Park City, UT (Friday, January 17, 2003) - U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association Vice President of Athletics Alan Ashley has announced the implementation of a new educational program structure for the national governing body for Olympic skiing and snowboarding. The new program, which includes several key staff appointments, is a cornerstone in development of a world-class athletic program for U.S. ski and snowboard athletes.

Ashley made three immediate staff appointments to steer the future of educational for USSA athletic programs.

Andy Walshe, who has served as USSA’s sport science director since 1998, has been promoted to assistant athletic director for sport science and education. David McCann, presently an associate director for the American Sport Education Program where he has worked with thousands of coaches in many sports nationwide for the past eight years, was named director of education services.

In order to provide sport-specific educational services, Ashley anticipates developing an educational model in each of USSA’s sport programs. Finn Gundersen, a longtime ski coach and administrator who recently oversaw Olympic operations at Snowbasin as a deputy general manager of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee, was named alpine education director.

All three will begin their new positions this month.

“Education is an important cornerstone in our future and the success of our athletic programs, from our USSA competition clubs at the grassroots level through our elite international teams,” said Ashley.

Ashley cited four important elements of athletic programs as the cornerstones of success: elite athlete programs, a national development system in each sport, sport science and medicine, and education.

“We feel we have done very well in the past few years in developing elite teams, strong athletic development programs in each of our sports, and a truly world-class sport science program under Andy Walshe,” said Ashley. “We are now finishing the puzzle with what we feel will be a very strong educational program.”

In his new position, Walshe will assist the staff in developing the overall direction for the coaches education program, integrating the sport science department and the national development systems in each sport with an initial focus on alpine, which comprises 80% of USSA’s membership.

McCann will run the professional business operation of the education department, including formalizing the curriculum, improving USSA’s evaluation and certification process, expanding marketing and sales of materials related to education to both coaches and sport public, creation of the education plan for the department, and the maintenance of records.

Gundersen will work directly with Alpine Director Jesse Hunt and Alpine Competition Director Walt Evans to ensure the agenda for development is communicated as the foundation of education resulting in continuity between USSA’s actual development program and the philosophy behind it.

“What actually happens in the field with development of athletes must be the basis for our sport education effort,” said Ashley. “We have to ensure that there is total connection between our sport development direction and what we are teaching our coaches. And we have to have a strong business plan to manage the program and to deliver the education to our coaches and build the department.”

As a national governing body, USSA develops a national direction for each of its sport programs. That direction is, in turn, implemented by a network of over 350 grassroots club programs at resorts and communities across the country.

Ashley outlined five key points the new educational program will deliver to each of USSA’s sport programs:

- Curriculum and content development for each sport
- Effective delivery system for materials to coaches
- Evaluation of expertise through testing and certification
- Promotion of coaching as a profession
- Developing a strong business program to improve quality of execution

“Coaching must be viewed as a profession,” added Ashley. “It’s our responsibility to ensure that the thousands of coaches in those local clubs have the best education and that it meshes with the national development direction. That will provide parents, who enroll their children in those programs, with the best value in knowing that their son or daughter is part of a strong national network and can get the most out of their participation in our sports.”

USSA, based in Park City, UT, is the national governing body for Olympic skiing and snowboarding, managing athletic programs in alpine skiing, cross country, freestyle, nordic combined, ski jumping and snowboard, as well as disabled alpine and cross country ski racing through a network of 350 USSA competition clubs across the USA.