Skiing
Skiing
Your scholarship in the USA
Skiing is a very popular winter sport in the USA. In alpine skiing in particular, the USA repeatedly has strong athletes who compete for Olympic medals. In addition to alpine skiing, cross-country skiing is also very popular at the collegiate level. Due to the high number of international athletes, the competition level is very high. The skiing teams are often very well equipped thanks to the university’s financial resources. In addition, there is a very special team spirit in the team, thanks to the daily practice and living together on the university campus.
A sports scholarship in the USA gives you the opportunity, even after you graduate from school, to advance your skiing career alongside your academic career to make provisions for your professional career after graduating.
1000
overall number of college skiers
35
current and former college skiers, that particpated at the 2018 Olympics
506
available sports scholarships in US college skiing teams
Skiing in the USA
How many scholarships are there?
Obtaining an athletic scholarship is the ultimate goal for all of our athletes. But how many teams are there and how many full scholarships can they award? In skiing you have the chance to receive a sports scholarship both as an alpine ski athlete and as a cross-country skier. Women and men have similar chances of getting one:
Universities with skiing teams:
- Men: 16
- Women: 18
Full scholarships per team:
- Men: 6,3
- Women: 7
How is the training in the USA structured?
The workouts in US-Collge Skiing teams look similiar to workouts in other parts of the world. However, the team spirit is very high in practice, so that the teammates push each other to achieve top performances. The majority of the trainers are full-time employees of the university and take full care of the team. In addition, the skiers have full access to physiotherapists, strength trainers and nutritionists at the university and can enjoy the high-class sports facilities at the universities. Many of the young skiers can develop enormously in the USA. Our cross-country skier Julia Richter, for example, trains on the facilities of the Olympic Games in Salt Lake City and competes for the University of Utah.
What does a season at college look like?
The college season starts in January and ends at the beginning of March with the NCAA Skiing Championships. A special feature of ski sport is that, unlike usual, the teams are not divided into a division based on the size of the university, but sorted according to geographic location.
For example, EISA (Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association) organizes all competitions of colleges on the east coast. The EISA season ends with the Championships, where the top athletes qualify for the national championships.
Many athletes in college ski sports also take part in the World University Games and the U23 World Junior Cross-Country Championships. The level is therefore very high, especially in cross-country skiing.
Skiing
Requirements for your scholarship
In order to qualify for a sports scholarship in the USA, you don’t necessarily have to be a National champion. Nevertheless, you should have already participated in National championships and show some upside. We can better forecast your chances for a sports scholarship if you fill out our free chance assessment.