New England Ski and Snowboard Ball

Click here for photos from the 2012 New England Ski and Snowboard Ball

Proceeds from the New England Ball support athletes in all disciplines of the U.S. Ski Team, U.S. Snowboarding and U.S. Freeskiing, the only teams on the international circuit that receive no federal funding. Your support of these events will help fund year-round athlete training, competition, development and educational needs in the crucial years leading up to the next Olympic Winter Games.

Event Co-Chairs
Bob* and Laura Reynolds
Ian Sanderson

Event Committee
Ross Anapolle
Jon Auerbach
Brett Batchelder
Tim Connelly
Jeff Crowley
Jamie Fagan
Phill* and Elizabeth Gross
David Ingemie
Andy* and Linda McLane
Laird Pendleton
Pam Ryan
Ian Sanderson
Tiger Shaw
Edie Thys Morgan*
Hans Vitzthum
Martin Zieff

* Trustee, U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team Foundation

The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team Foundation is a non-profit, 501(c)3. Proceeds from the New England Ski Ball support athletes in all disciplines of the U.S. Ski Team, U.S. Snowboarding and U.S. Freeskiing, the only teams on the international circuit that receive no federal funding. More specifically, 100% of the monies raised will help fund year-round athlete training, competition, development and educational needs in the crucial years leading up to the next Olympic Winter Games.

The success of our athletes depends upon private donations and support from individuals like you. While the next Winter Olympics isn’t until 2014, now is a crucial time to raise awareness to ensure our athletes are fully prepared to represent our country in Sochi, Russia.

What will your donation support? 

What does a donation to the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team Foundation support?  

Team
In 1996, Billy Demong, Todd Lodwick and Jonny Spillane made the commitment to live and train together as a team with the dream of one day winning a medal for the United States.  Their sacrifice, commitment, dedication and perseverance paid off in 2010 when they won the first ever medal for the United States in the Team Nordic Combined event. USSA coaches and staff work together to improve the overall conditioning and performance of the Team. The USSA's High Performance staff is on the cutting edge of sports science technology.  They have developed new aerodynamic equipment for Sochi, a machine for measuring the hemoglobin mass of athletes, which allows them to track the effectiveness of altitude training strategies and new ECG testing equipment that allows them to detect any heart conditions in elite athletes

Sacrifice
In the four years between Olympic Games, each athlete from the men's and women's alpine teams will spend on-average 880 days away from their homes and families and will visit more than 18 countries. USSA coaches, trainers and staff work around the clock to ensure the athletes have the best training and care.  Hundreds of doctors donate two weeks or more away from their practice each year to travel with athletes and serve as the team doctor at events around the world.

Commitment
In order to defend her gold medal in women's moguls, Hannah Kearney will practice her tricks 4,000 times off the water ramp, spend over 748 hours conditioning and complete 62,000 plyometric jumps in the four years between Olympic Games. The USSA provides athletes with the coaches and infrastructure to ensure that the athletes have the training and conditioning they need to succeed in Sochi.

Perseverance
Winning a gold medal in women's half pipe in 2002, Kelly Clark was shut out of medal contention in 2006 by placing fourth in the halfpipe. She refocused and with the support of U.S. Snowboarding she came back to win Bronze at the 2010 Games – an accomplishment in which she takes great pride. At the USSA's state of the art training facility, the Center of Excellence, athletes have the opportunity to practice their skills, work with sport-specific trainers, and perfect their sport before training on-snow – reducing the chance for serious injury.  Since 2008, the USSA's High Performance staff has recorded a reduction in ACL injuries of 65 percent from 2008 and there has been a 100 percent increase in training at the Center of Excellence over the past three years from 8054 hours a year to 15,791 hours.

Dedication
Lindsey Vonn has been training to be an Olympic Champion since she was four years old.  In the years leading up to Sochi she will spend more than 11,000 hours training and will ski at least 7,820,000 vertical feet. Over the course of an athlete's career, the USSA can provide up to $2 million of support though travel, coaching staff, sports science and medicine, education and rehabilitation.

National Pride
The United States is the only country in the world that does not support athletes at the elite level with federal funding. You directly contribute to the success of the athletes. It takes a team behind the Team to win medals. With your support, the USSA will invest millions of dollars to ensure that the U.S. can defend its best in the world status in Olympic skiing and snowboarding and see the stars and stripes fly high in Sochi.

Olympians Seth Wescott, Doug Lewis, Hannah Kearney and Andy Newell sign autographs and visit with fans at the 2011 New England Ski and Snowboard Ball

Olympic gold medalist Bode Miller greets guests at the New England Ball

Doug Lewis introduces the elite athletes of the U.S. Ski Team at the 2011 Ball

Photos (c) Specialty Imaging International and Katie Perhai