June 05, 2013 (Bennington, Vermont) – Olympic Day with Olympian Andy Newell, presented by The Bank of Bennington, is a celebration and international effort to promote fitness and well-being in addition to Olympic ideals of Fair Play, Perseverance, Respect and Sportsmanship.

When: June 23, 2013,  9-11:30 AM

Where: Willow Park – lower Pavilion

Event Details:
– Ages 15 and under
– Enjoy games and fun Olympic style events
– Create your own Olympic medals
– Photo signing with local Olympian Andy Newell
– Come any time between 9-11:30am

November 01, 2011 (Fairbanks, AK) – As a young girl, Fairbanks’ Becca Rorabaugh had the opportunity to cross paths with Beckie Scott – the first Canadian and first North American woman to win an Olympic medal in cross-country skiing with gold at the Salt Lake City games and silver at the 2006 Games in the team sprint with Sara Renner.

“North American elite skiers once did early season training in Fairbanks, and when I was about 10 years old I was lucky enough to meet Becky Scott,” explained Rorabaugh. “Basically the only words we exchanged were “Hi! My name is Becca too!”, but the inspiration of meeting her steered me to aim for the Olympics,” recalled the enthusiastic athlete.

Twelve years later, Rorabaugh, who is now 22 and an aspiring Olympian in cross-country skiing, took it upon herself to host a Fast and Female event in the hope of recreating this same magic for the next generation of Fairbanks racers.

On the eve of Halloween, Rorabaugh fulfilled her vision. Teaming up with APU Nordic Ski Center teammates and Olympians Kikkan Randall and Holly Brooks, she hosted more than 50 young female skiers ages 9 to 19 for the first ever Fast and Female Fairbanks event.

On this special occasion, the Fairbanks Nordic Ski Club saw a sea of girls in pink take part in cross-country ski drills, yoga, motivational presentations and a poster signing session – all led by Rorabaugh, Randall, and Brooks.

“Many of the girls seemed to really enjoy and absorb some great technique pointers from our experienced Ambassadors,” specified Randall, lead Fast and Female ambassador in the US and double World Cup winner on the Cross-country circuit in 2011.

“Some of the highlights for me were watching the swirl of neon colors, and especially the pink, zing around the four ski stations and then watching everyone synchronized in the warrior II pose during the yoga session,” added Randall, a full-time World Cup athlete who has already hosted three Fast and Female events in her hometown of Anchorage over the past three years.

Rorabaugh knew she accomplished her goal as girls left the event with huge smiles on their faces and a renewed sense of commitment to their own Olympic dreams.

“Kaya, Zoe and I REALLY got a lot out of it,” confirmed mom and volunteer Kim Troxel in an email following the event. “We all feel energized to go for it with skiing and running! These types of opportunities make a huge difference in girls’ (and women’s) lives so THANK YOU,” she concluded.

This activity was made possible thanks to valuable local partners such as the presenting sponsor – SBS Retirement Consultants LLC, as well as the Fairbanks Nordic Ski Club, Bettisworth North, Lulu’s Bread & Bagels, Equinox Physical Therapy, Martha Hanlon Architects, Fairbanks Cancer Treatment Center, Beaver Sports, Challenge Life Racing and Goldstream Sports.

“I can only hope that today’s event might have a similar affect for the next generation of girls, and I am proud to have helped bring it to Fairbanks,” added Rorabaugh who will soon kick off a busy season of racing. “The community response was incredible and I am very thankful that so many businesses and volunteers were so generous. Fairbanks certainly embraced the Fast and Female mission with open arms,” she concluded.

Fast and Female’s national sponsors – including Best Buy, Buff Multifunctional Headwear, LUNA Bars, and LIT Glitter – also provided key resources to making this event possible.

The next Fast and Female youth event will be the December 3 Alpine day held in conjunction with Alberta Alpine’s Legends Club in Canmore and Lake Louise, Alberta. For more information about this event, visit: www.fastandfemale.com

May 16, 2011 (Montreal, QC / Canmore, AB) – La Belle Province will be getting its share of Fast and Female love on June 12, 2011 in Montreal when Olympic gold medalist in cross-country skiing and Fast and Female Founder – Chandra Crawford – sets to host a Fast and Female FitFest presented by Best Buy.

The event will take place from 4 to 6 p.m. (check in at 3:30 p.m.) at the Mont Royal (Lac Aux Castors) and feature a series of inspirational and motivational activities for female athletes between the ages of 9 to 19. More specifically, girls will do a light run, dance and listen to a presentation by Crawford who will have her Olympic medal on site for pictures with the participants.

“I’m super pumped to be going to Montreal for a fun activity with the female athletes from this dynamic area,” said Crawford who took home a silver medal this season in a World CupTeam Sprint with teammate Daria Gaiazova held in Germany. “I look forward to meeting them and sharing with them my passion for sports and excellence,” added the full-time athlete who now has her sight on the 2014 Olympics.

As a non-profit and national program started in 2005 Chandra Crawford, Fast and Female is intensely focused on delivering effective programming to keep girls in sports. It is said that girls are six times more likely to drop out of sports than boys.

The registration fee for the youth activities is $15 per participant and includes a Fast and Female t-shirt, a Buff and access to the activities. The event is open to girls from all sports and will be held rain or shine.

Registration are being compiled online HERE.

The deadline to register online is June 10, 2011. On-site registrations will be at a rate of $20 per participant.

Please note that financial assistance is available for participants in need. Please contact info@fastandfemale.com to inquire.

This activity is made possible thanks to valuable local partners such as Ski de Fond Quebec and GLOBO Shoes. Fast and Female’s national sponsors – including Best Buy, Buff Multifunctional Headwear, Clarins and Cold-FX – are also providing key resources to make this event possible.

For a complete list of Fast and Female national program supporters and sponsors, please click HERE.

December 24, 2010 (Canmore, AB) – Fresh off two World Cup sprint medals so far this season, Alaska-born Cross-Country skier and Fast and Female Ambassador Kikkan Randall now has her sights on spreading the love – the Fast and Female way! On Saturday, January 29, 2011, Randall and her teammate, Holly Brooks, will be hosting 250 young female skiers between the ages of nine to 19 years old at the Chugiak High School in Chugiak (Alaska) for a unique afternoon of inspiration, skiing, healthy eating and yoga.

Title sponsored by the Anchorage Women’s Clinic, this year’s event marks the third consecutive year that Randall is hosting a Fast and Female event in her home state of Alaska. The highly anticipated event will offer aspiring female ski champions the opportunity to be in direct contact with two of the World’s and Nation’s top cross-country ski racers.

“We’ve had so much fun with our previous events in Alaska and I’m really looking forward to testing out a new venue this year,” said Randall. “I hope to see participants from all over the state and celebrate together the Fast and Female motto of: Spread the Love and Dominate the World!”

Founded in 2005, Fast and Female is a non-profit organization based in Canmore, Alberta, Canada. The organization is intensely focused on delivering innovative non-competitive programming to increase the retention of girls in sports and offset the factors that make girls six times more likely to drop out of sports than boys.

Each year, the organization travels all over Canada and the US with Olympic and elite-level female athletes to offer sport-specific programming for female youth participants involved in Cross-Country Skiing, Biathlon, Alpine Skiing, Triathlon, and Cycling. Program scope and reach grows annually with the addition of new female ambassadors.

Fast and Female’s expansion into the US was made possible in 2009 thanks to the friendship and collaboration between Randall and Canada’s Chandra Crawford. Crawford is the organization’s original founder and won a gold medalist in cross-country skiing at the 2006 Olympics.

Since 2009, Randall has hosted two Annual US X-Country Ski Festivals in her hometown of Anchorage in Alaska, reaching a total of more than 300 girls. In 2011, the Annual US X-Country Ski Festival is moving to the State of Maine in early January – in sync with the National Cross-Country Championships which are held in the same region.

The 2011 Fast and Female Regional X-Country Ski Festival held in Chugiak promises to offer participants an experience of a lifetime thanks to the generous financial and in-kind contributions of the Anchorage Women’s Clinic, Best Buy, Subway, Cross-Country Alaska, Kaladi Brothers Coffee, Buff Multifunctional Headwear, and Cold-FX.

Registration for this event is now officially open and participants can secure a spot by visiting: www.FastandFemale.com or clicking HERE. The deadline to register is January 25, 2011.

The registration fee for the event is only $25 and includes a Fast and Female t-shirt, a Fast and Female ski tie, snacks, and access to the activities held from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.. Financial assistance is available for participants in need. Please contact info@fastandfemale.com to inquire.