Winter Sports School receives donation from U.S. Ski & Snowboard

Jul 16, 2024, 5:00 AM | Updated: Aug 15, 2024, 2:23 pm

FILE- Ted Ligety of the United States struggles to keep control as he makes a turn during the first run of the Men's Giant Slalom at the Turin 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Sestriere Colle, Italy Monday Feb. 20, 2006. (AP Photo/Alesandro Trovati)

(AP Photo/Alesandro Trovati)

BY MARIAH MAYNES

Digital Content Producer

PARK CITY, Utah — Park City’s Winter Sports School is closer to its goal of raising $5 million for campus upgrades, through a donation from U.S. Ski & Snowboard.

U.S. Ski & Snowboard is a governing body for snow sports competitions.

The Winter Sports School has been working to raise the money for its Reaching New Peaks Campaign. The expansion project will include an 8.732-square-foot expansion of the school’s current building.

Additionally, it will include renovations and the installation of an amphitheater.

The press release did not say how much U.S. Ski & Snowboard donated to the Winter Sports School. However, it did say the school has raised $2.8 million so far.

The school’s goal is to begin the project this fall.

Educating student athletes

“This commitment from U.S. Ski & Snowboard lends credibility to our expansion project and reinforces the natural partnership between our two organizations, as many of our student-athletes have earned the privilege of competing for our national teams,” said Whalen Louis, the Board to Trustees president for the Winter Sports School.

According to the press release, there are currently 24 student-athletes from the school who actively participate in the U.S. Ski & Snowboard team.

“Having been both a WSS student and a U.S. Ski & Snowboard athlete, I appreciate this commitment from U.S. Ski & Snowboard to the WSS Reaching New Peaks capital campaign for expansion,” said Ted Ligety, a retired ski racer and two-time Olympic gold medalist who attended the school.

The press release said U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s donation was funded through a community task force. It works to support Park City nonprofits.

“[The school is] the only public charter high school in the U.S. with an April to November academic calendar, which fosters a dynamic pipeline of well-educated, highly trained athletes with the potential to compete on our teams for years to come,” said Trisha Worthington, the chief revenue and philanthropic officer for U.S. Ski and Snowboard.