The 2022 Winter Olympics are currently underway in Beijing, China. From bobsleds, to snowboarding, to figure skating, it can be a fun break for equestrians to watch while it might be too cold to ride in their Region. Did you know that USDF has its own special connection to winter sports?
USDF’s Executive Director, Stephan Hienzch, was a successful skier. He was inducted into the University of Colorado Athletic Hall of Fame in 2015.
“A member of four NCAA champion teams, he was the first Buffalo to be crowned as a giant slalom champion, winning the event as a junior in 1977; he then captured the slalom title two days later, pulling off the rare sweep. A two-time, first-team All-American (1976, 1977) and an honorable mention performer as a freshman (1975). He was the only collegiate skier to be invited to race in the World Cup Series in ’77, when he was also selected to be on the U.S. Alpine program’s developmental team. After his racing career, he served as head coach and director of the United States Disabled Ski Team for four years. He relocated to Lexington, Ky., in 2002, trading the ski slopes for bluegrass and horse farms, coinciding with his being named as the executive director of the U.S. Dressage Federation.”
USDF has been proud to have Stephan at the helm of our organization for the past 20 years, and we share this as a flashback to his success on the slopes!
