Former U.S. Snowboard Coach Peter Foley Facing Multiple Sexual Misconduct Allegations
Mar 22, 2022
PARK CITY, UT - FEBRUARY 10: Peter Foley, U.S. Snowboarding Head Coach, watches training prior to snowboard cross qualification during the Sprint U.S. Grand Prix at The Canyons Ski Resort on February 10, 2012 in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
Former United States Ski and Snowboard head coach Peter Foley has been accused of sexual assault and misconduct by three former athletes and a former employee.
Per ESPN's Alyssa Roenigk and Tisha Thompson, the four women lodged complaints against Foley with the U.S. Center for SafeSport last week.
In interviews with Roegnigk and Thompson, the women alleged they "had to tolerate sexual misconduct because Foley controlled which athletes were selected to go to the Olympics and they feared he would retaliate by withholding Olympic opportunities or ending their employment."
One Olympic gold medalist told Roegnigk and Thompson that her complained filed with SafeSport "includes an allegation that Foley sexually assaulted her while she participated in a U.S. training camp he ran when she was 19."
At the end of training camp, she said Foley told the athletes they would be sleeping in the same room together before taking a flight the next day.
The athlete said at one point when she was asleep she felt Foley "sneak in behind me in the bed" and he "reached his left arm over my body and put his fingers inside me."
She went on to say she just laid "there in shock" and he eventually "just stopped and he got up and left."
Lindsey Sine Nikola, a U.S. Ski and Snowboard employee from 2006-10, said she filed a report with SafeSport last week alleging that Foley "coerced her into taking nude photos and later sexually assaulted her at a World Cup ski race in December 2008."
Nikola also alleged Foley said he "wants to do something physical with me" after he crawled into her bed and asked to rub her back, which she initially consented to after initially feeling uncomfortable.
"I am stunned because my gut was trying to tell me all along that I should remove myself from the situation and I was telling myself I was overreacting," Nikola explained. "But I wasn't. I said 'no.' I said, 'Listen. No. You're married. There's a million reasons why this isn't going to happen, but no.'"
She said Foley eventually touched her breasts and genitals without her consent.
Allegations of sexual misconduct and inappropriate behavior by Foley became public last month when Callan Chythlook-Sifsof, a member of the 2010 U.S. Olympic snowboard team, wrote a series of posts on Instagram accusing him of taking naked pictures of athletes for more than a decade and making inappropriate and racist comments to athletes.
Erin O'Malley, former U.S. snowboarder, alleged Foley pinned her against a wall and tried to kiss her after a postrace event.
"What I can see in my mind is Peter's body pressed against me and my back against the wall of the elevator," O'Malley said. "From there I remember thinking 'Oh s---, Peter is following us to our room.'"
U.S. Ski and Snowboard announced Sunday that Foley was no longer employed by the organization. Rob Fagen has taken over as interim head coach.
The U.S. Center for SafeSport announced a temporary suspension for Foley on March 18 pending a formal investigation into the allegations of sexual misconduct.
Foley spent 27 years as head coach of the United States snowboard team since its inception in 1994.
Olympic Snowboarding Women's Cross 2022 TV Schedule, Live Stream and Picks
Feb 8, 2022
Charlotte Bankes of Britain, left, and Pia Zerkhold of Austria compete during a quarterfinal of women's snowboard cross at the FIS Snowboard Cross World Cup, a test event for the 2022 Winter Olympics, at the Genting Resort Secret Garden in Zhangjiakou in northern China's Hebei Province, Sunday, Nov. 28, 2021. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
The women's snowboard cross competition at the 2022 Winter Olympics will take place without one of the top medal contenders.
Two-time Olympic medalist and 2014 champion Eva Samkova could not recover from an ankle injury in time to make it to Beijing.
Samkova's absence makes it easier for Italy's Michela Moioli to repeat as gold medalist in the event.
Moioli is one of a few medal contenders who come into China off success on the FIS World Cup circuit.
The Italian and Charlotte Bankes of Great Britain have traded victories all season, while France's Chloe Trespeuch and Lindsey Jacobellis of the United States have been in the mix for podiums since December.
Jacobellis is looking for her first medal in the event since 2006, when she famously crashed while she was in the lead and settled for silver.
Women's Snowboard Cross Schedule
Seeding Run: Tuesday, February 8 at 10 p.m. ET (USA)
Round of 16: Wednesday, February 9 at 1:30 a.m. ET (USA)
Quarterfinals: Wednesday at 2:07 a.m. ET (USA)
Semifinals: Wednesday at 2:28 a.m. ET (USA)
Final: Wednesday at 2:45 a.m. ET (USA)
All rounds can be live-streamed on NBCOlympics.com and Peacock
The women's snowboard cross gold medal should come down to Moioli and Bankes.
The snowboarders from Italy and Great Britain have done battle across the World Cup circuit since Samkova went down with her ankle injury.
Samkova's absence can't be overstated. She won gold in 2014 and took bronze in 2018. Her injury opens up one spot on the medal podium for another competitor.
Moioli finished second to Samkova on the World Cup circuit last season, and she picked up two victories this season, both of which occurred on home soil in Italy.
Bankes won back-to-back races in Russia at the start of January and she took third behind Moioli and Trespeuch in the final competition prior to Beijing.
Bankes comes into China as the World Cup points leader from her five podium finishes over six events.
Trespeuch has not won a World Cup event this season, but she is second to Bankes in the World Cup standings thanks to three straight second-place marks.
The Frenchwoman's consistency makes her one of the top medal threats. She should be one of the locks to reach the snowboard cross final.
Australia's Belle Brockhoff and the American duo of Faye Gulini and Jacobellis are the only other podium finishers on the World Cup circuit this season.
Brockhoff has a second- and third-place finish, Gulini took second behind Moioli in Italy in December, and Jacobellis turned in a pair of bronze-medal performances in Russia on January 8 and 9.
It seems likely that the six podium finishers from the World Cup season end up in the six-woman final heat on Wednesday morning. Moioli, Jacobellis and Trespeuch competed in the final in Pyeongchang, South Korea, in 2018.
The athletes have to go through three rounds of heats to reach the final. They should all get past the qualification round and quarterfinals. A surprise or two may occur in the semifinals, but the gap between the top six and the rest of the field is significant.
Moioli has the experience advantage over Bankes, but the British woman holds the edge in form, and that could be the boost she needs to become the fifth different winner of snowboard cross since it was introduced at the Olympics in 2006.
Picks: 1. Charlotte Bankes, 2. Michela Moioli, 3. Chloe Trespeuch
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The Beijing 2022 opening ceremony isn't until Friday, but Olympic competition is already underway as of Wednesday, with curling and luge events kicking off the Games...
Winter X Games 2022: Full Results, Medal Winners and Best Trick Highlights
Jan 24, 2022
ASPEN, CO - JANUARY 21: Tess Ledeux, of La Plagne, France, smiles as she shows off her gold medal after winning the Jeep Women's Ski Big Air finals at Buttermilk Mountain for the X Games on January 21, 2022 in Aspen, Colorado. This is the third time she has won the event at the X Games. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
The 2022 Winter X Games in Aspen, Colorado, brought a return of fans and plenty of memorable tricks and performances.
Here is a look at the full results of competitions that started Friday and ran through Sunday's Men's Ski SuperPipe.
The results are courtesy of the X Games' official website.
Friday, Jan. 21
Women's Snowboard Slopestyle
1. Zoi Sadowski-Synnott
2. Jamie Anderson
3. Laurie Blouin
Women's Ski Big Air
1. Tess Ledeux, 94.00
2. Megan Oldham, 89.00
3. Olivia Asselin, 72.00
Snowboard Knuckle Huck
1. Marcus Kleveland
2. Fridtjof Sæther Tischendorf
3. Dusty Henricksen
Women's Ski SuperPipe
1. Kelly Sildaru
2. Brita Sigourney
3. Hanna Faulhaber
Men's Snowboard SuperPipe
1. Scotty James
2. Ayumu Hirano
3. Kaishu Hirano
Saturday, Jan. 22
Women's Ski Slopestyle
1. Tess Ledeux
2. Mathilde Gremaud
3. Megan Oldham
Men's Snowboard Slopestyle
1. Mark McMorris
2. Marcus Kleveland
3. Sven Thorgren
Women's Snowboard Big Air
1. Zoi Sadowski-Synnott, 85.00
2. Jamie Anderson, 82.00
3. Miyabi Onitsuka, 78.00
Women's Snowboard SuperPipe
1. Sena Tomita
2. Queralt Castellet
3. Haruna Matsumoto
Men's Ski Big Air
1. Alex Hall, 94.00
2. Mac Forehand, 92.00
3. Teal Harle, 91.00
Men's Snowboard Big Air
1. Marcus Kleveland, 82.00
2. Max Parrot, 81.00
3. Rene Rinnekangas, 80.00
Sunday, Jan. 23
Men's Ski Slopestyle
1. Andri Ragettli
2. Max Moffatt
3. Alex Hall
Ski Knuckle Huck
1. Quinn Wolferman
2. Jake Mageau
3. Alex Hall
Men's Ski SuperPipe
1. Nico Porteous
2. Aaron Blunck
3. David Wise
It didn't take long for the drama to start at Buttermilk Mountain.
The Men's Snowboard SuperPipe is always one of the headline events, and Scotty James went head-to-head with Ayumu Hirano. While Hirano narrowly earned the gold over James the last time he competed in the X Games in 2018, it was James' time to shine on his way to a fourth X Games gold medal.
Elsewhere, Zoi Sadowski-Synnott was brilliant on her way to gold in the Women's Snowboard Slopestyle. ESPN's Grace Coryell suggested she unleashed "arguably the best Women's Snowboard Slopestyle run in contest history—Cab 270 on the down bar, a switch boardslide pretzel out, frontside bluntslide 450 out, switch backside 900 Indy, frontside double cork 1080 melon and backside double cork 1080 Weddle grab."
She wasn't the only one who dazzled, as Tess Ledeux became the first woman to land a double cork 1620 in competition as the Women's Ski Big Air winner, and Kelly Sildaru captured gold in the Women's Ski SuperPipe to win her 10th X Games medal and break a tie with Shaun White and Nyjah Huston for the most as a teenager.
Sunday was a big day for men's skiing, and Switzerland's Andri Ragettli held off challenges from Canada's Max Moffatt and the United States' Alex Hall.
Hall also took bronze in the Men's Ski Knuckle Huck behind Quinn Wolferman and Jake Mageau before the grand finale of the Men's Ski SuperPipe. Nico Porteous closed the festivities with a brilliant showing in that final event.
That Men's Ski Super Pipe final was a true nail biter, coming down to the final run to determine the podium order. A thrilling way to end #XGames Aspen 2022. 🥇 Nico Porteous (2nd year in a row with X Games Aspen super pipe gold) 🥈 Aaron Blunck 🥉 David Wise pic.twitter.com/M1gcoY44XA
It fittingly came down to the final run, but the defending champion was able to outlast Aaron Blunck for the second straight year in dramatic fashion.
Shaun White Fails to Medal, Finishes 8th in Halfpipe at 2021 FIS Snowboard World Cup
Dec 11, 2021
COPPER MOUNTAIN, COLORADO - DECEMBER 09: Shaun White of Team United States trains prior to the Men's Snowboard Halfpipe qualifying round of the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix Copper Mountain on December 09, 2021 in Copper Mountain, Colorado. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
Three-time Olympic gold medalist Shaun White headlined the men's field at the first of three 2021-22 FIS Snowboard Halfpipe World Cups at Copper Mountain in Frisco, Colorado, on Saturday.
The event kicked off the season's U.S. Grand Prix tour and was also second of four U.S. Olympic selection events for snowboard halfpipe leading up to February's Olympics in Beijing.
While the participants took part in three runs, only their best run counted.
White started the day in impressive fashion, scoring a 75.50 on his first run after throwing down two switch-frontside double cork 1080s into a frontside 540, a double McTwist 1260 before finishing with an alley-oop backside rodeo.
He finished the first run ranked third behind Japanese competitors Ruka Hirano (89.25) and Raibu Katayama (81.25).
However, the 35-year-old struggled in his second run, scoring a 64.25 after performing two frontside 1080s, a pair of frontside 540s and a double McTwist 1260.
Big performers in the second run included Americans Taylor Gold (87.00) and Chase Josey (85.25) and Japan's Yuto Totsuka (87.75), who bounced back from a rough first run in which he recorded a 14.25.
White had an even worse performance on his third and final run of the afternoon, scoring a 5.00 after performing a double cork 1080 but failing to stick the landing. He finished the afternoon ranked eighth, while Hirano, Switzerland's Jan Scherrer and Totsuka finished on the podium.
Before Saturday's event, White last competed in March, placing fourth at the U.S. Grand Prix in Aspen. That event ended his three-year hiatus following his victory at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics.
Video: Shaun White Goes Snowboarding with Rapper Travis Scott
Jan 30, 2021
Travis Scott performs at the Pre-Grammy Gala And Salute To Industry Icons at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Saturday, Feb. 9, 2019, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)
Travis Scott might not be the best on the slope, but the novice snowboarder has a friend who is.
The rap star got some help from Olympian Shaun White this week, and it wasn't long before he was grinding and going airborne down the mountains.
White posted a video showing his protege's progress, with Scott clearly excited after landing the jump (warning: NSFW language):
Travis Scott got snowboarding lessons from X Games legend Shaun White 🔥 *NSFW*
Scott said in an Instagram post he was "overly hyped," and he had good reason to be. He only got his snowboard January 1.
Not bad progress for 30 days of work. With White's help, he might even be shredding halfpipes by this time next year.
Snowboard World Champion, Olympian Alex Pullin Dies in Spearfishing Accident
Jul 8, 2020
PYEONGCHANG-GUN, SOUTH KOREA - FEBRUARY 15: Alex Pullin of Australia (yellow) celebrates winning the Men's Snowboard Cross Semifinal 1 on day six of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at Phoenix Snow Park on February 15, 2018 in Pyeongchang-gun, South Korea. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)
Alex Pullin, a three-time Winter Olympian and two-time world snowboard champion, died at the age of 32 on Wednesday.
The Associated Press reported police said Pullin drowned while spearfishing in his native Australia and was found by a snorkeler.
According to police, Pullin, who was diving on an artificial reef at Palm Beach on Australia's Gold Coast, was unresponsive when taken from the water and received CPR from paramedics. Police said Pullin did not have an oxygen mask and had been freediving when he died.
"Our deepest condolences are with Alex's family, as well as his teammates and support staff," Snow Australia, the country's winter sports body, said. "Alex was a beloved member of the Snow Australia community, and he will be dearly missed."
Pullin represented Australia in the 2010, 2014 and 2018 Winter Olympics in the men's boardercross events, finishing in the top 10 in 2018.
He was also his home country's flag-bearer at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics and won gold medals at the 2011 La Molina and 2013 Stoneham world championships.
Mark McMorris Breaks Shaun White's Winter X Games Career Medal Record
Mar 7, 2020
Second-place finisher Mark McMorris, of Canada, celebrates on the podium following the men's slopestyle snowboard world championship Sunday, Feb. 10, 2019, in Park City, Utah. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
The extreme sports athlete of the generation has been knocked down a peg in the history books.
Snowboarder Mark McMorris earned his 19th career Winter X Games medal Saturday, topping Shaun White's longtime record.
McMorris, 26, won gold in the men's snowboard big air competition Saturday at the Games in Norway, finishing ahead of Max Parrot and Darcy Sharpe. The Canadian captured a silver medal in the big air event in Aspen in January.
That he's still competing at all is a marvel. McMorris suffered significant injuries after crashing into a tree while snowboarding with his brother and friends near Whistler, British Columbia, in 2017, resulting in fractures to his jaw, pelvis, ribs and left arm as well as a ruptured spleen and collapsed left lung. The recovery required two surgeries.
Less than a year later, McMorris won his second Winter Olympics bronze medal at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games in the men's slopestyle event.
At the X Games, he's totaled nine gold medals, seven silvers and three bronzes—finishing on the podium every year since 2011.
White still holds the career X Games medal record with 23 podium finishes across the Summer and Winter Games.
Chloe Kim Wins Snowboard Superpipe Gold Medal at 2019 Winter X Games
Jan 27, 2019
ASPEN, COLORADO - JANUARY 25: Chloe Kim practices in the Superpipe prior to the Women's Snowboard Superpipe event at the 2019 Winter X Games on January 25, 2019 in Aspen, Colorado. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
Chloe Kim won her fifth Winter X Games snowboard superpipe gold medal on Saturday in Aspen, Colorado, thanks to an 84.00 score during her second run:
Competitors are each given three runs, with the best score standing as the one that counts toward the final results. Queralt Castellet won silver with 80.00 points in her first run, and Cai Xuetong took the bronze with a 72.66 result in her final run.
Kim turns just 19 years old in April, but she looks well on her way toward becoming one of the most decorated winter-sports athletes in recent history, let alone in snowboarding.
That's in part because she's the owner of a lot of "firsts." Per the Olympic Channel, she's the first halfpipe rider to sweep an Olympics gold medal, a Winter X Games gold medal and the U.S. Open.
Charles Lam of NBC News reported Kim was the first person under 16 years of age to win back-to-back golds at the Winter X Games. She is the first woman to hit back-to-back 1080s and land a frontside double cork 1080 in the halfpipe as well.
Kim also became the youngest woman ever to win an Olympic snowboarding medal when she took down the halfpipe event in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
Kim has been dominating the snowboarding scene for years, as she won the silver medal in the 2014 Winter X Games at just 13 years of age.
