Page 48 - Winter 2018 Journal

in the months leading up to the Winter Games.
sales and marketing. “Guests are a little more excited, and the DO THE
“All snowsports seasons are special, but when it’s a season
with the Winter Olympics Games, there’s a little more elec-
tricity in the air,” said Drew Broderick, Bristol’s director of

during, and after the Olympics. We’ve already seen an uptick OLYMPICS
best part about it for a ski area is that all of a sudden the first
timers come out in droves to take lessons so they can emulate
what they see on TV and streamed on the internet before,

in the interest in lessons.”
Bristol’s Super Six—all of whom grew up in the Finger
Lakes Region in Upstate New York and trained under the GENERATE
guidance of coach John Kroetz—are brothers Jonathon and
Chris Lillis, Dylan Walczyk, Morgan Schild, Harrison Smith,
and Patrick O’Flynn.
During the week of Christmas, Bristol hosted a meet- MORE
and-greet autograph session for several of the athletes, who
will spend some time on snow mentoring kids on the Bristol
Mountain Freestyle Team before leaving to compete again,
Broderick said. The ski area plans to host World Cup viewing PARTICIPATION
parties in the Rocket Lodge so guests can follow the journey
of the Bristol Mountain Super Six as they compete at Olym-
pic qualifying events, and Olympic viewing parties will be
listed on their event calendar. IN SNOW-
“Those parties are going to rock the lodge if one or more of
our athletes achieve their dream of competing for Team USA in
SPORTS?
South Korea in February,” Broderick said. “We can’t wait!”

ortunately, for the ski industry, that is, there will be a
F more dominant US skiing and snowboarding presence at
PyeongChang than at previous Olympics. Dan Barnett, chief
commercial officer of US Ski & Snowboard, said skiers and
snowboarders will make up the majority of Team USA— BY NATE FRISTOE, RRC ASSOCIATES
more than 55 percent—in PyeongChang.
While US athletes compete in World Cup events through-
out each year, the Olympic Winter Games that come around s the Winter Olympics approach there is an inevitable
every four years are the pinnacle of their sporting careers, and A escalation of hope regarding the Games’ ability to
the core focus for US Ski & Snowboard, Barnett said. “We’re generate enthusiasm for downhill snowsports.
aiming to record a significant share of the total Team USA The expectation is that the Olympics will encourage
medal count. Just taking part in a Winter Olympic Games is more people to try skiing or snowboarding and bolster
an achievement in itself, but winning Olympic medals puts participation among those who might have drifted into
you into the history books. That is hugely inspirational for infrequent participation or dropped out entirely. The reality
sports fans—in our case for fans of skiing and snowboarding in is that the impacts of the Olympics are complex. Do the
multiple disciplines. We expect to see an increase in the num- Olympics foster greater trial?
ber of people of all ages taking to the slopes before, during, The short answer is no, but as with all things in this
and after the upcoming Games.” business, so much depends on the weather, and snow
Here’s hoping Barnett’s wishes for the 2018 Winter conditions are a much bigger determinant of participation
Games come true—that US athletes will win the medals they than the Olympics.
richly deserve and that the events will generate interest in Looking back over the past five Winter Games, the percent
skiing and snowboarding for years to come. of visits attributable to first-time guests has varied from a high

46 | NSAA JOURNAL | WINTER 2018