Halfpipe coach named director at Crested Butte Academy.
September 21st, 2007
PARK CITY, Utah -- Former U.S. Snowboarding Halfpipe Head Coach Bud Keene, who guided U.S. riders to four medals in Torino, has been named director of snowboarding and free ride skiing at Colorado's Crested Butte Academy.
"I am psyched to become a part of the Crested Butte Academy team," said Keene. "Our goal there is nothing short of becoming the premier winter sports academy in the world. As such, we look forward to producing athletes of world-class caliber that will enter the U.S. Snowboarding pipeline, and who will begin to compete for spots on the U.S. Teams.
"We want to contribute in a meaningful way to the quality and continued dominance of U.S. riders."
"Bud has such a long history in snowboarding and is highly respected as a coach. Bottom line is he has the ability to make athletes believe in themselves and their abilities," said U.S. Snowboarding Program Director Jeremy Forster. "He has been such a huge part of U.S. Snowboarding, and we are all stoked for him and his family as they begin this new opportunity."
After coaching the forerunners for the 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Keene took over the halfpipe helm and led Hannah Teter (Belmont, VT) and Shaun White (Carlsbad, CA) to Olympic gold with Gretchen Bleiler (Aspen, CO) and Danny Kass (Mammoth Lakes, CA) taking silver. All eight U.S. riders on the Olympic roster finished in the top 12 with seven in the top six, giving him a nod from the U.S. Olympic Committee as the 2006 National Coach of the Year.
Keene's appointment follows the recent announcement of Crested Butte Academy's partnership with IMG Academies (IMGA) and Cay Clubs International, who with locations in 46 states and 80 countries trains over 12,000 junior, collegiate, adult and professional athletes each year. The fully accredited college preparatory (6th -12th grades) school will be combined with world-class training programs in snowboarding, alpine skiing, free ride skiing and high-altitude running.
"IMG's involvement is another indication of the growth and popularity of the sport, and with Bud leading the program, will only be a positive step for competitive snowboarding," added Forster.
Keene, along with his wife and two sons, will relocate from their current home in Stowe, VT, to Crested Butte immediately.
