Balancing School & Skiing

SVSA student-athletes receive individualized support from an Academic Coordinator who tracks their progress and helps them navigate challenges that might arise. Whether working one-on-one with our skiers and snowboarders, creating study halls before trips to get work done in advance of a big competition, or traveling with student-athletes throughout the year, this dedicated staff member supports athletes as a point person to whom they can always turn.

Our faculty members understand the schedules and complicated lives of our student-athletes. Our teachers have supported winter sports athletes in a variety of ways for decades, and with more than 40 percent of our Upper School currently competing as members of the Sun Valley Ski Academy, they understand the importance of remaining flexible and creative. Faculty members enthusiastically welcome SVSA student-athletes and work hard to help them keep up in class even while they are on the road.

Our Co-Directors of Residential Life, Residential Advisors (RAs), and Residence Hall Chef embrace the opportunity to support SVSA student-athletes. The Residence Hall staff provides practical help with all aspects of a boarding student’s life and functions as an extended family for students living away from home. Regular communication between Residential Staff and students’ families ensures that any issues that arise will be managed efficiently and that students will be supported at every step of their experience at Sun Valley Ski Academy.

The majority of SVSA student-athletes take advantage of the broad offering of Community School Summer Term classes. Nearly every Sun Valley Ski Academy athlete enrolls in at least one summer course, allowing students to earn an entire term’s worth of academic credit for high school-level courses. Students taking summer, for-credit courses can lighten their load during the regular school year when their ski and snowboard schedules are most demanding. Students may also use credits earned in the summer to advance in the curriculum to ensure that they are taking the most challenging program Sun Valley Community School offers. By taking advantage of summer school, our skiers and snowboarders have been able to reduce down to as few as two courses during their high-travel competitive ski and snowboard seasons while still meeting all their graduation requirements.

COLLEGE-BOUND ATHLETES

Sun Valley Community School’s motto, From Here...Anywhere, is a perfect match for the ambitions of Sun Valley Ski Academy skiers and snowboarders. A Sun Valley Community School education prepares our athletes to excel in the classroom and in snowsport venues—wherever their dreams lead them.

AS A SNOWSPORT ATHLETE WITH THE DESIRE TO COMPETE COLLEGIATELY, SUN VALLEY SKI ACADEMY WILL OFFER YOU:

• A college-preparatory education that provides academic challenge and a wide range of class offerings;
• Flexibility to balance academics with your competition schedule—and excel at both;
• A faculty committed to your success on the snow and in the classroom;
• Two full-time college counselors with expertise in helping student-athletes find the college that is the best fit academically and athletically. 

LEARN ABOUT COLLEGE COUNSELING