UTAH WINTER GAMES OFFERS HOCKEY AND THE LUMBERJACK JAM

Park City, UT (March 9, 2007) -- The Utah Winter Games have two hot events on tap for this weekend.

You have a chance to learn from the pros when the Utah Grizzlies team up with the Utah Winter Games to offer two hockey clinics.

One will be at the Park City Ice Arena on Sunday afternoon. It will be divided into sessions for kids nine and under and anyone over ten.

On Monday night, Grizzlies will be on home ice for the clinic at the E Center in West Valley City. The same age divisions are in effect, but everyone attending the clinic will also get a free Grizzlies game ticket and a tour of the locker room. The clinic only costs 8-dollars to learn the finer points of hockey from both coaches and players. They do say that everyone taking part in the clinic has to bring personal helmets, gloves, elbow pads, shin guards, and a stick. The Grizzlies have 23 former players currently in the National Hockey League, so it's always possible that you can learn from someone whose name will someday be on the Stanley Cup.

And then there's the Lumberjack Jam at the Brighton Resort on Saturday morning. It's the kind of event that almost says, “If you have to ask, you probably shouldn't be there.”

SLUG Magazine promises that this will go down as a day of infamy among local riders as the skiers and snowboarders use old trees and pieces of lumber to perform terrain park tricks. They're also throwing in a beard-growing contest, which could be interesting given the ages of most of the competitors.

There will be a hatchet-throwing contest which SLUG says is especially designed for unemployed slack-jawed yokels. The prizes are no joke, though. Top riders will win cash and a new snowboard. Second and third place finishers will collect cool swag such as goggles and clothes. There will be free Red Bull for competitors. You have to wear a helmet so that if you fall off a tree, you'll just bounce.

To find out more about either the hockey or the Lumberjack jam, log on to UtahWinterGames.org.

The Utah Winter Games are the oldest and biggest amateur winter sports event in the country. They continue the legacy of 2002 in Utah by making it possible for large numbers of people of all skill levels to have a wonderful time with winter sports.
In the 2005-2006 20th anniversary season, more than three thousand people took part in 20 competitions in 15 sports and 32 instructional clinics.

The Utah Winter Games: All Ages, All Abilities, Always Fun.

UTAH WINTER GAMES MAKE HISTORY WITH FIRST EVER MARCH COMPETITONS

Park City, UT (March 1, 2007) – The success of this year's Utah Winter Games is shown vividly by one simple fact.

For the first time ever, the Utah Winter Games are running competitions in March. In fact, almost every Saturday in the month is booked as the Games answer the public's demand for more competitions.

This Saturday, there is a KSL Family and Friends Race at the Park City Mountain Resort so that families or just individuals can have a chance to race on the Olympic giant slalom course. The promotional material for the race says that medals will be awarded in age categories from 3 to 93.

But actually, Games officials state emphatically that if you're 94, you can still compete. Anyone who signs up gets a discounted lift ticket good for the entire day and the whole, huge mountain. Readers of “Skiing” magazine have chosen Park City Mountain Resort as the fifth best resort in all of North America, and, if you haven't been there, you should find out why.

Snow conditions are perfect at the moment as the recent storms have pushed the base depth to 60-inches at mid-mountain and 86-inches at Jupiter. Resort officials say the snow is fantastic and you can have a blast, especially since the National Weather Service says the forecast for Park City on Saturday is for a high of 40 and partly cloudy.

The Wolf Mountain Family Ski Resort is also hosting a KSL Family and Friends Race on Saturday. The resort near Eden bills itself as a family-friendly learning mountain where the goal is to ignite the passion for winter sports.

That also makes it a perfect venue for families who want to try racing each other in a fun format. There are lots of categories divided by age and gender and everyone of all skill levels is welcome.

Finish in the top three in your group, climb onto the podium, and win a medal. It's that easy. Wolf Mountain already has one of the most family-friendly lift tickets prices in the state, and when you sign up to race, you get a discount on the price of the ticket. That means a ticket will only cost $22, and you can ski all day with it.

You can find out all about signing up for these races along with competitions and clinics for the rest of the season on the website www.UtahWinterGames.org.

The website also has background information, competition results, pictures, WinterFit information, and other neat stuff.

The Utah Winter Games: All Ages, All Abilities, Always Fun.

For more information on the Utah Winter Games, please contact Christa Graff at 435-640-7921 or christa@graffpr.com or visit the Utah Winter Games web site at www.utahwintergames.org.

UTAH WINTER GAMES AREN’T WORTH DYING OVER BUT DON’T TELL RUSSELL BAKER!

Park City, UT (February 14, 2007) -- Many sorts of organizations couldn't function without the crucial contributions of volunteers, and it's a truism that volunteers often give their hearts to the causes they put their time into. In the case of Utah Winter Games volunteer Russell Baker; he almost literally gave his heart to the cause of amateur winter sports.

Russ had a constricted coronary artery and was scheduled for angioplasty, a medical treatment which involves the mechanical widening of the artery so it can move blood freely away from the heart. While it is considered minimally invasive, it still involves hospitalization. Without any treatment, of course, he could have died of a heart attack at any moment.

Only Russell didn't let that get in the way of his volunteer assignments with the Utah Winter Games.

He had chest pains around New Year's and doctors scheduled the angioplasty for Monday, January 15th. Russ is the Volunteer Coordinator for the Games and has enjoyed being a part of the nation's oldest and largest Winter Games for eight years. He also takes his position seriously enough that he says he had no intention of taking time off from his volunteer position.

Two days before his operation, he oversaw the organization and registration of 140 ski racers at Alta. He said he was there because he just didn't want to let down Alta's veteran marketing director Connie Marshall, who is also an enthusiastic supporter of the Games. She would have had to register the racers without him if he had stayed home and he didn't want to stick her with that much work. His wife forced his only concession to his health that day by insisting that he leave his skis at home so he wouldn't be tempted to carve a few turns against doctor's orders.

Russ' operation came out successfully and he spent only one night in the hospital. It's certain that no one would have faulted him if he had stayed home for a while to recover. After all, he had three stents inserted in his artery. Instead, four days after surgery, he was at Soldier Hollow to oversee a big day of events in cross-country and biathlon with 200 competitors. He explained rather lamely that he was at Soldier Hollow because they needed his computer. Then he adjusted that to admit that he was somewhat embarrassed that he was several volunteers short and felt the only way to cover the problem was to get out there himself and get involved.

Russ likes to get involved. His “day job” is as a computer-aided designer for military sonar systems. His “night job” is in a small woodworking shop he owns. He's also a Scoutmaster and a range master for the Lee Kay Center for Hunter Education in all of that free time he has.

So why is he so enthusiastic about helping the Utah Winter Games? It's simple, he says, “I love to race.” He used to ski race in the old Coca-Cola Cup series. When that went belly-up, he turned to racing in the Utah Winter Games. After enough racing, he felt it was time to give back something positive to an organization that had given him so many good times.

UWG's Executive Director Heidi Hughes says she was astonished and humbled at what Russ had done for the Games while he was facing a potential heart attack. She laughs that she would have been more than happy to give him the day off. Russ shrugs and says with a smile, “You gotta have heart.”

The Utah Winter Games are the oldest and biggest amateur winter sports event in the country. They continue the legacy of 2002 in Utah by making it possible for large numbers of people of all skill levels to have a wonderful time with winter sports.
In the 2005-2006 20th anniversary season, more than three thousand people took part in 20 competitions in 15 sports and 32 instructional clinics.

The Utah Winter Games: All Ages, All Abilities, Always Fun.

For more information on the Utah Winter Games, please contact Christa Graff at 435-640-7921 or christa@graffpr.com or visit the Utah Winter Games web site at www.utahwintergames.org.

Jeep Slopestyle Challenge

UTAH WINTER GAMES PROUD TO ANNOUNCE BIG AIR ON THE MOUNTAIN AT THE JEEP TERRAIN PARK SLOPESTYLE CHALLENGE

Park City, UT (January 25, 2007) The Utah Winter Games are bringing the Jeep Terrain Park Slopestyle Challenge to Brighton this Saturday, and it's a chance for local snowboarders and skiers to throw down their best big air moves and shoot for national glory.

The event is one of 75 local qualifying events for slopestyle riders all over the country. The top athletes will advance to one of six regional qualifiers, and the best 24 stylists will compete for the Jeep National Championship in March. Part of the entry fee will be donated to the Heuga Center for multiple sclerosis.

Only the first 80 snowboarders and skiers to register will be allowed into the competition. Registration begins at 8:00, and the competition starts at 10:00. Be sure to bring a helmet, since they are required.

To put the quality of event and the competitors in perspective, the recent qualifier at Colorado's Steamboat Ski Area only allowed 25 competitors. In the women's snowboarding division, the second place finisher was Lindsay Jacobellis, the 2006 Torino Olympic silver medalist in snowboardcross. She was beaten by a local Steamboat rider. Because of the Utah Winter Games involvement, Brighton can host 80 competitors. This is one of the glamour events of the season because of its national implications. Spectators can watch for free.

The Utah Winter Games are the oldest and biggest amateur winter sports event in the country. They continue the legacy of 2002 in Utah by making it possible for large numbers of people of all skill levels to have a wonderful time with winter sports.

In the 2005-2006 20th anniversary season, more than three thousand people took part in 20 competitions in 15 sports and 32 instructional clinics.

The Utah Winter Games: All Ages, All Abilities, Always Fun.

For more information on the Utah Winter Games, please contact Christa Graff at 435-640-7921 or christa@graffpr.com or visit the Utah Winter Games web site at www.utahwintergames.org.

IT’S HERE! THE COMPETITION SEASON OF THE UTAH WINTER GAMES

Park City, UT (January 4, 2007) -- After dozens of learning clinics, the time is at hand for Utah's weekend Winter Warriors to put those newly acquired winter sports skills to the test. Every weekend from now through the end of March, there will be amateur winter sports competitions taking place at numerous venues around the Wasatch Mountains.

Executive Director Heidi Hughes says the 21st anniversary season has more competitions than ever before and they're spread out so more people can participate in more events.

The premiere event of the opening weekend has to be the short track speed skating at the Park City Ice Arena. Five-time Olympic speed skating gold medalist Dr. Eric Heiden will be the ceremonial starter for the event. Heiden is a distinguished orthopedic surgeon and now heads TOSH, the world-renowned The Orthopedic Specialist Hospital in Murray, but his heart is still on the ice. Heiden is one of a number of former Olympic athletes who are donating their time to the Utah Winter Games to help amateur athletes enjoy winter sports.

Also on this first weekend, disabled skiers will take to the slopes at the Park City Mountain Resort to compete for the traditional Huntsman Cup. Alta will also host the always popular KSL Family and Friends slalom ski race.

Other sports highlights will include Saturday, January 20th, when skeleton racing comes to the Utah Winter Games for the first time. Olympic Gold Medalist Jim Shea, Jr., has donated money from the Shea Foundation, and former Olympian and World Cup winner Lincoln deWitt will be on hand to coach racers before they plunge down the Olympic skeleton track at nearly 80 miles an hour.

That same weekend, the surprise hit of last year's games takes to the snow at Soldier Hollow. The cross-country ski race last winter attracted a hundred people, and this year promises to be larger.

High excitement comes to Brighton on January 27th when the always sold-out Jeep Terrain Park Slopestyle Challenge hits the hill. That event is limited to the first 80 competitors to sign up. There are separate events for snowboarders and skiers. The winners automatically qualify for the Jeep Terrain Park regional slopestyle competitions later in the season. There will be 75 national qualifiers who will go head-to-head in the regional competitions, and the winners will go to the Jeep National Slopestyle Championship in Lake Tahoe in March.

The Park City Mountain Resort will host a KSL Family and Friends ski race on March 3rd. About the only restriction on this fun family race is that you have to be at least 3 years old to compete and no one older than 93 has ever competed in it, but if you're 94, you're more than welcome to take on the age-graded competition.

Scattered around the rest of the weekends are lots of ski racing, cross-country, biathlon, curling, long-track speed skating, figure skating, ski archery, ski jumping, luge, and a wild bunch of snowboard slopestyle, jibbing, jam sessions, and even a competition devoted entirely to jibbing on and off trees. You don't have to be any good at these sports to have an awful lot of fun trying them out, but if you are good, you could go home with a gold medal since all of the competitions are graded by age and gender.

Add all these events together, and you have the recipe for thousands of Utahns to have loads of fun in eleven sports.

The Utah Winter Games are the oldest and biggest amateur winter sports event in the country. They continue the legacy of 2002 in Utah by making it possible for large numbers of people of all skill levels to have a wonderful time with winter sports.
In the 2005-2006 20th anniversary season, more than three thousand people took part in 20 competitions in 15 sports and 32 instructional clinics.

The Utah Winter Games: All Ages, All Abilities, Always Fun.

For more information on the Utah Winter Games, please contact Christa Graff at 435-640-7921 or christa@graffpr.com or visit the Utah Winter Games web site at www.utahwintergames.org.