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Welcome to the Powderhorn Racing Club

For 35 years, The Powderhorn Racing Club (PRC) has been one of the finest family oriented sports programs in western Colorado. Here is some of our rich history.

In Colorado- skiing was booming in the 1960’s! Alpine skiing was the sport of choice- especially for families. Before Powderhorn opened, families from the Grand Valley would drive to Aspen on weekends for alpine skiing, training and racing opportunities. Then, in 1967, at the newly formed Powderhorn Ski area, the Powderhorn Buddy Werner program was initiated to meet the needs of local children interested in ski racing. The PRC Buddy Werner program was first started by a group of local ski instructors as an offshoot of the Powderhorn Ski School. The PRC and Powderhorn resort have been intertwined ever since.

Buddy Werner was one of America’s top world-class alpine ski racers. Buddy was from Steamboat Springs and died doing what he loved most- skiing- when he tried to outrace an avalanche. In honor of Buddy, several Colorado ski clubs started youth ski racing leagues and named their programs after Buddy. In the early days, the goals of the Powderhorn Buddy Werner Program were to teach young racers proper skiing technique; safety and etiquette; and to improve self-esteem and foster a sense of accomplishment. From its meager beginnings, the club has grown to include over 130 racers annually.

Also in the 1960’s, PRC initiated a USSA (United States Ski Association) program for the older, more serious and competitive ski racers. Over the years, the PRC has had something to offer to every age and ability of skier.

The majority of Buddy Werner participants have become strong skiers, role models in the community, and continue to enjoy skiing as a lifetime family sport. Many of the present racers are third generation BW participants.

Some of the racers who got their start in the Powderhorn BW program have gone on to qualify and win various Junior Olympic competitions, make the US ski team, race internationally, and earn college scholarships in ski racing.

At PRC, we really foster youth development and the spirit of teambuilding and camaraderie. 

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The PRC Board of Directors is proud to announce an incredible slate of coaches for the 2006-2007 ski season:

Buddy Werner Head Coach:  Kevin Hoskin

Buddy Werner coach extraordinaire for the last 5 years as well as ski instructor for Powderhorn resort for many years.  Certifications too numerous to list!!

USSA Developmental (DEVO) COACH:  Matthias Schmidt

Racer and coach with ties to the “hills” in Vermont!  He brings to PRC’s USSA his own successful racing career and an incredible coaching background!!!

USSA J5 Coach:  Randy Majors

Longtime USSA coach returning!  Coach of Coaches having coached skiing and very successfully for many years, high school tennis!  Welcome back, Randy!!!

USSA J4 Coach:  Blake Ammon

Returning coach and longtime ski racer!  You know he’s tough having conquered Pennsylvania winters ski racing in childhood! 

USSA J3 Coach:  Jesse Scott

Grew up ski racing with Powderhorn Race Club!!!  Many years of racing and coaching in the Rocky Mountains. 

USSA Coach:  Dee Gardner

Coached previously for Powderhorn Race Club, Purgatory Ski Club, Ski Club Vail, and Summit Race Club and across Colorado for over 25 years.  Dee will provide our racers with high-level evaluations that will improve racing results!

Letter from the President...

November, 2006

Dear Powderhorn Racing Club Athletes, Parents, Coaches and Supporters:

        First I want to congratulate all of the athletes, parents and coaches on a very successful 2005-2006 racing season.  Our club had two Rocky Mountain Division USSA Junior Olympians, Patrick Davenport and Ben Scissors!  In addition, our Buddy Werner team placed second in the West Council Championships at Sunlight.  The club also hosted a very successful USSA J5 Finale under extraordinary snow conditions with tremendous volunteer efforts from the PRC and others clubs with great support from Powderhorn Resort.  We are looking forward to building on such a successful and fun season.

I want to thank John Howe, Ken Scissors and Wendy Clements for their past contributions as Board President, USSA Head Coach and Buddy Werner Head Coach respectively.  Both Ken and Wendy will not be returning as Head Coaches so they can pursue more quality time with their families.  John continues to serve as a director and his institutional knowledge is very helpful.

The Board is currently making progress in three key areas:  organization of the club, hiring coaches and fundraising.  As president my goal is to make the operations of the club as organized as possible so we can have fun and enjoy our involvement with the PRC. This includes providing a committee structure at the board level, clarifying the expectations of athletes, parents and coaches, and delineating volunteer tasks for all members.  I believe specific direction and communication of roles and responsibilities for athletes, parents, coaches and directors will enable our club to concentrate on developing the athletes and having fun this season.  Please keep this in mind as the season gets under way and you are asked to participate in one of the functions of the club.

Due to the turnover of the head coaching positions we are faced with a great opportunity to find new head coaches and provide them with written expectations for these positions.  One area we are concentrating on is athlete and coach evaluation and more training opportunities for the developmental (Buddy Werner) and competitive (USSA) coaches.  We are also providing a framework for athlete evaluations so that they and their parents will have a good idea about athlete progress.

Eric Oakley chairs the fundraising committee and there will be two areas of activity to reach our fundraising goals.  First is a restructured Corporate Sponsorship program and the second will be a raffle.  Both of these will raise funds needed to provide equipment needed to train our athletes and keep them safe.  Also the funds will be used to provide training opportunities for our athletes and coaches so we are getting the most out of each.  Lastly these funds are critical to keeping the club is a positive cash flow and building reserves for future PRC activities.  As we roll out the corporate sponsorship program please contact Eric or me if you, your company or your employer would like to be a corporate sponsor.  All parents will be expected to participate in selling raffle tickets so we can have a successful fundraising program for the upcoming season.

Thanks very much for your past support of the Powderhorn Racing Club and I look forward to this season and working with you to continue the excellent program you have helped build and having fun with our children.

 

Sincerely,

Jamie Lummis

PRC Board President  

 

 

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Last modified: January 06, 2007