Vail Kids Welcome World Cup Racers with "Treasure Chests"

The Vail Valley Foundation office has been buzzing with activity as we prepare for the 2010 Audi Birds of Prey World Cup next week. Filled with volunteers to sort, stack, label, fold, and distribute, the energy is contagious. So contagious, the Vail Valley school children have caught the World Cup bug. At Eagle County Charter Academy, Stone Creek Charter, and Red Sandstone Elementary, kids have been eagerly preparing welcome kits for the racers who will arrive for training mid-week. These "treasure chests," as they have been named, are filled with just about anything and everything the kids deemed appropriate - pedometers, bags of snacks, origami swans, pictures of themselves, postcards, paper cut outs, and letters to individual racers. The chests have been a huge hit in the schools as they help teach the classrooms about various countries; each class has been assigned a team to research and write to. Furthermore, the chests have aided in building local spirit and making the races "real" for the kids.

Take one third grader's letter to the Canadian team, who wrote about where to eat in the Valley and to "remember that it is cold here, so pack plenty of mittens and scarves." Or a fourth grader's plea "Don't blame me if I cheer for the U.S. but you're next after that." My favorite? "Do you know the elevation of Vail? It's 11,589 feet so don't bother to look it up on the Internet." Kids say it best, don't they?

When the teams do arrive from their respective countries, they'll also get the opportunity to meet the treasure chest creators. Three U.S. ski team members will visit schools and the rest will meet with the youngest racers of the Ski and Snowboard Club Vail at the Public Bib Presentation on Saturday, 12/4.

Posted in: 2015 World Alpine Ski Championships,Birds of Prey,Birds of Prey World Cup Race Week,Education