18 Points of Agreement Between SIA Snowboarding Committee and US Skiing

The following are the "18 Points of Agreement" between the SIA Snowboard Committee and US Skiing:

1. An organization within our organization will be created for the sport of Snowboard, to be called US Snowboard. Specific committees for the discipline will be elected from the members of that discipline to deal with the governance issue for that discipline.

2. A new logo will be developed for this organization.

3. A snowboard person will be hired to become the director of Snowboard for US Snowboard with a focus on the development of the sport on a grass roots level. The committee will be involved in the process.

4. Representation of the United States on the Olympic Team in the various disciplines of Snowboard will become open to all of the top athletes in the United States.

5. A three event "US Snowboard Tour" will be created in the US each and every year. Best efforts will be used to schedule this tour on non-conflict dates with the FIS and the ISF competitions.

6. US Snowboard will be responsible for the organization of, implementation of, and the financial responsibility for, this tour. At no time will Snowboard be sold in conjunction with any other discipline.

7. A prize purse of $75,000 per event will be created by US Snowboard for the tour.

8. All of the top world riders, regardless of affiliation and including the FIS and ISF, would be eligible to participate. An open competition will be held in advance of each tour stop to allow any snowboarding not seeded to compete and qualify for the tourney. Results from the tour may be used by the FIS and the ISF for international point standings of rankings. Best efforts will be used to create an equitable seeding for all top riders of the FIS and ISF.

9. Top American riders from these events combined during Olympic years will qualify to join the US Olympic Team for Snowboard.

10. All three events will be televised through six one-half hour snowboard shows on ESPN and a one-hour special on CBS. These shows will be for the 1996097 and 1997-98 seasons. We then expect to move the one hour special from CBS to NBC. This is subject to final agreement with ESPN, CBS, and NBC.

11. Snowboard persons and firms that are experts on events will be brought in to help create and run each of the tour stops.

12. ISF riders that participate in the tour will be free to wear their own clothing and use their own boards. In addition, there will be no pool suppliers for US Snowboard.

13. Once chosen, the US Snowboard representatives on the US Olympic Team will agree to wear the uniform of the US Olympic Team during the Olympic competition. The riders will be free to utilize the hardgoods of their choice.

14. US Snowboard will agree to work within the USOC and IOC to raise the number of competitors for Snowboard in the Olympics from 12 to at least 16. U.S. Snowboard will continue to work within the FIS and the IOC/USOC to further individualize the sport.

15. US Snowboard will agree to work with in the FIS to allow American riders to compete as individuals in the FIS Snowboard World Cup tour thus eliminating the need for a US Team. The athletes will pay their own way and utilize their own uniforms, equipment and sponsors.

16. US Snowboard will provide optional services and benefits to its athletes on a group discount as the need arises including: health insurance, travel, schedule information, rules and regulations, competitive information, etc.

17. All riders that compete in the US Snowboard Tour must become a member of the FIS through US Snowboard.

18. US Snowboard will use best efforts to work with the FIS in order to create a fair seeding for qualified athletes, regardless of affiliation, that compete in the Olympics.