3.8 - [RELEASE] 2016 USCSA National Championships Day 1 Recap

LAKE PLACID, New York. – MARCH 8th, 2016.  The U.S. Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association (USCSA) kicked off its 5-day long annual Collegiate National Championship^TM today with a Snowboard and Freeski Rail Jam, women’s  Alpine Giant Slalom, and a 7.5k Classic Nordic race. 

A record breaking 536 Collegiate athletes representing 67 universities across 6 regions will compete in 24 events within a 5-day period. This championship represents the best collegiate athletes from around the country. USCSA has member schools in every geographic region of the United States. Events include Giant Slalom, Slalom, Cross-Country Sprints, Cross-Country Relays, Cross-Country Distance, Slopestyle, SkierCross, Snowboard Cross and a Rail Jam.  For a complete schedule of events, news, and results, and list of schools, please go to the official USCSA website at www.uscsa.com.

At the Rail Jam, Sierra Nevada College won National Championships^TM in men’s and women’s Freeski Rail Jam as well as men’s Snowboard Rail Jam, while Westminster College won a National Championship^TM in women’s Snowboard Rail Jam. “Hats off to Whiteface’s Park crew. Great set up, conditions were awesome, and we’re really excited about how our athletes performed” said Jon Cherry, head freeski and snowboard coach for Sierra Nevada College. “Whiteface’s park crew was fantastic. They maintained the features and snow surface wonderfully throughout the event and their starter kept everything organized and running smoothly” said Molly Novasel, USCSA Southern California Conference Coordinator. “I’m looking forward to an exciting week of competition.”

The first day of alpine racing on Drapers Drop belonged to Rocky Mountain College. The Battlin Bears won both the team and individual women’s Giant Slalom National Championships^TM, with Frida Svedberg taking home her third individual Giant Slalom title. “I can’t believe I managed to take that third title. I definitely felt like I put some more pressure and expectations on myself and I am so happy that I managed to keep my head in the game and maintain focus on what I had to do for both runs and not on all the good skiers around me” said Frida. She added, “Today was an amazing day for the RMC ladies team. Everyone stepped up their game and performed some amazing skiing. Could not be more proud of what all of the girls did today and I’m so thankful to be a part of this team. We are looking forward to the slalom on Thursday.” After the first day of racing, USCSA Vice President for Alpine Mike Dzubay said, “The snow surface today was firm and fast. Both courses today were world-class and we had a great first day of racing.” 

Nordic events started off the week of competition at the Olympic Ski Jumping Complex with the men’s and women’s 15k Classic. The University of Wyoming teams had strong performances, winning team National Championships^TM for both the men and women. “The organizing committee has done a phenomenal job of putting on this race in difficult conditions. The trails were amazing this morning and despite warm temperatures held up well. Our skiers skied tough in really difficult conditions and we're super proud of their grit,” said Christi Boggs, USCSA Vice President for Nordic and Head Coach for the University of Wyoming.

Teams begin their quest to qualify for the U.S. Collegiate Skiing and Snowboarding National Championship^TM in their local conference competitions – held across 11 conferences spanning the nation. Top teams from each conference attend one of 6 regional championships, which decide who ultimately qualifies to participate in events held this week.  

“The weather on the east coast has challenged the snowsport industry this season, however the record number of athletes competing in our National Championships^TM  is testament to the draw that this event holds. ORDA is doing a fantastic job ensuring that all of our events are running flawlessly, and I’m excited to see the best collegiate ski and snowboard teams in the nation compete this week,” said Laura Sullivan, Executive Director of USCSA.

As the events unfold over next week in Lake Placid, please join the USCSA athletes, families and friends in celebrating this pinnacle of collegiate competition by following athlete performance either in person or online at www.uscsa.com. Team and Individual results will be posted daily online at the USCSA website. Check in daily for Live Video and Audio Feeds online at http://www.uscsa.com/media-center/uscsa-broadcast-network/

The USCSA is the sports federation for collegiate team ski racing and Snowboarding in America. The USCSA believes that student-athletes of all levels and abilities should have access to quality and exciting venues of competition. Team performance is emphasized within the USCSA, a departure from the typical individual or world cup scoring format often found in skiing. USCSA athletes agree that this team orientation fosters a team approach across their collegiate athletic and academic careers, and often the mentality proves indispensable in their adult lives and careers. The organization includes 180 colleges from coast to coast, fielding over 4,700 male and female, Alpine, Freeski, cross-country, Snowboarding and Nordic ski jumping athletes in over 300 events annually.

For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact Laura Sullivan at laurasullivan@uscsa.com

Photo Information:

All pictures credited to Sarah Jean Photography - sarahjeanphotographymn.com 

Each picture file name includes the athlete name and school