7.14 - [RELEASE] USCSA Announces 2023 Award Recipients and Election Results

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Jay Moyer

jmoyer@uscsa.org 

BOSTON, Massachusetts. – July 14th, 2023. The United States Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association (USCSA) is excited to announce the election of several new members to its Board of Directors and the winners of several 2022-2023 annual awards, including Coach of the Year, Volunteer of the Year, and the Keystone Award.

Coach of the Year:

The USCSA Coach of the Year is presented to the coach who, during the past season, has exemplified the qualities of a great coach in every sense of the position. For 2023, the USCSA Coach of the Year was awarded to Jesse Scott, Head Alpine Coach for Colorado Mesa University (CMU).

Coach Scott has led the CMU Maverick’s Alpine Ski Teams since 2017. Since taking the head coaching job, CMU’s teams have seen consistent success at the conference, regional, and national levels having qualified for the USCSA National Championships multiple times during his tenure. Going beyond what is usually asked of a Coach, he has also served as both a conference and national level volunteer with USCSA, frequently volunteering to help run races and officiate at all levels of the sport. Many of his athletes will say Coach Scott’s impact stretches well beyond the team level, with several looking to him as a father figure, turning to him for advice when issues beyond the sport affect their lives. 

“I am excited to share this award with all of CMU, especially the alpine team athletes and our devoted Club Sport director Reese Kegans,” said Coach Scott. “Head Coach of the Year adds to the excitement already there to continue sharing the spirit of what USCSA has always been about!”

Volunteer of the Year

The USCSA relies on hundreds of volunteers to make its regular season and National Championship competitions successful every year. Although these individuals are critical to the organization, occasionally one volunteer will go above and beyond others to enhance the USCSA experience for athletes and fans. The 2023 Volunteer of the Year award was presented to Ben Andes this year. 

Ben has been a core volunteer at the USCSA Allegheny Conference and National level for over a decade. He has been an integral part of the growth of snowboard and freeski competitions in the Mid-Atlantic region. He has served as an official at all levels of USCSA’s snowboard, freeski, and alpine competitions. His diligent organization and management of critical pieces of equipment at these high-level events have ensured that all of them run safely, smoothly, and fairly.

“As a volunteer in various organizations throughout my lifetime, I truly appreciate the importance of volunteers in organizations such as the USCSA,” said Ben. “I would like to thank the USCSA and the nomination committee for naming me the 2023 Volunteer of the Year.”

Keystone Award

The USCSA President gives the Keystone Award to honor an individual who has assisted the President in the organization’s operations. Going beyond the role of a volunteer, this person helps to ensure the delivery of the best service possible to the organization and its membership. For the 2023 season, President Chris Shumeyko awarded the Keystone Award to Luke Dean. Speaking about the award, President Shumeyko said that “On multiple occasions in the past year, I’ve asked Luke to step up to help move the organization forward and each time, he eagerly answered that call without hesitation. That unbridled dedication to the USCSA made Luke an easy choice for this award.” 

Although Luke has been an essential volunteer with USCSA for many years, he made a tremendous impact on the organization in the fall of 2022 when he became the interim chair of the Rule Committee. His efforts in leading this committee immediately benefited all members of the organization by efficiently leading the committee through a backlog of rule changes. He has also instituted changes to ensure the committee can adjudicate any proposed changes efficiently while ensuring they benefit our membership.

Upon winning the award, Luke said, “It was a shock to receive the Keystone Award at the Annual Conference and I am incredibly grateful for being recognized. I have so much fun volunteering for this organization, on and off the slope, that it feels as though they don't need to give out awards for that.”

Board of Directors Elections

Several new members to USCSA’s Board of Directors, effective July 1st, 2023, have been elected:

President: Bo Bigelow

Executive Vice President: Sarah Geiger

Executive At Large: Luke Dean

“I am looking forward to leading the USCSA over the next 3 years,” said newly elected President Bigelow. “It is an exciting time as we fully implement our strategic plan and develop the USCSA into the premier team college competition organization.” 

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For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact jmoyer@uscsa.org