“World Fit” is a program developed by Team USA Swimming Olympian Gary Hall, Sr. (1968, 72, 76), aimed at combating childhood obesity by promoting fitness and the Olympic values through a six-week Spring walking program. Elementary and Middle School students in grades 3- 9, as well as teachers, family and friends can participate. Olympians and Paralympians adopt schools to mentor and teach the importance of lifelong fitness and the Olympic values of perseverance, respect, and fair play.

“It is an incredible honor to represent one’s country in the Olympics. By establishing “World Fit”, I wanted to create that same sense of motivation, fitness and pride that Olympians feel except at a much younger age,” says Gary Hall. “Hopefully, these children will walk away inspired and confident they can achieve a healthy, active life.”

Palmer was a member of the USA rowing team that twice won silver medals at the World Championships.  After completing her Olympic career, Palmer moved to Reno and began her new career as a school teacher.  She now works on curriculum and instruction planning for the Washoe County School District.

McKinney is a 3-time Alpine Skiing Olympian from Squaw Valley.  She won the 1983 Women’s World Cup Championship and had nearly one hundred podium finishes during her career.

The Reno Tahoe Winter Games Coalition (RTWGC) partnered with World Fit, the Washoe County School District and local McDonald’s owner/operators to bring the program to Northern Nevada.

“Getting kids active and learning about Olympic Values is what we’re about” said Paul Heglar, RTWGC Youth Outreach Coordinator.  “The program also can help build self esteem and school spirit for the students who participate.”

McDonald’s Sparks store owner Mary Pelton says the restaurant chains’ growing commitment to healthy menu options made it the perfect fit for “World Fit”.

“We love being in this community” said Mary Pelton.  “We’re glad to help give families a way to have kids learn about health and fitness at an early age.”

Since the first “World Fit” walk in 2009, 23,614 students from 43 different schools across America have logged in a total of 2,872,900 miles … numbers that certainly aim high and set records.

Find out more about the program at www.worldfit.org.

The Reno Tahoe Winter Games Coalition is a non-profit corporation dedicated to supporting the Olympic Movement throughout the region and to having Reno-Tahoe become the next North American region selected to host the Olympic Winter Games.  The coalition includes board members and volunteers from the public and private sectors of Nevada and California.  Learn more at www.renotahoewintergames.org

[Olympic Valley, Calif.] April 5, 2012 – Fifty-two years after the Olympic flame was first ignited in the Tahoe region, California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom and Nevada Lieutenant Governor Brian Krolicki announced the formation of the Lake Tahoe Winter Games Exploratory Committee (LTWGEC) today, a new joint California Nevada initiative, building on the existing efforts, dedicated to developing an Olympic Bid for the 2022 Winter Games.

The new committee, LTWGEC, is an entity created by the leadership of two separate organizations that were set up to explore a potential Bid for the Tahoe Region. The two organizations – the Reno Tahoe Winter Games Coalition and the California Winter Games Committee – joined by the Bay Area Sports Organizing Committee – will now be committing their significant resources to the LTWGEC.

“The timing is right for Californians and Nevadans to come together and seriously explore bringing the Winter Olympic Games to the Tahoe region,” said Nevada Lieutenant Governor Brian Krolicki. “Our new committee is the evolution of years of work by many people and if the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) decides to bid on the 2022 Winter Games, we will be ready to showcase the Tahoe region’s scenic majesty and winter games capabilities.”

“As someone who has worked on Bids for major sporting events like the Olympic Games and the America’s Cup, I know how important it will be for us to have a galvanized regional effort,” said California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom. “We will only succeed if leaders on both sides of the state line stand as one.”

The Lake Tahoe Winter Games Exploratory Committee will be tasked with creating a group of business, civic and political leaders that will work to thoroughly explore the benefits and impacts of hosting the Olympic Games in the Lake Tahoe Region. According to Krolicki and Newsom, the new group’s leadership will be announced in the coming weeks – including a robust environmental leadership team.

“Lake Tahoe’s physical beauty is our greatest asset and our greatest responsibility,” said Lieutenant Governor Newsom. “We can’t do this without the environment being front of mind for us.”

“Andy Wirth, Squaw Valley CEO and President, was chosen to serve as interim chair of the committee at this incipient stage of the groups formation.  In the coming weeks we’ll be announcing the leadership of the Lake Tahoe Winter Games Exploratory Committee. We are creating an organization that represents the great diversity of our two states,” said Lieutenant Governor Krolicki.

Three months into the New Year and 2012 is shaping up as an amazing time for the Reno Tahoe Winter Games Coalition.  The year began with a very memorable RTWGC International Sports Hall of Fame Dinner Gala.  Squaw Valley 1960 Winter Games organizer Alex Cushing, Squaw valley founder Wayne Poulsen, Olympians Tamara McKinney, Daron Rahlves and Franz Weber as well as skiing pioneer Shane McConkey and legendary high school basketball coach Lynette Davis were inducted into the Hall.  We were thrilled to have such an enthusiastic sold out gathering to honor them at the Atlantis Resort Spa Casino.  We also couldn’t have had a better Master of Ceremonies than Jonny Moseley!  Tremendous gratitude goes out to the Atlantis ownership and staff as well as all of our other fantastic sponsors (check them out on our website) and to our Event Committee, chaired by RTWGC Director of Development Keri Cassinelli.  This dedicated group of volunteers put this event together twice.  Once for last November 18^th and then the new date of January 6^th, after the Caughlin wildfire caused the cancellation of the event on the original date.  Our team is already busy planning the next Hall of Fame Dinner Gala for this upcoming November.  Stay tuned for details!

We are so fortunate throughout Reno-Tahoe to have such tremendous winter athletes represent our region at the highest levels of competition around the world.  Three-time Olympic Alpine medalist Julia Mancuso had a stellar World Cup season with quite a few podium finishes, including Super G and Parallel Slalom victories last month.  Nate Holland earned his 6^th gold medal in the past 7 years of Winter X Games snowboard cross competition.  3-time National Champion Tim Jitloff continued his consistent performances for the U.S. Ski Team.  David Wise continued his dominance in the new Olympic sport of slope style skiing, think skiing in a snowboard halfpipe.  The Reno resident captured Winter X Games gold and is currently second in the world rankings.  Read more about David in this edition of The Torch Times.  We also have a growing group of athletes in the junior ranks ready to make their mark on the national and international scene.

The RTWGC continues to work with its California partners in Sacramento and the Bay Area to prepare for a potential future Olympic Winter Games bid.  While we continue to plan and build relationships, we are also aware that the United States Olympic Committee has clearly stated that they and the International Olympic Committee must come to an agreement on a new revenue-sharing deal before any future U.S. bids will be considered.  We are encouraged by the reports of good progress in these negotiations and continue to do our work while respecting this proves.

We’re also thrilled to introduce the World Fit program in select pilot Northern Nevada schools next month.  Created by Olympians to help in the fight against childhood obesity, this program will debut locally in Reno, Sparks and Winnemucca.  You can read more about it in this issue, as well as first details of our second annual Olympic Day Family Festival scheduled for June 23^rd at UNR’s Mackay Stadium.

I also would like to take a moment to again thank the growing number of individuals and businesses supporting our mission with their time, talent and treasure.  We would not be where we are today without you!

I hope you enjoy this edition of The Torch Times.  Thanks to Ronele Klingensmith and David Taylor of RKPR for producing and distributing it.

Sincerely,

Jon Killoran

The Family Festival is one of the region’s events celebrating the creation of the modern-day Olympic Games by Pierre de Coubertin during the 1890’s.  Reno Tahoe will join thousands of cities and towns around the world commemorating the anniversary.

“Our region enjoys a wonderful and historic Olympic heritage” said Jon Killoran, RTWGC chief executive officer.  “But none of it would have happened without the original vision of Pierre de Coubertin.  It is in his spirit and in the spirit of the Games that we created the Family Festival.”

Last year’s inaugural Family Festival attracted hundreds of families to the stadium for the FREE event.  Kids of all ages tried sports ranging from athletics, to fencing and even curling. In all, 15 different Olympic and Paralympic sports were represented and the list is expected to grow this year.

“We want to give our youth a taste of the great sports which are part of the Olympic program” said Paul Heglar, RTWGC youth outreach coordinator. “Getting involved with sport and learning about Olympic values is very rewarding.”

The Family Festival will once again be FREE. The event is recognized by the United States Olympic Committee as an official World Olympic Day event.

More details will be posted as the event draws near.

“World Fit” is a program developed by Swimming Olympian Gary Hall, Sr. (1968, 1972, 1976), aimed at combating childhood obesity by promoting a six-week spring walking fitness program and Olympic values. Elementary and middle school students in grades 3-12, as well as teachers, family and friends participate. Olympians and Paralympians adopt schools to mentor and teach the importance of lifelong fitness and the Olympic values of perseverance, respect and fair play.

“It is an incredible honor to represent one’s country in the Olympics. By establishing ‘World Fit,’ I wanted to create that same sense of motivation, fitness and pride that Olympians feel except at a much younger age,” says Hall. “Hopefully, these children will walk away inspired and confident they can achieve a healthy, active life.”

Each sponsor may adopt up to three schools in the region they represent. In northern Nevada RTWGC has selected Glenn Duncan Elementary in Reno, Sparks Middle School in Sparks and French Ford Middle School in Winnemucca. The program takes place from April 16 to May 25during which time students will log their miles online to track their progress and reach their goals as well as compete with their classmates and with other schools. Three-time Olympian skier, Tamara McKinney, is already on board to help kick-off the program.

“Getting kids active and learning about Olympic values is what we’re about” said Paul Heglar, RTWGC youth outreach coordinator.  “The program also can help build self esteem and school spirit for the students who participate.”

Since the first “World Fit” walk in 2009, 23,614 students from 43 different schools across America have logged in a total of 2,872,900 miles…numbers that certainly aim high and set records.

Find out more about World Fit online. There you’ll find a collaborative online environment that facilitates the involvement of Olympians, families, students and helps community leaders work more effectively at getting involved.

Final preparations continue throughout the city, with the Athlete’s Village the latest venue to be completed.  The London Games Organizing Committee has not only led the creation of a tremendous opportunity for the athletes to gather and compete, but also a major revitalization of East London that should benefit the city and country for years to come. For the very latest on the London Games visit London 2012 online.

If you are still looking to make plans to travel to London for the Games, a recent check shows that airfare from our region runs between $1,400 and $1,700 round trip for a coach ticket and hotel rooms are available for at least $200 per night depending on your desire for amenities.  As far as Olympic event tickets are concerned, as is customary, the vast majority were made available to residents of the host country.  There will be ticket agencies in London that will offer a variety of tickets. However, there is a single company which holds the rights to sell Olympic tickets and packages in the United States.  CoSport offers tickets as well as hospitality and accommodation packages for the Games.  Visit CoSport online for details.

2012 Summer Olympic Games – London

These games are rapidly approaching and by all accounts will be extremely well organized and presented. Of additional interest is that the Games are expected to be completed at or under the last formal budget established in late 2011. Interestingly, while effectively most tickets have been sold by the London organizing committee, there are a substantial number of football (soccer) tickets unsold as British fans are awaiting the final competition schedule before committing. While virtually all other tickets have been sold to travel companies, national Olympic Committees and sponsors, many will be available on the secondary market. From a facility standpoint, all will be ready (if not already finished) but the main stadium has not yet found a permanent tenant. Plans for its post-Games use by a Premier League soccer team have not materialized as LONDOC organizers opted not to build in major under-field heating units for cold weather play, rendering the facility almost unfit for that level of play.

2014 Winter Olympics – Sochi

Preparation is also reported to be on track for these games to begin in less than two years with games-related preparation on track. Of concern, with practically no real solution, will be the sufficiency of the normal level of anticipated visitor accommodations and services. There will be a critical level provided but availability at some levels will be tight. Financially, the central Russian government is providing the funds committed during the bid process and recent television contracts (most recently NHK in Japan) have exceeded expectations ($225 MM USD). Ticket sales will not begin until later this year. Recently, Sochi organizers made their first public appeal for volunteers (a relatively new concept in Russia) with over 25,000 Russian citizens responding. International volunteers will be sought at some future date.

2016 Summer Olympic Games – Rio de Janiero

With World Cup Soccer 2014 preceding the 2016 Games in Rio, much of the needed infrastructure improvements and planned facility work is being scheduled to meet 2014 needs first. For the games, there has been some public concern expressed that marketing and other non- structural aspects of the games are falling behind. With the 2014 World Cup in the interim, it is challenging to make an actual determination. As with Sochi, the good news is that some television agreements have already been reached with Japan’s NHK committing $247MM USD. From a sports standpoint, the most interesting note is the awarding of the design/build contract for a world-class golf course in Rio for the Games. At present, no qualified course exists. The competition attracted all of the world’s top course designers and the award was a surprise with all of the “name” designers bypassed in favor of one (using American golfer Amy Alcott as their golf “expert”) that made environmental sustainability the core of their design.

2018 Winter Olympics-Pyeongchang

With six years to go and three games in the interim, it is unusual to have much news or information coming out of a future games but, at some level, Pyeongchang is creating some significant awareness by having key games and Korean Tourism officials travel the world to promote both the games and the virtues of travel to Korea. They have scheduled their presence at multiple sports management and marketing meetings around the world and are meeting with as many media outlets as possible.

2020 Summer Olympics

The competition for 2020 has heated up with the first formal bid dossiers submitted by the candidate cities (Baku, Doha, Istanbul, Madrid, Tokyo) to the IOC prior to February 15, 2012. Just prior to that date, the Italian government (Prime Minister Mario Monti) decided not to support a 2020 bid and the Rome bid was withdrawn. The decision was not unanimous and Italian IOC member Mario Pescante who also chaired the bid, resigned from his IOC roles as a consequence. Monti’s decision was based on their current economic situation and was reached even though their bid team had dramatically reduced planned bid and actual games cost projections. Interestingly, although the Spanish economic circumstances for Madrid are similar, their bid continues although they have announced a 40% reduction in planned bid costs. With a planned reduction in the number of candidates on May 23, and in response to a desire for these cities to have the opportunity to promote their candidacies, the IOC relaxed a restriction on promotion and allowed the candidates to promote themselves at the recent ANOC (Association of National Olympic Committees) meeting. Prior to the relaxing, the IOC had a provision prohibiting promotion through year end 2012. The May 23 decision will be based on information provided in the February 15 dossiers and IOC team visits. A recent AROUND THE RINGS Power Poll, has ranked the cities as follows: (1) Tokyo, (2) Madrid, (3) Istanbul, (4) Doha and (5) Baku. The reduction in number of cities follows past practice but following the poll results may be problematic if the IOC would like to have multiple ”new” candidates.

2022 Winter Olympics

Still awaiting the resolution of the IOC/USOC revenue split talks, bid preparation efforts continue at the permissible level in the U.S. Reno Tahoe and Denver are widely acknowledged as candidates with Salt Lake City and Bozeman, Montana also mentioned. It has been discussed that the IOC and USOC may resolve this issue following meetings in Quebec City in May or by the Olympics in July. Both Denver and Salt Lake City have formed exploratory committees to evaluate their bid prospects. Internationally, interested cities/countries include Ukraine (Lviv), Garmisch-Partenkirchen (Germany), Davos/St. Moritz, and a Norwegian bid with all candidates nominated by fall 2013. The IOC has just announced that the final decision on the 2022 Games host will be made at their recently announced 2015 meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in the fall of 2015.

Tenth Anniversary –Salt Lake City 2002 Olympic Games

Last month, with a wide variety of commemorative events built around the official 2002 opening date of February 8, 2002, the celebration of the 10^th anniversary of the 2002 games began. As with all such celebrations, only good memories were recalled and the celebration sparked Salt Lake and Utah’s initiation of consideration for hosting a future Olympic Games. While an exploratory committee has been established, interest has appeared to be lukewarm and has not generated significant interest nationally or internationally. One observation has been that, unlike Los Angeles following 1984, Salt Lake civic and sports leaders have not established or maintained a strong Olympic international outreach or partnership program.

Other news

In other Olympic news of significance, long time Olympic leader Mario Vasquez-Rana has resigned all of his roles (IOC Member, IOC Executive Board Member, President of the Pan American Sports Organization, president of Olympic Solidarity) following several public governance disputes with other Olympic leaders. He has reached the formal Olympic retirement age but had not planned to withdraw so publicly as he drafted a lengthy memo outlining many of his areas of disagreement. This was particularly unusual for an Olympic member to be so public. The impact of his resignation on the U.S. and any U.S. bids is unclear as his influence in the Americas was substantial.

After entering his first Halfpipe and Big Air competitions at age 12, there was no turning back. David won his first Junior Olympic title in both Big Air and Halfpipe at age 13 and has been turning heads ever since.

In 2008, David kicked off his professional skiing career with a host of podium and top five finishes capped off with a win in Superpipe at the 2009 World Skiing Invitational. That summer David made skiing history by being the first person to ever perform a double corked 1260 in the Halfpipe. Following an injured season in 2009-2010 David made his mark on the 2010-2011 season by ending up ranked 4th in the world in Halfpipe.

This past January, David was the 2012 Gold medalist in the Winter X Games 16 in the Men’s Superpipe. He showed off his new switch double flip trick at the X Games beating out two-time defending champion Kevin Rolland of France. David was the oldest man at the podium at the ripe age of 21. He is the first American to win the gold in Men’s Skiing Superpipe since 2008.

Asked what he told himself before dropping in to the Halfpipe, David said, “Just take a moment and refocus. Tell yourself it’s just another run. All the outside influences don’t matter. Every run is one run of you and the Halfpipe.”

Last Year, the International Olympic Committee announced that Skiing Halfpipe would be included in the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. Soon after this announcement, David was selected to be a part of the firs

t ever U.S. Freeskiing Team. David said this about his time on the U.S. Freeskiing team, “The whole experience has been pretty cool. Everyone’s there because they want to be the best in the world. And they’re all working hard.”

If all of this success isn’t enough David recently married Lexi and is the proud father of a baby girl, Nayeli, born October 5, 2011. He is the first “daddy” to win Skiing Superpipe gold.

When asked what was like growing up in Reno, David said, “There are only a couple cool cities in the world where you can have a bit of a city life, but then there are mountains and skiing nearby. Through my travels, I’ve learned to love Reno. I didn’t really love it growing up, but it’s great for me now.”

With the announcement that Skiing Halfpipe is going to be included in the 2014 Winter Olympics, David has set his sights and efforts towards being there representing the U.S. His fans are eagerly waiting to root him on.

Supporters of the event, which also raises funds for the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team Foundation, have an opportunity to spend the day skiing with U.S. Ski Team and Squaw Valley athletes, Olympians and alumni. The event also features an exciting U.S. Ski Team Pro-Am Race with afternoon activities including a public autograph session on the KT Deck and an end of day après Ski party at the Olympic Village Lodge.

Each year, nationwide events like the Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows U.S. Ski Team Day raise millions of dollars in funding to support the athletes of the U.S. Ski Team, U.S. Snowboarding and U.S. Freeskiing. More specifically, the funds generated through the event will support elite athlete training, development, competition and educational needs in the critical years leading up to the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia.

“Squaw Valley has a rich tradition in winter sports and the production of U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team athletes,” said Squaw Valley President and CEO Andy Wirth. “We are proud to host this event at Squaw Valley and to support the efforts of USSA. We look forward to offering our guests and aspiring young athletes the chance to celebrate, race and mingle with the past and present legends of sport.”

A highlight of the event is the afternoon Pro-Am race. Teams of five racers will be paired with a celebrity skier and will go head to head on the race course. The U.S. Ski Team is currently looking for local businesses and individuals to sponsor teams for the Pro-Am Race. Every team that is sponsored will be composed of two deserving Squaw Valley Ski Team Racers, two local U.S. Ski Team alumni and an additional racer chosen by the sponsor. Individuals and groups are also encouraged to put together and enter their own teams for the race. Pro-Am Race entry begins at a $1,000 entry donation per team sponsorship or a $200 donation per racer.

The day’s festivities will conclude with an exclusive Après Ski Party and celebration at the Olympic Village Lodge where fans will have an opportunity to meet and mingle with the visiting Olympians after their day on the slopes. Individual tickets to the après ski party are available for a $150 donation to the Team. Family packages are also available for a $300 donation. In thanks of their support, all guests will receive an official U.S. Ski Team t-shirt and be entered into a raffle for the chance to win exclusive U.S. Ski Team gear and prizes.

The Foundation is also looking for businesses and individuals to sponsor teams for the afternoon Pro-Am race. All donations to the Team are tax deductible to the extent of the law. Potential sponsors can contact Jessica Miller at the U.S. Ski Team by e-mail or by calling 435-647-2095 or by visiting the USSA web site for more details.

The USSA Foundation is the non-profit raising arm of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA), the national governing body of skiing and snowboarding. Funds raised support year-round athlete training, development, competition and educational needs of world-class athletes pursuing the Olympic dream. The RTWGC encourages attendance and participation in what will be an annual event designed to support the Olympic spirit.

(reported by CBS 13 in Sacramento, CA)

To watch the news report click here.