The Killington World Cup Foundation Awards over $270,000 in grants.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Lynn Boynton 802.770.8921 lboynton@kwcfgivesback.org

The Killington World Cup Foundation awards over $270,000 in grants to 31 nonprofits across 9 states

KILLINGTON, VT (June 28, 2023) —The Killington World Cup Foundation (KWCF) has awarded 31 grants totaling $270,000 to Northeast area nonprofits in nine states for the upcoming ski season (23/24). Grant amounts ranged from ~ $1,500 to $18,000, and all recipients are registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations or have a fiscal sponsor.

The KWCF grants were created with the aim of promoting winter sports and enriching communities. KWCF serves as a steward for this cause by providing financial assistance in various areas. In order to increase diversity and equity in sports, KWCF supports initiatives that focus on creating opportunities for underrepresented groups. This includes initiatives that help remove barriers to entry, such as providing equipment and training opportunities. Additionally, KWCF aims to create new growth opportunities in winter sports by improving safety mechanisms and infrastructure, as well as funding events that promote the sport to a wider audience. By doing so, KWCF hopes to foster a love for winter sports in individuals of all ages and backgrounds, and to promote a healthy and active lifestyle.

For instance, Mt. Abram Ski Club (MASC) partnered with Mt. Abram Ski Resort to fund a Youth Community Pass Program (YCPP) available to public school students in Maine. The

YCPP provides winter season passes to Mt. Abram for students aged 6 to 18. Although many children live near local ski areas, few have the opportunity to ski or ride without financial assistance. KWCF awarded MASC a grant to provide an even greater number of talented and deserving youth with the chance to learn or continue pursuing their love for skiing and snowboarding. MASC remarks, "The KWCF grant has provided us with the resources needed to provide access to skiing and snowboarding for the youth in

western Maine. When children are engaged in outdoor activities they are healthier and happier and become more engaged within their community and their futures."

Lebanon Outing Club also identified an opportunity to optimize their learning experience: they have a large number of beginner skiers and snowboarders (ages ranging from around 3 years to

adulthood) who are just beginning their learning process and have not yet gained the skills to safely and effectively use the surface lift and trails. To address this issue, the club sought to create a safe learning-only area that would be serviced by the installation of a "magic carpet" surface lift. They received a KWCF grant to expand and improve their magic carpet learning

program at Storrs Hill Ski Area. The magic carpet will provide affordable options for beginning skiers, expanding safe access at their base area.

Hanover's Oak Hill is a vital part of the cross-country skiing community in the Upper Valley (NH). The recent trials and tribulations of the global pandemic have only increased interest in

promoting a healthy lifestyle through sport. To cater to this increased interest in cross-country skiing, trail lights were requested for the facility. These lights will improve access to the trails for more kids to use after school in an effort to combat the early sundowns typical of New England winters. Further, the elementary and middle schools have direct trail access to the system without even setting foot on a sidewalk or a road. With a KWCF grant, we hope to maximize productive ski hours for the next generation; providing light (no pun intended) for our youth is a key ingredient to make this happen.

KWCF's contribution towards athletic excellence is also evident through the support of the New

England Nordic Ski Association (NENSA). Currently, 2,642 youths are participating in NENSA's "NENSA Nordic Rocks introductory youth XC ski program" across 28 schools in the Northeast. The Nordic Rocks (NR) program was developed to introduce a new generation of children in grades K-6 to the joy of cross country skiing. NR provides elementary school students with an opportunity to experience cross country skiing during the school day with their teachers and classmates, usually during PE class, to learn about the health and lifestyle benefits associated with exercise and outdoor fun.

KWCF's grant supports the funding of NENSA's Youth & Introductory Program Director (Y&IPD). The Y&IPD organizes and implements the Nordic Rocks (NR) program for NENSA, and supports the Bill Koch Youth Ski League, which is the next-level-up youth ski program.

The Share Winter Foundation aimed to expand its program with the Association of Africans Living in Vermont (AALV) by increasing support to 90 youths by Winter 2024. To support the existing and future programming, they planned to purchase hard and soft goods to alleviate

capacity issues and facilitate higher rates of improvement. Last year, AALV staff and youth were new to skiing and the winter sports industry; through the guidance of Share Winter, AALV is currently in year two of their 'learn to ski/snowboard program' at Sugarbush, VT, which has been wildly successful. With a KWCF grant contribution, AALV will continue to foster a sustainable future.

At KWCF, we are moved and motivated by the narratives that have been crafted and enriched through our grants. A key factor

in this has been our investment in the future of winter sports athletes in the United States. To achieve this, KWCF has provided numerous grants to stakeholders that address youth enrichment, which we understand to be paramount for creating champions. Through our fundraising efforts, we have been able to foster meaningful and tangible change for individuals, their families, and the communities that support them. KWCF recognizes

that this effort will be beneficial in a holistic manner. By increasing access and opportunities for participation in winter sports, we can create a deeper pool of athletes competing for the United States of America, ultimately leading to greater success.

A committee consisting of Tiger Shaw, CEO of Wasatch Peaks Ranch Club; Grace Macomber Bird, volunteer at the Kelly Brush Foundation; Harry Ryan, attorney at Facey, Goss & McPhee, P.C.; Victoria Hone, attorney at Facey, Goss & McPhee, P.C.; John Casella, Chairman and CEO of Casella Waste Management; Kenneth Graham, founder and Chairman of Inverness Graham and U.S. Ski & Snowboard Board of Directors; and Phill Gross, Managing Director at Adage Capital Management and U.S. Ski & Snowboard Board of Directors reviewed grant applications.

To access a list of all 2023 grant recipients, and for details on how to apply for future KWCF grants, please visit [kwcfgivesback.org].

###

About the Killington World Cup Foundation:

KWCF was created to support the Women's World Cup at Killington and to benefit local and regional youth development programs. The foundation will consider and award grants to qualifying 501(c)(3) organizations to facilitate training infrastructure in the Northeast and SARA region (ME/NH/VT/CT/NY/MA/RI/NJ/PA/NC/VA/WV), and to increase participation in competitive winter sports programs throughout the Northeast. Fundraising is a year-round effort. For more information, visit [kwcfgivesback.org](http://kwcfgivesback.org/).

165 days until Killington World Cup

Killington Resort is excited to welcome the Audi FIS Ski World Cup back to Killington, VT this Thanksgiving Weekend. The past four event years broke attendance records and sent a message loud and clear: alpine ski racing is alive and well in the East!

Grantee Story- Stride Adaptive’s Awesome Athlete Daniel Chans

I’m 16 years old. I am in 10th grade. I started with STRIDE programs in Late 2017 and still do them today. The first program I started with was swimming. I started learning how to swim when I was six in California. In late 2017, I found a program named STRIDE Swimming. Although I was practicing, I did not join the team until September 2021. My favorite Strokes are 500 Freestyle, 100 Backstroke, and 100 Breaststroke. I learned to ski with STRIDE in December 2017 and joined the ski race team 1 year later.

    What do you feel your greatest athletic achievement is – in both skiing and in swimming?

I am most proud of getting gold medal in Special Olympics. I win gold medal in Both Slalom and Giant Slalom in Special Olympics. The best achievement in swimming was one of the latest achievements which is getting first place in the 4 x 50 relay.

    What do you like about being part of a team?

I like making friends and racing against each other. Dan, my teammate in the 500-meter swim, helps me maintain a certain pace. In skiing, Noah, Matt, and my teammates help me go faster! I also like making new friends on the team.

     What else is on your radar to learn next (other sports or anything)On my radar, I was thinking about learning to snowboard. Although I have done that in the past, I have given up because I had a lot of falls at that time. We are thinking about trying to learn how to board again starting next ski season. Other things that I would want to learn how to do are terrain parks. Although I have done them in the past, I have only done the easy and wide ones. I would rather do the very narrow platforms. I also want to help teach other kids in the stride program.

     What do you see in your future?

I want to build ski lifts at ski resorts and other areas around the entire world. I am planning to expand Jiminy Peak with an expansion plan on google earth pro. I’m looking into the grades to see if the plan will work out and if I should modify the grades or not. 

Prospect Mountain receives grant from KWCF

WOODFORD — Snowmaking, trail expansion and other upgrades might be coming to the Prospect Mountain Nordic Ski Center.

The nonprofit group that owns the center has launched a $675,000 fundraising campaign for some major facility improvements — including adding snowmaking equipment. Also planned are new trail construction, improvements to existing trails and renovations to the lodge building.

According to David Newell, president of the Prospect Mountain Association, and board member David Dethier, the group has approached supporters of the association and secured pledges totaling $187,000.

In addition, the nonprofit received a challenge pledge from a leadership donor group that said it would provide a match of two to one if at least $175,000 could be raised, matching up to that amount. That will mean a $350,000 donation, Newell said.

“We have already raised more than the $175,000,” he said.

He added, “We’re calling this the Striding Forward Campaign.”

EARLIER IMPROVEMENTS

Since acquiring the nordic facility in 2018, the association has invested about $500,000 to purchase a tractor, snowmobile and trial groomer; install a new lodge septic system costing $160,000 in the environmentally sensitive area; remove a lift house and towers left over from the facility’s early days as a small downhill ski area; refurbish a second warming space on the mountain; install WiFi in the buildings; and purchase rental skies and boots.

The nordic trail system also has been improved, snowshoe and alpine touring trails were created, and summer hiking trails improved.

Dethier said that, like snowshoeing, alpine touring skiing also is increasingly popular, involving hiking up mountain trails with “skins” on skis before removing the skins to come down.

Those prior projects were largely financed through center revenue from three good skiing seasons in a row. But the planned projects “are simply too large to finance out of operating revenue yet too important to ignore,” according to a fundraising brochure prepared by the association. The brochure will soon be mailed to potential donors.

PLANNED IMPROVEMENTS

The association board members said this week that proposed new trail construction and related improvements are expected to cost about $325,000 and will include a 3.7-kilometer trail primarily for racing, as well as an extension of the trail system in an area away from the lodge building.

They said expansion of the trail options will have the added benefit of freeing up areas around the lodge when nordic competitions are in progress while still providing multiple trails for recreational skiers.

The first phase of a snowmaking system is being designed for trails around the base lodge, and is estimated to cost about $300,000.

The goal, Dethier said, is to install a water delivery in that section of the nordic center, with plans to expand that area in a later project.

Maps of the Prospect trail system and the proposed snowmaking site are posted on the center’s website.

PURCHASED IN 2018

The nonprofit association formed among longtime Prospect skiers and other enthusiasts when former owners Steve Whitham and Andrea Amodeo decided it was time to sell Prospect Mountain after 26 years. They had converted Prospect from a small alpine ski area with T-bars and a rope tow, which dated to the 1930s, to nordic skiing during the 1990s.

A fund drive was launched in 2018 by the association and money was raised from major donors and the general public — the effort benefiting from the wide network of former high school and college skiers, their relatives, coaches and family members.

The 155-acre facility off Route 9 in Woodford was purchased in September 2018 for $900,000.

The wide Prospect supporter base the group appealed to included current and former Mount Anthony Union High School skiers and those from many other high schools in the region, such as from Mt. Greylock Regional High School, in Williamstown, Mass., which like MAUHS, sent nordic teams there to train.

Other teams from around Vermont and nearby states also have participated in school competitions at Prospect over the years and donations were received from among those participants.

WILLIAMS ALUMNI

The Williams College connection to Prospect has been a strong one and remains so, Newell and Dethier said.

Alumni of the college who had traveled to Prospect to train for competitions or for winter carnival events were among the principal donors during the purchase.

Alumni provided $450,000 for that purpose, Newell said at the time.

The college is “very interested in the viability of Prospect because their [nordic] team trains there,” said Dethier, who is a retired Williams College professor.

In addition, younger skiers from around the region had participated in Bill Koch League programs at Prospect, providing additional potential supporters, the association said.

A $285,000 grant received toward the purchase through the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board was contingent upon approval of a preservation easement for the higher mountain portion of the property. The group worked with the Vermont Land Trust, which oversaw placing the required conservation easement on the higher-elevation land.

Whitham remained on after the purchase as manager of the nordic center.

ECONOMIC IMPACT

Prospect Mountain has had many successful seasons with natural snow, the board members said, but climate change has made it increasingly difficult to plan an event for multiple school teams — such as the Vermont nordic championships or the recent Massachusetts high school championships, which brought about 18 teams from that state to Prospect Mountain.

Part of the impetus for purchasing and preserving the area from development was to secure a valuable recreation resource that is also a proven driver of the local economy.

Newell said area hotels, restaurants and other businesses benefit during large nordic or snowshoe racing events from the influx of hundreds of student athletes, their parents and friends, many of whom spend time here before and after the competitions.

He added that Prospect also has season ticket-holders from around the New England states and New York.

KWCF awards $289,000 in grants

The Killington World Cup Foundation Awards over $289,000 in Grants to         31 Nonprofits Across the Northeast

The Killington World Cup Foundation (KWCF) awarded 31 grants totaling $289,000 to Northeast area nonprofits in eight states. KWCF also donated $160,000 to support athlete housing at the Killington Cup. These grants were made possible as a result of the 2021 Homelight Killington Cup. In the last four years KWCF has donated almost $2,000,000 in incremental resources to the winter sports infrastructure and youth snow sport programs in the region. 

The Killington World Cup Foundation grants ranged from $1,500 to $25,000. All of the grant recipients are registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations or have a fiscal sponsor. Awarded projects included:  supporting and expanding youth community snowsport  programs in rural North Carolina and Maine, helping to grow the program for the Share Winter/Association of Africans living in Vermont, and providing trail expansion and equipment for Nordic, Adaptive, Alpine, Snowboarding and Ski Jumping youth organizations. Over half of this year’s grantees are new to the Killington World Cup Foundation. Grants were awarded June 15, 2022 and funding begins September 15, 2022.

“The KWCF is critical to not only the success of the Killington World Cup events each year, but it has changed the lives of so many young ski racers across the Northeast with its goal of

benefitting local and regional youth development programs. KWCF continues to provide

opportunity and critical help to clubs to help them support the dreams of their athletes,” states Doug Lewis.

“Thank you so much for the generous grant! We look forward to continuing our work to support local children in our area and providing access to snow sports. This would not be possible without the support of KWCF.” - 2022 Grantee

“Thank you very much for the terrific news on our grant from KWCF supporting Phase 2 of the Andover Outing Club’s year-round Ski Jumping Initiative! That’s a huge help as we continue to move forward and gain momentum with Phase 2. This initiative is so important to our youth ski jumpers here in the northeast!” 

Grant applications were reviewed by a committee that included: Tiger Shaw, CEO Wasatch Peaks Ranch Club; Tom Karam, founder of T2 Foundation and a U.S. Ski & Snowboard trustee; Grace Macomber Bird, Volunteer, Kelly Brush Foundation; Harry Ryan, Facey, Goss & McPhee, P.C.; Victoria Hone,Facey, Goss & McPhee, P.C;  John Casella, Chairman and CEO of Casella Waste Management; Kenneth Graham, Founder and Chairman of Inverness Graham and U.S. Ski & Snowboard Board of Directors; and Phill Gross, Managing Director, Adage Capital Management and U.S. Ski & Snowboard Board of Directors.

A list of all of 2022’s grant recipients as well as details for organizations interested in applying for future KWCF grants can be found at kwcfgivesback.org.

KWCF awards $228K in grants

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:  Lynn Boynton802.770.8921lboynton@kwcfgivesback.org

The Killington World Cup Foundation Awards Over $225,000 in Grants to 21 Nonprofits Across the Northeast 

Killington World Cup Foundation Supports Programs Seeking to Increase Winter Sports Participation for Youth Throughout the Northeast and to Improve Competition & Training Infrastructure

KILLINGTON, VT (October 1, 2020) -- The Killington World Cup Foundation (KWCF) recently awarded 21 grants totaling $228,000 to Northeast area nonprofits in eight states through a competitive grant opportunity. Combined with matching funds and multi-year grant commitments, the KWCF’s effort will contribute more than $400,000 in resources to winter sports infrastructure in the region. These grants were made possible as a result of the 2019 Homelight Killington Cup event.

The KWCF grants ranged from $1,000 to $25,000. All of the grant recipients are registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations or have a fiscal sponsor. Awarded projects include trail expansion and equipment for various racing venues in New York, Vermont, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, District of Columbia and North Carolina, participation scholarships for adaptive, Nordic and alpine programs in Maine, Vermont and Massachusetts, a Learn to Ski program in Vermont and Maine, and, for the first time, two ski jumping foundations. Grants were awarded and funding began September 15, 2020. All awarded projects hope to begin during the 2020 calendar year, but may be delayed with Covid- 19 restrictions. 

 “We are incredibly grateful for the generous financial support from the Killington World Cup Foundation.  This grant will enable Youth Enrichment Services and New England Disabled Sports to serve an estimated 100 youth with disabilities this winter in our Adaptive YETTI (Youth Excel Through Tailored Instruction) Program,” said Bryan Van Dorpe, Executive Director of Youth Enrichment Services.  “Youth with a variety of disabilities will have the opportunity to participate in this specialized alpine skiing/snowboarding program.  Two years ago, KWCF provided initial funding for what was a pilot adaptive ski/snowboard program.  I am thrilled to report that the program, as well as our partnership with NEDS, has flourished thanks to the vision and support of the foundation!”

Mountain Alliance App Development Program is an affordable and successful means to introduce teens to snow sports who would most likely never have the opportunity. “Students appreciated having the opportunity to visit Appalachian Ski Mountain multiple times, They felt like they were able to more effectively build on their skills and become more comfortable on the mountain. Being able to visit several times across a few weeks gave students something to look forward to, allowed them time to reflect on their skills, and helped them grow more quickly than just attending a single night event. This program helped students realize their love of skiing and gave them more confidence to go out on their own and continue to pursue the sport,” said Rachel Whitmer, Coordinator, Mountain Alliance.  

“When making the decision to host the World Cup, one of the objectives was to give back to the athletic community in the area,” said Herwig Demshar, Senior Vice President of International Business Development at POWDR, Killington Resort’s parent company. “This partnership has proven an effective way to give directly to supporting young, aspiring skiers and snowboarders who are the future competitors and supporters of the sport.”

Grant applications were reviewed by a committee that included: Tiger Shaw, CEO of the U.S. Ski & Snowboard; Tom Karam, founder of T2 Foundation and a U.S. Ski & Snowboard trustee; Tao Smith, Head of School at Gould Academy; Grace Macomber Bird, Volunteer, Kelly Brush Foundation; Harry Ryan, Facey, Goss & McPhee, P.C.; John Casella, Chairman and CEO of Casella Waste Management; Kenneth Graham, Founder and Chairman of Inverness Graham and U.S. Ski & Snowboard Board of Directors; and Phill Gross, Managing Director, Adage Capital Management and U.S. Ski & Snowboard Board of Directors.

Read the shout out from Matt Pepin It's all Downhill from here

Tuesday, October 1 | Follow Matt Pepin on TwitterBACK IN ACTIONIt's been a while.

The last edition of It's All Downhill came out March 8, the final installment in a sporadic year for the newsletter. A new high-responsibility, high-stress, high-anxiety position at the Globe (I now run the sports department) left me with little time to write about skiing, something I've done the past several years for the Globe on my own time as a matter of personal interest.

The new job also cut sharply into my skiing time, leaving me with less to write about anyway. In the 2017-18 season, I logged 13 ski days. Last year, I had six, all thoroughly enjoyable but a far cry from recent years.

I'm not bellyaching. I know what I signed up for, and needed the first year on the job to gain a certain level of comfort, and also get our department up to full staff.

We're there now, and I'm feeling more comfortable at work, and I'm feeling pretty good about my ski outlook for the 2019-20 season. I've been planning my annual getaway with a friend, talking with my family about possible trips and our gear needs for the new season, and secretly plotting individual getaways because I love skiing alone.

The newsletter format may have to change a bit —some weeks may be only a collection of links to news, videos, and other snowsports content I come across. But other weeks will continue to have personal essays or real reports from the mountains or the New England ski scene. I'll shoot for more consistency with weekly or bi-weekly sends of It's All Downhill.

Ski season is almost here. The cold wind that blew off Boston Harbor as I walked to the train station one day last week was a sure sign that winter is coming. I received a print copy of Ski Magazine in the mail. I paused on my way to TD Garden this week to gaze through the window of The Ski Monster shop on Canal Street, daydreaming of the approaching season.

Hopefully it's better than last year.

If you enjoy It's All Downhill, please encourage a friend to sign up, too. CLICKING INMARK YOUR CALENDAR: The Boston.com Ski & Snowboard Expo is Nov. 14-17 at the Seaport World Trade Center in Boston. Next year, the event moves to Boston's Hynes Convention Center. Sign up for the expo's mailing list to receive discount ticket offers and the latest details.

PASS PLAY: The latest entry in the multi-resort ski pass game is the $199 Indy Pass, which provides up to 72 days of skiing/riding at 36 independently owned ski areas in North America, including six in New England. Many of the locations in the Eastern Region are on the smaller side, although it does include Vermont's Magic Mountain and Bolton Valley. Ski Magazine had a good story about the pass when it was introduced in August.

AN INTERESTING FELLOW: The story that intrigued me most in Ski Magazine's gear issue that recently landed in my mailbox had nothing to do with gear. Jenny Wiegand's profile of 68-year-old billy barr , who lives in the Colorado ghost town of Gothic and spells his name all lowercase, was fascinating. In addition to skiing — he sometimes skis 4 miles to a bus stop so he can go shopping — barr spends his winters observing the weather and tracking weather data in virtual isolation.

GIVING BACK: The Killington World Cup Foundation, which provides support for the women's World Cup event each November in Vermont and provides funding for competitive snowsports programs in the Northeast/mid-Atlantic regions, has given more than a quarter-million dollars to nonprofit organizations for development programs. Details can be found on the foundation's website, and tickets for the World Cup Nov. 29-Dec. 1 are on sale now.

QUITE AN HONOR: Buck Hill, the small Minnesota ski area where American ski racing legend Lindsey Vonn got her start, named a rope tow in her honor this week. "Kildow's Climb" — she was known as Lindsey Kildow back then — will include signs along the way that tell her story.

INDOOR SKIING? An indoor ski slope in New Jersey at the American Dream complex is set to open in late October. The people behind it say up front they are not trying to replicate the outdoor experience, and also view it as a gateway facility to get more people involved in skiing and snowboarding. Honestly, it sounds like something that might be fun once. NJ.com has a closer look at "Big Snow America."

QUICK-HITS: The Boston Bruins' "Skate and Ski" promo is back, a $99 deal that includes a ticket to select games and a lift ticket at Loon ... Here are a whole bunch of trailers for this season's ski films from the major filmmakers ... Here's a list of who will be inducted into the Vermont Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame this year ... Here is Ski Magazine's "Gear of the Year" from the 2020 equipment issue.

Dublin School gets grant from KWCF

Dublin School gets lighting grant

By ABBE HAMILTON

Monadnock Ledger-Transcript

Trails at the Dublin School’s Nordic ski center will light up this year thanks to a grant from the Killington World Cup Foundation. According to the granters, the trail lighting project was funded because of Dublin School’s efforts in combining rigorous academics with competitive sports and spending time outdoors. The Foundation awarded the grants on June 15.

Brad Bates, Head of Dublin School, said the trail lighting would be used as needed, during the school team’s practices late in the fall, as well as for people who want to ski after work and before dinner, and for the community night race series. What had the team used before?

“ A lot of headlamps. Occasionally we'd put out construction lights. This is a lot safer,” he said on Tuesday.

Peter Imhoff, CFO for the school, said the low-voltage LED light posts stand about seven feet off the ground at the planning board meeting on Sept. 5. At that meeting, Planning Board member Caleb Niemala pointed out that the additional lumens on the trails would be minimal compared to existing campus lighting. It was also noted that the lights would be situated away from roads and neighbors.

Bates emphasized that the school was invested in minimizing light pollution, in part due to potential interference with the campus observatory. “They’re nothing like alpine lighting,” he said, “It's actually quite beautiful.” He likened the light’s effect to having a light at the end of a driveway, and said they would be spaced in 150 foot intervals down the trail. He said the school would attempt to install as many lights as they could before the upcoming Nordic season.

The Killington World Cup Foundation (formerly known as the Killington World Cup Committee) was established to support the women’s World Cup at Killington, Vermont, and benefit local and regional youth development programs that help young athletes thrive in the sport.

New Alpine Competition and Safety Consultant position

BURLINGTON, Vt. (April 9, 2018) – The Kelly Brush Foundation and U.S. Ski & Snowboard have teamed up to create a new Alpine Competition and Safety Consultant position to serve as a national resource regarding issues of safety in alpine ski racing. The Alpine Competition and Safety Consultant will provide guidance and share best-practices that ski clubs can implement to improve safety for athletes as they compete and train.  

The Kelly Brush Foundation and U.S. Ski & Snowboard have retained Paul Van Slyke of Lake Placid to be the first Alpine Competition and Safety Consultant. He will be a resource for both organizations, specifically providing guidance to the Kelly Brush Foundation and to U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s alpine community. Van Slyke has more than 30 years experience in alpine sport as an event organizer, program director, coach and official. He presently serves as an International Ski Federation (FIS) technical delegate (TD) commissioner representing U.S. Ski & Snowboard with the FIS. Van Slyke has served as a competition jury member at competitions ranging from Olympic Winter Games, World Cups, and Nor Am Cups to grassroots alpine racing competitions in New York and Vermont.

The new role of Alpine Competition and Safety Consultant will help produce educational resources and provide guidance on safety and venue improvement practices. The Kelly Brush Foundation and U.S. Ski & Snowboard are committed to supporting programs, coaches, and stakeholders at all levels of the sport with the resources they need to provide elite venues for their athletes. The position is jointly funded by U.S. Ski & Snowboard and the Kelly Brush Foundation with help from a grant by the Killington World Cup Committee.

“This partnership will allow us to address some of the concerns we hear from programs and venues around the country,” said Zeke Davisson, Executive Director of the Kelly Brush Foundation. “Together with U.S. Ski & Snowboard we will be able to provide the resources to programs, coaches, officials, volunteers, parents, and racers at all levels of alpine ski racing more effectively than either organization could do alone.”

The Kelly Brush Foundation was founded after Kelly Brush suffered a life-changing spinal cord injury while ski racing. The foundation is committed to protecting the next generation of skiers from experiencing avoidable injuries. The Kelly Brush Foundation provides grant assistance to ski racing venues in order to buy B-netting and other safety equipment as well as undertake venue safety improvement measures such as trail widening.

Tiger Shaw, president and CEO of U.S. Ski & Snowboard, was a major advocate for the new position and helped to develop the responsibilities of the alpine competition and safety consultant within the alpine community.

“We are proud to work with the Kelly Brush Foundation to create the alpine competition and safety consultant position,” said Shaw. “Paul will be a resource for venues around the country, helping to drive the message that while our sports are inherently dangerous, we can still take steps to minimize risk while creating the best possible environment for our athletes to succeed.”

“This is an outstanding opportunity for our sport to reach a deeper audience in educating about alpine safety,” said Van Slyke. “This relationship will allow us to engage programs, organizers, coaches and resorts as a resource to provide education and awareness about best practices in alpine safety.”

About Kelly Brush Foundation
The Kelly Brush Foundation is a dynamic and growing Burlington, Vermont-based non-profit inspiring and empowering people with spinal cord injuries to be active and working closely with the alpine ski racing community to improve safety. The Kelly Brush Foundation was founded in 2006 by Kelly and her family after Kelly sustained a spinal cord injury while racing in an NCAA alpine ski race.

About U.S. Ski & Snowboard
U.S. Ski & Snowboard is the Olympic sports organization based in Park City, Utah, providing leadership and direction for elite athletes competing at the highest level worldwide and for tens of thousands of young skiers and snowboarders in the USA, encouraging and supporting all its athletes in achieving excellence wherever they train and compete. By empowering national teams, clubs, coaches, parents, officials, volunteers and fans, U.S. Ski & Snowboard is committed to the progression of its sports, athlete success and the value of team. One of the oldest and most established sports organizations worldwide, directly tracing its roots back to 1905, U.S. Ski & Snowboard receives no direct government support, operating solely through private donations from individuals, corporations and foundations to fund athletic programs that directly assist athletes in reaching their dreams.

KWCF gives out over $250,000 in Grants

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:  Lynn Boynton
802.770.8921
lboynton@kwcfgivesback.org

The Killington World Cup Foundation awards over $250,000 in grants to 22 nonprofits across the Northeast 

KILLINGTON, VT. (August 19, 2019) -- The Killington World Cup Foundation (KWCF) formerly the Killington World Cup Committee recently awarded 22 grants totaling $252,000 to Northeast area nonprofits in seven states through a competitive grant opportunity, according to a press release August 19th. KWCF supports programs seeking to increase winter sports participation for youth throughout the Northeast and to improve competition and training infrastructure. Combined with matching funds and multi-year grant commitments, the KWCF’s effort  will contribute more than $400,000 in resources to winter sports infrastructure in the region. 

These grants were made possible as a result of the 2018 Killington Women’s World Cup event.

"The Dublin School Nordic Center is humbled by the Killington World Cup Foundation’s generous grant to support our efforts to provide outstanding cross country skiing free of charge for our surrounding communities,” said Brad Bates, head of the Dublin School in New Hampshire and also head Nordic ski coach. “We have begun the process of adding snowmaking and lights to our FIS homologated race course so that skiers of all ages can have access to skiing during periods when there is little natural snow or daylight. We believe that skiing is a lifelong sport that contributes to healthy and happy communities. We appreciate the Killington World Cup Foundation’s willingness to partner with us in making skiing more accessible to all generations of skiers in New England."

“Our goal is to support those organizations who want to see our young athletes in the Northeast thrive and become life-long participants in winter sports,” said Phill Gross, KWCF board member and U.S. Ski & Snowboard trustee. “It is critical to support these programs in order to encourage and grow participants in winter sports and to support the dreams and aspirations of young athletes. The women on the World Cup circuit are incredible role models, and we are excited to have their visit to Killington for the World Cup lead to an opportunity to grow and enhance winter sports programs in the region.”

The KWCF grants ranged from $1,000 to $25,000. Awarded projects include trail expansion and equipment for various racing venues in New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and North Carolina, participation scholarships for adaptive, Nordic and alpine programs in Maine, Vermont and Massachusetts, a Learn to Ski program in Vermont and Maine; and the expansion of adaptive learn-to-ski programs in Massachusetts, just to name a few.

Funding began June 15, 2019. All awarded projects will begin during the 2019 calendar year and all grant recipients are registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations or have a fiscal sponsor. 

Grant applications were reviewed by a committee that included: Tiger Shaw, CEO of the U.S. Ski & Snowboard; Tom Karam, founder of T2 Foundation and a U.S. Ski & Snowboard trustee; Tao Smith, Head of School at Killington Mountain School and VARA President; Grace Macomber Bird, Volunteer, Kelly Brush Foundation; Harry Ryan, Facey, Goss & McPhee, P.C.,  John Casella, Chairman and CEO of Casella Waste Management, Kenneth Graham, Founder and Chairman of Inverness Graham and U.S. Ski & Snowboard Board of Directors and Gross.

“We are grateful to KWCF for their generous grant establishing the KWCF Race Program Scholarship, said Chris Adams, President Woodstock Ski Runners. “This scholarship provides an opportunity that would not otherwise exist for young athletes from our Friday Program to join one of our race programs and experience ski racing in the mid-Vermont council.” 

Willow Clifford was the first KWCF race program scholarship award winner. 

“The amount of growth in Willow’s skiing ability and the friendships she has made surpassed any expectations we had of this experience,” said Emma Clifford, Willow’s mother. It was a joy to witness my daughter complete her first competitive ski race successfully, and from there continue to flourish and enjoy the sport with her team. Willow has become a more confident and capable skier with only one season of the WSR Program under her belt, and that is all thanks to the generosity of the KWCF scholarship and Woodstock Ski Runners,” she added.

A list of all of 2019’s grant recipients as well as details for organizations interested in applying for future KWCF grants can be found at kwcfgivesback.org.

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About the Killington World Cup Foundation

KWCF was created to support the Women's World Cup at Killington and to benefit local and regional youth development programs. KWCF will consider and award grants to qualifying 501(c)(3) organizations to facilitate training infrastructure in the Northeast and SARA region (ME/NH/VT/CT/NY/MA/RI/NJ/PA/NC,VA,WV) and to increase participation in competitive winter sports programs throughout the Northeast. Fundraising is a year-round effort, with an emphasis on VIP sponsorships during the 2019 FIS Women’s World Cup at Killington Resort in November. For more information, visit kwcfgivesback.org.