U.S. Ski & Snowboard announced the winners of its annual awards on Wednesday, May 14, honoring individuals and organizations that have greatly impacted the world of elite skiing and snowboarding. Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club (SSWSC) is proud to announce that SSWSC Freestyle Program Director Ann Battelle is the overall 2025 U.S. Ski & Snowboard Development Coach of the Year and Freestyle Development Coach of the Year. Awards were presented at the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Awards Banquet Wednesday evening in Park City, Utah. The overall Development Coach of the Year is chosen among the top candidates in all sports – alpine, freestyle, freeskiing, snowboard, cross country, ski jumping and nordic combined.
“Ann is an athlete-centered coach who focuses not only on performance, but truly cares about the role that sport plays in each athlete’s personal development. The fun, positive, inclusive culture of ‘Team Steam’ is obvious to anyone who spends time around the moguls program Ann leads,” said Dave Stewart, SSWSC Athletic Director. “Ann received two national awards this spring. The Freestyle Development Coach of the Year is chosen with input from fellow peer coaches and leaders in the sport, so it is a true badge of honor for a coach to be recognized with this award. The second award Ann received, the overall U.S. Ski and Snowboard Development Coach of the Year, is one of the organization’s most prestigious awards, chosen from the coach of the year recipients in all six U.S. Ski and Snowboard sport disciplines. The award recognizes the best of the best among development coaches from all sports and is awarded to the coach who has stood out from this select group for their work serving athletes and progressing them toward their goals.”
GOLD AWARDS AND ADDITIONAL HONORS
The overall Development Coach of the Year award is a Gold Award. U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s Gold Awards represent the single highest honors in the organization. Among the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Gold Awards, U.S. Ski & Snowboard honors a deserving representative from each sector of its structure: an athlete, a volunteer, a coach and a club. U.S. Ski & Snowboard clubs provide the backbone for athletic programs, with coaches and dedicated volunteers providing the direction under which athletes can be successful. These recipients represent the vision and mission of U.S. Ski & Snowboard.
Other athletes and individuals with ties to Steamboat honored by U.S. Ski & Snowboard during the awards were Jaelin Kauf, Beck International Award (top overall athlete across all sports); Olivia Giaccio, Buddy Werner Award (for athlete sportsmanship), Alexa Brabec Nordic Combined Athlete of the Year, Terry DelliQuadri – past coach, Russell Wilder Award (service to youth), DelliQuadri’s mom, Esther, has also won this award; and former SSWSC Alpine Director Tony Nunnikhoven, was honored with two awards the Westhaven Award (outstanding FIS technical delegate) and the West Family Award (outstanding official or judge).
Congratulations Ann! We are lucky to have you on the team.
