LAKE PLACID, N.Y. --- Beginning this Sunday, March 6, Lake Placid, N.Y. and Wilmington, N.Y. plays host to the 2016 United States Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association (USCSA) National Championship™. The five-day long event brings together athletes from across all four disciplines of alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, freestyle skiing and snowboarding as they convene in the region for competitions that will determine the top collegiate teams across the nation.

Teams began their quest to qualify for the Championship in their local conference competitions – held across 11 conferences spanning the nation. The top teams from each conference attended one of six regional championships, which decided who ultimately qualified to participate in the championships, in Lake Placid and Wilmington.

The USCSA is the sports federation of collegiate team ski racing and snowboarding in America. The USCSA started hosting its championship in 1978 where the first events included only alpine and cross country competition. It’s grown from its humble beginning to now featuring over 5,000 male and female athletes from Division I, II and III NCAA and NAIA schools, coast to coast, competing in not only alpine and cross country skiing but in freestyle skiing, snowboarding and ski jumping.

Team performance is emphasized within the USCSA, a departure from the typical individual or World Cup scoring format often found in skiing. USCSA athletes agree that this team orientation fosters a team approach across their collegiate athletic and academic careers, and often the mentality proves indispensable in their adult lives and careers.

While in Lake Placid, the scholar athletes will vie for titles in giant slalom, slalom, dual slalom, cross-country sprints, cross-country relays, cross-country distance, railjam, slopestyle, skiercross, snowboard cross, and jumping at Whiteface Mountain, in Wilmington, and the newly constructed biathlon course at the Olympic Jumping Complex. Additionally, the Conference Center at Lake Placid will be used for registration and serve as the event’s headquarters for team meetings and award ceremonies.

MEDIA ADVISORY: Attached to this email is the event’s media credential request form. Please complete the form and return it to Jon Lundin, ORDA public relations, Email: JLundin@orda.org, Tel: 518-523-1655 ext. 5313.

For more information about the USCSA Championships click HERE.

For more information about all of the activities and events taking place on ORDA’s Olympic venues, visit www.whitefacelakeplacid.com.

-- ORDA --

Established in 1982, the New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) was created by the State of New York to manage the facilities used during the 1980 Olympic Winter Games at Lake Placid. ORDA operates Whiteface, Belleayre and Gore Mountain ski areas; the Olympic Sports Complex at Mt. Van Hoevenberg; the Olympic speed skating oval, Olympic jumping complex and Olympic arena. As host to international and national championships, the Authority has brought millions of athletes, spectator and participants to the region, resulting in significant economic development.