Olympic Day
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Local Olympians Celebrate Olympic Day to Inspire the Next Generation
Do you know why June 23rd is a significant day in Olympic history? It’s because that is the day on which the first ever modern-day Olympic Games took place in 1894. Now, every year on June 23rd, hundreds of thousands of people across the world participate in organized runs and cultural events to celebrate Olympic Day.
Every year, the National Olympic Committees organize sporting, cultural, and educational events based on the three Olympic pillars of MOVE, LEARN, DISCOVER. “Move” encourages people to participate in all types of physical activity for every age and ability. “Learn” is about educating each other about the Olympic values of excellence, respect, and friendship. “Discover” is all about people safely getting out of their comfort zones to try new activities.
The SNOW Sports Museum, a non-profit organization that is building a Regional Winter Sports Museum at the entrance to Olympic Valley, commemorated Olympic Day this year with local Olympians Travis Ganong, Julia Mancuso, Jonny Moseley, Anna Sullivan, Jamie Anderson, Starr Walton Hurley, Jeff Hamilton, Bill Hudson, Osvaldo Ancinas, Eric Poulsen, and US Ski Team athletes JC Schoonmaker and Hannah Halvorsen to inspire the next generation.
To learn more about what Move, Learn, Discover means to each of these athletes, watch their videos below.
Starr Walton Hurley
“You can’t change history and you can’t remake it. Olympic Day is an opportunity to share stories and preserve the legacy of legends. The Sierras are home to more Olympians than anywhere in the world, thanks in part to a community that challenges each other to advance their skill and their sport. We never stop.”
Travis Ganong
- 3-time FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Downhill podium finisher, 2014-2017 seasons
- Winning World Cup runs: 2014–15, 2015-16, Downhill
- Silver-winning World Championship Run, 2015 – Beaver Creek, Colorado
- Member of the US Olympic Team at Sochi 2014
Bill Hudson
- Ski Team Program Director at Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows
- 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary Alpine Skiing: Downhill, Super G, Combined
- Executive Director of the Sugar Bowl Ski Team Foundation
- Bill Hudson skied for parts of four years on the World Cup circuit, posting one top 10 in a combined event.
- Bill Hudson remained on the U.S. Ski Team for eight years and later competed in the X-Games, winning a silver medal in skiercross.
Starr Walton Hurley
- 1957 Jr. National Alpine Champion
- Silver Belt winner 1957 and 1960
- Carried the Olympic torch at the 1960 Olympics opening ceremony
- 1963 Sr. National Champion
- 1964 Innsbruck Olympics – the top US finisher in the downhill (14th)
- Finished 9th in the world at the end of the ski season – “the fastest American woman skier in 1963 and 1964.”
- Carried the Olympic torch at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah
- Carried the torch at the 50-year Squaw Valley Olympics anniversary celebration in 2010
Jeff Hamilton
- Four-time world speed-skiing champion
- Olympic bronze medalist
- Held world speed-skiing record for two years (1995-97)
Anna Goodman (Sullivan)
- Member of Canadian Olympic Team, 2010
- 3-time World Championships Team Member
- Winning World Cup Run, 2013 – Ofterschwang, Germany
- Winning US Nationals in 2013 – Squaw Valley, USA
- Winning “Red Bull Raid” in 2019 – a big mountain and endurance competition
Osvaldo Ancinas
- Member of Comité Olímpico Argentino, for the 1960 and 1964 Winter Olympics
- Gold medal winner of the 1964 Olympics talent contest for his singing, yodeling, and guitar-playing
- Recipient of 1970 Dave McCoy Coach of the Year Award
- President of the Lake Tahoe Ski Club Foundation from 1989 to 1998
- Regularly hosted gaucho-style asados (lamb barbecue) as fundraisers for USSA and ski teams; continues to fundraise
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