How elite American ski racers stay strong, eat well
and get fired up By Kelley McMillan
TEAM
Behind the Team
Yes, the men and women on the U.S. Ski Team are extraordinary
examples of athleticism. But behind the scenes, there’s an equally
impressive world-class support system at work. Here are three
individuals critical to the team’s performance on the World Cup.
THE
Troy Flanagan, High Performance Director
An Australian native, Troy Flanagan joined USSA in 2007 to head up the sports
science program. Flanagan brought with him a PhD in aerospace engineering and more than 15 years of experience working with Olympic athletes. His
goal was to create one synergistic high-performance platform that united all the
departments — from strength and conditioning to nutrition — under the sports
science umbrella. And in doing so, he hoped to create a springboard that would
allow the athletes to best optimize their talents.
When Flanagan stepped in, the 2010 Winter Olympics loomed large in the distance and he immediately identified four keys areas he wanted to target: fitness,
technology, talent identification and sports psychology.
Beyond enhanced performance, increased fitness levels have far reaching
implications, from fewer injuries to quicker recovery. For the 2010 Games, fitness levels were at an all-time high. “In strength and conditioning, our fitness
scores were significantly up, better results than ever achieved before, across
the board,” says Flanagan. “We had 60-70 percent fewer injuries, which gave us
more athletes available for selection due to the preventative medicine programs
put into place by our PT trainers and strength coaches.” And the U.S. Ski Team
brought home eight alpine medals, more Olympic hardware than ever before.
Flanagan is quick to laud the USSA’s sports psychology program. “The American sports psychs are the best in the world and one of biggest assets of our
team,” he says. The head psychologist for the men’s alpine team is Keith Hen-schen, who has worked with the Utah Jazz basketball team for the past 21
years.
“The sports psych department works with the athletes to improve performance
through goal-setting, developing a race-day plan, and advising on practical and
useful skills on the hill,” says Flanagan. “They help the athletes handle the pressure that comes with elite competition.”
Since the Olympics, Flanagan has put several new initiatives into place. One of
the most significant is early talent identification. “We’re focusing on getting more
talented kids in the gate and creating a bigger talent pool,” he says. “That means
working closely with USSA clubs around the country to develop more young
racers and athletes who are better prepared when they arrive at USSA.”
But in the end, despite all the sparkling technologies, innovations, and a world-class training facility — the Center Of Excellence, or COE — what it all comes
down to, says Flanagan, “is that we — coaches, athletes, all the departments
— come together as one high-performance team, with the same agenda, and
work together each day to implement the same plan.”
USSA
