USASA: All the Way!
Thanks for checking out the USASA GoFundMe for Ethen and Ezekiel!
Ethen and Ezekiel are awesome snowboarders that have big dreams of taking their snowboarding as far as possible - starting with competing in the United States of America Snowboard Association (USASA)!
Fun fact: 100% of the 2014 USA Olympic Snowboard team got their start competing in USASA events!
Ethen and Ezekiel first joined the USASA in 2013 - Ethen was eleven years old and Ezekiel was nine. Both boys had a very strong year competing in Slope Style and Rail Jam, with Ezekiel being invited to USASA Nationals in Colorado for Rail Jam; regrettably, he wasn't able to attend because of a lack of funds. This year, the boys are ready for Nationals - they just need a little help getting there.
The cost to participate in snowboarding is high; competing in snowboarding elevates the cost to a level beyond the reach of Ethen and Ezekiel's family alone. This year, Ethen and Ezekiel have joined The G*Team snowboard training program based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The G*Team is the most-winning team in the entire USASA national series, with professional coaches and instructors including Bud Keene - Shaun White's coach! Joining the G*Team is necessary to take Ethen and Ezekiel's riding skills to the next level, since they've passed Coach Dad in riding ability.
The cost for this year's snowboarding season has already exceeded $3000, and there isn't even any snow yet :) So far, Ethen and Ezekiel's 2014 expenditures include
- $2050 to join the G*Team,
- $1000 on season passes for training
- $400 to replace gear that they outgrew from the previous season
- $170 for USASA memberships
- and the gas for 150-mile roundtrips to practice twice a week.
Now, it is time to pre-register for USASA events and purchase lift-tickets for "away" competitions. Ethen and Ezekiel need to pre-register for events because the events are limited to 115 competitors and the registration always fills up. "Away" competitions are USASA events held at resorts other than the boys' home resort, Buck Hill; there are six "home" competitions and six "away" competitions.
The goal of this USASA GoFundMe is to raise enough money to pre-register Ethen and Ezekiel for all of the season's competitions when registration opens on November 1st. It would be amazing if enough money is raised to help pay for "away" lift-tickets, but event pre-registration is critical to a successful competition season.
The cost to pre-register for each 2014 USASA competition is $30; total cost = $720.
Ethen >> 12 Competitions x $30 = $360
Ezekiel >> 12 Competitions x $30 = $360
Total Cost to Pre-Register USASA = $720
*All donations received beyond the pre-registration fees will first be applied to purchasing "Away" competition lift tickets; any remaining donations will be used to pay for traveling expenses - gas!
Thank you to everyone that supports and has supported Ethen, Ezekiel, and the family in the pursuit of snowboarding excellence! We can say with all honesty that none of this would be possible without the support of our amazing family and friends, and we are grateful.
To show our thanks, we are offering rewards that will be hand made by Us - for You! For rewards with clothing items, please note your size in the "Leave Comment" area of your donation form.
Links:
The G-Team: http://www.thegteam.com/
USASA - Upper Midwest Alt Series: https://www.usasa.org/regions/central-region/alt.html
