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December 16, 2005
Road to the Olympics Begins in Aspen
With the Winter Olympics fast approaching, everyone at the Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club is hopeful that the Americans can dislodge the Austrians and Swiss at the top of the podium. AVSC is a non-profit organization providing ski and snowboard programs to over 1,700 children and teens in the Roaring Fork Valley.
Our mission is to engage and excel - in other words, get kids hooked on winter sports and give them the training and support to fulfill their aspirations no matter what they are. Our top-tier athletes compete against other winter sports clubs with the ultimate goal of joining the U.S. National team. Once there, athletes take on the best in the world on the World Cup circuit and in the Olympics.
For those who tune in to the Winter Games and wonder where these athletes come from, they come from Clubs like ours and ski academies across the country. We were thrilled to have a current AVSC snowboarder, 16-year old Jordan Karlinski, qualify for the U.S. Snowboard Team this year. Jordie competes in Boardercross and is a hard-charging, fearless competitor. While she probably won't make the cut for the Olympics, she finished 3rd in the Gravity Games last year and keep your eye on her when the X-Games roll into town this January. You can read more about her here.
AVSC freestyle moguls skier Glenn Engelman has been making some waves as well. Engleman finished in a tie for 5th overall at the U.S. National Championships last year and recently made the cut to compete in Nor-Ams for the rest of the season. As his coach and AVSC Freestyle Program Director Eric Knight puts it, "He's now at the level below World Cup. It's the top group looking to make the U.S. Freestyle Team." For more on Glenn and teammate and AVSC's top female mogul skier Rachel Weitzenkorn, click here.
I'll have more news from the Club including our upcoming Go for the Gold Gala Event at the top of Aspen Mountain coming soon. For those of you coming to Aspen over the holidays, the conditions are great and the town is alive with activity! Happy Holidays to everyone!
Posted by at December 16, 2005 02:45 PM
