June 23, 2009 (Park City, UT) – The U.S. Ski Team’s development pipeline provides direction for skiers and coaches in the hunt for an Olympic medal. The seven-stage pipeline is comprised of a multitude of successful programs, ranging from over 100 grassroots club programs, to a heavily attended Junior National Championship and a National Team with both World Cup and Development tiers. While the U.S. is propelled by the success of each of these programs, a missing component for years has been our ability to link each concept to the next. The goal of this piece is to illuminate changes within the U.S. development system as discussed recently in Park City, UT at the annual spring Congress.

National J2 Talent Identification Camp: Launching August 2010, the U.S. Ski Team will help support a club-run National J2 Talent Identification Camp that targets a broad selection of the country’s best J2 athletes. The goal of the camp is to train, educate, assess, and motivate at a national level a large selection of our top 14 and 15 year-old athletes one to three years earlier than what normally occurs at the Regional Elite Group (REG) camps. Rick Kapala (SVSEF) is the head coach and creator for the inaugural 2010 camp.

Regional Elite Group Camps: Since its inception in 2000, 100% of all REG camps have been attended by a U.S. Ski Team coach. These camps have been integral to the National Team’s goals of identifying talent, communicating with and educating developing athletes and coaches. Changes to the four 2009 REG camps include tightening qualification procedures, introducing a talent identification system and increased focus on professionalism. The talent I.D. system will involve identification bibs and score cards with a rating system for different aspects of the sport at every training session. Coaches will use this system at each REG camp to select one to four athletes to attend the NEG camp in Whistler in September 2009. This system will also allow each athlete to return home with specific individual tasks to work on.

National Elite Group (NEG) Camp: Adding incentive to the development system, the NEG camp will be comprised of the best one to four athletes from each REG camp run during the 2009 summer. Invitations to the NEG camp in September will be based on observations made by U.S. Ski Team and regional coaches at each REG camp using an assessment method that addresses roller ski technique, work ethic, preparation and long-term dedication, and observations made during each camp’s time trial. The NEG camp is one week in length and will be run by top national club coaches and will operate alongside of the U.S. Ski Team in their final dry land camp at the Olympic venue prior to the Games.

National Training Group (NTG): The NTG is a program run by the National Team, but not as an extension of the National Team. The program will be run from June 15 to August 10, 2009 in Park City, UT in the stomping grounds of the U.S. Ski Team, and will involve several of the country’s best juniors. Housing, training transportation, and daily coaching from one of three local U.S. Ski Team coaches is provided.