Maggie Morton has skied with the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club for the past eleven years. A Nordic skier, she’s spent countless hours and logged hundreds of miles on the trails at Howlesen Hill in downtown Steamboat Springs. She will graduate from Steamboat Springs High School in June 2018, and is hoping to ski competitively in college.

Her parents – dad, Ted, a coach for the 8-and-under Little Vikings Nordic group, and mom, Alicia, both Nordic skiers themselves– have spent many an hour cheering along the trails.

Eleven years of skiing haven’t come without an injury or two along with way. Luckily for Maggie and her parents, they’ve had ready access to care, just steps from the mountain.

“The biggest benefit of having a therapist and trainers onsite at the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club has been simply the ease of access and the communication with the coaches and Maggie regarding any injury and areas of needed focus for higher performance,” said Ted. “It’s reassuring as a parent to have an extra eye watching out for Maggie to train with proper technique during strength training sessions.”

That’s where UCHealth Yampa Valley Medical Center comes in.

Thanks to a long relationship, and the recent signing of a three-year contract extension, Yampa Valley Medical Center will continue to ensure athletes with Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club have the medical care they need to help them reach their next level, be it tearing around the mountain with their ski group or chasing an Olympic podium someday.

“We are thrilled that UCHealth is supporting the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club and its families in positive and meaningful ways,” said Jim Boyne, executive director of Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club. “Their commitment provides our membership with high quality health care and sports medicine that helps to keep our athletes healthy, as well as their families educated on wellness and injury prevention. They provide preferred access to get our athletes back on the mountain following injury.”

As the official medical provider, YVMC offers onsite injury evaluations by a physical therapist or certified athletic trainer, injury prevention training for the entire Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club coaching staff, and rapid scheduling for athletes needing additional therapy at UCHealth SportsMed Clinic or radiology services at YVMC.

“The coordination between coaches, parents and therapists is critical for athletes to remain in top condition,” said Dave Grinnell, a physical therapist and board certified clinical specialist in orthopedics with UCHealth SportsMed Clinic. “Many of the athletes train at a very high intensity. They perform complex movements with a high degree of difficulty that aid in their optimal performance for competition. We work closely to pair our knowledge of biomechanics with the coaches’ goals for each individual athlete.”

Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club has produced champions on and off the mountain for over 100 years, something for which they continue to be recognized. In 2017, SSWSC was named the Club of the Year by the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association, a recognition the Club has previously received three other times.

With training facilities located at Howelsen Hill, the oldest operating ski area in America, and Steamboat Ski Resort, athletes have access to numerous disciplines, including alpine, cross country, freestyle, freeskiing, Nordic combined, special jumping, telemark, snowboard freestyle and alpine snowboarding. Dedicated strength and conditioning facilities are located at the base of Howelsen Hill.

“Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club is part of what makes our community so special,” said Frank May, CEO of YVMC. “We are proud to continue our longstanding partnership with the Club in helping its athletes live extraordinary lives.”