Paul Abling on Racing as a Giant Eagle at the American Ski Classic

It's a right of passage here at the Vail Valley Foundation and someone inevitably ends up wishing they had not volunteered to do it each year. This year it was my turn, and who knows, perhaps I will do it again in an attempt to bat for the cycle.

Each year at the Korbel American Ski Classic, we have a Future Legends Race. The ski racing stars of tomorrow take the Golden Peak race course by storm in a dual Giant Slalom format. The ages of these speedsters varies drastically, however, I don't think any of them can drive (but they all somehow can beat me down the racecourse).

Before the first Future Legends hit the course, we have a mascot race. McGruff the crime dog, Milka the Cow, Dusty the Eagle and a Pork Chop the Safety Swine all go head-to-head in full costume regalia no-holds-bar race to the finish line. After the mascots finish the race, they stick around in the Finish Stadium cheering on the kiddos while handing out a barrage of costumed high fives and hugs.

Sounds easy on paper right? Well... not so much and I'll tell you why. First of all, I am a snowboarder and as such have never raced on a Giant Slalom course. Secondly, and more importantly, these are not small scale costumes. It took three of my VVF co-workers to put my Dusty the Eagle costume on me. It's not a Walmart Halloween costume... the thing takes batteries. Once you finally get your costume on, you receive the pep talk from Operations guy Adam Lueck that goes something like this:  "Don't make any human sounds, sometimes children are scared by human sounds from mascots." Then they stick you on a snowmobile and take you to the start house. After you get off the snowmobile and figure out how to put your skis/snowboard on with a two foot tail and giant head, you have about three turns to work out the kinks before you race. It only really takes one turn to realize something very important... you can not see a darn thing with those costumes on. One must actually hold the head of the costume in a very specific orientation to see anything. In my particular instance, it was the beak. Race time. Let's get some.

Bottom line here is that I would gladly do this again and next time I'm going to win (I'm pretty competitive, even when racing as a giant 9 foot tall Eagle). Unfortunately, this time I got smoked by our 19-year-old German intern dressed as Milka the Cow. Right out of the gate, I was convinced I had him beat. When I saw him three gates ahead of me flying through Super G gates like nothing could stop him (he was out of control also I presume), I switched gears. From that moment forward I was only focused on making all the gates and not going down. Lord knows that if I did go down, I probably could not get myself back up without help from others. 

In the end, all the mascots made it through the course unscathed and had a great time. The children loved it and aside from losing about 5 pounds due to profuse sweating (those costumes are REALLY hot), it was a great time. Here at the Vail Valley Foundation, we all do things at times that are outside our job description. Case in point - racing down a Giant Slalom course dressed as a Giant Eagle. But how many other people can say they did it?

Who knows, I might even make the Korbel American Ski Classic TV show.
-Paul

See more photos from the 2011 Korbel American Ski Classic Future Legends Race (and me as an eagle) here:

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John Dakin, VVF "Legend," Takes On the American Ski Classic

Call it what you will…taking one for the team, doing my fair share or simply finding a good excuse to play hookie from work for an afternoon…I made the decision to round out the Vail Valley Foundation team for the Conway Cup Community Team Race that officially kicked off the 2011 Korbel American Ski Classic on Wednesday.

Undaunted by the fact that the combined ages of my three teammates, Mac Garnsey, Patrick Senn and Lucy Baumrind, was just slightly greater than my own, we donned some pretty stylish retro one-piece ski outfits and set out to conquer the world or at least the ten or so gates of the Conway Cup course.  It’s been quite a while since I’ve attempted to bash some gates (without them bashing back), especially on a dual course, but I’m happy to say that I stood up for both runs, my knees still work and the anchor that I was dragging behind me didn’t leave too deep a rut in the course.

All it all, it was not only a great day, but a great decision to become the “legend” of the VVF team.  Dan Conway, who the race is named for, was a friend and we all miss him.  But on a bluebird spring day in Vail, there was a tremendous mix of fun and camaraderie, not only with my “younger” teammates, but also with all the participants, that I know made Dan smile.  After all, that’s what ski racing is all about.
-JD

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Facebook Fan Catches The Doors Tribute @ the VPAC

This blog post is from Scott Winnegrad, a Vail local and fan of the Vilar Performing Arts Center Facebook page.

"Had a fantastic evening at the Vilar last night. What a pleasant surprise having such a talented ensemble from Toronto (CAL: Classic Albums Live), performing the album of L.A. Woman, and then an extra set of great classics. These guys were tight and Clifton, the lead singer, nailed Jim Morrison’s voice. I think everyone there had a very memorable evening.

Winning free tickets to the show, through VPAC’s Facebook promotion, just made the event more special. I would suggest “liking” the VPAC, and getting in on future opportunities to see great live music. I am hard-pressed to find a better venue to see live performance. The Vail Valley Foundation and VPAC make living in the Vail Valley a treat!"

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"Waiting for Superman" Screening & Panel a Super Success

 With the current state of the national education system under the microscope and administrators fighting for much needed change, we joined forces with the Vail Symposium to bring Davis Guggenheim's critically acclaimed film, “Waiting For Superman,” to Beaver Creek last Wednesday for a special free screening at the Vilar Performing Arts Center. In addition to the film the evening included an in-depth panel discussion following the screening, featuring nationally recognized education experts.

Steve Barr, a panelist for the evening and Founder of Green Dot Public Schools, started the discussion following the film by saying, “Do you guys not have Netflix here? Because it is incredible how many people came out here on a Wednesday evening to see this film. It really says something about your community.” Not only was the Vilar Center a packed house for the film, but many of the spectators stayed for the panel discussion until just before 10pm.

Coupling this captivating film with an exceptional panel left people with a sense of urgency to help our education system. Senator Michael Johnston, a panelist and Vail native, articulated statistics at the state and county level, which gave the audience the opportunity to relate the topics discussed in the movie back to our local issues. Many teachers and parents in the room expressed concern with the recent budget cut, but still conveyed gratitude for the Eagle County School District. Overall, the event was eye-opening and should inspire the Eagle County community to stay engaged in our local education system.
- Lindsey

View more photos from the event here:

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Truth: Kids LOVE Pizza (& Sowing Seeds!)

 Truth: Kids love pizza. Chewy dough, cheesy globs, tomato sauce and the occasional pepperoni to make pizza faces with (You know you did this as a child, too). Is it possible for kids to love...Spinach? Onions? Basil? At Edwards Elementary yesterday, the answer was a resounding "YES!"

I stopped by the Cook with a Chef After School Enrichment yesterday, part of the Sowing Seeds education program, to watch Kelly Liken of Restaurant Kelly Liken and Jenna Johansen of Dish teach classes about yeast and healthy pizza making. With plastic bins filled to the brim of fresh spinach, chopped onions, basic, sliced pepperoni and cheese, kids rolled out and assembled their own personal pizza to bring home and cook. While most of the toppings made it to the mouths instead of the pizzas themselves, the turnout was great. At the end of the session, Kelly asked "What was something new you tried today?" Hands flew up and one boy answered, "Onions!" while shoving a pungent handful into his mouth, followed by the laughter of his peers.

Local chefs will continue to work with students at various schools in the area as part of the Cook with a Chef After School Enrichment program through out the year. I can't wait to see what they make next!

Another truth: Kids love pictures. See below.
-Melissa

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Kelly Liken, Sowing Seeds and Michelle Obama...oh my!

Children from Brush Creek Elementary in Eagle learning about
organic gardening as part of the VVF's Sowing Seeds education program.

I had the pleasure of dining at Restaurant Kelly Liken last night with Kristin, who is in charge of Summer Vail media relations. Neither of us had eaten there before, so we felt it was our duty to see what all the talk was about! Well, of course the food was delicious (that's a given), but what I was most impressed with was the knowledge and friendliness of the staff...from server Awesome Andy to Manager Rickilane, from the host who had our coats ready when we walked out, to the valet who warmed up our car, I was blown away with everyone's eagerness to help.

Especially impressive to me was how proud everyone is of Chef Kelly and her being part of the Vail community. So many items on the menu come from the Vail Valley and Andy (not knowing I'm part of the Vail Valley Foundation) told us all about the VVF's Sowing Seeds organic gardening program that Kelly is involved with at Brush Creek Elementary. I told him he was such a great ambassador and he then explained to me that it was because of Kelly's involvement with the schools that First Lady Michelle Obama chose to dine at Restaurant Kelly Liken a couple of weeks ago. 

I wish I could go back in time and have Andy interject to Mrs. Obama that four of our Celebrate The Beat kids (another VVF program) danced for her at the White House in September, as part of a tribute to Judith Jamison. I'm sure she hadn't made the connection, but I was reeling and quite proud to know our education initiatives have made such an impact at such a high level.

I look forward to seeing Kelly's career skyrocket - well deserved, to say the least. Here's an article from RealVail.com that announces her as a semifinalist for the prestigious James Beard Award, and also makes mention of the Vail Valley Foundation, Sowing Seeds and Mrs. Obama's visit.

Cheers,
Shelley

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Sam Bush for Free and Other Things I Love About VVF

Living in the Vail Valley, I have to pinch myself on a regular basis. On any given day, I wake up to a glorious sunrise over the mountains, perhaps take a snowshoe through pristine snow-covered trails, and have the privilege of working at the Vail Valley Foundation to put on high caliber events for our community. I try to not take it for granted very often; thus, a blog post to share my gratitude.

Last night we had Sam Bush at Bud Light Street Beat in Vail Village. The operations crew gets to Checkpoint Charlie in the morning to start preparing and dedicates their entire day/night to the set up and break down of this event, once a week. And then they are in the office at 8am the following morning. It is no easy feat and I am continually amazed each time I see the hard work they put into staging a stellar concert.

Last night, my friends, was a ridiculously awesome concert. Sam Bush, King of Newgrass, had an ease with the crowd that made him incredibly lovable. I laughed when Paul, coworker, told me that Bush said to feel it out and "let the encore happen organically." It didn't take long to bring him back out on stage. The audience went back almost to Sweet Basil and everyone was grooving out to his bluegrass/folk/jam band tunes.

Taking pictures and walking around, I realized what a unique organization the Vail Valley Foundation is, to have so many events and programs we create or are involved in, and be able to reach and touch so many different people across the Valley.

Well, that was Thursday. And today, we have our First Notes and Celebrate the Beat kids from Avon Elementary School of Rock opening for the giant Snowball Festival on Nottingham Lake. This weekend, we'll have a free movie night for families and the Chinese Golden Acrobats swinging through the Vilar Center. Next week, Kelly Liken will teach kids how to cook using the produce they've grown in the Sowing Seeds program. The list is endless, and it never gets old.

-Melissa

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