2021 - 2022 Far West Skier's Guide - 30

The FWSA
Athletic
Scholarship
Program
by David Krupp and Randy Lew
Luca Robillard, age 18, is a FWSA Scholarship recipient from Truckee, California and skis for the Sugar Bowl Ski Team.
photo provided by David Krupp
The Far West Ski Association Athletic
Scholarship Program is entering its 17th year
growing from an initial $1,000 in scholarships
in 2004 to $11,400 to 14 recipients in the 20202021
season. The total awarded since the program's
inception is now $177,000 to 123
different recipients.
The program is designed to provide financial
assistance to junior ski racers throughout
the western United States where FWSA
has a presence. Applicants must be junior alpine
ski racers affiliated with United States
Ski and Snowboard (USSS) and must participate
in racing programs in states where
FWSA has regional councils or influence.
These include Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado,
Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, South
Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.
Scholarships are awarded based on financial
need, athletic performance, academic achievement
and community service.
Skiing is an expensive sport and the costs
involved in ski racing cannot be left up to the
parents alone to incur. For younger athletes
the costs are modest, however, for 16 through
20-year olds, where competition becomes national
and even international, the costs can be
significant. Without the help of outside resources,
many junior racers simply cannot
compete. For a top competitor, expenses can
reach $20,000 per year This is not a seasonal
sport for these racers; it includes a full year of
ski-related involvement After the winter race
competition has concluded, competitors engage
in dryland training then off to summer
camps. Camps typically run about $1,200 per
week, not including transportation.
Winter training costs range from $1,000
- $1,500 each season. Most applicants work
part time to offset expenses. The demands on
their time are significant They must balance
their time between training, competition,
school, work, and community service. Despite
these demands, the average GPA for these recipients
consistently exceeds a 3.9 average.
Our scholarships are modest compared to the
need, but they do make a difference in the
overall scope of the resources they require.
The funding of the scholarships come
from a number of sources: raffles, auctions,
club and council partnerships, and direct contributions
from club members, clubs, and
councils. The FWSA has greatly benefitted
from the generous support from its sponsors
including: Whitefish Mountain Resort
(www.skiwhitefish.com), a year-round winter
and summer resort; Avery Hospitality, a premier
choice in mountain resort accommoda3O
Far West Skier's Guide 2O21 - 2O22
tions; Grouse Mountain Lodge in Whitefish,
Montana; Schure Sports, Inc. (www.karbonmail.com),
maker of the Karbon line of snowsports
apparel; US Ski & Snowboard, and the
Far West Racing Association. Their contributions
of vacation packages, snowsports apparel,
and cash bring in approximately $10,000
per year as, raffle and auction proceeds, as
well as, direct cash donations.
The Club / Council partnerships started
in 2009 with the Skiyente Ski Club's Erin Nicole
Scholarship. Other current partners include:
Castro Valley Ski Club, Los Angeles
Council of Ski Clubs, Mountaint High Snowsports
Club, Northwest Ski Club Council, San
Diego Council of Ski Clubs, and Sierra Council's
Frank App Memorial Scholarship. These
partnerships fund approximately one-third of
our scholarships each year.
In addition, the Far West Ski Foundation
(www.farwestskifoundation.org),
a 501(c)(3) non-profit foundation, is a valuable
resource for encouraging tax-exempt donations.
For
more information on the Far West
Athletic Scholarship Program, please visit
www.fwsa.org. ss

http://www.farwestskifoundation.org http://www.fwsa.org

2021 - 2022 Far West Skier's Guide

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