U.S. Freeskiing Sends Athletes On Media Tour To Promote New Organization

U.S. ski halfpipe athletes Jen Hudak and Simon Dumont this week "wrapped up a media tour" in N.Y., where they were "promoting the launch of U.S. Freeskiing, the newest arm of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association," according to Megan Michelson of ESPN.com. Hudak and Dumont were "on hand this week for the unveiling of U.S. Freeskiing's new brand identity," designed by DraftFCB, N.Y. The athletes also are "collaborating on the plan for a team structure, coaching, sponsorship, training camps and more." The USSA announced the launch of U.S. Freeskiing in January, and by "incorporating more athletes in the planning process, including Hudak, Dumont, Tom Wallisch and others, USSA hopes to avoid the backlash they received after bringing snowboarding into the organization's fold in the late 1990s." USSA Exec VP and Chief Revenue & Marketing Officer Andrew Judelson said, "We have been working collaboratively with athletes and outside support. If there were any missteps taken in snowboarding, we were very cognizant of our movements here. I kept challenging my team, saying, 'Are we doing this the right way? Are we going to get resistance to this?'" Michelson reported so far, the "response has been positive" (ESPN.com, 5/4).