The USSA's "Athlete Development Pipelines" have been a cornerstone in its program design for over a decade.  During that time, pipelines were developed to illustrate how an athlete moves through the USSA competition system, and who is primarily responsible for the development of athletes at those different stages (clubs, divisions, U.S. Ski Team).

This spring, USSA undertook a revision of its pipelines to also illustrate the other factors that influence athlete development at each stage, including training, technical and tactical markers.  This further development of the pipelines places an appropriate emphasis on fun, fitness and fundamentals at each of the various levels, as these are all core factors of recruitment, retention, participation and athlete development.

The pipelines are are intended to define the pace of development, to lead program design both at the club and national level, and to educate stakeholders such as parents and athletes about program design at the local level, through the national team.

Ski Jumping/Nordic Combined Pipeline