Teague named AVSC’s executive director after long stint leading Nordic program
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
When August Teague returned home to the Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club to serve as its Nordic director in 2016, there was no grand plan to ever lead the entire club.
That doesn’t mean that specific dream didn’t exist, however.
“It’s an honor. I’ve been a part of the club as long as I can remember and to be trusted by the community to take the reins of such an important nonprofit organization in our valley, it means the world to me,” Teague told The Aspen Times on Wednesday, less than 24 hours after the club formally announced his promotion to executive director.
“I certainly didn’t come home with the intent of taking over the club,” he continued, “but in my tenure here, I’ve had the opportunity to learn what makes this place so special from an employee role instead of as an athlete. I would be remiss to say I hadn’t dreamt about it at some point.”
Teague, 44 for another few weeks, takes over as AVSC’s director just two years shy of its 90th anniversary. He replaces Dave Baugh, the former Aspen School District superintendent, who resigned from the post earlier this summer, leaving just shy of his one-year anniversary. Mark Godomsky, who like Baugh has roots out east, had been the executive director the seven years prior before returning to the Gould Academy in Maine.
While Teague won’t officially step into his new role until Sept. 3, he’s already hit the ground running as he makes the transition over the next few weeks.
“This club helped develop my character, my determination, my grit, my passion for snowsport, for endurance sport. And to know I now have the opportunity to impact 3,000-plus kids every year, it’s incredible,” he said. “I’ve got some ideas on some big, shiny apples up there, but I want to make sure we’ve picked all that low-hanging fruit and that we are really doing the small things well before we start chasing those big dreams.”
He is a native of the Roaring Fork Valley and grew up skiing with AVSC before graduating from Colorado Rocky Mountain School in Carbondale. He then had a standout career with the University of Denver before embarking on a career in coaching, one that included working the Sochi Olympics and running his own ski club in Tahoe.
He returned to his AVSC roots in 2016 to serve as the club’s Nordic program director, a role he’ll have for only another few weeks before becoming executive director. Of the past nine years, Teague said he takes the most pride in maintaining and building the passionate cross-country skiing community in the valley.
And it’s the connections he has to former athletes that truly stands out.
“A lot of messages and support pouring in the last 24 hours, but when you get them from the kids, that means the most,” he said. “At the end of the day, the focus isn’t Nordic or Alpine or snowboard or freestyle — it’s kids. It’s the concept of providing access and opportunity to the kids of this valley.”
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He isn’t the only leadership change at AVSC, as Beth Hoff Blackmer, an AVSC alumna, recently took over as board president, taking over for Ryan Smalls. She is the fifth woman to serve as board president in the 88-year history of the club. She has also been serving as interim executive director since Baugh resigned.
With Teague and Hoff Blackmer both set to be the club’s guiding lights this coming winter — which is an Olympic season — there is an understanding of how big of an impact their decisions can make on the youth of this valley.
“I’m excited to dive into some of those other realms and support those directors. We have an incredible staff. There are a bunch of rock stars in this building, really,” Teague said of what he hopes to accomplish in his first year in charge.
“Really, it’s to listen and to learn. I obviously know the Nordic community; I know the Nordic families well,” he continued. “There is still always more to learn there. But it’s to spend the time to engage with our athletes, engage with our families, engage with our staff, meet with our board, meet with the ski company and the school, and really learn what it is we are doing well and where there is some low-hanging fruit that we can jump on right away.”
Teague named AVSC’s executive director after long stint leading Nordic program
When August Teague returned home to AVSC to serve as its Nordic director in 2016, there was no grand plan to ever lead the entire club.
