Athletes from Jump, Nordic Combined, Snowboard, Cross Country, Moguls, and Alpine recently went head-to-head, and more importantly, took on themselves, to find out how they stack up against the entire U.S. Ski & Snowboard membership.
What Is SkillsQuest Fitness?
SkillsQuest Fitness (SQ-F) is U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s standardized assessment of general physical fitness. Strong fundamentals in movement, coordination, strength, power, and endurance directly support long-term success. They also determine how well an athlete can handle the training volume needed to develop technical skills. As USSS gathers data and builds benchmarks by gender, sport, and development phase, SQ-F will help pinpoint areas for growth on the path to elite performance.
The test measures:
Anthropometry: age, height, and weight
Aerobic endurance: 20m Shuttle Run (Beep Test)
Lower body strength, power, and coordination: Standing Long Jump, Standing Triple Jump, and Strict Tempo Single Leg Squats
Speed, coordination, and strength: 20m Sprint
Upper body strength, endurance, and coordination: Strict Tempo Pull-Ups and Push-Ups
Anaerobic endurance, speed, strength, and coordination: 60-Second Box Jump
Top Photo: Nicholas Bradford, Soren Shepherd, Matthew Kafka, Jackson Fretwell, Wilson Walker
Francis Fernley, Rylee Thomsen, Carolyn Kristof-Brown, Oliver Nast, Thacher Starrett, Jonathan Nichols, Asher Nichols
U16 Alpine Team
Alpine FIS Highlights (All results are unconfirmed.)
Top Performers
- Nicholas Bradford posted a likely SSWSC club record of 916 points, a 50-point improvement over last year.
- Sky Biglow took second on the men’s side with 838 points, followed by Jonathan Nichols** with 815.5.
- Caroline Kristof-Brown led the women with 630.5 points, with Rylee Thomsen right behind at 613.5.
Biggest Year-Over-Year Gains
- Felix Hadley: +117 points
- Thacher Starrett: +103 points
- Wilson Walker: +56.5 points
- Matthew Kafka: +48.5 points
- Leo Orto: +20.5 points
- Jackson Fretwell: +20 points
Last year’s data isn’t available for all first-year FIS athletes, so some self-comparisons are not included.*
Thank you to every athlete who pushed to their limits and lifted their teammates along the way. The USSS advisor praised all of SSWSC for the attitude and execution shown at the event.
Huge congratulations to coaches Jeff, Noah, and Joe for leading high-quality training through the spring, summer, and fall, and for delivering these standout results.
Everyone should be proud of their effort. Now it’s time to carry that fitness onto the hill this winter.
Story submitted by FIS Alpine Head Coach Chad Wolk.
