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Kudos and Kindness — Readers praise World Cup organizers, volunteers

Readers praise World Cup organizers, volunteers

After taking some time to reflect on last week, there are a few people that I’d like to thank.

First and foremost, thank you to Aspen Skiing Co. for making the Audi FIS World Cup Finals such a spectacular event. Between the well-executed races, the lively viewing area and VIP tent and the always-happening World Cup Village in Wagner Park, you did a phenomenal job creating an experience that racers, spectators and volunteers alike will not soon forget. It was particularly fun to watch the event through the eyes of our athletes — as a young racer, there’s nothing like seeing Mikaela Shiffrin, Marcel Hirscher, and company train on our training venue at Aspen Highlands and then perform in front of our hometown crowd on Ajax! I know that you have been deep in the throes of planning this event ever since you were notified that you won the bid years ago. All your planning was well worth it — congratulations on continuing Aspen’s strong legacy of ski racing!



I also want to thank the volunteers that worked day in and day out to make this event happen. One of the things that sets Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club apart from other ski clubs for me is the depth of the community here. Events like the World Cup Finals make the strength and enthusiasm of this community impossible to ignore! Thank you to everyone who opened their homes to course workers, who took time off work to welcome visitors to our town, who woke before the sun and stayed up late making this experience incredible for all involved. When AVSC started 80 years ago, it was entirely volunteer run. Weeks like last week make it incredibly evident that the volunteer spirit around ski racing is alive and well in Aspen.

Finally, I want to thank the AVSC staff. Since fall, many of the alpine coaches have spent time on Ruthies and Aztec getting the safety nets ready for these races. Pat Callahan, chief of course, has been working for months to prepare for an event of this magnitude. Many of our coaches spent the entirety of last week waking up early, helping set the courses, making sure the snow conditions were the best they could be, adjusting gates, leading slip crews and more. Alpine program director Johno McBride single-handedly threw 2,000 pounds of salt on the men’s slalom course to keep the track as firm as possible for the racers. I am proud to work alongside some of the best of the business in ski racing — thank you for all that you continue to put into your work, not just for our athletes, but for every athlete you encounter.




Cheers to a successful week, and thanks again to Skico for making it all happen.

Mark Godomsky

Executive director, Aspen Ski and Snowboard Club

Thank you, John Rigney, your team, volunteers and the Aspen Skiing Co. owners for hosting one of the most successful and exciting events Aspen has ever seen. We certainly acknowledge the hard work, financial commitment and passion you all gave to the event. In the 40-plus years I have attended local events, this event created more positive comments and a sense of community spirit than I can ever recall.

Thanks for promoting Aspen to the world in such a positive and exciting way!

We are fortunate to have you as the stewards for our mountains and leaders in the community.

Chuck Frias

Aspen

Kudos to Mike Kaplan and Aspen Skiing Co. for a fabulous FIS World Cup Finals. My husband and I were volunteers at the hospitality tent. Our team leaders, Peggy Carlson and Jayne Poss, brought an amazing group of volunteers together that soon became a solid team of new friends. The Little Nell took scaffolding and canvas and turned it into a five-star restaurant and lounge with linens, glassware and china. Bryan Lamblin and Eva Pekkala trained us with love and respect. Thank you for the privilege of working with such an amazing group of people!

Gary and Nancy Peterson

Carbondale

What a weekend of World Cup racing. Aspen Skiing Co. stepped up to the plate at the bottom of the ninth inning with the bases loaded and hit a home run — out of the stadium, into the parking lot and right through the windshield of a Ferrari, setting off the car alarm.

This event was of the caliber that will have our town talking about it for the next 50 years. It speaks to the top-down culture at the Skico. From the ownership, to the upper management, to the employees and the volunteers, there was a willingness to overcome all the obstacles and make the World Cup Finals in Aspen an overwhelming success. It feels like Aspen is in a state of post-World Cup bliss right now, and the feeling will hopefully last well into the future. We haven’t heard this much cowbell in Aspen since Blue Oyster Cult played the Double Diamond.

Thanks again to everyone who helped bring the races to town. Your hard work didn’t go unnoticed. The races will be back someday thanks to you. It’s going to be impossible for the FIS to stay away now. They’ll always look back on the 2017 World Cup Finals in Aspen with vivid memories, like an unforgettable weekend of good sex.

Lorenzo Semple

Aspen