teammate Scotty Bahrke said, “We’re all here putting on a big show, doing some big jumps and remembering our friend.” 

“It’s been truly an honor for me to be part of something that is paying forward who Speedy was and how he lived his life,” Jana Lindsey, Peterson’s former teammate and current secretary for The Speedy Foundation, “He was always giving to other people and always really supportive of his teammates, so it’s fun see all of these people out here remembering Speedy, what he stood for and the champion that he was.” 

For more information or to get involved with The Speedy Foundation and the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation, visit www.thespeedyfoundation.org or www.utaholympiclegacyfoundation.org.

Half Marathon #2 Completed!

I finished my second half marathon (and the first one I actually trained for) this weekend! My dad was also along for the ride, coming out from Indiana to brave 13.1 miles at altitude. It was a small race, but it was a great course and a beautiful morning!

Dad and I left Park City around 5am. The race started and finished at different places, so you had to park at the finish and get shuttled to the start. We arrived before the sun came up in Draper City Park, hopped on a school bus and got taken to the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon. After watching the sun come up over the canyon, we were off!

The course was much more challenging than I was expecting. The website had emphasized the fact that it was a fast, downhill course, so I wasn't too terribly concerned about hills. I was very, very happy that I had trained on hills, though, because despite there being a net elevation loss, there were definitely a lot of hills! By mile eight, I was starting to get blisters on my right foot and it was heating up (it was a rather hot day in the Valley). I was definitely struggling as I hit mile 10 and then, at mile 12, I somehow managed to follow the wrong runner and go off course for about a half mile. Unfortunately, that means my official time is above my goal time (2:32:40), but my actual time was within it! I guess that means I'll just have to run another half marathon for my wounded pride's sake :)

After the race, Dad and I had a leisurely afternoon. I'll write more about his visit in my next post! Today, two days post-race, I'm still pretty sore, but I was back at the gym today. I'm hoping to be running again by Thursday or so. I've always been bad about not sticking with running after a race is over, so I'm determined to not do that this time around. It's never any fun to start over with running from square one!