Obviously this blog is usually about what is going on at Vista Verde Ranch. But today, I felt compelled to send a little shout out to Steamboat Springs, or what we affectionately call “the Big City”.
You can’t miss the energy and the excitement of the upcoming Olympic Games here in. I’m not sure of the exact count of Steamboat athletes going to the games, but am very tuned into one particular sport in the games that most of us here are going to be watching closely. The Nordic Combined team will be largely made up of athletes who came from Steamboat. Our friends Todd Lodwick and Johnny Spillane will be leading the team with Bill Demong who didn’t grow up here, but has spent much of his Ski Team career based in Steamboat. These three guys are joined by two other younger athletes, one of them who is also from here. Having so many Steamboat athletes on this team is not all that unusual. What’s most exciting about this is that this year the Nordic Combined Team stands a very good chance at collecting a medal. Both Todd, Johnny and Bill have collected medals at the World Championships in the past couple years, and have been doing very well in World Cup competitions all season long. They all have remarkable stories of resilience, comebacks and dedication.
So, as we head into the Opening Ceremonies of the Vancouver games, keep an eye out for our boys. They’ll be competing first on Sunday, February 14 and then have two more events later on in the games. If you want to follow them at all, both have Facebook pages as well as Johnny’s wife has a blog you can follow. Good luck guys!