2022 - 2023 Far West Skier's Guide - 33

The FWSA
Athletic
Scholarship
Program
A
by David Krupp
Athletic Scholarship Committee Chair,
FWSA
Tea Keisel, age 19, is a FWSA Athletic Scholarship recipient from Incline Village, Nevada. Tea skis for the Palisades Tahoe (formally
known as the Squaw Valley) Ski Team. photo provided by David Krupp
The Far West Ski Association Athletic
Scholarship Program is in its 18th year, growing
from an initial $1,500 in scholarships in
2004 to $7,650 and 14 recipients in the 20212022
season. The total awarded since the program's
inception is over $170,000 to 126
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 the
United States Ski and Snowboard Association
(USSS) and must participate in racing
programs in states where FWSA has regional
councils. These include California, Oregon,
Washington, Nevada, Arizona, Idaho, Utah,
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; Kandahar Lodge, and
Grouse Mountain Lodge in Whitefish, Montana;
Schure Sports, Inc. , maker of the Karbon
line of snowsports apparel; the US Ski Team,
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.
In addition, our partnership program
through clubs and councils afford us approximately
one third of our scholarship funding
each year. Finally, the Far West Ski Foundation
(www.farwestskifoundation.org), a 501
(c)(3) non-profit organization, 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
Far West Skier's Guide 2O22 - 2O23
33

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2022 - 2023 Far West Skier's Guide

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