Chester Bowl Celebrates 54th Alpine Races with 93 Competitors, $30K Donation
Orthopedic Associates in Duluth donated a check of $30,000 for the Chester Bowl Improvement Club to use on programs and outdoor and indoor infrastructure.
DULUTH, Minn.- While Olympic skiers took to the slopes in Beijing Sunday, some younger athletes tackled the slopes at Chester Bowl in Duluth, for the 54th Annual Kiwanis Alpine Ski Races.
“To see the energy of all the kids out here ready go fast on their skis and snowboards so much fun,” said Dave Schaeffer, Chester Bowl Director.
The 93 skiers and snowboarders — some as young as 3 and as old as 16 — had their adrenaline pumping to tear up the powder.
“I feel pretty confident I love racing down the hill I feel like it’s fun when you go really fast at the end,” one skier, Elle Norton, said.
The race kicked off later than in past seasons, but according to Schaeffer, the timing couldn’t be better.
“The fact that this 1st race is right when the Olympics are starting is really inspiring a lot of kids because they can see themselves on the Olympic podium as they race here and why not because they really could be,” he said.
For some speedy racers Sunday, Olympic slopes could be a dream they’re sliding into pretty fast.
“I watched the snowboarding Olympics last night and I like to see all the tricks that they like they have to do,” said Norton. “I like to think what it would be like if I was an actual Olympian.”
The 54th Alpine Races also marked a milestone in Chester Bowl’s partnership with local small businesses.
“This park and this ski hill being right in the center of Duluth a lot of kids just started skiing here and just nice to be able to give back to this community and back to this group of people,” said Sam Harms, Orthopedic Surgeon with Orthopedic Associates.
Orthopedic Associates in Duluth donated a check of $30,000 for the Chester Bowl Improvement Club to use on programs and outdoor and indoor infrastructure.
“They’re looking to expand the chalet. They’re looking for ADA accessible or user friendly, upgrading some of the HVAC facilities inside and making it more of a year-round facility,” Harms said.
Schaeffer said it’s support like this, that lets them keep giving these young athletes a place to start. “As a nonprofit in the ski industry that’s a very unique thing.”
“Really we couldn’t do our programs without the community support, he said. “Whether that’s the 5,000 hours of volunteer time we receive every year or funding from businesses like Orthopedic Associates.”
While it was a race, all competitors got a trophy from Kiwanis at the end of the day.
“I think for kids especially those just starting out they need that extra motivation to feel good and try something like a race which can be scary when you’re 5 years old,” said Schaeffer.
But cheers rang out louder than any trophy could. “I really like when the crowd cheers me on at the end,” Norton said.
