There is no simple or single solution to creating a more accessible sport, reducing costs and enhancing performance. 

The Health of Sport Task Force (HOS) is the creation of the Alpine Sport Committee (ASC) established during the US Ski and Snowboard (USSS) Congress in the spring of 2019. The task assigned to the HOS is to examine the health of ski racing in the United States. The HOS then provides recommendations to the ASC and its subcommittees. Chaired by incoming ASC Chairperson Karen Ghent, the committee comprises sport professionals, USSS staff,  former athletes, parents and volunteers. These members represent all parts of the country, various types of programs, numerous ASC committees and the ski and resort industry. 

Progress has been slow, but there are areas of consensus. The HOS produced its findings and recommendations in a white paper and a “Sport Structure Addendum.” These documents are available here and were originally distributed last spring.

The positive thing is that the Health of Sport is becoming part of our national conversation. At this year’s USSS Congress nearly every alpine subcommittee and working group meeting referenced the Health of Sport during their debates on new initiatives and proposals. 

Mixed results for proposals

An athlete-driven proposal, initiated two years ago, not allowing wax benches at the start to reduce over-professionalization has already made a positive impact. During the most recent Congress ASC member Breezy Johnson offered another athlete-driven proposal that would provide need-based support for race entry fees. Additionally, Development Subcommittee Member Joe Paul proposed capping entry fees and lodging costs at championship events. The ASC has tabled both proposals.

Some recently approved proposals will increase the cost

However, several approved changes from the spring meetings will increase the cost of ski racing. USSS announced an increase in competitor license fees and a 20% increase in national head taxes on scored races. Also, the FIS TD working group approved a 50% increase in per diems for TDs officiating FIS races. Obviously, both the head tax and per diem increases escalate the cost of hosting races. Consequently, the additional costs will eventually be passed down to athletes through increased entry fees.

Central Division recently increased FIS entry fees by 25% to $50. Most of the increase was a doubling of the divisional head tax. We will likely see similar entry fee increases across the country. For all our conversations about the health of the sport, it feels like we’re moving in the other direction. 

Drop in the bucket mentality will not solve cost issues

Whenever Health of Sport initiatives are introduced, the response is often that the impact on expenses is a “drop in the bucket” and won’t make a difference. This attitude is part of the problem. The leaks are everywhere. Stopping a single one of them will not make a difference. However, examining and committing to reform in every corner of the sport and pipeline will make a significant impact. While many agree there’s a problem, it is difficult to look past the impact on ourselves, our programs and our division or region to think about the overall good of the sport. Solving this will take significant changes throughout every area of ski racing. 

Blame game

Right now, we are in the phase of playing the blame game. Everyone points everywhere else to solve the problem. Resorts and manufacturers should reduce their prices, USSS should provide more support, clubs should provide more scholarships and sponsors should do more. We need to begin looking inwards to see what each of us and our organizations can contribute to the solutions. 

Considering alternative systems

This past spring, a joint roundtable of the Health of Sport task force and Development Subcommittee of the ASC was conducted with presenting coaches who are familiar with the alpine sport structure in France, Austria and Norway. The discussion included club costs and structures, competition pipelines, qualification procedures,  equipment, entry fee and lift ticket costs, etc. What became very clear is that the price of ski racing in each of these countries is a fraction of what we experience in North America. Part of it is the geographic differences, public funding of schools accommodating the needs of ski racing athletes and municipal support for local clubs. However, explaining why a typical club program costs the equivalent of $200-300 and entry fees are free or top out at about $12 is much more complicated.

When considering the performance of these nations at the elite level, contrary to what one might expect, compared to the US, at the club level, the sport is less professionally run, not more. School-based sports do not exist. It is the clubs that organize all the varieties of sports. Clubs rely on limited professional staff and more parent volunteers, similar to our Little League baseball and Pop Warner football. Interestingly, athlete-to-coach ratios are generally higher than ours. Also, there is a selection process for athletes to attend academies offering specialized programs. And by design, the academies’ systems seek to identify when racers are ready to advance through the levels of competition. They place a significant emphasis on making sure athletes are attending ability-appropriate races.

Systems that fund athletes

Entry fees and lift tickets are free or of nominal cost. In some cases, the athlete’s club pays the fees. In others, the region pays when it sends its qualified athletes out of their home area to compete. Additionally, the national federations sometimes contribute funding to event expenses to reduce the financial burden of the organizing club. Local clubs find sponsors in the community to help offset the event cost for the athletes and sometimes secure discounted accommodations for visiting athletes. In other words, the system funds the athletes. 

A look into entry fees

By comparison, we customarily pay much higher entry fees. Several years ago, Bill Brooks, the chairperson of the Regional Subcommittee of the ASC, surveyed the country’s entry fees and lift ticket costs. He found a wide variety of both fees and how race hosts determine them.  Some include lift tickets; some do not. However, all entries include a national head tax and most include either regional or divisional head taxes or both. These head taxes go to a variety of places to help fund the infrastructure of ski racing. Funds flow to the national organization, regional and divisional organizations and club costs. The remainder goes to the race organizer to help with expenses. Only a fraction of entry fees goes towards the direct cost of hosting the event. In other words, the athletes fund the system. 

Comparing ski racing with tennis and golf

Ski racing is not unlike other individual sports like golf and tennis. All of these sports have historically attracted a more affluent and less diverse demographic. Interestingly, both golf and tennis are actively working to increase accessibility to offset an aging participant base.

For example, USTA has eliminated the membership cost for junior competitors as stated on their website: “Get access to play in USTA leagues and tournaments and qualify for a rating or ranking. Now, juniors can become members at no cost.”

In golf, the AJGA announced in February of this year it had reduced fees, “In an effort to be more accessible,  affordable, and inclusive, the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) is reducing Junior Membership,  Qualifier, and Preview fees by nearly 10% in 2022 with plans for further reductions over the next several years. The fee reduction is part of a larger plan by the AJGA to remove entry barriers into competitive junior golf.”

Again, it appears ski racing is heading in a different direction. 

A need to participate in solutions

We must examine how we run our sport. Is everything we are doing necessary and are we doing everything necessary? Are we providing an excellent sport experience for all participants? What are we doing to be more accessible to the broader community? Are we producing Olympic performances that grab attention and broaden our appeal?

We all have a role to play. Positive change isn’t something someone else will do for us. Every one of us who participates in the sport, whether involved in the governance of our snow sport clubs or academies, working as a sport professional, or volunteering time or money, must pull together to realize the full potential of ski racing. When we do so, ski racing will be the great activity we all know it is for more of our kids. We will then consistently realize our potential to be the world’s most successful ski racing nation. Completing this virtuous cycle will propel us forward.

Change is hard, but business as usual won’t do it. 

Next in the series, the subjects will be strategies and solutions. We will all need to adjust and suffer some pain when we seek meaningful reform.