Summer 2011
President’s Message Seven years ago, the Vail Valley Foundation helped change the face of education in the Vail Valley with the creation of Success at Six, the program that ensured that Eagle County families with kindergarten-aged children would have the opportunity for them to attend fulltime early learning educational programs. This past May, the Foundation once again took yet another dramatic step toward preparing our children for their educational futures with the creation of Great Start, a new kindergarten readiness pilot program that will officially kickoff this summer. Great Start focuses on the idea that a child’s first step to their educational future actually comes from being socially prepared to enter kindergarten. However, education is not the only area in which we have experienced “great starts” over the course of the past six months. Summer is already off to a great start with an incredibly successful Teva Mountain Games, while our planning and preparation for the 2015 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships is well underway. We are also looking forward to a great start for cycling’s return to the Vail Valley August 25-26 with the USA Pro Cycling Challenge in Vail and Avon, while early interest, as well as ticket sales, for both the upcoming Vail International Dance Festival and the summer season at the Vilar Performing Arts Center most certainly bodes well for a wonderful summer of culture and entertainment throughout the valley. While we firmly believe that Great Start will produce seven weeks that will change children’s lives forever, all of our programs certainly have the ability to dramatically impact the Vail Valley, making it a much better place to live and enjoy.
Ceil Folz President
Record crowds pack the kayak hole on Gore Creek for the freestyle competition. Photo by Zach Mahone.
Record Crowds And Participants Highlight Tenth Anniversary Teva Mountain Games Summer in the Vail Valley got off to a tremendous start as the Vail Valley Foundation celebrated the tenth anniversary of the Teva Mountain Games with both record crowds and a new benchmark for participant registration for the nation’s largest celebration of mountain sport, lifestyle and music. Over the course of the four-day event, over 40,000 spectators crowded Vail Village and surrounding venues, providing for a dramatic economic kickoff to summer for merchants and an incredible festival atmosphere for all involved. “The annual Teva Mountain Games are a tremendous catalyst for Vail on a number of levels,” explained Michael Imhof, Vice President of Sales and Operations for the Vail Valley Foundation. “They obviously represent a wonderful opportunity for outdoor athletes from around the nation, both professional and amateur to showcase their abilities and the event is a powerful economic engine for Vail. The Teva Mountain Games also serves as a great showcase for our sponsors to roll out the latest and
greatest in outdoor gear and accessories to a very receptive audience.” In addition to the record number of spectators on hand, close to 3,000 participants converged on Vail’s mountains and rivers to compete in eight sports and 24 disciplines for over $100,000 in prize money. The participant numbers marked a 10 percent increase over those registered a year ago, with new events including the Eukanuba Rocky Dog Trail Run presented by Ruff Wear, along with competitions that have been staples of the Teva Mountain Games for the past ten years. In addition, while the results were a year in the making, the Maui Jim Stand Up Paddle (SUP) Surf Cross, presented by C4 Waterman, race also made its debut at the 2011 Teva Mountain Games. Originally scheduled for the 2010 event, organizers were forced to cancel the competition due to extreme high water conditions on Gore Creek as unseasonably warm temperatures led to excessive snowmelt. Cover, continued on page 4