At SYNC, we believe in supporting athletes not just in their top results, but in their journey, wherever it takes them. Ski racing is more than results; it’s about resilience, growth, and the community that surrounds you. Our athletes inspire us with their dedication, creativity, and the way they lift each other up on and off the hill.
This season, we are proud to launch the first-ever SYNC Athlete Ambassador Team, combining our NCAA and Independent Athlete teams into one streamlined program that reflects these values. Built for those pushing limits at the NCAA, NorAm, or World Cup level, the Athlete Ambassador Team provides the gear, platform, and community athletes need to thrive both on and off the hill.
There are 18 elite athletes on the 2025/26 Athlete Ambassador Team, and we can’t wait to watch their journeys unfold throughout the season.
25/26 WOMEN'S TEAM
Eleri Smart – Independent
Galena Wardle – Independent
Sophia Tozzi – Middlebury College
Sarah Bennett – Independent
Stef Fleckenstein – Independent
25/26 MEN'S TEAM
Bradshaw Underhill – Apex2100
Dominic Shackleton – Middlebury College
Erik Read – World Racing Academy
George Steffey – Global Racing
Gray Flanagan – University of Vermont
Jacob Dilling – Global Racing
Jimmy Krupka – World Racing Academy
Julian Arthur – Middlebury College
Sawyer Reed – Dartmouth College
Simon Fournier – Boréal Ski Team
Tim Gavett – Global Racing
Tristan Lane – US Team Invitee
Wiley Maple – Independent
Bradshaw Underhill – 2000
Team: Apex2100
Hometown: Newbury, NH
Goals: "My overall goal for this season is to win the NorAm Overall Title. Other smaller goals are to earn my first Europa Cup points in several events and to win my first NorAm race."
Fun Fact: I have an identical twin brother who will be coaching for Vail this year and will likely be helping coach me throughout the NorAm season.
Dominic Shackleton — 2004
Team: Middlebury College
Hometown: Kirby, Vermont
Goals: "NorAm top 15 overall, sub-125 world rank in a tech event, ski as much speed as I can. Europa Cup points would be a bonus."
Fun Fact: "Shoot, I can’t think of anything good."
Eleri Smart — 2001
Team: Independent
Hometown: Invermere, BC
Goals: "My goals this season are to achieve consistent podium results on the NorAm circuit and to finish with a NorAm overall discipline title. I hope to use this over the next few years to maintain success on the NorAm circuit as well as establish myself on the World Cup circuit."
Fun Fact: "I have a secret influencer account on Instagram for baking sourdough bread."
Erik Read — 1991
Team: World Racing Academy / Canada
Hometown: Calgary, AB
Goals: "Qualify for the Olympics, achieve World Cup top 15s, and enjoy the process while living in the moment."
Fun Fact: "I recently got engaged! I speak English, French, and am almost fluent in Italian. My best World Cup results are all 7th-place finishes (GS, SL, Parallel)."
GEORGE STEFFEY — 1997
Team: Global Racing
Hometown: Lyme, New Hampshire
Goals: "My goal is to make the Olympic GS Team."
Fun Fact: "Winner of the 2015 Stratton Mountain School Chile Cook-off."
Jacob Dilling — 1999
Team: Global Racing
Hometown: Vail, Colorado
Goals: "Reach the World Cup top 25 and race in the Olympic Games. Achieve a top-ten EC ranking in SL and GS."
Fun Fact: "I think I'm pretty funny."
Jimmy Krupka — 1998
Team: World Racing Academy
Hometown: Fayston, VT
Goals: "Get 15.00 points. Have some fun."
Fun Fact: "I have a podcast called Arc City that I love dearly. Surfing brings me an inordinate amount of joy. I'm going to graduate from college this spring, eight years after I started—#NeverGiveUp."
Julian Arthur — 2005
Team: Middlebury
Hometown: Crested Butte, Colorado
Goals: "Make the US National C team and compete at World Juniors and NCAAs."
Fun Fact: TBD
Sawyer Reed — 2005
Team: Dartmouth Ski Team
Hometown: Hingham, MA
Goals: "Qualify for either NCAA Championships or World Junior Championships."
Fun Fact: "My favorite color is blue."
Simon Fournier — 1997
Team: Boréal Ski Team
Hometown: Montreal, Canada
Goals: "Qualify for the 2026 Winter Olympics and achieve top-30 finishes on the World Cup."
Fun Fact: "My travel coffee setup comes everywhere with me."
Sophia Tozzi — 2003
Team: Middlebury College
Hometown: Jackson, WY
Goals: "To re-establish myself on the NorAm circuit in both SL and GS. Be a top contender on the carnival circuit and be an All-American in one or both events."
Fun Fact: "I love spending time in the mountains, hiking, biking, and being on the river."
Stef Fleckenstein — 1997
Team: Independent
Hometown: Whistler, BC
Goals: "Get back into racing after two years of injury and win two NorAm discipline titles. ALSO, ski pain-free!"
Fun Fact: "I love being crafty, and if I didn’t ski race I would want to be a downhill biker."
Tim Gavett — 1998
Team: Global Racing
Hometown: Waitsfield, Vermont
Goals: "My primary goal this season is to return to healthy, World Cup-caliber skiing after five years of persistent and relentless injury."
Fun Fact: "In the off-season, I work on my family's Sugarbush (maple syrup farm), and I also enjoy motocross and mountain biking. I graduated from Middlebury College in 2022 with a degree in Physics and have worked on and off as a mechanical engineer throughout my rehab."
Tristan Lane — 1998
Team: US Team Invitee
Hometown: Aspen, Colorado
Goals: "Conquer fear and ski unconditionally every time I push out of the start gate. Ski to the limit of my abilities and score World Cup points."
Fun Fact: "Creator of Propheski, I was born in a hotel, I love dessert, and I love to surf."
Wiley Maple — 1990
Team: Independent
Hometown: Aspen, Colorado
Goals: "To finish in the top 30 on the World Cup and make the Olympic Games… and have some fun along the way."
Fun Fact: TBD