U.S. Olympic Committee Names the Central Cross Country Ski Association as Community Olympic Development Program

COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. – The U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) today announced the Central Cross Country Ski Association (CXC) as a new Community Olympic Development Program (CODP). The CXC supports more than 1,300 members throughout Eastern Pennsylvania, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Of these members, 871 are athletes and 40 percent are younger than age 13.

“The Central Cross Country Ski Association has been working in this direction for the last four years by developing programs and hiring high quality staff members to run them,” said Yuriy Gusev, Executive and Athletic Director of the CXC. “This designation also shows our commitment to the long term sport specific development of young athletes and their athletic excellence as well as our commitment to outreach and increasing participation in cross country skiing around the region.”

By providing programs and services to youth and junior skiers, collegiate and elite athletes, master/citizen skiers and disabled individuals, the CXC is a regional leader in the development of cross country athletes and the promotion of the sport. The CODP partnership will enable the CXC to continue its leadership and highlight its advocacy of adaptive cross country skiing.

“CXC is a great addition to the CODP as they not only espouse the Long Term Athlete Development sport model, focusing on skill development and age appropriate training, but also are integrated into USSA’s development pipeline,” said Alicia McConnell , USOC Director, Athlete Services and Programs. “They are an organization that has the aptitude and enthusiasm to expand opportunities for young people to get involved and excel in cross country skiing.”

A non-profit and independent organization based in Verona, Wis., the CXC is recognized by the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) as the Regional Organization charged with governing cross country skiing in the Central Region. The CXC enables athletes, coaches and officials to achieve excellence in cross country skiing through education, cooperation, communication and competition. It provides the following services to the Central Region:

• Oversees youth programs
• Supports the Junior Olympic Qualifying system, Central Collegiate Ski Association and Senior/Master skiing
• Serves as the Midwest pipeline to the U.S. Ski Team and U.S. Adaptive Ski Team
• Acts as the primary coordinator and communicator of cross country ski issues for athletes of all ages

The CXC is one of seven current CODPs, including the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta (Atlanta, Ga.), the Midwest Weightlifting Club (Lake County, Ind.), the Moorestown Weightlifting Club (Moorestown, N.J.), San Antonio Sports (San Antonio, Texas), the Springfield Greene Country Parks and Recreation (Springfield, Mo.) and the Utah Athletic Foundation (Park City, Utah).

The Community Olympic Development Program, in collaboration with the National Governing Bodies, develops community sport programs and impacts developmental athlete performance by building partnerships, accessing community resources, and leveraging USOC resources to create, develop and enhance Olympic sport feeder systems. Athlete programs also provide services and resources to elite-level athletes, not only to enhance their achievement of excellence in the Olympic and Paralympic Games, but also in life.