Fundraiser and Winter Start!

I've had quite a busy week getting ready for the first competition of the year, as well as organizing a team fundraiser.  

The fundraiser goes back to about a month ago when my boss Lynne, was thinking aloud about how they should celebrate their shop's  Second Anniversary (Ciao Gelato, that is).  The year before they held a fundraiser to buy Community Cultivation a greenhouse, but this year there wasn't anything that was jumping out for them to do.  I suggested, half-jokingly, that they could do a fundraiser for the National Training Group, but I really didn't think she would take me seriously.  Then the next day Lynne said, "You know what, why not?  Let's do it."  

Lynne and her husband Massimo handled the food and helped with the advertising side.  My teammates - mostly Tyler and Spencer - and I put together a pretty solid silent auction and did our best to get the community involved.  It was a fair amount of work at times and a totally new thing for me, but by Friday night at 6 it all but worked out just as planned.  

The silent auction.

With the help of a generous community, as well as some of our own contributions, we got together over 35 silent auction items, from equipment, clothing, ski lessons, to concrete pouring.    Craig Ward live auctioned a ski we all signed which went for $130.  After that, Kandise Gilbertson (one of the US Ski Team coaches' wife) stepped up and bought the other signed ski of the pair for $110!

Between the auctions and generous donations, we raised over $4000!  I was thinking 3000 would be great, so it was a success without a doubt.   Now we'll work out submitting the money to cover our next trips to Park City and Lake Placid, and see where that leaves us.  

Lynne, thanking the community for their support.

The team, with the happy ski winner, little Bode Flanigan.

Saturday we had our first competition of the year, Winter Start.  It was actually a pretty good sized field, besides our 8 man team we had three Ski Team members, some special jumpers from the Midwest, and the four Czech athletes that have been training here all week. 

Todd Lodwick won the jumping, but was caught in the final kilometer by Brett Denney, one of the B team athletes.  I started in 10th, ahead of Brett, and was able to stay on him after he passed me for most of the race.   I ended up finishing in 3rd, which I'm pretty satisfied with.  Next weekend is when it starts to matter, but it's great to have a good comp leading in.  And is was fun to ski a faster race than the old man Todd. 

From left, Michael Ward, myself, Tyler Smith, Erik Lynch and Aleck Gantick.

Tyler, after jumping 99m in the special jumping comp.

Tyler (in front) and myself heading out of the stadium.