Sun Valley Ski Academy opens new residential facility

By Published On: February 21st, 2017Comments Off on Sun Valley Ski Academy opens new residential facility

Community School opened its new Ketchum Campus Residence Hall and campus hub on Jan. 3 and took the next step in creating one of the West’s finest ski academies. Head of School Ben Pettit calls the 25,085-square-foot facility a “game changer,” allowing for growth in the school’s Residential Program and providing winter sports student-athletes with a beautiful new dorm, an on-site state-of-the-art athletes’ training center and proximity to outstanding athletic opportunities.

The Ketchum Campus is the nucleus for Community School’s standard-setting Sun Valley Ski Academy (SVSA), a program founded in 2011 that combines an outstanding college preparatory education with elite competitive alpine training. It is located in Ketchum, Idaho, minutes from the challenging and consistent vertical of Sun Valley’s legendary Bald Mountain, home of the 2016 and 2018 U.S. Alpine National Championships. Sun Valley has produced skiing legends like Picabo Street and brothers Zach and Reggie Crist, and is the home mountain of current U.S. Ski Team member Kipling Weisel. Bald Mountain offers everything an aspiring alpine skier needs to succeed and is located in close proximity to Community School’s academic campus and the new Ketchum Campus Residence Hall.

SVSA, in partnership with Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation (SVSEF), offers student-athletes an unparalleled education coupled with world-class coaching and racing opportunities. Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation was recently awarded USSA’s elite gold level certification, making them one of 19 clubs in the nation exhibiting the very best in junior snow sport programming. According to USSA, “this level of certification is intended for clubs that are ‘Best in the World’. These clubs serve as a model, both organizationally and athletically, and are resources to the sport as a whole in the U.S.” 

“We know that our outstanding academics and world-class ski programming with SVSEF place us among the best ski academies in the country,” said SVSA Program Director and former 10-year U.S. Ski Team alpine athlete and Olympian Jonna Mendes. “We are now taking it to the next level with the Ketchum Campus, a residential program on par with our excellent scholastic and athletic programming. The new facility is on track to make Community School and the SVSA one of the West’s best boarding school options for winter student-athletes and outdoor enthusiasts.”

With the arrival of the Ketchum Campus, the SVSA now offers alpine athletes an on-site training facility modeled after the U.S. Ski Team’s Center for Excellence. Community School worked closely with the U.S. Ski Team’s Sports Science Team to design the space.

“We are immensely grateful to the USSA for their generous help and support throughout the building and planning process. From location of equipment in the training center, to the nutritional needs of elite athletes, their guidance has been invaluable,” Jonna said.

SVSEF Athletic Director Phil McNichol added, “The Ketchum Campus facility is a tremendous asset in the pursuit of providing an exceptional winter sports and academic experience for our student-athletes. The athletes’ training center will provide our athletes with additional tools and the appropriate setting to push their conditioning goals. In addition, the Ketchum Campus contains a kitchen that prepares nutritious food for our athletes to refuel and communal space to socialize and build a greater feeling of team. We are already seeing the cultural, social, and performance benefits to our teams from the inclusion of residential student-athletes attending the SVSA from outside the Wood River Valley and around the world. This is not only a wonderful experience for the athletes who choose to come to Ketchum and join our programs, but for our local athletes as well.”

The school’s Residential Program draws students from around the nation and world, many of who are dedicated alpine, cross country, freeski and freestyle skiers and snowboarders. This year, the SVSA welcomed students from Italy, Germany, Japan, Spain, Australia, and around the U.S. seeking a school with a challenging curriculum that still allows for a rigorous training schedule. Community School offers academics tailored to winter sports athletes with early out days during the winter term, dedicated academic support for athletes, a summer course schedule allowing students to complete credits during quieter months and a tutor who travels with teams to help students keep up with classroom work when they are traveling for races and competitions. A school-record eight student-athletes from the Class of 2016 are skiing collegiately, with five entering Division I NCAA programs and two competing as part of the United States Collegiate Ski Association (USCSA).

The addition of the Ketchum Campus takes the SVSA to the next level. The attractive and conveniently located facility provides a warm and home-like environment for families seeking a high-quality boarding program. Students live on the second level of the modern building in one of six suites, each with three two-bedroom pods that share a common room and en suite bathroom facilities. Two resident assistant apartments, a common lounge, and a study space complete the second floor. The residences are filled with natural light, and offer breathtaking views. A soaring entry connects the first floor to the residential spaces on the second floor, and a fabulous dorm family oversees residential life. The first floor also features a welcoming dining room that seats not only all residential students and staff, but also many day students and SVSEF athletes as well. A lounge and game room encourage students to spend time together off the slopes and out of the classroom. “We anticipate that the Ketchum Campus will become a hub for adolescents in the Wood River Valley,” Pettit said.

Community School enrolls more than 390 students in grades Pre-K through 12. Its Residential Program was launched in 2011. More than 70 student-athletes from nine countries and 14 states have enrolled as year-round students since SVSA’s inception, training and competing in alpine, cross country, freestyle, freeski and snowboarding.

Release courtesy of Community School / Sun Valley Ski Academy

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