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Officials
Alpine Programs
 

About

Officials, many of which are volunteers, play a critical role in young athletes achieving their goals and dreams. The USSA sanctions over 4,000 individual competitions annually and provides an educational system for over 5,600 USSA officials. Those competitions would not be possible without the time from those dedicated officials and other competition volunteers.

This section of ussa.org provides information for those wishing to get started, as well as valuable resources for existing officials in all USSA sports.

Getting Started

Why become a USSA official? Taking part as a competition official is exciting -- it brings you into the heart of the action! And it's a way of helping the thousands of young athletes who enter USSA competitions to have fun and to achieve personal goals.

It's simple to get started. Just join the USSA as an official. And work with your local USSA Club to volunteer at an entry level position.

Who becomes a USSA official? Oftentimes it starts with parents of young athletes who want to be more actively involved. Former athletes and coaches are also great candidates with their background in the sport. But it can be anyone who has an interest in helping young athletes and playing an important role in their success.

What Do Judges and Officials Do?

Officials ensure that USSA competitions run efficiently and fairly by the rules. They are responsible for the safe conduct of the event and the accurate timing, judging and scoring. They also play a key role in ensuring that the spirit of the sport and competition is maintained.

In the end, officials are responsible for providing the best possible experience for USSA athletes.

Advancement

Officials are a lot like athletes. Once you start, you'll want to increase your level of expertise. The USSA offers a wide range of local, divisional and regional clinics where you can learn new skills and take on new positions.

Various levels of officials' certification are offered by the USSA. Checkout the detailed information on officials in each of the USSA's sports.

As you grow in experience as a USSA official, you may want to consider becoming certified internationally as a FIS (International Ski Federation) official. FIS officials work international events domestically, and may be considered for international assignments.