Ramping up USSA's sport science program

By Published On: September 24th, 2012Comments Off on Ramping up USSA's sport science program

The U.S. Freestyle Team utilized one of its final water camps before the upcoming competition season to engage high-tech data collection with USSA’s sports science staff this week.

The first to utilize the technology was aerials athlete Mike Rossi, who attached a miniature magnetic inertial navigation system to his ski boot. The system tracked the G-forces on his body during the in-run and at landing.

“Having the sports science staff out here supporting us is really huge,” Rossi said. “They’re working hard to keep us safe. With this being a World Championship year, it’s important to look for all possible ways to boost our training.”

Rossi will do the same test on snow in the next few months. By knowing how strong athletes need to be to withstand these kinds of forces, they and their coaches can focus on technique while decreasing injury rates.

“We have wondered about these questions for years and the technology is finally here to answer them,” says Troy Flanagan, USSA high performance director. “What better place to find these answers than at a summer water ramp session with support from the entire freestyle program.

The first FIS Freestyle World Cup of the season is Dec. 15 in Ruka, Finland. Both moguls and aerials will be back in the U.S. for the USANA Lake Placid World Cup (Jan. 17-19) and the Visa Freestyle International at Deer Valley, Utah.

“These last three weeks of water ramping are key. To have the coaching collaboration across both sports is really important before the World Cup season begins. And the support from Sports Science is huge,” said Freestyle Program Director Todd Schirman. “Everyone benefits from that especially before they take their tricks from water to snow.”

Photos: USSA/Sarah Brunson
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About the Author: Geoff Mintz

Geoff Mintz is a former alpine ski racer who cut his teeth at Ragged Mountain and Waterville Valley, N.H. After graduating from Holderness and UVM, he relocated to Colorado, where he worked on the hill prior to pursuing a career in journalism. Mintz served as associate editor for Ski Racing Media from 2011 to 2015. He later reconnected with his local roots to manage all marketing and communications for Ski & Snowboard Club Vail before resuming work at SRM as editor-in-chief.