We are thrilled to announce that SSWSC was named the 2024 U.S. Ski & Snowboard Ski Jumping/Nordic Combined Club of the Year at the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Club Awards Banquet in Park City, UT, on May 15, 2024. In addition, former SSWSC Executive Director Walt Evans (1979-1983) was honored with the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Julius Blegen Award, this is the highest-level award bestowed by U.S. Ski & Snowboard.  SSWSC athletes were also recognized. SSWSC alumna Olivia Giaccio was named Freestyle Athlete of the Year, and alumnus Erik Belshaw was named the Ski Jumping/Nordic Combined Athlete of the Year.

SSWSC was named U.S. Ski & Snowboard Ski Jumping/Nordic Combined Club for the seventh time, 2007, 2010, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and now 2024, more than any other club in North America. The Club of the Year distinction is presented to a U.S. Ski & Snowboard Competition Club in each sport that has distinguished itself in providing direction to young athletes through high-level competition programs resulting in athletic success. SSWSC Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined Program Director Todd Wilson was thrilled to be honored with this distinction. “Winning the 2024 U.S. Ski & Snowboard, Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined Club of the Year is a testament to the dedication and hard work of everyone involved in our amazing organization. I am truly humbled to be surrounded by such a strong and supportive team, from our athletes to our alumni, from our executive staff to our board of directors, from our coaches to our volunteers, from our sponsors and partners to our many fans and supporters, there is simply no other place on earth like the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club,” said Wilson.

SSWSC Athletic Director Dave Stewart credited Wilson and his team for the program’s strength. “Our Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined program is part of the foundation of the SSWSC, the Steamboat community, and Nordic sport in the United States. Today, what is most special about the program is the way that Todd Wilson, together with head coaches Karl Denney, Garrett Fisk, and Sam House, have created a tight-knit and supportive community built around positive culture, fun, motivation, and the pursuit of dreams. The community they have created has become the program’s greatest strength, supporting the remarkable accomplishments of so many athletes,” said Stewart.

Also on Wednesday, former SSWSC Executive Director Walt Evans was honored with the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Julius Blegen Award. Evans was SSWSC’s first full-time executive director. Working with a progressive board, Evans provided continuity for the club, enabling planning, leadership, and attention to detail, leading to a more focused organization. Walt started his coaching career at the SSWSC after working in Clark on the Fetcher Ranch and later became the club’s first full-time Executive Director from 1979-1983. He left SSWSC in 1983 to begin working with U.S. Ski & Snowboard and continued to work with the organization for 30 years. According to U.S. Ski & Snowboard, the Julius Blegen Award is U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s most prestigious award and is given annually to the U.S. Ski & Snowboard member who contributed his or her outstanding service to the sports of skiing or snowboarding in the United States. It is designed to recognize individuals who have made a significant contribution over a sustained period on behalf of the vision and mission of U.S. Ski & Snowboard and has been awarded since 1946. Evans joins Sven Wiik (1974 recipient), with close ties to Steamboat Springs and the SSWSC.

Olivia Giaccio, who completed her sixth and most successful year on the U.S. Ski Team as a moguls skier, was honored as the U.S. Freestyle Athlete of the Year. Giaccio, who trained with the SSWSC for three years before making the ski team, was known in Steamboat for her dedication, particularly on the water ramps at Bald Eagle Lake. Her hard work on her aerials helped her become the first woman mogul skier in history to land a cork 1080 jump in competition. She earned her second career World Cup victory this season and finished the World Cup season ranked third overall.

Steamboat Springs native Erik Belshaw, at just 19 years old, had the most successful ski jumping season in recent history for the United States, earning the U.S. Ski Jumping/Nordic Combined Athlete of the Year award. Belshaw made history as the first-ever U.S. male to win a medal at the FIS World Junior Championships, earning silver at the event in Planica, Slovenia. Later in the season, he landed the longest jump in history for a ski jumper from Steamboat Springs, flying 230 meters (750 feet) at Obertsdorf, Germany. He also became the first U.S. male ski jumper to qualify to compete in the World Cup Finals. 

SSWSC Executive Director Brian Krill commented, “From recognizing the athletic achievements of SSWSC alumni to honoring the Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined Program and celebrating Walt’s lifetime achievements, these awards speak to the impact and prominence Steamboat has in the competitive snowsports community. Erik, Olivia, Todd, Garrett, Karl, Sam, and Walt represent the full spectrum of character and achievement that makes Steamboat so special.”