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Sugar Bowl Academy
Sugar Bowl Academy (or SBA) is a coeducational independent secondary school founded in 1998 to support competitive skiers and emphasizing both athletic and academic development. Located on Donner Summit in [|Norden, California], the Academy serves student/athletes seeking a combination of university preparatory academics and Alpine, Nordic, and Freestyle or "Freeride" ski training and competition. The program is designed around a college preparatory curriculum, a regimented athletic training program, and community-minded living.

It is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) and is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).

History
The Academy was co-founded by Jim Hudson, Barbara Sorba, and Dr. Patricia "Tricia" Hellman Gibbs, former member of the U.S. Ski Team and daughter of San Francisco philanthropist and private equity investor Warren Hellman. Tricia grew up on the slopes of Sugar Bowl Ski Resort and co-founded with her husband the San Francisco Free Clinic, a medical clinic which sees thousands of people in need each year free of charge.

SBA is run by Sugar Bowl Ski Team Foundation Executive Director Bill Hudson, a member of the 1988 U.S. Ski Team, and Head of School Tracy Keller, a graduate and former Alpine ski racer of Dartmouth College.

Today, Sugar Bowl Academy enrolls 44 full-year students and is opening the 2011-2012 school year with renovated dorm quarters for boarding students and new classroom facilities at the foot of the Sugar Bowl Ski Resort slopes.

Academics
All Sugar Bowl Academy students/athletes are enrolled in a college-preparatory curriculum and must meet the high school graduation requirements of 61 units (each one trimester long), a year-long senior project, and a commitment to community service. Academy student/athletes must maintain a 2.0 GPA to participate in athletics and continue their enrollment at the academy.

In addition to the core curricular offerings in Math, Science, Language, English, and History, students may enroll in electives such as Studio Art, Drama, Film Studies, Digital Photography, and Creative Writing. For the 2011-2012 school year, the school is offering AP courses in Human Geography, Language, and Calculus.

Athletics
All SBA students are involved in competitive skiing - either Alpine, Nordic, or Freestyle - and train year round under the supervision of SBA's coaching and athletic conditioning staff. Fall dry-land training includes both before and after-school conditioning programs determined by the coaches of each discipline in coordination with the athletic conditioning staff. The academy's primary training facility, the Performance Training Center.

Alpine training facilities include a private race arena at Sugar Bowl Ski Resort accessed by a high-speed quad and outfitted with a watering system and dedicated snowmaking equipment.

Nordic skiers train at Royal Gorge Cross Country Ski Area, Auburn Ski Club, and Tahoe-Donner Cross Country.

Freestyle skiers train both in-bounds at Sugar Bowl Ski Resort, with supervised access to Sugar Bowl's "side country" terrain, plus frequent park and pipe training at Boreal Mountain Resort. Freestyle skiers also experience regular, supervised excursions into the Tahoe area backcountry.