Steamboat Pilot & Today

Steamboat Springs — Special Jumping coach Kari Ylianttila will take on a new role with the U.S. Ski team when the skiers start training this summer.

It's a role that will allow him to stay closer to home, spend more time with his family and still make a difference in the future of jumping in the United States.

While it is unclear what Ylianttila's official title will be in the upcoming year, he did say he would no longer be traveling with the team to Europe for training and competitions.

Instead, he will stay closer to home overseeing the team's plans, coaching the team when they are in Park City and educating young coaches within the program.

The coach wouldn't speculate on who would step in to act as a head coach (most likely a young coach from Finland) when the team is on the road, but he did confirm there will be a change before next season.

The new job will allow him to continue to work with young up-and-coming skiers such as Alan Alborn and Clint Jones, but it will not put him on the road for large chunks of the season.

The former head of the Finnish Program, Ylianttila came to the United States after the 1994 season to develop young skiers. He just completed his fifth season as the head coach of the U.S. Team.

"Basically I'm not going to be the travel coach anymore," he said. "It's tough being on the road all the time, coming home for a few days and then heading back out."

What Ylianttila is most excited about is a chance to develop young coaches in the United States through a new education program. He wants to build new coaches who can build a healthy jumping program in America in the future.

"I'm trying to keep the team moving in the same direction," Ylianttila said. "We've made some strides lately and I don't want to see that end."