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Show SPORTS The Park Record. Editor: Adam Spencer sports@parkrecord.com 435.649.9014 ex.104 Twitter: @ParkRecSports G.O.A.T. CAMP AND YOUTH FOOTBALL REGISTRATION Registration for the fourth-annual Aaron Alford G.O.A.T. Camp is now open at UteFootball.org. The dates are June 2729 and the camp will run from 9 a.m. to noon each day. It will be held on Dozier Field at Park City High School and the cost is $75 per player. The camp is open to boys and girls ages 7 to 13. Also open on UteFootball.org is registration for the 2016 season for athletes ages 7 to 14. The cost is $275 per player, which includes equipment and coaching. WASATCH LADIES GOLF LEAGUE The Wasatch Ladies Golf League will play every Tuesday throughout the summer and new members are welcome. The group plays both the Wasatch Lake and Mountain courses and the Soldier Hollow Silver and Gold courses. For a schedule of play, please call Julie Schwartz at 435-654-0746 or Mary Ann Woods at 802-578-8683. RED CROSS LIFEGUARD COURSE Learn the skills that allow for a safe day at the pool with the Red Cross Lifeguard Course offered by Park City Recreation. These certification courses are for those 15 and older. Session I will be held May 10-12, 14, and 17-19. Session II is June 6-8, 14-16 and 18. The registration deadline is the day prior to session and the fee is $185. For more info on schedules and to register, visit ParkCityRecreation.org or call 435-615-5400. Please see Sports Briefs, B-6 PCHS BASEBALL EARNS ANOTHER BIG WIN, B-2 www.parkrecord.com Legacy Foundation acquires 2002 crosscountry ski venue ADAM SPENCER The Park Record On Thursday, workers at the Utah Olympic Park were outside putting the finishing touches on last summer's big renovation project, an endeavor that included both the construction of new freestyle training water ramps and an expansion of the parking area. Inside the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation offices, though, attention was focused farther south. Last week, the foundation announced it would take over operation of Soldier Hollow, the 2002 Olympic cross-country venue. The acquisition of Soldier Hollow came to fruition after a long exploratory period. Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation President and CEO Colin Hilton said the UOLF, which also operates the Utah Olympic Park in Park City and the Utah Olympic Oval in Kearns, decided it was a good move for the three venues to be reunited. "The Soldier Hollow board approached our organization in August of last year, pointing out that while they've enjoyed overseeing the operation for years, they were concerned about the longevity of the upkeep of Soldier Hollow and asked if we would consider integrating it into our efforts," he said. "That kicked off about an eight-month due diligence process for us to understand the financial implications and operational efficiencies that we could create in doing this." At the end of the process, Hilton said the UOLF discovered that finances would allow the merger. "In the end, for me, this is a little bit of a coming full circle," he said. "My predecessors running the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation right after the '02 Games were involved in operating Soldier Hollow. Then, because of financial concerns about being able to support the Olympic Park and Olympic Oval, [the UOLF] didn't view that we had the ability and capacity to look after Soldier Hollow. We now view that we do and that we're stronger and better to be able to put our umbrella around three venues. "[Soldier Hollow] has an operating budget that breaks even, as opposed to a subsidized operating budget which we have here at the Park and the Oval. The financial implication for us is not a large commitment." Hilton said not much would change at Soldier Hollow, which has always had a good relationship with the UOLF. Now, he said, it'll just be a little bit easier to coordinate efforts on Nordic combined competitions and allow the UOLF to expand into other winter sport areas. "If anything, what we're more excited about is the ability to help their teams more than just with those events, and vice versa," he said. "They run a pretty great tubing operation at Soldier Hollow and we've gotten more involved in that up here. There are things our staffs can learn from each other. We're not projecting to make any major changes other than bringing in some financial resources to help with the upkeep of Soldier Hollow. That has been an area for which there's been a huge amount of deferred maintenance that we are going to start addressing." le's C 2 e c hoi What's next for Soldier Hollow? This summer, maintenance work will begin at Soldier Hollow. Hilton said the UOLF will tackle some of the deferred maintenance costs head-on. "The state of Utah went and lobbied successfully to receive $500,000 in critical repair funding that we will be doing this summer at Soldier Hollow," he said. "Even before we officially took on the oversight responsibilities, we set the stage with the legislature to receive some funding that will help. It'll improve some of the snowmaking systems and capacities, replacing some of the older equipment. The largest single item is acquiring a new snowcat to do the trail grooming. That's one of the original 2002 snowcats that's been operating there. It's also for improvements to the biathlon range and what we're calling ‘sport techni- cal upgrades' that will allow us to host biathlon events." The renovation of the biathlon venue is a big deal to Soldier Hollow. That will make it easier to attract more worldclass events to the area. "We haven't held a biathlon World Cup and competition since 2002, so for the governing body of US Biathlon, they're very excited that we're going to make these improvements," Hilton said. "We hope to attract a biathlon World Cup sometime in the next couple of years." Please see Soldier Hollow, B-6 PARK RECORD FILE PHOTO Collegiate men's cross-country skiers compete during the 2015 Utah Invitational at Soldier Hollow. 16 Th eop SAT/SUN/MON/TUES, MAY 7-10, 2016 Olympic legacy renewed at Soldier Hollow VOTE TODAY! eP B-1 PCHS GIRLS' GOLF SQUAD WINS REGION TITLE, B-3 0 The 2016 "Park City's Best" Survey is now open! Recognize the best in our community with your Votes. Vote now through the end of May. To take survey, visit: parkrecord.com |