Far West International Fund
Feb. 1st, 2024: Application deadline for the 2023 – 2024 season
Athletes from Far West Nordic are taking the world by storm, and our small division has an outsized impact on US Skiing. With homegrown Far West athletes on the US Ski Team, Olympic Team, and Paralympic Teams, alumni racing professionally domestically and abroad, and junior athletes qualifying for world championship events each season, Far West Nordic seeks to support these athletes and help them achieve their goals at the highest levels.
The Far West International Fund is designed to support not only those athletes who
currently live in our region and participate in our local clubs but also recent alumni and post
graduates who continue to give back to the FWNSEA community. It is our belief that the
International Fund will provide residual benefits to athletes of all levels in our region as the fund recipients return home from international experiences to add valuable mentorship, inspiration and pace to our programs during local training and racing.
Criteria to Apply
To be eligible to apply for an International Fund grant, athletes must meet the following criteria:
- Be current Far West Nordic Members;
- Be current members of USSS and either:
- Designate Far West as their region in their USSS membership; or
- If attending college outside of the region, have attended high school in the Far West region and have designated Far West as their region in three of four years prior to graduating from high school; or
- For athletes who have graduated from college and live outside of the region, have attended high school and designated Far West as their region in three of four years prior to graduating from high school or be currently skiing for a club in the Far West region. In either case, post graduate athletes must be prepared to demonstrate how they have consistently continued to support and give back to FWNSEA on an ongoing basis which will be evaluated in the sole discretion of the selection committee.
- Be selected to a competition trip sanctioned by their respective sport’s national governing body, including without limitation USSS, U.S. Biathlon Association, or, in the case of foreign athletes, by the highest level of that country’s nordic/cross country/biathlon governing body.
- Be able to designate that at least 50% of your expenses for the international trip for which you seek a grant are not funded by any other national or international organization.
Applications will be reviewed by a committee appointed by the Far West Nordic Board of Trustees. The Far West Nordic Board of Trustees reserves the right to designate the number of members and composition of the committee in their sole discretion.
Check out our interview with our 2021 International Fund recipients. We sat down to discuss life as professional skiers, balancing the demands of being an elite athlete, and more! Watch the whole interview here:
