Keeping Athletes in the Game

After dedicating their youth to ski racing, for many athletes, the end of high school also marks the end of ski racing. Enter the United States Collegiate Ski Association. USCSA is the other collegiate ski racing association. It has over 175 member colleges and 5,000 student-athletes across multiple disciplines and is divided into 11 conferences culminating in six regional competitions and one national championship. Put simply, it offers possibilities.

*USCSA disciplines include alpine racing, Nordic racing, snowboard racing, and freestyle, including rail jam, slopestyle, and skier and snowboard cross.

USCSA Executive at Large Jay Moyer says, “Isn’t the goal to get as many kids out there as possible and maybe end up working in the ski industry?”

After speaking with a handful of USCSA alpine and Nordic coaches, it was clear that USCSA skiing accomplishes both and much more.

Collegiate Pathways: Navigating Skiing After High School

Before diving into the USCSA, it’s worth identifying the resources accessible to parents, athletes and clubs in navigating competitive ski options after high school. The three main entities– USSS development, NCAA skiing, and USCSA skiing – are working together to make post-high school pathways more visible.

“We want to retain U14s and U16s for as long as possible,” Moyer said. “One way to do this is by showing them their collegiate opportunities. Just because you don’t have 40 points doesn’t mean you have to stop skiing. We want to make sure that messaging is out there.”

The Collegiate Task Force, sponsored by USSS, whose members include NCAA and USCSA coaches and athletes and the USSS Alpine Development Director Chip Knight, has created a comprehensive document called Collegiate Pathways. It outlines and compares the different qualifications and factors, including competitive scope, typical FIS or USSA points needed to compete, level of coaching and cost for each of the three pathways -– US Ski Team, NCAA skiing and USCSA skiing.

“The pathways document came from the request of parents looking for a resource,” USCSA Managing Director Meegan Moszynski said. “It’s grown from there and become a collaboration and desire to clarify and encourage people to understand the different options.”

The Pathways document can be found on the USSS website collegiate tab and the USCSA Prospective Athletes page. According to Moyer, the Collegiate Task Force will meet in a joint information session this fall with plans to send the Pathways document in club newsletters and social media blasts.

The Structure: How USCSA Skiing Works

The USCSA divides the country into 11 regions, and the more extensive regions are divided into divisions. Regions and divisions vary in their level of competitiveness. For example, the Eastern Region is the largest, with 30-40 teams and multiple divisions. The Eastern Conference’s McConnell Division is one of the most competitive. Its member schools include Babson College, Brown University, Vermont State University at Castleton, Clarkson, MIT, St. Anselm, U Mass Amherst and the University of Connecticut.

The Rocky Mountain Division is also highly competitive; member schools include the University of Colorado Boulder (club team), Colorado State University, Colorado School of Mines, Colorado Mesa University and Western Colorado University. However, there are many strong teams nationwide, such as St. Olaf in the Midwest and Northern Michigan University, their NMU Wildcat Reagan Olli won the women’s slalom at the 2023 USCSA Alpine Championships in Mammoth, CA. The takeaway for families is that there are diverse schools with USCSA teams nationwide.

Team Approach

Each conference hosts USCSA competitions throughout the season, from which teams can qualify for Regional Championships. The top three finishers from each team contribute to the team’s score. Multiple teams from each region qualify for Nationals. Unlike NCAA skiing, USCSA schools qualify for Nationals as a team compared to individuals, except for the one individual qualifying spot per region. Schools that compete in NCAA racing and have another team competing in USCSA, such as the University of Colorado, Boulder, cannot send athletes to USCSA National Championships.

“To be competitive, you need two fast athletes and five finishes,” Colorado Mesa University and 2023 USCSA alpine coach of the year Jesse Scott said. “That puts you in a good spot. But the whole focus of scoring is on the team, which encourages athletes to have a team focus.”

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Opportunities For Many Abilities

In addition to, but separate from, the USCSA races, athletes from the most competitive teams will compete in regional FIS U races, attracting athletes from NCAA teams and elite junior athletes from academies and clubs.

“If someone is looking for a competitive environment, the opportunities are there in USCSA,” Vermont State University at Castleton’s Coach Christopher Eder said. “We compete in some of those NCAA races. We have athletes coming from extensive backgrounds from the US and Europe and we have athletes who skied in high school and have never entered an FIS race. There is a place for everyone.”

Doug Nordmeyer, alpine coach of St. Olaf’s College in Minnesota, confirmed the availability of competitive FIS races for USCSA skiers in the Midwest. “We have a great spring series in Lutsen,” he said. “The last few years, athletes from Westminster College [a top NCAA ski team in Utah] have flown in to race. They’re super humble, focused and fun-loving. It’s just a riot to have them; they do so much to help our region.”

One of the most significant differences between NCAA and USCSA skiing is how teams are funded and run. The most competitive teams are designated “varsity” and funded by the colleges. These teams are run like NCAA teams with paid professional coaches, funded travel, race costs and uniforms. Other teams are club teams that may be student-run and funded, and there are various hybrid models in between.

The USCSA Difference

The other apparent difference with USCSA skiing is the culture. The message was the same from six separate interviews of coaches and directors nationwide. The teams live the USCSA’s mission of promoting participation, a team atmosphere, and a lifelong love of the sport.

“In my day, if you weren’t on the US Team by 18, you had no real options other than maybe D1 or turning professional (WPS or Coors Tour),” Nordmeyer said. “But a lot of junior athletes can see St. Olaf at the races as a team. They’re a tight group; and we fly our flag. It’s a mentoring thing for the junior racers and the St. Olaf athletes really enjoy it.”

“I want students to know about this,” Scott said. “I feel if more students knew about this, there’d be less heartbreak in junior U14 racing.

Industry skills

In addition to the ski racing portion, student-athletes participate in the administration and running of USCSA racing, acting as regional, conference and national representatives. Scott, a counselor and ski coach at Colorado Mesa University, sees this as a significant asset for students and prioritizes exposing students to professional opportunities within the larger ski industry.

“The athletes in USCSA are doing it because they love the sport; there is no question about that,” Scott said. “They put a lot on their plates outside of ski racing; that’s what is unique. They want to know what it takes to run a race, operate a groomer, officiate an event, set a course and even be on ski patrol. I love seeing their growing awareness of the sport as a whole and how it adds to their passion for it all!”

Similarly, Eder stated that he is more proud of the alums who have stayed in the sport than his National Championships win. He listed several alums from his program with careers in the ski industry, including US Ski Team physical therapists and FIS club coaches nationwide.

“One of the nicest things a coach has said to me was, “Whatever you are doing, keep doing it,’” Eder said. “You have so many alumni coaching and part of the sport. I know you have people across the nation and across the globe.’”

He adds, “I joke around and say that I take athletes out of retirement. These alumni are still in the sport, and after high school, they thought they might be done.”

Finding a USCSA Team

Navigating the varying competitiveness and operational models of teams within USCSA skiing can pose challenges for parents and athletes. Here are some tips and resources for families to find schools and teams that fit their goals.

• Know your resources: Explore the USSS website’s Collegiate, then the Collegiate Pathways links. Also, visit the USCSA website.
• Identify the geographic regions of interest: Through the USCSA website, find the contact information of the conference coordinators for those regions. Contact them for more details about the USCSA in that conference.
• Look at results from the USCSA nationals from past years: This will help you determine the athletic levels of the schools. By analyzing results from the past years’ regional races and National Championships, you can identify the schools participating in each region and the level of their competitiveness.
• Contact coaches at individual schools: As you identify schools with teams and academics that fit your ski and academic need profile, contact the coach to express your interest and learn more.  

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