Nomination Form for Honored Membership

Nomination and Election Process

Introduction

Thank you for engaging in the nomination process for the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame! Before you begin, you should become familiar with the minimum standards required for nomination. The vision of the Hall is to recognize those athletes and sport builders who have made the highest level of national contribution to the recognition and growth of American skiing. Please review the updated minimum standards for athletes or the national contribution standard for sport builders.

Vision

The vision of the U.S. National Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame is to provide highly respected perpetual recognition to athletes and sport builders who have made the highest level of national contribution to the recognition and growth of American skiing and snowboarding.

Individuals put forward as candidates for nomination or election for this honor must have accomplishments at the highest level of skiing and snowboarding in America. Their accomplishments must have impacted the sport on a true national scope.

Categories & Minimum Standards

Note: These categories have been developed to assist the Selection Committee and National Voting Panel in the review and fair election process of Honored Members.

1.) Athletes & Minimum Standards

In order to be considered for nomination, athletes must have achieved at least one or more of the following criteria. While these noted categories have differing minimum criteria based on the nature of the category, all athletes are ultimately judged together for the purpose of election to the Hall of Fame.

Olympic & Paralympic Athletes

This category includes athletes competing in traditional sports under FIS and IPC, including alpine, cross country, freestyle (including freeski), nordic combined, ski jumping, and snowboarding.

• One or more Olympic or Paralympic medals in an individual event
• One or more World Championship gold medals in an individual event
• One or more overall season-long World Cup titles
• Multiple discipline season-long World Cup titles

 

Open Competitions

This category includes athletes competing in open championships at the highest level of the sport, such as X Games, as well as speed skiing, big mountain, ski mountaineering, and others. The championships must include the very best international athletes and be recognized at the sport's highest level at the time. This category includes modern-day championships and those that may have been contested prior to the organization of the sport under the Olympics.

• One or more championship titles in an individual event
• International records at the highest standard of the sport

 

Other Professional Athletes

Many highly accomplished athletes have distinguished themselves in their sport outside of the competition arena. This includes expedition athletes, athlete film stars, and other professional athletes whose athletic accomplishments have made them public figures within the sport at the highest levels of the time, contributing to the growth and awareness of skiing and snowboarding by the general public. Some of the criteria that would be considered are:

• Leadership role as a primary participant in one or more globally-recognized ski or snowboard expeditions where the potential nominee was inextricably linked to the accomplishment.
• Athletes who participated as the primary figure in globally-recognized film or photo shoots that put the athlete and the sport into the public spotlight.
• Athletes who played a starring role in multiple globally recognized ski or snowboard films that put the athlete and the sport into the public spotlight.
• Athletes who achieved significant global exposure for their endorsements, including branded skis or snowboards that put the athlete and the sport into the public spotlight.

 

Athlete Eligibility

• Athletes whose accomplishments have come in competitive skiing and snowboarding are eligible for nomination three years after their stated retirement from active international competition in Olympic, Paralympic, World Cup, and similar international competition tours. In a case where an athlete has not stated a formal retirement, that athlete would be eligible three years after his or her final international competition.
• Athletes whose accomplishments have come in non-competitive activities where retirement is not well defined, such as big mountain skiers and snowboarders, are eligible for nomination at any time.

2.) Snowsports Builders

Sport builder candidates must have been involved at the highest level of the sport in America. Their nominations must illustrate a clear and significant national or international impact with their contribution and be widely acclaimed for their work. Candidates with strong regional achievement will only be considered where their work displays a profound national or international impact. While most candidates will be aligned with an organization in their career, they will be evaluated based on their own individual contributions.

 

3.) Joint Applications

Joint nominations of two persons will be accepted subject to these minimum standards. The two potential candidates, over a substantial period of their careers, closely, fully, and in substantially equal measure collaborated with one another on activities that individually would qualify them for consideration as either athletes or sport builders. Such nominations are subject, firstly, to a review and acceptance by the Selection Committee. Secondly, that recommendation from the Selection Committee must receive approval from the Board of Directors. Approved joint candidates may not be considered as individual candidates during that election cycle.

4.) Heritage

Heritage candidates must have been retired from their qualifying activity for 25 years or have participated in it for at least 25 years. The category is open to Athletes or Sport Builders. Candidates must have satisfied the standards of one of the two categories in order to be considered as a candidate in the Heritage category.

The Heritage category may include candidates whose previous candidacies were unsuccessful. In such cases, their previous candidacies may not have come before the Selection Committee for at least five years. There are no public nominations accepted for Heritage. Recommendations must come from the Selection Committee to the Board of Directors which must then approve each candidate, and subsequently hold a Board-only election.

Nomination and Selection Process

Anyone may nominate a deserving individual as a candidate for selection to the Hall of Fame. Here is a step-by-step outline of the nomination and election process:

1. Rules of Governance: Become familiar with the selection process as outlined in the Hall of Fame’s Rules of Governance. These rules specify the details of the process. They are reviewed annually to ensure that they serve the purpose of selecting candidates in a fair and open fashion.
2. Nomination Form: A standard form has been developed for nominations. All nominations must use this form and may be obtained from the Nomination web page. The entire form must be completed accurately and all collateral material including letters of support must be included with the submission.
3. Timeline: The annual deadline for all nominations is June 15. The selection timeline is specified in the Rules of Governance and is outlined below as well.  All nominations must arrive with a completed nomination form and all supporting materials prior to this date.
4. Selection Committee: Each completed nomination application is reviewed in May by the Selection Committee, whose members are regarded as experts in the field and are appointed by the Hall of Fame Chairman. The committee looks closely at each application to ensure the candidate has met the criteria for national contribution to the sport. Unsuccessful candidates from prior years are also considered and remain in a candidate pool for up to five years. The Committee then votes on the candidates with up to four being selected out of each category to be placed on the election ballot.
5. National Voting Panel: A ballot containing the selected candidates in each category is sent to a National Voting Panel in June/July.
6. Board of Directors Certification: Following the election the Board of Directors of the Hall of Fame will review and certify the election.
7. Announcement: Following certification, the Board will publicly announce the successful new inductees.
8. Induction: An induction ceremony is held at a rotating site, usually a prominent ski resort, in the spring. The Hall of Fame induction is one of the most prestigious events in American snowsport and attracts a large audience for the formal ceremony.

Annual Hall of Fame Selection Timeline

June 15: Deadline for the receipt of fully completed candidate packages

June: Official Ballot sent to the National Voting Panel

August: Balloting deadline and submission of the election results to the Board of Directors

September: Announcement of the inductees for the coming year at the annual charity golf outing.
-Board of Directors meets to certify the election results.
-Winners are advised

March/April: Induction Ceremony