Where's Nate Silver When We Need Him?

Last week, the election for Alpine athlete representative to the USSA Board of Directors got underway. Since declaring on this site that I was running for the position, the election for the seat has gotten a few nods from the ski blogs and the ski community at large. Hard Snow Life was the first blog to add its two cents into the discussion, followed by an Op-Ed on Alpine Press by former NCAA Champion, Dartmouth grad, and ex-World Cup skier Roger "Primetime" Brown. I also started a Facebook fan page to help communicate why I am running and provide an arena to demonstrate support for these ideas. The response has exceeded my wildest expectations. It's great to see that fellow athletes and friends are equally passionate about solving these issues, and humbling that they think I might be useful in this cause.

Not to be left out, the incumbent, Scott Macartney, also responded with his own stump speech about his decision to run for re-election. All in all, it's been a crazy two weeks.

I've been getting text or FB messages from some voters who said that they were endorsing my candidacy, but other than that I haven't seen any actual election results. The voting period runs until December 14th. This seems a bit long when you consider that only 145 athletes or so are eligible to vote (eligible voters include finishers in the top half of any US Nationals event in the last two years, those nominated to the USST in the last two years, and those nominated to a World Championships or OWG in the last ten years). Add in the fact that the voting is done via email, and it should be a relatively quick process. With the next board meeting in May, it's not mission critical that the votes get tallied immediately, but it's frustrating to have to wait over 4 weeks to find out the results of an election. (I hate waiting.)

I feel comfortable saying the decision to run has generated some more critical thinking about what needs to be done to better align the USSA/USST with the talent pool and resources that exists in United States alpine skiing. Like other sports,  alpine skiing requires a lifetime commitment in order to excel at the highest levels. But unlike other sports, alpine skiing requires a massive financial commitment,  forcing those involved with the sport on all levels to believe in the governing body's development structure, or at the very least accept it. The decisions from the USSA and USST have a direct effect on the livelihood and careers of these athletes, whether it's to raise the head tax on a USSA race or to lower the maximum age of B Team athletes. With a seat on the Board, the athlete representative has the unique opportunity to communicate to the powers that be exactly what is going on at the ground level, to explain the effects of decisions made in the past, and to provide context to ideas for success going forward. People in the ski community recognize this importance, and I believe this is the reason why the election has generated the response that it has.

I'll let you know what shakes out on the other side. I hope people are enjoying a great beginning to the ski season!