2023 - 2024 Far West Skier's Guide - 33

The FWSA
Athletic
Scholarship
Program
by David Krupp
A
Athletic Scholarship Committee Chair, FWSA
Charles Zaretsky, age 17, is a scholarship recipient of the Frank App Memorial through Sierra Council. Charles is from Reno, Nevada and skis
for Team Palisades Tahoe. photo provided by David Krupp
The Far West Ski Association Athletic
Scholarship Program is in its 19th year, growing
from an initial $1,000 in scholarships in
2004 to $9,050 and 14 recipients in the 20222023
season. The total awarded since the program's
inception is $193,000 to 139 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 the U.S.
Ski and Snowboard (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 is 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; and Grouse Mountain
Lodge (www.glacierparkcollection.com/lodging/
grouse-mountain-lodge/) in Whitefish, Montana;
Schure Sports, Inc.
(https://us.karbon.com),
maker of the Karbon line of snowsports apparel;
U.S. 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.
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 2O23 - 2O24
33

http://www.skiwhitefish.com http://www.glacierparkcollection.com/lodging/grouse-mountain-lodge/ http://www.glacierparkcollection.com/lodging/grouse-mountain-lodge/ https://us.karbon.com http://www.farwestskifoundation.org http://www.fwsa.org

2023 - 2024 Far West Skier's Guide

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