Marolt to Take Pay Cut, Relinquish USSA Audi

In a gesture of unprecedented generosity, U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) chief Bill Marolt says that has taken a pay cut from his 2009 salary of nearly $652,000.

With the effects of the economic having forced cuts to USSA staff and programs over the last few years, the organization released a statement Wednesday that as part of new austerity measures, Marolt agreed to have $4.52 sliced off his pay for the fiscal year 2010.

“During these trying times, it’s important that everyone takes one for the team,” Marolt said. “I didn’t just take one for the team—I took 452 cents for the team.”

In an interview, Marolt said that the funds he has relinquished will be redistributed throughout the organization. $3.00 will go to the alpine program, while $1.25 will be split between freestyle and snowboarding.

The remaining 37 cents will be added to the nordic budget—the first significant increase the program has seen in the last three years.

According to USSA Nordic Director John Farra, the extra 37 cents will allow him to stretch his budget much farther than in past seasons.

In an interview, he said that 25 cents would go to the new U.S. Cross-Country D-Team, to be split between rookies Erik Bjornsen and Skyler Davis as their funding for travel to camps in Bend, Oregon, and New Zealand.

Ten cents, Farra said, would go towards purchasing brand-name Maruchan ramen for U.S. Ski Team coaches on their winter European trips. In the past, Farra said, team staff had been eating generic packaged noodles purchased from safeway. “This is the good stuff,” Farra said. “Chicken flavor, oriental, you name it.”

Finally, the remaining two cents would be used to buy a pair of sheepskin seat covers from Marolt himself, to outfit the USSA cargo van in Europe. U.S. Ski Team Serviceman Randy Gibbs has been relentless in his requests for a pair of the covers over the last year, Farra said, and Marolt “gave us a great deal.”