Eight Sugar Bowl Ski Team & Academy alumni heading to Olympics in Beijing

NORDEN, Calif. - A record-breaking eight Sugar Bowl Ski Team & Academy (SBSTA) alumni, including six alpine skiers and two Nordic skiers, will be representing their respective nations at the 2022 Winter Olympics in
Beijing.

Alpine skiers include USA's Luke Winters, Sugar Bowl Academy (SBA) Class of 2015; Australia's Louis Mühlen-Schulte and Katie Parker; and Brazil's Michel Macedo, SBA Class of 2017; USA's Mo Lebel, Sugar Bowl Ski Team (SBST); and New Zealand's Alice Robinson, SBST.

Nordic skiers include USA’s Hannah Halvorsen, SBA Class of 2016, and JC Schoonmaker, SBST. This nomination marks the first time SBSTA Nordic athletes have earned an Olympic berth and the first time in this century that the Far West division has sent athletes to the Olympics for cross-country skiing.

“This is such exciting news, and a testament to the foundation SBSTA helps build for all its student-athletes and these individuals in particular," said SBSTA’s Executive Director and Head of School Brian Krill. "These Olympic-level placements represent not just athletic prowess but all the commitment, learning, and personal growth we see in all the student-athletes that go through our programs, and you can see that in their stories. With this announcement, these alumni are a true beacon of our core values: Grit, Grace, and Courage!”

ALPINE TEAM MEMBERS
Luke Winters, US Men's Alpine Team, SBA Class of 2015. Luke Winters will represent the U.S. Ski Team in the men's slalom in his first-ever Olympics at the age of 24. Winters grew up skiing Oregon's Mt. Hood with his twin brother Cody. They both attended Sugar Bowl Academy. At the 2018 Junior World Championships, Luke finished on the super-G podium with teammate Radamus. Winters made his World Cup debut that same year in a handful of races. In his second slalom of the 2019 season, he was the only American on the start list and finished the first run in second place. Although he ended
in 19th place (after the second run), Winters showed his potential. A career-best tenth place finish in the World Cup slalom on January 8, 2022, moved Winters to 24th in the World Cup slalom rankings.

"It feels great to be named to such a small team of Alpine athletes this year," said Winters. "The Olympics are another step in my career, but I can't help but think back to all the work and time it has taken to get here. SBA played an integral part in my growth as a person and an athlete. Meeting lifelong friends, being a part of such an amazing community, and giving me the opportunity to ski at a high level are all things that helped shape me and get me to this point. I'm excited to represent all the teams, academies, coaches, friends, family, and the USA, at the Olympics and compete for a medal."

Louis Mühlen Schulte – Australia Men's Alpine Team – SBA Class of 2017. Louis started skiing at just three years old. While he excelled in a wide range of sports, the snow eventually won him over and narrowed his focus to becoming an elite athlete.

His journey in alpine gained prominence with a bronze medal at the Lillehammer 2016 Winter Youth Olympics in ski cross. Louis graduated from Sugar Bowl Academy in 2017 and ski for Montana State University.

"With great time management and hard work, I have managed to juggle a full-time college load and race the NCAA series, Nor-Am, the occasional ANC, and even a World Cup start," said Schulte.

Katie Parker – Australia Women's Alpine Team – SBA Class of 2017. Katie took up skiing at age four and became an Australian national champion in moguls and several alpine disciplines at ten years of age. The family would head to the United States during southern hemisphere summers to ski on the northern winter slopes. Katie's skiing career has continued to dovetail between the two countries. Katie graduated from Sugar Bowl Academy in 2017 and now skis for the University of Utah. She earned All-America honors in the giant slalom at the 2020 NCAA Championships and has recorded two podium finishes, four top-five finishes, and 12 career top-10 finishes in her three seasons with The Utes.

She had a solid finish to 2021 despite all the pandemic disruptions, with two top-10 finishes (5th giant slalom and 9th slalom) in the Nor-Am Cup leg at Panorama, Canada, in December.

Michel Macedo – Brazil Men's Alpine Team – SBA Class of 2017. 23-year-old Michel Macedo is originally from Brazil and was raised in Portland, Oregon. Growing up, he skied Mount Hood before heading to Sugar Bowl Academy for his final two years of high school. After graduating in 2017, Macedo is currently a junior at Middlebury College in Vermont. This will be Macedo's second Winter Olympic Games.

Alice Robinson – New Zealand Alpine Women's Team – Sugar Bowl Ski Team. Alumni New Zealand's Alice Robinson spent two winters training with the Sugar Bowl Ski Team. In 2019, during her time with SBST, Robinson became the youngest woman from any nation to win at Sölden. Alice has continued to
succeed on the World Cup circuit, wrapping up her 2020-21 season with a win at the World Cup Giant Slalom finals in Lenzerheide (SUI) in March 2021.

This will be Robinson's second Olympic Winter Games; she finished in 35th position in PyeongChang in 2018, where she was New Zealand's youngest ever Winter Olympian.

Maureen (Mo) Lebel – U.S. Alpine Women's Team – Sugar Bowl Ski Team Alumni.
Truckee's Mo Lebel grew up in a family of skiers. As a teen, Lebel was named to the U.S. Ski Team's National Training Group, and in 2018, she competed in all disciplines — slalom to downhill — at the World Junior Championships. She also won the national downhill title and finished third overall in the NorAm downhill standings. Lebel enrolled at the University of Utah that fall, but injuries kept her from competing that winter and the next. Lebel’s injuries brought forth a new level of motivation and determination.

“I’m refueled to work hard in everything I do while still focusing on enjoying the process,” said Lebel.

In October, as Lebel was training for her first World Cup at the Lake Louise speed races, her father, Jay, passed away in a car accident, delaying her debut. She made her World Cup debut at a downhill this month, dedicating it to her dad.

“My goal is to one day leave the sport of ski racing feeling 110 percent fulfilled, knowing that I have worked as hard as I possibly could in every situation both on and off the hill,” added Lebel.

NORDIC TEAM MEMBERS
Hannah Halvorsen - U.S. Women’s Nordic Team – SBA Class of 2016. Sugar Bowl Academy graduate and Truckee local Hannah Halvorsen thought her career might be over after being struck by a car as she crossed a street in Anchorage, Alaska, on November 1, 2019. It was 11 months before Halvorsen returned to snow, and she wondered if she would ever reach her potential again. Halvorsen was part of the U.S. women's relay team that won a historic bronze medal at the 2017 Junior World Championships. Halvorsen finished eighth in the Junior World Women's Sprint the following year. Halvorsen currently skis with the Alaska Pacific University Nordic Ski Club as a member of their Elite Team. She was awarded FIS World Cup Sprint starting rights for the U.S. Ski Team this season as a member of the D-Team and as a result of scoring her first World Cup points ever during the 2021 season. Her 7th place finish in the FIS World Cup Sprint in Dresden, GER, this season sealed her nomination to the team as she is currently ranked 38th in the FIS Cross-Country Sprint World Cup standings.

"I was very fortunate to be able to attend Sugar Bowl Academy for high school," said Halvorsen. "It was here that I was given the tools, support, and opportunities to commit to big goals. It helped me start on a path that has given me an amazing ski racing career. I couldn't be more grateful for the early support of my teachers, coaches, and parents when I first started to believe that I had what it took to make the Olympics someday because they were the first ones to believe in me, even before I did myself."

JC Schoonmaker – U.S. Men’s Nordic Team – Sugar Bowl Ski Team Member. Tahoe City's JC Schoonmaker has spent four seasons training with the Sugar Bowl Ski Team. He was named to the A Team of the U.S. Ski Team's Nordic squad after a breakout first full season of World Cup skiing in 2021. Schoonmaker has balanced attending school full-time, racing for the UAA Seawolves, and competing on the World Cup Tour. The 21-year-old made the sprint semifinals three times at World Cup races this season, finishing as high as 7th. In early January, he won his first national title and hopes to be a factor in the men's sprint in Beijing.

"I'm so stoked to make the Olympic Team," said Schoonmaker. "It's a crazy feeling to actually achieve a long-time dream like this! Making the transition to Sugar Bowl Ski Team & Academy was huge for me. I feel like each of the past four years I've been on the team, I've been able to take a huge step forward in my skiing, all thanks to the coaches I get to work with every day. They make the hard work fun and really know what I need to be doing to go fast on the highest of levels. I couldn't do any of it without them."

"The progress that J.C. has made to get to this point is just phenomenal," said SBSTA Nordic Programs Director Will Sweetser. "Our past few seasons working together have been targeting this moment, and to have J.C. achieve this dream at just 21 years old is a true testament to his work ethic and determination."

“We will be ringing our cowbells loud and proud for all of these SBSTA Olympians from various countries as well as TEAM USA and all the competitors,” said Krill. “The Olympics are such an amazing opportunity to highlight the sports we love and pursue here at SBSTA, connect to the
international community, and provide aspiration and inspiration for our current student-athletes from Mini-Mites to Post Graduates.”

Sugar Bowl Ski Team & Academy will celebrate their eight Olympians at Sugar Bowl Resort on Saturday, February 5, with a parade through the Sugar Bowl Resort Village culminating in a welcome and introduction from Sugar Bowl Ski Team & Academy Executive Director & Head of School, Brian Krill. Watch events for the Alpine and Nordic events will also be hosted by SBSTA.

The Sugar Bowl Ski Team and Academy (SBSTA) is a nationally recognized Alpine, Freeride, and Nordic ski team and ski academy that has produced multiple US Ski Team members, NCAA collegiate competitors, national
champions in virtually all age groups, and numerous nationally ranked athletes. Sugar Bowl Academy located in Norden, CA, is the country’s only ski-in/ski-out ski academy. Sugar Bowl Academy inspires and empowers
passionate, highly motivated students, setting the stage for competitive skiers to seek and celebrate challenge with grit, grace, and courage. Sugar Bowl Ski Team and Academy student-athletes thrive on the dual pursuit of
rigorous academics and competitive skiing in an environment that celebrates hard work and the pursuit of worthy goals.