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

April 09, 2012 (Budal, Norway) – The annual Marit Sprint took place in Budal, Norway recently. “It’s a true fun to see all the happy kids,” Marit Bjoergen told nrk.no. After the race, the roles changed for the 2011/12 Cross Country World Cup Crystal Globe winner. This time it was Bjoergen who was hanging medals and hanging them around kids’ necks after Marit-Sprint in South Trøndelag.

In total, 350 kids took part in the sixth edition of event. Some kids were not sure if it was the real Marit Bjoergen supporting them on the course. “They are used to seeing me on TV, so they did not think it was me,” Bjoergen laughed.

January 11, 2012 – January 1, 2012 marked the milestone of just three weeks to go until the largest winter event in the world. The inaugural FIS World Snow Day, set to be held on January 22, 2012, aims to bring children between four and fourteen – together with their families – to the slopes, trails and tracks, in a fun-filled day of events, activities and competitions on snow.

The inaugural World Snow Day will consist of 225 events in 39 countries.

The initiative falls under FIS’s ‘Bring Children to the Snow’ campaign, which was launched in 2007 and celebrates winter sports as a fun, healthy and social recreation activity for children of all fitness levels and capabilities. The World Snow Day 2012 will be the first event to be conducted on a global scale, joining the worldwide community in celebrating snow sports as part of a healthy lifestyle, and to foster global awareness of the importance of nurturing the natural environment.

With such as large number of events as part of World Snow Day, the variety is also extensive. Some examples include a winter wonderland in the heart of Tokyo; free ski and snowboard lessons across Poland; the Snow and Ice Festival in China; free skiing and snowboarding for kids under 12 in Lake Louise, Canada; Winter Sports Festival in Lake Placid USA; free ski and snowboard lessons India; and a world record attempt in La Molina, Spain.

Countries participating include America, Switzerland, Austria, Canada, Finland, Germany, Great Britain, Kazakhstan, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Turkey, Pakistan, India, Japan, Iceland, Australia, Russia and Spain, amongst others. The event’s motto to ‘Explore, Experience and Enjoy the Snow’ will be consistently shared across the world, whilst the worldwide festivities will adhere to the unique identity of each location.

From the 1st January 2012, FIS will also be partnering with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), Eurosport and Infront Sports & Media to broadcast a World Snow Day TV trailer across the globe. In addition, a virtual World Snow Day promotional campaign has been launched where activities will be featured on the various FIS websites and social media channels for the final days leading into the inaugural event.

For more information on World Snow Day please visit www.world-snow-day.com

December 21, 2011 (Early Winters, WA) – This year, the Methow Valley Nordic Team has no less than four graduates who are skiing at an elite level in international competitions. Sadie Bjornsen and her younger brother Erik Bjornsen are members of the U.S. Ski Team, hoping to make the 2014 Olympic Games.

Brian Gregg, ranked among the 10 fastest skiers in the country, has been invited by the U.S. Ski Team to compete in Europa Cup races and has earned World Cup Start rights by leading the overall Super Tour.

Casey Smith, named Junior Biathlete of the Year by the U.S. Biathlon Team, and is near qualifying for the U.S. Biathlon European Championship Team

All four of these elite athletes will be giving back to the community and their home team, by giving a free ski clinic on Wednesday, Dec. 21, at the Mazama Community Center, for members of the Methow Valley Nordic Team. Over 30 kids have pre-registered!

Click HERE to view the announcement on Sadie Bjornsen’s blog.

April 14, 2011 (Canmore, AB) – Walt Disney once said ‘if you can dream it, you can do it’. I’m not sure he was referring to a trip around the world, becoming dogsledders, salt mine workers, or alpine racers, but on Mar 4, the Canmore Nordic Ski Club Track Attack skiers did just all those things and more.

The day started with some face painting in the team room where four teams emerged – Team Moustache ‐ with great looking moustaches I might add; Team Whiskers – the cutest group of puppies around with long black whiskers; Team Snowflake – with very fashionable snowflakes on their faces (including one unibrow); and Team Polar Bear – wearing great looking bears. Thrown in there were a few painted flags on faces and well, you can probably picture it, these kids were ready for action.

There were three events that the teams competed in – the Yukon Quest Dog Sled Challenge; the Siberian Salt Mine Relay; and the Holmenkollen Downhill Quest. The dog sled challenge saw the kids become puppies (they sure loved to bark) and complete a team pursuit race, complete with pit stop, gear change and technique change. The Salt Mine Relay was lots of fun and saw the kids complete a continuous relay where every skier on each team completed a leg of diagonal striding, double poling, and step doubling poling. The downhill quest was a terrain park downhill sprint tournament complete with timing, heats, roller coaster bumps, and speed. Events were timed and great prizes were awarded for team spirit, an aggregate award based on results and technique, and participation awards from Cross Country Canada. Polar Cup(cakes) and lots of cookies, snacks, and hot chocolate were enjoyed by all – thanks to our fabulous parents for contributing those. Thanks also to parents and coaches who did the organizing and help guide the around the world adventure.

The energy and imagination of the event matched the enthusiasm and smiling faces of the kids having fun on skis.

The ski tournament is becoming an integral and important event in the yearly calendar of the Canmore Nordic Track Attack skiers. Last year’s Ski Rodeo and this year’s Polar Cup are going to be hard to top. But something tells me that the world may need to be saved in 2012 by a group of strong, fit, skiing superheroes! No need to worry, I have a feeling that a group of 50+ superheroes will arrive just in time at next years event!

Results HERE.