COPPER, Colo. – The Adaptive Sports Foundation (ASF) snowboarders Zachary Elder and Charlie Kleiman made a powerful mark at the United States of America Snowboard and Freeski Association (USASA) National Championships this week (March 30-April 3), collectively earning an impressive seven medals in the Kekoa Class. Also competing was ASF Volunteer snowboard instructor Norman Kleiman, who added a bronze medal to the team’s haul.
The week kicked off with a historic achievement before the competition even began. The USASA made a groundbreaking move by officially integrating the Adaptive Kekoa Class into the national competition structure—an incredible milestone for adaptive snow sports. In honor of the ASF’s pioneering role in the development of the Kekoa Class, the USASA presented a special award to the organization. Zach, Charlie, and ASF’s head snowboard coach Frank Cabrera proudly accepted the recognition on behalf of the ASF.
Reflecting on this monumental change, the ASF athletes couldn’t hide their excitement.
“It’s a great honor and it means a lot to us knowing that we’re officially recognized as a competitive group in the USASA,” Charlie said.
“We worked on this unification for such a long time, it feels good to finally get it,” Zach explained. “Making this category official will get other athletes around the country to come on out and take on this challenge.”
“What this unification does is open up participation for everyone,” Frank said. “It has been long overdue, and it was worth fighting for.”
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As members of both the ASF Race Team and the USASA’s Catskill Mountain Series (CMS), Zach and Charlie had the opportunity to compete at world-class venues, rack up National points, and work toward qualifying for the USASA National Championships.
The duo kicked off the competition with the Slalom event on Sunday, March 30. Zach delivered two flawless runs, each timed at 38.77 seconds, for a total of 1:17.54, clinching the gold medal. Charlie earned a well-deserved silver medal with two consistent runs of 1:00.40 and 1:01.73, posting a personal best time of 2:02.13 in his 12th USASA National Championship appearance.
Zach’s success continued the following day in the Halfpipe event. Facing the daunting 22-foot superpipe at Copper Mountain, he earned the gold with a stellar score of 79.0, improving on his previous year’s score by 10 points. Later in the week, Zach added another gold medal to his collection with a victory in the Rail Jam, and completed his trifecta of freestyle wins with a gold in the Boardercross on Wednesday, finishing with a time of 1:13.93.
Charlie returned to the slopes for the Giant Slalom event on Thursday, showing incredible consistency with runs of 1:25.41 and 1:25.39 to earn his second silver medal of the week. Zach followed suit in the Giant Slalom, securing his fifth gold medal with a combined time of 1:29.33 after posting runs of 44.55 and 44.78 seconds.
Reflecting on his experience, Zach shared, “This week was a breakthrough for me—I stepped out of my comfort zone and worked through some challenges. I’m proud of how I did, and overall, it was a fantastic experience.”
Charlie added, “Getting personal best times in Slalom was a big win for me. I’m excited about my progress and looking forward to what’s next.”
Meanwhile, Norman Kleiman, competing in the Methuselah Class for snowboarders over 60, had his own impressive showing. He finished in the top five in Giant Slalom with a combined time of 3:08.54, followed by a fourth-place finish in Slalom (2:20.61). Norman wrapped up his week with a bronze medal in Boardercross, clocking in at 3:37.56.
Mother Nature provided a little drama of her own, with weather conditions ranging from sunny, soft slopes to gusty winds and heavy snow—over seven inches on one day alone. As Charlie joked, “With all that snow, it definitely slowed us down a bit and made us more tired than usual, but we powered through!”
“I’m so proud of Zach and Charlie,” said Coach Frank Cabrera. “They’ve been exceptional ambassadors for the Adaptive Sports Foundation all week long while also performing really well during the competitions.”
In total, the ASF athletes are heading home with a combined eight medals—five golds, two silvers, and a bronze—making it a week to remember in the Centennial State.