Skiers, snowboarders set to soar at USCSA Nationals in Oregon

Depth of talent could give Liberty University’s men’s ski & snowboard team an edge in next week’s United States Collegiate Ski & Snowboard Association (USCSA) National Championships at Mt. Bachelor in Bend, Ore., where more than 500 athletes from around the country will compete for gold, silver, and bronze medals in alpine and freestyle events.

Flames Head Coach Ryan Leeds will bring one of his largest and most experienced teams when he flies out to Oregon on Saturday with seven skiers and six snowboarders. Competition starts for the Flames with the Rail Jam on Tuesday, followed by Slopestyle on Wednesday and Boardercross and Skiercross on Thursday. Live webcasts will be available online.

“We have one of the strongest teams we’ve ever had since I’ve taken over as head coach (in 2014),” Leeds said. “We’re looking to do extremely well in the Rail Jam event, and I think we’ll have a better showing in the Slopestyle event than we’ve had in recent years.”

He said perennial USCSA contenders for team championships include Sierra Nevada, Westminster, Western Colorado, Colorado Boulder, and Vermont (considered one of the only challengers, besides Liberty, from the East Coast).

At last season’s USCSA National Championships, held at Lake Placid, N.Y., the Flames’ snowboard team landed on the podium twice with their third consecutive top-three finish in the Rail Jam and placed third for the second year in a row in the Slopestyle competition. Liberty’s men’s ski team finished fifth in the Rail Jam last year.

Read the full story and track results on the Club Sports team page.