May 26, 2009 (Park City, Utah) – Some of Maine’s finest were honored last weekend as the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association’s recognized the nation’s top contributors to skiing and snowboarding in the U.S. Friday (May 15) in Park City. Among the many honored were local Maine residents Andy Shepard and Lee Todd.

Shepard, of Yarmouth, ME and head of the Maine Winter Sports Center, was honored with the USSA’s Russell Wilder Award, given annually to recognize the most outstanding effort in focusing the interests of American youth on the sports of skiing or snowboard.

Shepard has led the effort of motivating 3,000 kids in northern Maine, and about 5,000 annually statewide, to participate in ski sports through the Maine Winter Sports Center. The cross country ski leasing program alone involves 2,000 pairs of skis! He is constantly searching for ways to increase the numbers of skiing youth in Maine. MWSC has been hosting USSA events since 2000, including SuperTours, U.S. Championship events, and has the Junior Olympics set for 2010.

Todd, who has served USSA’s sports as a staff member and a volunteer over a period spanning four decades, received the organization’s highest volunteer honor, the Julius Blegen Award. A longtime cross country skier, Lee joined the USSA staff and worked for 10 years from 1978-89, leaving his position as USSA nordic program director to takeover International Special Olympics. For much of the next 20 years, he worked as a volunteer serving in a variety of domestic and international leadership positions.

His work with the FIS was vital to the growth of cross country skiing internationally – and always with the USA’s interests at heart. He served nearly 20 years on the FIS Cross Country Rules and Controls Sub-committee, as well as the non-European representative to the FIS Cross Country Committee from 1998 until his retirement in 2008.

Domestically, he played a pivotal leadership role as a USSA board member for cross country from 1994 through 2006. During that time he skillfully represented cross country skiing building consensus within the USSA Cross Country Sport Committee.

For more information on the USSA awards visit www.usskiteam.com.