APU Accepting Applications for 2010-11

“At APU it is our goal to develop US skiers and help US athletes meet individual goals from Junior Olympics to winning an Olympic medal.”

– Erik Flora, APU Head Coach.

Alaska Pacific University is the home of recent World Cup Silver Medalist Kikkan Randall, 2010 Vancouver Olympians James Southam and Holly Brooks, three 2010 U23 World Championship skiers, National medalist, and a host of skiers having a great time training hard and getting faster!

APU is a full development system that supports training year round with the option to combine University Studies with Elite ski training. Our system is designed to integrate school with training, so you can get a degree while ski training at 100%. Races are focused on getting you the experience needed to make your goals. Our younger skiers focus on regional Alaska races, Junior Nationals, OPA, Super Tour, and US Nationals. While our more experienced skiers focus on World Cup and Olympic racing.

There are two ways to be a part of the team. We have an Elite and Elite development team. The Elite Team is a performance-based team. Elite Team selection is made off National/International racing. Our goal with the Elite team is focused at the 2114 and 2118 Olympic games. It is encouraged to be a student, but not required. The Elite Development Team is open to all students interested in skiing. It is not performance based, just that you really want to ski a lot and are a full time student. Each team is approximately 12 athletes. Both teams train together, so it is great environment for good training, fun, and adventure in Alaska!

• Year round training support and coaching. We believe that skiers are made in the summer! Team sessions are held 5-8 times a week 11 months of the year from May 1 to April 1.
• Individual training plans, testing, and feedback.
• Access to summer skiing at APU’s own Thomas Training Center on Eagle Glacier. We typically ski one week out of each summer month starting in early June.
• Training at sea level with snow in town or nearby October-May. Anchorage offers over 75k of inter-connected groomed trails within the city limits with trails on campus. During the winter months there are approximately 25 kilometers of lighted ski trails. Most of our winter skiing is only 10 minutes from campus!
• A great training group! It is very important to have good training partners. What could be better than to train and learn from some of the best skiers and coaches in the country, including several Olympians, multiple National Champions, plus World Cup and World Championship medalist.
• Fulltime support staff including 2 coaches and a full time wax tech.

Academic Programs:

Traditional Undergraduate Student: Skiers may take part in traditional undergraduate classes with the added flexibility of the APU scheduling system. The University offers “blocks and sessions” where skiers can design an academic schedule around racing season – take classes when you’ll be in town and it’s convenient and use the winter months for ski racing. Kikkan Randall has successfully used this program on her way to a business degree from APU – all while racing successfully on the World Cup. Skiers do not need to be national-class to enroll in APU. We have several scholarships available for 2010/11. Please apply soon if interested.

PG Year or Early Honors: This is a great option for seniors in high school who wish to train at a world-class level. Training schedules are coordinated with the Elite Development Team. Skiers take classes and receive BOTH high school and college credit at the same time. Or, as a PG (post-graduate) student, skiers may come to APU to hone ski skills while taking a small course load of classes to maintain an academic mindset. This is a great option for skier’s ages 17-19 that wishes to become faster. Training is held 2 times a day.

Applications due April 15.

If you are interested or would like more information, please contact Head coach Erik Flora for more information at erikflora@gmail.com or (907) 947-1915.

For more information on the school, check out the Alaska Pacific University site at: http://www.alaskapacific.edu