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U.S. Ski and Snowboard announces Jeff Shiffrin Athlete Resiliency Fund Awards

44 athletes across all disciplines received awards up to $13,000

Ryan Sederquist
Vail Daily
Mikaela Shiffrin, center, talks with her ski technician, right, and her father, Jeff Shiffrin, left, after a practice run for the women's World Cup ski race on Nov. 23, 2012, in Aspen.
Nathan Bilow/AP

VAIL — U.S. Ski and Snowboard announced in a Wednesday news release that the Jeff Shiffrin Athlete Resiliency Fund (JSARF) will provide financial awards to 44 athletes across all disciplines.

Working with the Shiffrin family, U.S. Ski and Snowboard announced last June that the JSARF would “live on as a newly established need-based, direct-to-athlete funding source for U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes.”

“My Dad was passionate about elite sports and believed in supporting athletes who are hardworking, disciplined, and constantly pushing themselves to be better and overcome challenges to compete at the top of their game,” Shiffrin said in the release. “His passion for sport and athletes lives on through this fund, which we created to honor his life and legacy.”



A $250,000 goal was established, with matched donations up to $125,000. Sixty donors helped the campaign reach its goal, which will help athletes from development teams through the A and pro teams and be distributed “on a combination of both need and merit,” according to the release. Recipients ranged from first-year team members to Olympic athletes.

According to the release, funds can be used for “any cost related to athletes’ sports careers,” including living and medical expenses. The 44 applicants received stipends of up to $13,000, with 59% of the awards going to female athletes.




“We’re delighted to be partnering with the Shiffrins on this important program, the number of athletes the JSARF is supporting just shows the impact,” said U.S. Ski and Snowboard CEO Sophie Goldschmidt in the release. “We’re extremely grateful to the Shiffrins and the donors for their commitment to this initiative and the lasting legacy.”

The fundraising for next spring’s awards will begin on Father’s Day.

Shiffrin to remain with Atomic

Shiffrin demonstrated her belief in the old adage, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,’ last week, inking a deal to use Atomic skis, boots, bindings and helmets from Altenmarkt through 2024.

“Her service team will be extended in terms of its staff to specialize in technical and speed categories,” the press release added.

“They are more than my equipment supplier or sponsor — they are like family, and I’m really excited to continue working with the crew, and add two new faces to my team,” Shiffrin posted May 12 on Instagram. “Welcome, Robbi and Lukas … can’t wait to see what the future holds.”

According to the release, Shiffrin’s service team will receive a mini-makeover.

“After four successful years, Johann Strobl is retiring from the Tour and will transition to the Atomic Pro Center to help strengthen the in-house racing service-team in Altenmarkt,” it read.

“The new service men alongside the 27-year-old racer are Robert Bürgler and Lukas Rottinger, with the latter handling Shiffrin’s speed ski setup.”

The four-time overall crystal globe winner has used Atomic Redster equipment her entire professional career, which has included 74 World Cup wins and 120 podiums.

rsederquist@vaildaily.com

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