Western Region Welcomes New Elite Coaches: Pelkey & Saxe

As reported in a Press release provided by the Western Region

Randy Pelkey and Brad Saxe officially joined Western Region Youth Coach Jeff Pickering, forming an exceptional restructured regional coaching staff that has gained two outstanding elite coaches for the Western Region.

The dedicated staff provides a comprehensive array of opportunities and programming, catering to athletes from the U14 level to elite PG competitors participating in the NorAm Cup. These older athletes aim for National Team success and seek coveted spots on collegiate teams.

When the USSS announced the termination of national funding for a regional FIS coach, Western Region Director Bill Gunesch approached the region’s Alpine Competition Committee, seeking funding and backing to hire coaches for the region directly.

A hiring committee was formed, and after several interviews and some ‘out-of-the-box thinking,’ Pelkey and Saxe were hired to fill the void in development for the region’s FIS athletes. “When the ACC approved both coaching positions, I was thrilled,” Gunesch said. “This is an all-star staff, just what our FIS athletes need!”

Saxe will focus on the needs of young FIS athletes, working with Western clubs to bring high-performing athletes together and provide opportunities not readily available at the club level. He will also crossover to help Pickering with U16 projects, building athlete-coach relationships with athletes who will soon be competing at the FIS level. Additionally, Saxe will support Pelkey and elite athletes competing at NorAm and national competitions when appropriate.

Additionally, Pelkey will add a much-needed regional programming level for Western athletes and clubs. After high school, most athletes need more development time to progress to the next level. This support and programming are often tricky for the home club to provide, forcing athletes to look elsewhere for opportunities.

Pelkey’s efforts will focus on providing Western Region Elite PG athletes with higher-level training and race management, allowing athletes to remain with their clubs while striving for their competitive goals.

Pelkey brings almost four decades of experience to the region, including his recent four-year role as Stifel USST Head Men’s DH Coach.

He also has prior experience with the region, spending ten years as the Western Region FIS Coach. Following that, Pelkey served as the USST Men’s Head Europa Cup Coach, overseeing the development of Western athletes, including Nyman, Goldberg, Bennett, Arvidsson, and numerous others. The region is very fortunate to have him leading our Elite PG team.

Saxe has coached FIS athletes in the West for almost 30 years, working with clubs in three Western divisions: IMD, FW and PNW. He also coached with the USST Men’s Europa Cup Team for three years. Saxe understands and deeply cares about the challenges facing young FIS athletes and will passionately work to help athletes and coaches find solutions to connect development between the club, region and the national team. Saxe perfectly suits the role of the regional FIS coach.