Birds of Prey Anyone?
The World Cup races in Beaver Creek this past weekend were a great success. Snowfall the last few days of November were a welcome sight for our community, though the snow did cause the cancellation of the combined races that were scheduled for Thursday, December 4. The Vail Valley Foundation (www.vvf.org) and Beaver Creek (www.beavercreek.com) provided a world-class experience for the racers, sponsors and fans that flocked to the Colorado high country for the annual events. On Friday, December 5 the VIP tent at the Downhill proved once again to be host to business leaders of the Vail Valley, international leaders in the ski industry and athletes present, past and future.
Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway conquered the Birds of Prey in 2008 after a terrible crash on this course last year. His comeback was swift and strong with wins in Downhill and Super –G and a third place finish in the 2 run Giant Slalom. Hermann Maier, the Austrian great, proved that he still can compete with the young ones on the Birds of Prey course that he has dominated more often than not since 1998 coming through with a second place finish in the Super-G. On Sunday the Giant Slalom was exciting with the closest margin of victory between Benjamin Raich (AUT) and Ted Ligety (USA) just one one hundreth of a second apart in the two run combined time. Check out the Birds of Prey website (www.bcworldcup.com) for the official results, blogs and videos from this past weekend.
The World Cup week would not be complete without the 10th annual Black Diamond Ball, which was held at the Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch on Friday, December 5. This event kicks off the Winter social scene every year with a fun event including dancing, live and silent auctions and recognition of the Vail Valley Foundations “Ernie Bender Award” that recognizes the volunteer of the year which was awarded to Kathryn Benysh. I don’t recall when I first met Kathryn but I know that it was many years ago when she was volunteering for one of the many local organizations she is associated with. Kathryn has been volunteering for the Vail Valley Foundation since 1985. She also contributed admirably to the community in her professional career as a local schoolteacher, a role that she retired from in 2006. Her contributions to the entire community are truly remarkable. True to her dedication, she was one of the first people I saw the morning after the Black Diamond Ball, greeting guests as one of the Volunteer Hosts at the VIP tent at the race finish.
I plan to update this blog weekly and I welcome your community comments and event information.
Submissions via e-mail are preferred. I can be contacted at 970-476-6600 or acp@vail.net.
Amy C. Phillips is a 22 year resident of the Happy Valley, an Avon Town Councilor and active in many organizations that make our community the unique place it is including The Betty Ford Alpine Gardens, Public Access 5 Community TV, Vail Valley Partnership and the Vail Valley Business Women.
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