AT USPA, FLEXIBILITY IS STRENGTH by Edith Morgan, Former Olympic Ski Racer, Writer: Ski Racing
SELF-PACED AND FULLY-SUPPORTED
that you just don’t quite understand,” says Allison. “Whenever that happened, it was a simple Pronto message to a teacher, and we set up a time to talk about it. Usually we talked about it within the hour of encountering the issue.” Compared to her peers, Allison found she devoted more energy to skiing, and less to being stressed about school deadlines. “They were far more worried, and I think it took more of a toll.” Mollin—who foreran the Lake Louise World Cup last year, and ultimately has her sights set on competing at that level— graduated last spring. She is taking a gap year, concentrating on her ski racing on the NorAm speed circuit.
Allison Mollin first heard about USPA from an article in Ski Racing. She was heading into high school and wanted a school that allowed her to stay with her home ski program at Palisades Tahoe. Specifically, she wanted an option that would allow her to access prime morning training. USPA was an ideal solution. It allowed her to train and compete at the highest level, and also to complete courses at her own pace. That meant taking a couple summer courses to lighten her academic load in winter. Even during the fall of her senior year— while taking three AP classes (USPA offers 10) at the same time as Chemistry and Precalculus, and attending early season ski camps—she had ample support and flexibility. “Every now and then you hit units
Pete Smith first conceived of US Performance Academy in response to this question from a frustrated parent: Why does the traditional academic model make you choose between achieving your athletic dreams and getting a good education? That was in 2013, when remote learning and quality education did not coexist in most people’s minds. Smith, an elite sailor turned educator, was intrigued by the possibilities technology offered in revolutionizing education. He envisioned a remote learning model that could leverage technology to increase both flexibility and support to meet the unique needs of highly competitive athletes; a platform to accommodate a wide variety of learning styles and schedules, as well as connection within the school community. Such a school would allow elite athletes to maximize their
athletic and academic potential, while fostering self-awareness, independence and self-advocacy. That vision turned into USPA, a fully accredited, NCAA compliant online school for students in grades 6-12 and post graduate. Today, the academy serves 165 high performance athletes in a wide range of sports, like golf, tennis, sailing, soccer, hockey, paddling and, increasingly, skiing. Post pandemic, some level of remote learning is the new norm. USPA offers not only a comprehensive curriculum and support system, but also a track record of success. Athletes from a wide range of sports have gone on to compete at the Olympic, National Team and NCAA level while also getting into colleges that match their academic and competitive dreams.
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