April 24, 2008 (Minneapolis, MN) – The inaugural Skier Gala was held in Minneapolis, MN on April 6, and featured a keynote address by U.S. Ski Team head coach Pete Vordenberg, and a tribute to coach Ahvo Taipale recognizing his contributions to cross-country skiing and his coaching of two University of Minnesota national championship teams.

The Skier Gala was sponsored by the Silent Sports Foundation, Central Cross Country Skiing (CXC), the United States Ski and Snowboard Association, and the U of M Alumni Association.

The event attracted over 300 people and served as a kick-off of a grass-roots effort to support the US Ski Team’s goal of medal finishes at the 2010 Olympics. The CXC Junior Olympic Development Team was also highlighted for its education and development of healthy lifestyles of young skiers who could be future Olympic skiers.

Guest speakers included Garrott Kuzzy and Caitlin Compton. Kuzzy was this year’s US SuperTour Sprint Champion and the overall SuperTour leader. Garrott also skied with the US Ski Team on his first tour of the Central European and Scandinavian World Cups.

Compton trained last year on the CXC Olympic Development Team and represented the US at the Nordic World Championships in Sapporo, Japan. She was the 2007 Overall SuperTour champion and is currently competing as a member of the US Biathlon Team in world cup competitions.

The Master of Ceremonies for the Skier Gala were Chad Giese, former Factory Team member, a six-time winner of the Mora Vasaloppet, Minnesota state high school champion and running legend Dick Beardsley who is a two-time winner and record holder of Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth.