Created: 20 October 2020
Meet Ali Sacash-Johnson and Leslee Schader, USASA’s newest Series Directors of the Mt Hood Series. 
USASA is a family affair! Leslee Schader and family ready for comp day (left) Ali Sacash-Johnson maximizing some Northwest sunny ski days with her daughters (right).
Ali Sacash-Johnson and Leslee Schader met when their kids who are about the same age (9-12) were a part of the Mt. Hood Meadows Freeride Team. Ali’s kids freeski, Leslee’s kids snowboard. Soon enough they were spending their weekends standing at the top of USASA event courses or taking laps between heats with the whole gang. So when long time Mt. Hood Series Directors Mike and Jen Fitzsimmons decided it was time to move on Leslee and Ali swooped in and volunteered to take the wheel.
Anyone who has been at a USASA event and seen the many hats and juggling skills Series Directors wear and possess can appreciate the daunting task of a Series Director but these two women are excited about the opportunity and adventure ahead. “I’m excited to get more kids involved,” Leslee said, “there are so many kids at meadows that don’t really know about USASA so I’m excited to get the word out and get more kids and families involved and make it better.”
Which based on Ali and Leslee’s collective background experience should not be a problem. Before Salomon moved its headquarters from the Northwest to Utah, Ali put her MBA in Sports Business to good use as Salomon’s Brand Manager for 7 years. Now, the mother of 10 and 12-year-olds, Ali runs her own consumer insights agency, Scout & Field, that works with a variety of outdoor sports brands from Arcteryx to Keen.
USASA Northwest Series alum Leslee Schader, then Olson, landing a Rodeo at Winter X Games 2000.
Leslee, a cardiac nurse at Oregon Health & Science University Hospital, is equally versed in the snowboard and freeski scene having come through the USASA snowboarding pipeline making the transition from USASA regional event grom to X Games gold medalist and US Olympic team hopeful. As a Bend, OR native, Leslee grew up competing in the ***Northwest Series alongside other snowboarding legends like Josh Dirksen, Temple Cummins and Circe Wallace competing at the 2nd Annual USASA National Championships at Timberline Resort in 1991. Now, everything seems to have come full circle. “I want to pay it forward to the next generation and have the Mount Hood Series be a positive force and place for kids and their families,” Leslee said.
Ali's youngest daughter, Ro, drops into Mt. Hood Meadows halfpipe on comp day.
Ali concurs, “The sport has given me such amazing experiences and I'm in a time in my life when I want to give back myself and support the next generation and keep that sense of community at the mountain.”
They both also recognize that taking over the Mt. Hood Series in the midst of a global pandemic will bring its own challenges but kids are resilient and Ali appreciates how USASA helps foster that resilience. “USASA gives kids a real way to deal with competition--- maybe you win or maybe you don’t but you deal with that and the lessons that come along with it.” Leslee continues, “There have been so many setbacks in 2020 that we’re excited to bring a little bit of the joy back. To give kids and the families something to look forward to.”
Oregon's Mt. Hood Series is ready for winter!
*** In 1991, USASA’s Northwest Series covered the entire Northwest region. Now this region is covered by the Mt. Hood Series, Central Oregon Series, Western Washington Series and the Idaho Freeride Series.
Created: 21 September 2020
Big Mountain West freeskier Bennett Balogh is making big moves on and off the hill. Photo: VAST 2019 Nationals.
Jackson, Wyoming is known for its natural terrain and elite pedigree of big mountain snowboarders and freeskiers which is exactly why 15-year-old freeskier Bennett Balogh grew up dropping cliffs and hitting jumps versus doing cruiser laps through a mini-park. It wasn’t until he was 10 years old that a USASA Big Mountain West event came to Jackson Hole and his view of what freeskiing was forever changed. “I didn’t think competing in freeskiing was a thing you could do,” Bennett said. But once his eyes were opened by his first USASA competition Bennett set his sights on the competitive path.
Created: 02 October 2020
Three-time Olympic Coach and owner of BK Pro Progression Camps, Bud Keene chipping in support of USASA.
The 1st Annual USASA Golf Classic presented by Devil’s Head Resort and Alpine Resort teed up at McHenry Country Club this past Friday with a star-studded cast of Olympic athletes who raised over $20,000 for USASA. Olympians Kelly Clark, Justin Reiter, and Tricia Byrnes were on-site to support USASA’s continued fundraising efforts along with Bud Keene, three-time Olympic coach and owner of BK Pro Progression camps. “It is so great to come out and support USASA, and have a little fun at the same time”, said Keene, adding “USASA is such an important part of the development of athletes on their journey through sports and life, and I’m proud to be a part of that.”
Created: 21 September 2020
USASA Return To Play Plan
COVID-19 Competition Guidance
USASA is committed to assisting series directors, coaches, athletes, parents, and resort partners navigate the upcoming 2020-21 USASA competition season during the COVID-19 global pandemic. We recognize that COVID-19 has impacted different parts of the country in varying degrees at different times and remains fluid. COVID-19 is extremely contagious and is believed to spread mainly from person-to-person contact and can lead to severe illness and death.
This USASA Return To Play Plan (RTPP) has been developed following guidance of the U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s COVID-19 Task Force and Domestic Competition Guidance Plan along with guidance from the CDC for best practices. This resource guidance* is based on U.S. Ski & Snowboard recommendations, and includes portions of specific content from the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Key Points
USASA COVID-19 Guest and Resort Safety Measures
Created: 09 September 2020
Join USASA for our VIRTUAL golf fundraiser that everyone can play in and support USASA and its efforts in the grassroots development of US snowboard and freeski athletes.
Between now and Sept 25th, purchase your ticket, get your tournament code for the 18Birdies App and play a round of golf at your local course to participate in USASA's virtual golf tournament and fundraiser. Golfers participate in individual stroke play at the golf club of their choice and compete against other virtual USASA tournament players. 18Birdies will weigh each courses' difficulty using their customized algorithm creating a virtual leaderboard that lets you know where you stand throughout the event period (Sept 2-25). Prizes will be awarded to the top golfers.
Created: 19 August 2020
The longest-standing New Hampshire Series member, Dave Paulger, sends it in Methuselah Divison slopestyle for the 2019 USASA National Championships in Copper.
Hailing from the White Mountains of New Hampshire, USASA Methuselah, Dave Paulger is a true pioneer of snowboarding. In 1973, when snowboarding wasn’t even a thing, Dave was climbing local hills and riding down them on a Snurfer he bought at the hardware store. Forty-years later you can still find Dave standing sideways as the longest-standing member of the New Hampshire Series bringing his A-game and positive attitude to every weekend event.
Created: 11 August 2020
A Wasatch Academy student enjoya an on-campus skate session between classes. Wasatch Academy is a college-prep boarding school for students in grades 7-12 located in Mount Pleasant, Utah.
We sat down with Wasatch Academy’s Director of Snowsports, Chris Nester, to chat about the advantages of boarding school in the time of COVID-19, what it means to for student-athletes to have their own private snow and skatepark (with a rope tow and private cat for hot laps!!) and how Wasatch Academy’s newly developed competition program for USASA athletes offers the next generation the best of both worlds. Did we mention Mount Pleasant, Utah, home of Wasatch Academy’s 300 boarding students is perfectly located with easy access to seven national monuments, five national parks and 14 of the best ski and snowboard resorts this country has to offer?
