2015 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS NEWSLETTER
VOLUME 1
IN THE GATE ON BEHALF OF EVERYONE in the Vail Valley, Vail Resorts and the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Association, we would like to extend our greetings and best wishes to you as we travel the road to the 2015 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in Vail and Beaver Creek. This newsletter represents the first of five updates that will come to you on a regular basis in an effort to keep you abreast of the news surrounding the 2015 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships. The following pages will provide you with key information regarding the planning and preparation that is fully underway from one end of the valley to the other. We are extremely excited with the progress on the new Ladies’ speed and technical courses in Beaver Creek and the anticipation throughout the community for the Championships continues to grow with each passing day. It is truly an honor for us to represent our valley, our state, our country and our sport through the 2015 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships, knowing that the eyes of the world are now turned to Vail and Beaver Creek in just two short years. Sincerely, Ceil Folz Bill Marolt John Garnsey
The World Championships Torch is Passed to Vail and Beaver Creek as 2013 Championships End in Schladming The 2013 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships are now history and the torch has been passed to the Vail Valley as the FIS flag was transferred from Schladming to Vail Beaver Creek during the Closing Ceremonies of the 2013 event February 17. Vail Valley Foundation President and 2015 Organizing Committee president Ceil Folz, accepted the flag and the responsibility of hosting the next World Championships from FIS president Gian Franco Kasper, marking the third time that the Vail Valley will host the World Championships. “Congratulations to the members of the organizing committee and of this community for hosting a fantastic FIS Alpine Ski World Championships,” offered Folz, during her remarks. “On behalf of the Organizing Committee of the 2015 Vail Beaver Creek Championships, we thank you for your warmth and hospitality these last past two weeks and we look forward to welcoming you to our community in two years so we can repay your kindness. I invite you to join me as we bring Vail Beaver Creek to the world and the world to Vail Beaver Creek”. Although the 2015 Championships are a little less than two years away, the U.S. Ski Team has already realized some initial benefits from their record five-medal performance in Schladming. By virtue of Ted Ligety’s trio of gold medals and Mikaela Shiffrin’s slalom win, the Americans will enjoy an additional race quota spot in each of the four individual disciplines in 2015, bringing their total entry in each event to five, rather than the normal four.
VAILBEAVERCREEK2015.COM
Theme Unveiled for 2015 FIS World Championships The 2015 Organizing Committee has provided the Vail Valley community with its charge. The State of Colorado, the United States and the world also have their directive: “Dream It. Live It. Share It”. “It” refers to the 2015 World Championships and Vail and Beaver Creek organizers want the world to know that this will be much more than just two weeks of ski racing. These Championships will be a many-faceted celebration of not only skiing, but an event and a feeling that can and will mean a world of different things on different levels to everyone that is touched by “It”. “If you stop to think about it,” explained Ceil Folz, president of the Vail Valley Foundation and the 2015 World Championships Organizing Committee, “Dream, Live and Share can take on a myriad of different meanings when it comes to the World Championships. A young skier in Nepal can dream about having the chance to race in the Championships, just as Lindsey Vonn can dream about winning a medal here.” While the members of the Organizing Committee will obviously live these Championships for the coming years leading up to 2015, the international skiing community will also participate in the buildup to the World Championships, watching it grow and evolve in both scope and scale. As for the sharing piece of the equation, that too will come in many shapes and forms. So, as the clock continues its relentless march toward February 2, 2015…”Let the “Dream” begin.
Westin Riverfront Resort and Spa to Serve as Media Hotel Members of the print, photo and broadcast media will find themselves in the center of the action during the 2015 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships as the Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa in Avon has signed on as the official media hotel of the Vail Beaver Creek Championships. With all individual World Championships medal events contested in Beaver Creek, The Westin will not only serve as lodging, but will also play host to a satellite media center and Press Operations spaces for the 2015 organizers. From a lodging perspective, The Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa will feature four different levels and sizes of accommodations for media, including traditional hotel rooms, studio suites, one-bedroom suites and two-bedroom suites.
Faces of the Championships Michael Imhof,
Director of the 2015 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships and Senior Vice President of Sales and Operations for The Vail Valley Foundation Widely recognized and respected for his major event expertise, Imhof directs the day to day operations for all aspects of the 2015 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships, while also serving as Senior Vice President of Sales and Operations for the Vail Valley Foundation. He joined the Foundation in 2007, following a short tenure as Vice President of New Business Development for Brand Connections, LLC. Prior to joining Brand Connections, Imhof was employed by Vail Resorts, where he spent six years as the industry’s leading expert in corporate partner marketing, strategic alliances and licensing and sales.
SCOTT BLUHM, Vice-Chairman if the 2015 Facilities Committee and Senior Director of Event Operations for The Vail Valley Foundation With major international event experience including the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake, numerous Super Bowls and the 1999 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships, Bluhm is once again responsible for spearheading the facilities and municipal services components of the 2015 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships. Bluhm rejoined the Vail Valley Foundation in 2007, following a four-year stint with the Town of Vail as the Streetscape Project Manager. On a day-to-day basis, he is responsible for coordinating all operational aspects of the Vail Valley Foundation’s annual athletic events.
Audi Signs as Vail/Beaver Creek 2015 Presenting Sponsor Five Major International Partners now on Board for Championships German automobile manufacturer Audi recently enhanced their worldwide presence through the sport of alpine skiing by agreeing to serve as the presenting sponsor for Vail and Beaver Creek’s 2015 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships. The announcement was made by Florian Zitzlsperger, head of Brand Partnership and Sports Marketing for Audi, on Friday, October 26, at the 2012-13 World Cup openers in Soelden, Austria. Audi becomes the fifth major international partner to sign on for the 2015 Championships, joining Swedish energy company Vattenfall, Swedish sport apparel manufacturer J. Lindeberg, German shoe retailer Deichmann and Swiss timekeeper Longines. The overall presenting sponsor for the men’s and women’s FIS Alpine Ski World Cup race circuits since 2002 and the automobile sponsor for the U.S. Ski Team since 2007, Audi’s role with the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships dates back to 2003 in St. Moritz, Switzerland.
Vail/Beaver Creek World Championships Organizing Committee is Proud to Introduce the 2015 Dream It Team Twenty-one young aspiring local ski racers will help promote the 2015 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in Vail and Beaver Creek as the Vail/Beaver Creek World Championships organizing committee introduced its 2015 Dream It Team between runs of the Men’s Giant Slalom during the Audi FIS Birds of Prey World Cup Race Week. Based on the “Dream It. Live It. Share It.” theme of the Championships, the Dream It Team will consist of the current members of Ski & Snowboard Club Vail’s Podium Team, representing all athletes that claimed a spot on the podium during the 2011-12 season. The 2015 Dream It Team will serve as ambassadors for the Championships, while also representing the Vail Valley community, as they travel, train and compete this coming winter. The 2012-13 Dream It Team girls will include Meriel Upton, Allie Resnick, Caroline Jones, Cleo Braun, Samantha Trudeau, Haley Frischholz, Elise Viola, Sylka Snyder, Kendra Hoyt, Nellie Talbot, Jennie Symons, Paula Cooper and Brianna Trudeau. Boys on the inaugural Dream It Team will include Preston O’Brien, Henry Heaydon, Fletcher Holm, Colby Lange, Brendan Keane, Bridger Gile, Gus Leblanc and Max Bervy.
Two-Year Countdown to World Championships
2015 Gondola Car Dedicated & Vail and Beaver Creek Skies Erupt with Color Vail’s Eagle Bahn gondola car #15 sports a new 2015 logo and the skies over Vail and Beaver Creek Mountains erupted in color February 2 as the two resorts marked the two-year countdown to the 2015 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships. More precisely, the 7 p.m. start of the fireworks coincided with the scheduled start time of the event’s Opening Ceremony as Vail and Beaver Creek officially welcome the world back to the Vail Valley for the third time. The 2015 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships will mark the third time that Vail and Beaver Creek have played host to the prestigious international event, combining with the 1989 and 1999 World Championships.
World Cup Slalom champ Mikaela Shiffrin helps test the new ladies’ 2015 World Championships Downhill course in Beaver Creek. The test event marked the first time on Downhill skis for Shiffrin.
FIS Professionals, Eurovision And U.S. Ski Team Descend on Beaver Creek for Initial On-Snow Test of New Ladies’ Downhill BEAVER CREEK, Colorado—Despite the fact that the 2012-13 World Cup competition season has been in the books for only one month , attention in Colorado is already focused on next winter as FIS race professionals, a Eurovision production team and members of the U.S. Ski Team’s women’s speed group descended on Beaver Creek April 2-5 for the initial on-snow section test of the new ladies’ downhill racecourse, built for the 2015 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships.
While FIS Ladies’ Race Director Atle Skaardal and Speed Events Race Director Jan Tischhauser have both walked the course this past fall, the inspection marked the first time that the two have been able to see the track with snow and racers on it. The test will enable the FIS professionals to have a better idea of how courses should be set, best utilizing the terrain in the hill. “This is going to be an exceptional course for the ladies,” offered Skaardal. “It has all the characteristics of a great downhill and I am confident that the ladies are going to love it.” Television, headed by host broadcaster lead Michael Koegler of ORF-TV, and the quartet of U.S. Ski Team athletes, including Mikaela Shiffrin, Leanne Smith, Laurenne Ross and Stacey Cook, were experiencing the course for the first time. Over the course of the four-day camp, Shiffrin, Smith, Ross and Cook ran sectional testing for both Downhill and Super-G on the track.
Vail Hosts “Celebration of Champions” for Lindsey Vonn and Mikaela Shiffrin Over 750 residents and guests of the Vail Valley turned out for a unique opportunity to honor two great champions March 29 as the 2015 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships organizing committee hosted the “Celebration of Champions” event to honor Lindsey Vonn and Mikaela Shiffrin. The free public event took place at Mountain Plaza at the base of Vail Mountain. Despite missing the final three downhill races of the season due to an injury she suffered during the World Championships in Schladming, Austria, Vonn still managed to claim the World Cup Downhill discipline title by virtue of her trio of early-season victories. That crystal globe brings her career total to four overall crowns and 13 discipline titles.
At just 18, Shiffrin firmly laid claim to her star status with four World Cup slalom wins en route to capturing the World Cup Slalom title this past winter. On the way, she also picked up the Slalom gold medal at the Schladming World Championships.
At the conclusion of the event, all participants were invited to join Vonn and Shiffrin on and around the stage for a group photo that will be utilized to promote the 2015 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships.