Jen Hudak plays basketball during the
Freeskiing team workout.
2011-12 Nominated U.S. Freeskiing
Halfpipe Pro Team
USSA President and CEO Bill Marolt helped launch the new identity for U.S. Freeskiing at the USSA Center of Excellence in Park City.
Simon Dumont Bethel, Maine
David Wise Reno, Nev.
Torin Yater-Wallace Basalt, Colo.
Tucker Perkins North Hampton, N.H.
Gus Kenworthy Telluride, Colo.
Devin Logan West Dover, Vt.
Jen Hudak Salt Lake City, Utah
Jess Cumming Beaver Creek, Colo.
Brita Sigourney Carmel, Calif.
physical fitness testing and dryland training and each one walked away
with a personalized conditioning program. Another key part was introducing the athletes to the various departments of the USSA. Hopefully
they’re starting to feel like they’re a part of the USSA family, knowing
we’re here to help them achieve their Olympic goals.”
Because U.S. Snowboarding and U.S. Freesking share so many event
and training venues, Forster says the USSA used 15 years of learning
from snowboarding to develop the U.S. Freeskiing model. Unlike the
more regimented structures of the alpine, nordic and freestyle teams,
the U.S. Freeskiing athletes need latitude to compete away from FIS
and USSA-sanctioned events — such as the Winter X Games, for instance — while maintaining the flexibility to, say, retain their individual
outerwear sponsorships.
“It was important to acquire a partner like The North Face because it
understands the culture of the sport — that while it’s the exclusive out-
erwear partner for the Olympics, there’s flexibility for the athletes to re-
tain their individual deals at other events,” says Forster. “It’s very much
structured like the partnership U.S. Snowboarding has with Burton.”
In the short term, no technical coach for the halfipipe squad has been
named. Instead, as it did with Forster as program director, the USSA
has asked U.S. Snowboarding halfpipe coach Mike Jankowski to pull
double duty with the skiers.
“A significant number of the athletes are already working with coaches
on the technical side, so we’re still looking at how to best work with
that and chose not to hire anyone right away,” says Forster. “But Mike
Jankowski is one of the most knowledgeable halfpipe coaches in the
world, and we’re excited he’s leading and managing the athletes.”
