Sasha Rearick is stepping into one of the broadest and most influential jobs in American alpine ski racing.
As the new Borgen Family Alpine Director for U.S. Ski & Snowboard, Rearick now helps oversee and align a system stretching from the Stifel U.S. Ski Team World Cup programs to Europa Cup, NorAm, Regional Development Program athletes, FIS racing, clubs, academies, universities, age-class racing and pre-FIS development.
The position has been vacant for several seasons. Now, with long-term support from ski racing benefactor Erik Borgen helping stabilize the role through the 2030 Olympic cycle, Rearick enters a position that will influence staffing structures, athlete pathways, coach education, development philosophy and the long-term direction of U.S. alpine skiing.
Olympic dreams, World Cup pressure and long development pathways still belong to athletes and coaches across the country. Rearick’s responsibility is different. Instead, his task is to help connect these elements into a healthier, more aligned system.
“This role is about helping connect and align the entire alpine system — from grassroots skiing all the way to the World Cup level,” Rearick said. “My responsibility is to help build a clear structure, strong communication and a shared vision across all levels of the sport.”
Why the role matters now
Rearick does not describe the position with sweeping promises or quick fixes. Instead, he repeatedly returned to the same themes throughout the conversation: continuity, communication, belief and the daily process of improvement.
“Long term, success comes from building healthy pathways, developing great coaches, creating strong environments, and helping athletes grow step by step through the system,” Rearick said.
A difficult balancing act lies at the center of the role.
An alpine director must help high-performance teams chase World Cup success while also understanding the foundations of the sport. Strong elite programs cannot exist without healthy clubs, motivated young athletes, experienced coaches and sustainable development environments throughout the country.
For Rearick, American ski racing works best when every element feels more connected.
“A major part of the role is creating alignment: alignment in language, in development philosophy, in planning, and in the way we support athletes and staff,” Rearick said. “At the same time, I want to make sure we continue to empower creativity and individuality within programs and regions.”
Why continuity matters at the World Cup level
Continuity can be difficult to build in modern World Cup skiing, where coaching changes, travel demands and short-term pressure often push programs toward constant adjustment rather than long-term development.
In Rearick’s view, stability matters because sustainable progress becomes difficult when staffs and structures constantly change.
“One of the first priorities has been working closely with the national teams to ensure we have the right structure and continuity moving forward over the next several years,” Rearick said.
He pointed to the women’s World Cup program as an example of what long-term consistency can create.
“When you look at the success of the women’s program, a big part of that comes from strong people working together consistently over time — learning, refining, and improving every year,” Rearick said.
Meanwhile, the men’s side has experienced more turnover in recent seasons. Building sustainable progress at the World Cup level becomes difficult when staffs and structures change too frequently.
“On the men’s side, there has been more turnover, which makes it difficult to build continuity and long-term progress,” Rearick said.
Much of Rearick’s first year will focus on leadership structures, communication and stronger alignment across the different elements of the alpine system.
The work stretches from the World Cup, Europa Cup and NorAm levels outward to clubs, academies, regions and universities.
“A large amount of time will go into building strong leadership structures, improving communication, and helping connect the different layers of the system,” Rearick said.
Building stability within the national teams
Listening will remain crucial to that process as well.
“I also want to spend significant time listening, learning, and understanding where people believe we can improve,” Rearick said.
Rearick’s role will influence the Stifel U.S. Ski Team, but not by replacing the work of head coaches or discipline coaches.
Instead, his leadership philosophy centers on support rather than control.
“I believe in empowering staff with balance of authority and responsibility,” Rearick said.
Head coaches and discipline coaches will continue directing the daily operation of their programs. Rearick sees his role as helping that staff work inside a stronger long-term structure.
“With strong leadership in place, my role becomes more about helping connect the system so everyone is pulling in the same direction,” Rearick said.
Rearick identified three immediate areas of focus within the high-performance environment:
- Creating a common vocabulary for teaching skiing
- Building a long-term rhythm planned and communicated 12 to 18 months ahead
- Improving collaboration with partners
Race-day results still matter, especially at the World Cup and Olympic levels. However, Rearick wants athletes, coaches and support staff operating with greater clarity long before the season begins.
“I also want to support our head coaches through discussion, perspective, and collaboration so we continue making better decisions and improving how we communicate and operate together,” Rearick said.
Different leadership roles, different timelines
At the same time, Rearick believes coaching roles naturally operate on different timelines.
Assistant coaches remain highly present in the daily environment with athletes. Discipline coaches often think weeks or months ahead. Head coaches tend to focus further into the future.
As alpine director, Rearick believes his responsibility must stretch even further.
“As alpine director, my responsibility will shift, focused on the longer-term picture — roughly nine to eighteen months ahead,” Rearick said.
That broader perspective shapes how he approaches leadership.
“It starts with setting clear expectations and behaviors while encouraging freedom of expression and creativity,” Rearick said.
Rather than implementing rigid control, Rearick wants the system to operate at a simple pace: Plan, Do, Review.
The goal is to create a structure that allows coaches to operate independently while remaining aligned as a national program.
The challenge of building a stronger pathway
American alpine skiing still asks a fundamental question: how to best transition athletes from domestic and development racing into consistent World Cup performers.
For decades, U.S. athletes have proven they can produce elite results. Building depth throughout the pipeline has been far more difficult.
“It is critical that we have strong programming elements at the World Cup, Europa Cup, and NorAm levels,” Rearick said.
“There are many pathways to reaching the World Cup, but most successful systems move progressively through these stages.”
Rearick sees an opportunity to strengthen the connection between the Regional Development Program (RDP) and Europa Cup levels in particular.
“One major opportunity is improving the connection between the RDP and Europa Cup levels,” Rearick said.
In addition, he wants stronger communication between national staff and the broader ski racing community through webinars, educational calls and regular touchpoints.
“These regular touchpoints can help strengthen communication, build belief, and create stronger relationships across the country,” Rearick said.
Connecting NorAm to the World Cup
Rearick has already spent significant time evaluating those transitions. One concern stood out immediately.
“One thing that stood out to me was that parts of our system lacked belief that they truly belonged and could succeed at the next level,” Rearick said.
In Rearick’s view, difficult transitions are necessary for growth.
“Yes, stepping up is difficult — but those hard and uncomfortable transitions are exactly what help athletes and coaches grow,” Rearick said.
At the same time, he wants athletes challenged often enough to continue adapting without creating scattered development.
He described competition schedules through three broad categories:
- Approximately 60% “home series” races where athletes learn consistency
- Around 20% “reach” races that push athletes beyond their comfort zone
- Approximately 20% “podium series” opportunities where athletes learn how to win and manage pressure
“One important concept is avoiding stagnation,” Rearick said. “Athletes need new challenges and environments to continue adapting and improving.”
Why the grassroots levels still matter
Elite success cannot exist without a healthy foundation.
Rearick’s early attention has focused heavily on the elite levels, but he also knows the long-term health of American ski racing depends on the systems developing athletes years before they reach NorAm, Europa Cup or World Cup start gates.
“The next step is spending more time with the RDP level to better understand the athletes, the programming, and where we can continue improving development,” Rearick said.
Staying connected to the grassroots levels
Rearick said club visits, U14 and U16 camps, and continued communication with domestic staff will help him stay connected to younger levels of the sport.
“I will continue learning directly from coaches and leaders around the country about what is working well and where they believe we can take steps forward,” Rearick said.
That listening process has already begun.
“I have been asking — and will continue asking — a lot of questions,” Rearick said. “Often those questions are very direct because I want to understand the ‘why’ behind what we are doing.”
At the grassroots level, the challenge becomes balancing elite performance with the realities facing clubs, coaches and families throughout the country.
Healthy World Cup programs cannot exist without strong development environments underneath them.
Why Rearick sees education as bigger than coaching
Rearick believes coach development must reach beyond certification systems alone.
“First, I would actually call this ‘community education,’” Rearick said.
For Rearick, the alpine community includes coaches, officials, executives, managers, parents and athletes. As a result, each group influences the direction of the sport.
“We need to align the community around where we are going, how we plan to get there, and why it matters,” Rearick said.
Expanding education across the community
Formal coach education will remain part of the long-term picture. However, Rearick also wants more immediate opportunities for learning and discussion across the country.
“Coach education can happen through many different formats and experiences,” Rearick said.
Different regions and age groups face different realities, which is why Rearick wants direct feedback from coaches nationwide.
“I’m excited to learn from coaches about the practical and simple things we can implement that will help move the system forward,” Rearick said.
Reconnecting the sport around challenge and joy
Beneath the structural discussions, Rearick repeatedly returned to something more personal: why people stay connected to ski racing in the first place.
Results still matter. Pressure does too. Yet Rearick believes athletes and coaches stay engaged long-term when they enjoy the process of improvement itself.
“We need to reconnect people with the joy of ski racing and the incredible personal growth the sport provides,” Rearick said.
In a sport built around travel, setbacks, injuries and constant evaluation, fulfillment often comes directly through the challenge itself.
“It is fun to work hard toward improvement,” Rearick said. “It is fun to be challenged just beyond your current abilities.”
Strong environments, he said, should create excitement, motivation and fulfillment.
Why storytelling matters for growth
Rearick also believes the national team plays an important role in telling stories that inspire younger athletes and coaches across the country.
“Our greatest athletes are deeply process-oriented,” Rearick said. “They love the work of improving their craft.”
Mistakes and setbacks, he added, should not automatically be viewed as failure.
“The best performers define themselves through the process rather than purely through results,” Rearick said.
At the same time, Rearick wants regions and divisions to feel empowered to experiment with new ideas that create more engaging ways for people to connect with the sport.
Why long-term stability matters
Long-term planning becomes far more realistic when leadership and funding stability exist together.
Rearick believes the support attached to the Borgen Family Alpine Director position creates an opportunity to think beyond short-term cycles.
Using stability to plan further ahead
Rearick wants a structure that fully supports the World Cup, Europa Cup and NorAm levels with the staffing and programming needed for success.
He also believes the organization must retain knowledge and learning from year to year.
“Continuity matters tremendously,” Rearick said. “There is an enormous amount of learning that happens every season, and we need to retain and build upon that learning year after year.”
At the same time, Rearick wants the alpine program to operate with a clearer long-term rhythm that allows athletes, coaches and partners to plan more effectively.
“When everyone can clearly see the plan ahead, stress decreases and people can focus more effectively on improving every day,” Rearick said.
Greater stability, he believes, also creates room for more honest evaluation and adaptation.
“Greater stability allows us to implement clear long-term strategies, evaluate them honestly over time, and continue adapting step by step as we learn and improve together,” Rearick said.
The larger challenge ahead
Rearick’s new position addresses nearly every major question facing American alpine skiing.
How does the Stifel U.S. Ski Team sustain success at the World Cup level?
How can the men’s side build greater continuity?
What must improve between NorAm, Europa Cup and the World Cup?
How can clubs, academies and regional programs feel more connected to the national system?
Reconnecting a fragmented system
Rearick is not pretending to have all the answers yet. Much of the early phase of the role will revolve around listening, evaluating and understanding where different parts of the system feel disconnected.
Still, the broader direction already appears clear.
He wants stronger communication between levels. Coaches, in his view, should stay connected around shared principles without losing individuality. Athletes also need to be challenged often enough to continue growing without becoming stagnant.
Most of all, Rearick wants American ski racing to operate more like a connected system rather than isolated pieces moving independently.
“Ultimately, this role is about building belief, strengthening community, and helping people improve every day,” Rearick said.
Reconnecting a system that stretches from local clubs to the World Cup will take years, not months. Rearick’s challenge now is turning alignment, belief and continuity from philosophy into daily reality across American ski racing.
About the Author: Peter Lange
