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US Ski Team First Tracks: Winner announced!

The winners of the US Ski Team’s First Tracks Sweepstakes presented by Nature Valley have been announced! Find out who the lucky 4 are below.

The 2012 First Tracks Sweepstakes winner is Jamie Wolfe of Monkato, MN! Her daughter, Morgan, is an avid ski racer “…and she was brought to tears with joy” when Jamie called Morgan at school to tell her the news.

Jamie explained, “Morgan started racing when she was 8 years old. She started on the D-team at Mt. Kato and after numerous years of winning her age class we made the move to race USSA…last year. She started the season taking about 18^th place and finished the season in the top 5 with 2^nd being her best showing. She qualified for the Junior Olympics last year in Steamboat Colorado however with poor snow conditions due to the warm winter we had. The snow became mush and her as well as the majority of the racers had a lot of falls. The experience has not slowed her down but has pushed her and left her hungry for more.”

Morgan’s father, Barry Keim, introduced her to the sport. Barry and fellow racer and friend Aaron Rollings “are two of the best male skiers to come out of Mankato, MN.,” says Jamie. The two were an integral part of bringing the first USSA ski team to Mankato last year. Both Barry and Aaron will join Morgan and Jamie in Vail and hope to “bring some knowledge from the US Ski Team and share it with our own USSA ski team.”

After years of supporting Morgan in her racing, Jamie has fallen in love with the sport and admires the level of commitment her daughter has put into her own racing. Meeting the US Ski Team “…will allow Morgan to meet her idols and see firsthand where hard work and dedication can get you” says Jamie. “I think we are all in shock that this is happening and all agree that this is going to be a memory of a life time.”

Pictures of the Wolfe family and friends’ experience at Vail to come!

 

Last year’s winner of the First Tracks Sweepstakes was Ian, who brought out his wife and son Mac last year to meet the US Ski team. He said of the experience of hanging out with the US Ski Team:

Being out on the training hill with the Team and watching them train.  It really showed how hard those guys & girls work to become the best they can be.  I could feel how psyched everyone was to be out skiing and working to bring themselves to the next level.  The energy was amazing!

….On former US Ski Team member and host Kaylin Richardson:

Kaylin…the best host ever, period!  She was amazing and all she wanted to do was make sure we had a great time.  Mac loved her and I think the feeling may have been mutual (:

….On the athletes:

The athletes; specifically Steve Nyman, Nolan Kaspar, Leanne Smith, Andrew Weibrecht, Sarah Schlepper and of course Lindsey, Jules, & Bode.  Every one of those athletes make that team special…I hope the fans remember this is our United States Ski Team and gives them the support they deserve.

On Vail:

Everything was incredible!  From the gifts we were given (Jackets, goggles, shirts, hats, etc), to the unreal hotel room at the Marriot, the athletes we met, the people that work for the US Ski Team & Nature Valley, Vail resort…I’m probably missing a few things but we had such a awesome weekend.  We came away with once in a lifetime memories and some great new friends.

Mac’s Favorites (as quoted when asked what were his favorite parts of the trip):

The skiing.  Flying on a plane to Colorado.  Kaylin.  Skiing with Kaylin.  Having breakfast with Kaylin.  Making faces with Kaylin.  Piggy back rides from Steve ‘Knife’ (Steve Nyman).  Breakfast after skiing, the french toast was really good!  Getting Lindsey Vonn to sign my ski helmet (he actually got the entire team to sign it which was quite the lift-line conversation piece all last winter).

Kaylin, the family’s host during their stay in Vail and a two-time Olympian, was equally excited to share the US Ski Team experience with the family. She said:

The First Tracks contest truly provides a real life view into the U.S. Ski Team. I think that there are a lot of contests out there where they say you get a VIP experience, but in reality you might get a 20 minute meet and greet. With First Tracks, you are a part of the U.S. Ski Team.

Honestly, I feel incredibly privileged to bring our fans into our world. I think it allows them to really see how much we, as athletes, truly appreciate their support and passion for skiing.

Be sure to enter the US Ski Team First Tracks Sweepstakes presented by Nature Valley for your chance to win!