USCSA Welcomes New Members and Awards Outstanding Achievements

Featured Image: USCSA RMC Women’s Team. Credit: Katie Brust

Press release and images provided by: Jay Moyer USCSA

On September 4th, 2024, the United States Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association (USCSA) was excited to announce the election of several new members to its Board of Directors. They also unveiled the winners of several 2023-2024 annual awards, including Coach of the Year, Volunteer of the Year, Conference Coordinator of the Year, the Legacy of Service Award, and the Holger Petersen Volunteer Award.

Coach of the Year

The USCSA Coach of the Year is presented to the coach who, during the past season, has exemplified the qualities of a great coach in every sense of the position. For 2024, the USCSA Coach of the Year was awarded to Aaron Maas, Head Coach for Lees-McRae College’s (LMC) Ski and Snowboard Teams.

Coach Maas has led the LMU Bobcat Ski and Snowboard Teams since 2015. Since taking the head coaching job, LMC’s teams have seen consistent success at the conference, regional, and national levels, having won USCSA National Championships multiple times during his tenure. During this time, he has also grown the teams from a four member club team to a varsity level program that is formidable in every event they enter. 

“I couldn’t be more thrilled to be this year’s Coach of the Year award recipient,” said coach Maas. “There are many coaches deserving of this honor, so to be the one chosen among such an impressive field is truly special. I couldn’t have made it to this point without the support of Lees-McRae College, our wonderful community, and especially the effort of our student-athletes. With everyone’s help, we were able to earn our 10th National Title and become a varsity sport this year. The USCSA organization does a great job providing the framework to make this all possible. I’ll continue to do everything I can to help grow the sport in the Southeast.”

Volunteer of the Year

The USCSA relies on hundreds of volunteers to make its regular season, regional, and national championship competitions successful every year. Although all of these individuals are critical to the organization, occasionally one volunteer will go above and beyond others to enhance the USCSA experience for athletes and fans. This year, the 2024 Volunteer of the Year award was presented to Jerry McMurtry. 

After learning he won the award, Jerry said, “I am thrilled to win the 2024 volunteer of the year award. I have been involved with USCSA (NCSA) ski racing as a coach since 1987 (Colorado State, Montana State, and Idaho). In that period of time, I have had the pleasure to work with hundreds of students and watch them grow, change, and develop into amazing athletes and scholars.”

He continued, “My passion is to keep ski racing fun and build a community that will support the athletes through their college careers and into the future. Part of building that community is to instill a value of volunteerism where we give back to the sport, which has been so good to all of us by allowing us to ski, compete, and recreate in the most beautiful parts of the country. Whether volunteering to move snow to keep a ski area operating or building and maintaining trails for both summer and winter activities, the simple act of giving back builds a deeper bond within the community of athletes and to the groups and organizations that make our recreation and competitions possible.

“The recognition is wonderful, and I am grateful, but I would be remiss if I didn’t share it with all those team members over the years who were the volunteers and provided their effort and have now characterized in themselves the ethic of volunteerism that they take forward in making their communities better and stronger,” he concluded.

Conference Coordinator of the Year

Each of the 11 USCSA conferences is led by a Conference Coordinator, and each of them plays an integral role in the success of both their conference and the national organization. The Conference Coordinator of the Year award is given to a coordinator who goes above and beyond their typical duties to have a major impact on USCSA as a whole. This year, the award went to Doug Grayson.

Since taking over coordinator duties in the Southeast Conference 12 years ago, Doug has grown the conference and helped to turn it into one of the nation’s premier conferences for snowboard and freeski competitions. Despite the weather challenges faced by ski areas in the southeast, Doug has been able to put on high-quality events every year.

“I am honored to have received this award after 12 years of operating the Southeast Conference and am amazed by the growth of skiing and snowboarding in this region,” said Doug. “This award symbolizes the hard work put forth by many volunteers, coaches, venues, and athletes that spent so many hours making the Southeast Conference what it is today, and it would simply not be possible without them.”

Legacy of Service Award

The Legacy of Service Award was created in 2024 to recognize an individual’s unwavering dedication, tireless service, and profound impact on our organization and community. This award is presented posthumously in honor of the recipient’s selfless commitment to USCSA. Their legacy of compassion, generosity, and leadership will forever inspire and guide the USCSA and its members. For 2024, the Legacy of Service Award was given to Sam Ganow.

“Sam Ganow was a generous and caring person,” said Sarah Geiger, USCSA Executive Vice President and Allegheny Conference volunteer. “Even as a high-level official who had worked World Cup events, he would always take the time to explain anything and everything about ski racing. Whether it was how to get a timing system to work in a new venue with sometimes mismatched wires and connections, explaining the proper way to go through a combination to an inexperienced athlete, or even volunteering to pick up equipment to help run events, Sam was always happy to help us all learn more.”

She continued, “He really was focused on giving every athlete the fairest and most fun event possible. He freely shared his knowledge and passion for ski racing with everyone. He always advocated for me, not only as an athlete many years ago but more recently as I continued to advance my leadership roles within the USCSA organization. His passion and love for this sport were contagious, and while he will be greatly missed when we get back on snow, I will take the knowledge I gained from him and help others learn and grow through ski racing. I just hope to be like Sam.”

Holger Petersen Volunteer Award

The Holger Petersen Volunteer Award is presented to an individual who has served on the Board of Directors or as a voting member for a minimum of six years and has made a significant contribution to the Board with a positive effect. This award was last presented in 2017, and nominees must be approved by the USCSA Board of Directors, representing the significance of the award to the organization. For 2024, the Holger Petersen Volunteer Award was given to Jenna Ude.

Jenna began her involvement with the USCSA as an athlete for the University of Minnesota Duluth’s alpine ski team. After graduating, she became an integral volunteer for the USCSA’s Midwest Conference. In 2008 she was elected to be treasurer of the USCSA, a position she held until she stepped aside in 2024. Fully immersing herself in the organization, she is also Co-Director of National Championships, chair of the Finance and Nominations and Awards Committees, and a member of the National Office Committee.

“I am truly honored to be the recipient of the USCSA Holger Petersen Volunteer Award,” said Jenna. “USCSA is such an important part of my life and has given me so much more than I could ever contribute in return. This award represents a collective effort put forward by an amazing team of people that I am so lucky to be a part of.”

For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact jmoyer@uscsa.org