USSX News

Mar 15 2019
2

“TOP SX SECRETS” ski cross camp in Saas-Fee

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Attention ski cross athletes and coaches!

This summer, USSX will be launching “TOP SX SECRETS” ski cross camp in Saas-Fee, Switzerland. This camp will be available for US athletes only!
Projected dates for the camp are July 20th to July 31st.
The camp is aimed at anyone who wants to give ski cross a go or develop their current techniques.
We are limiting the numbers to a maximum of 20 athletes which will be allocated on a first come first served basis.
The specialized coaching for the Skicross discipline will be provided by the Head coach-Sergey Khlop who raised the winners of the Europa Cup and World Cup and has the highest USSX coach level.
The camp will focus on:

  1. Ski Cross basic fundamental skills and techniques
  2. Training on the full ski cross course / blue and green levels.
  3. Dry-land training and exercises for particular muscle groups
  4. Theory of ski cross: Methods of effective training, tactics of preparation for the competition.

For more details and to book, please email contact@ussx.org with the athlete name, age, and previous experience in ski cross.

Jan 18 2019
0

SKI CROSS CLINIC

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Here we publish the secrets of the ski cross, answers to your questions, and the news of ski cross of USA.

Question: I often hear about “NEW TURNING TECHNIQUE”. What is it and how does it differ from how the most athletes ski?

Answer: For more than 8 years there is a so-called “NEW TECHNIQUE” of the turn. Almost all world leading athletes use this technique to achieve the best results. For a ski cross, this method of turning is the main one.

It solves the following problems:

The distribution of the weight of the athlete along the entire length of the ski, which allows you to ski
parallel throughout the entire arc and optimally use the entire length of the ski for the best slip.
Solves the problem of excessive strain on the lateral muscles of the body and back muscles.
Significantly reduces the time of transition from one arc to another.
It allows you to react much faster to the need to adjust the radius of the arc.
It allows to significantly increase the stability and steadiness when on the ski cross course due to the wider setting of skis and the position of the back while passing the obstacles.
The main difference between the “new turning technique” and “old” is the position of the center of gravity above the skis (see figure) and the absence of unloading of the skis between the turns. The change of the turning radius does not occur due to the edge angle of the skis and the pressure on the front part of the boots but due to the pressure downwards on the ball of the foot. (Figure) For more details on this technique, see our website http://ussx.org/

Jan 18 2019
0

SKI CROSS CLINIC

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Here we publish the secrets of the ski cross, answers to your questions, and the news of ski cross of USA.

Question: I am 16 years old and I engaged in alpine skiing for years. I understand that I can not reach the Olympic level. Do you think I should try myself in ski cross?

Answer: Ski cross is a very technique and intelligent sport. Here you can achieve success even if you have a small weight but a good speed of reaction  and thoughtful tactics. But you must understand that ski cross is the new level of skiing! It is not enough to know the GS technique and have strong legs and back. In the ski cross, it is perhaps even less than half of the technique of the athlete. It is necessary to pay special attention to the technique of overcoming various obstacles, the technique of skiing next to other athletes on the course, the technique of correct start and the modern turn. The turning technique in the ski cross has requirements similar to the GS, but more demanding in relation to the width of the skis and the center of gravity.

Given all this, we can conclude that it is possible to achieve a high result in the ski cross even at your age. And since the ski cross is a pretty young sport, the competition is not so high and the chances for success are much greater than in Alpine.

We recommend that you find a good ski cross coach or sign up for a “USSX Virtual coach” program, and read the yellow level training program at http://ussx.org/tools/coach-training-manual-yellow-level/

And of course, start taking part in the USASA ski cross competition series.

We wish you good luck and hope to see you in the national team.

Dec 17 2018
1

USSX president’s address to the US Ski Cross community

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We believe that you are truly passionate about the future of ski cross in the United States. So are we. This is why we want to connect, share our recent developments that may impact the development of US ski cross and get your feedback on what we should do next. It is self-evident that today US ski cross is behind Europe and Canada in numbers of athletes in race teams and in athletes’ performances at international competitions. In 2015 we have founded United States Ski Cross with the goal to improve on both of these weaknesses. Since then USSX has been actively assisting selected athletes and coaches with informational and financial support, helped to organize events, and also created a consolidated program for development of ski cross in the USA. The program was presented to USSA at the annual summit in Park City and reviewed again more recently during our visit to USSA last September. This program contains comprehensive training manuals for athletes and coaches of various experience levels, safe competition course design guidelines based on the racer experience level, winter/summer exercise plans, etc. Strong emphasis is placed on the grassroots initiative, bringing new athletes to the sport. USSA recognized our efforts and provided positive evaluation for the program. We outlined future engagement strategy and opportunities to collaboratively work together. One good reference model for collaboration is currently exercised by USA Nordic. There are many benefits to be a specialized organization focusing all efforts on core competencies. We believe this could be the most viable operational model for USSX as well. USASA also have been our strong supporter. And we have plans to offer our SX-1000 and SX-2000 ski cross training programs to be taught by USASA. Here are a little more details on what’s going on right now: As you know, USSX is a nationwide organization dedicated to the development of ski cross in the United States. Our goal is to create an easy-to-follow structure of this sport for everyone who is involved. And to build a pipeline for the athletes and coaches from the beginners level all the way to the Olympics. That is why we created those manuals and the educational programs (some of the program materials can be found on ussx.org). We are also willing to help this sport and athletes, in particular, to raise funds and find good sponsorship. USSA nor USASA does not have the ski cross specific educational programs. We applied to both organizations and asked them to utilize our programs. This September I’ve been told by the USASA officials that they would be glad to include our SX-1000 and SX-2000 content to their educational programs. Late September we went to Park City for the meeting with USSA officials. We discussed how we can continue the growth of SX in the USA all together, what steps should we take, how USSX can help and so on. In the conclusion of this meeting, we agreed that it would be mutually beneficial if USSX could go the same path that the USA Nordic just went. FYI: USA Nordic became a National Leadership Organization for Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined. They are a USSA affiliated institution while USSA is still the governing body for those sports. But at the same time, USA Nordic got the following privileges and responsibilities: 1. Developing sport in the best interest of the sport community 2. Managing the National Team 3. Conducting all the events including FIS (under USSA umbrella), etc. All of the above mentioned gave USA Nordic the freedom to act in the best interest of the sports community, find the best sponsorship for their athletes, promote their sports and involve more kids in it (and many more positive things). USSX and USSA, both believe that following the same path would be the very best of what can be done for US ski cross. At USSX we are trying to develop the sport and help each particular athlete, coach, and club to be the best they can. And right now we are building the team of like-minded people to do it together. Today we have a unique opportunity to unite the ski cross community and involve all contributing members to make a real impact on the future of the sport in the United States. We reach out to you to join forces and together achieve the grand vision of growing Olympic skicross champions. We truly value any feedback you can offer us. And so we ask you to please get back to us and provide your ideas and suggestions for the most efficient path to accelerate the growth of skicross in the United States. We look forward to hearing back from you!

May 06 2018
4

Roller kids

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This summer, USSX launching a one of a kind in the US inline skating program -“ROLLER KIDS”!
Want your kids to stay active, have FUN and spend more time outside during this Summer Break

“Roller Kids” is a program designed for children from 6 to 16 years of age residing in the Metro Denver area. The purpose of the program is to attract school-age children to the sport by involving them in inline skating during the summer break.

This will benefit:

  • Kids: healthy lifestyle; increased physical activities; a lot of fun; enjoy more time with fellows; an increase of self-esteem; development of life-long physical skills and activities; great aerobic workout; the potential for continuing in the sport
  • Parents: engaging in a healthy lifestyle; great example of a lifetime family activity; more free time
  • Schools: good option to ensure the health of the students; a chance to teaching students to life-long activities that kids can do outside of school and that they can do for the rest of their lives; increase activity time for students; organized sports activity, an alternative to traditional gym classes
  • Homeschoolers: great opportunity for homeschool kids to receive a physical education as well as to be involved in the kids’ community activities
  • Community: healthier community; fewer overweight community members; kids will more likely grow into healthy and capable adults
  • Sponsors: a positive image of the company; additional marketing and advertising opportunities; potential to obtain new customers

The program will be conducted at the public parks located in Metro Denver area and at the Elementary and Middle schools outside facilities.

It will take place three times a week during two months of a summer break  – June 6th –August 5th, 2018. The duration of each lesson will be up to 2 hours. The exact schedule and location to be announced.

Your support of this program (financial or volunteer) will be GREATLY APPRECIATED! Please, give us a call at (541)350-2756 for more information or send an email to olga@ussx.org.

May 02 2018
0

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With over 20 years of experience owning and managing a ski resort, as well as 14 years of experience in organizing ski cross racing programs for athletes from age 3 to World Cup winners, I distilled key factors which allowed my Resort to not only survive, but to become highly successful in its development dynamics, attract young people and convert them to regular customers.

I absolutely agree with President of NSAA Michael Berry who said: “Without an industry-wide effort focused on attracting newer, younger participants and converting them into loyal skiers and riders, ski areas could face dramatic declines in visitation in the not-so distant future.” Hence, it is in our best interest to apply new strategies to attracting and retaining young new athletes.

I would like to introduce you to proven methods that can convert new generations into long-term (and potentially lifelong) participants at your resort.

Surely you have noticed the flash of popularity of Terrain Base Learning programs. Yes, it is attracting new customers to the program and makes them come back again. But this game also has an exciting continuation with far-reaching possibilities.

In 2010 in Vancouver, BC a new level of alpine skiing – Ski Cross – was introduced for the first time in Olympic Games. It brought colossal entertainment for spectators, combining a high level of skiing skills and knowledge with absolute honesty in identifying winners:  the first at the finish line is the winner.  Advanced Ski Resorts in Europe and Canada immediately decided to adopt it for public skiing and began to create ski cross courses for public use. And they were spot on, as Resort’s Visitors were now able to have a new experience, without the risk of large Big Airs, without increasing the speed, without the risk of riding off-slope, and while at the same time receiving almost unlimited horizons for improvement.

This is the yellow level ski cross courses (classification United States Ski Cross (USSX)). Their distinctive feature is that almost all of the obstacles are below the knee in height and have a speed limitation either with steepness of slope or due to course configuration. This is a safe and fun option for adult skiers as well as for kids. It requires much less snow and working hours to build a yellow level ski cross course than a terrain park, but the visitor numbers are increased multifold. Customers experience additional emotions of thrill, similar to those felt at amusement parks such as Disney World or Six Flags.

 How can ski cross yellow level courses benefit your Ski Resort?

1. Ski schools programs can be adjusted to focus on teaching proper overcoming of terrain features.  This will attract to the ski schools new visitors who have never applied for this service before. There are already ready-to-use training program for instructors in the open source.

2. Organizing Ski cross events for the public. These events create a lot of emotions in participants and the audience. These competitions use simplified ski cross rules and attract even more customers to ski schools. In addition, your Resort can apply to host series of such events and become a part of national competition among ski cross amateurs. In this case, the winners of your events will have a chance to continue onto the next round and perform at the Amateur National finals.

3. If your Resort already has a race team, ski cross is a possibility for it to develop in a new direction. Ski cross is an Olympic sport and today it can become a logical continuation of the classic alpine ski program. This makes it possible to increase the number of students who wish to have more variety and novelty in training.

4. Hosting ski cross races attracts advertisers from local businesses to international corporations. Proper operation in this direction invariably leads to additional profits. You can conduct your own events or become a host of one of the USSX National series of ski cross events.

I would like to confirm my words with some key facts of international ski cross courses.

  • One of the biggest car manufacturers, Audi became a title sponsor of Ski Cross World Cup in 2011. Later on they organized Audi Ski Cross Tour and Ski Cross Kids Tour throughout Europe and consequently created 7 Audi Ski Cross Parks at major European ski resorts. Since they have gained major popularity with families and kids, they intend to further expand this network.
  • The last season of X-Games included ski cross in its program.
  • Number of children involved in ski cross in Europe and Canada is growing significantly.
  • The television broadcast of ski cross has a leading rating among other ski disciplines.

We made a huge effort and did a lot of work to create for you the most convenient, understandable and accessible information resources for implementing ski cross at your resorts. We prepared a number of programs for training athletes at all levels of skill and experience to supply you with all necessary resources for the development of ski cross on your Resort.

We are United States Ski Cross (USSX) and we will be happy to answer any of your questions.

If you are interested to receive more information, please contact me personally at sergey@ussx.org

Faithfully yours,

Sergey Khlop

President United State Ski Cross (USSX)

http://ussx.org/

sergey@ussx.org

Apr 20 2017
4

SX for resorts

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In 2010 in Vancouver, BC the Olympic Games premiered a new format of alpine skiing competition – Ski Cross. The introduction of this event in the Olympics showcased a tremendously entertaining spectator event, featuring high-level skiing skills and absolute clarity in identifying winners: the first at the finish line is the winner. After this debut, resorts in Europe and Canada saw an opportunity to use this as a way to attract and entertain guests, creating ski cross courses for public use. And, time has shown this was a smart move, with resort visitors able to try a new experience, in a controlled, well-built venue, without the risk or need to take on big jumps, without having to go too fast, while at the same time providing almost unlimited horizons for skill development and improvement.

Michael Berry, President of NSAA, has said: “Without an industry-wide effort focused on attracting newer, younger participants and converting them into loyal skiers and riders, ski areas could face dramatic declines in visitation in the not-so-distant future.” Hence, it is in our best interest to apply new strategies to attracting and retaining young new athletes.

I couldn’t agree more. With over 20 years of experience owning and managing a ski resort, as well as 14 years of experience in organizing ski cross racing programs for athletes from age three to World Cup winners, adding a ski cross course helped my Resort to not only survive but to become highly successful in its development programs, attracting young people and converting them into regular customers. This article will introduce you to how to develop and utilize a ski cross to convert new generations into long- term (and potentially lifelong) participants at your resort.

There’s no question about the popularity of Terrain Base LearningTM programs, its role in attracting new customers to skiing and riding, and it uses as an effective teaching method, helping inspire guests to come back again. Ski cross courses offer an exciting continuation of that sculpted snow experience for guest to enjoy as their skills continue to advance, even as experts.

Above is an example of an actual beginner level ski cross course. What makes this unique is that almost all of the obstacles are built to be no higher than just below the knee of the average user and use careful layout to adjust the relative steepness or pitch of the course. This not only helps regulate how fast someone can go it also allows for a variety of features or obstacles to be used throughout the course, more so than just a series of banked turns. See below for a sample layout. While the features used in a terrain park and ski cross course may share some similarities, the combination and flow of the ski cross course provides a fun-filled, thrilling option to terrain parks for adult skiers and kids, giving them an experience and sensations similar to what might be felt on rides at amusement parks such as Disney World or Six Flags.

How can your area or resort benefit?

1. Ski school programs – Use the courses as another tool to help develop skills and technique at all levels. Absorbing skills, maintaining balance in varying terrain, and developing flow through the course are all valuable skills that directly apply to skiing and riding the entire hill. Ski courses give your instructors an opportunity to increase the variety within a lesson.

2. Organized Ski and Snowboard Cross events – Offering events open to the general public are a great way to introduce excitement and give your guests another way to create memories they will want to share with their friends and family. Keeping these events fun, using simplified ski cross rules, provides a way for guests of all ages to get a taste for friendly competition in a non-intimidating format. And, of course, if your area has a development or competition program, you can apply to host an event or series of events that could feed kids towards USASA, USSA, and USSX competitions.

3. Development and Competition programs – Ski and Snowboard Cross offers athletes in your programs another discipline they can compete in and may attract new athletes to your program. With Ski and Snowboard Cross as an Olympic sport, this might be the incentive for someone to sign up for your competition or development programs. And, if you already offer training in Ski of SB Cross, having a course available at your area eliminates the need to travel to train on an actual course.

4. Sponsorships – Ski and snowboard cross races may draw in different sponsors and advertisers and provide new opportunities for existing partners.

Here are a few key facts regarding international ski cross-

 In 2011, Audi became a title sponsor of Ski Cross World Cup. Afterward, they organized the Audi Ski Cross Tour and the Ski Cross Kids Tour throughout Europe, creating eight Audi Ski Cross Parks at major Switzerland ski resorts. Since then, ski cross courses have grown in popularity with families and kids, and Audi has plans to expand this network even further.

  •   A few examples of ski resorts with ski cross courses: Saas-Fee, Switzerland; Val Thorens, France; Sierra Nevada, Spain; San Candido, Italy; Montafon, Austria; Idre Fjäll, Switzerland; Hemsedal, Norway; Blue Mountain, Canada; Whistler-Blackcomb, Canada; Nakiska, Canada; Sunridge, Canada.
  •   The number of children involved in ski cross in Europe and Canada is growing significantly.
  •   The television broadcast of ski cross receives viewers and ratings comparable to other skidisciplines.
  •   The International Olympic Committee-sanctioned International Children ́s Winter Gamesfeatured kids ski cross.

    United States Ski Cross (USSX) has worked to develop the resources necessary for you to implement a ski cross at your resort. We offer a number of turn-key programs, resources, and support for areas that offer ski cross in their development and competition programs and to the general public.

    For more information, contact me personally at sergey@ussx.org. Faithfully yours,
    Sergey Khlop
    President United State Ski Cross (USSX)

    http://ussx.org/ sergey@ussx.org

 
Apr 20 2017
4

Woodward

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Copper held exclusive sessions for the USASA Nationals participants. USSX athletes proudly represented the equipment of our partners and sponsors – Rollerblade.

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