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Show IDOfftS it D January 29, 2004 D OUTDOOR ADDICT - Former Romanian national ski champ goes to the extreme for sports around the world "Romania was communist, and to get by Airman 1st Class Mlchah Garbarlno your mind off things you have to do stuff outdoors, and then you're happy," Gustai said. Because of the time they spent on the slopes outside Bucharest, Gustai started taking skiing seriously at age 10. He won the first of Hilltop Times staff Ask Adrien Gustai if he skied in and won three Romanian National Championships and he'll tell you... "Yeah, I skied, but that was a long time ago, in another life." Another life indeed, he has had several. A child growing up in a communist country who became a championship skier by playing hooky, a member of the "not nasty" branch of the Romanian army, an immigrant owner, a college student paying his way through school by working as a commercial fisherman in Alaska and finally working here as a network engineer in the Maintenance Directorate. Through all of it, he has never lost sight of what really matters to him, conquering the outdoors. In addition to racing down mountains, he has picked up the "addiction" of gas-stati- wind-surfin- g, and cultivated a love for moun- tain biking, snowboarding and surfing the But, it all started on a pair of skis. long-boar- d. encouraged my sister and me to skip school to ski. ... I've been skiing for 36 years, but it doesn't show," he adds with an embarrassed laugh. His parents and grandparents all skied, and, until age 6, when he 14. It may have seemed odd to communist school officials that he and his sister were always "sick" before or after the weekends, but with three titles under his belt by 17, who really cared? "I feel embarrassed to talk about it because I spent a lot of time with my parents on the " . mountain (while others were in school), and my uncle lived in the United States, so he would send me a new pair of skis every year. It wasn't really fair. The other kids didn't have the resources," he said. Then came his mandatory stint in the Romanian army. "It was still a communist army, but if you succeed in college, they don't send you to the nasty one. Lucky for me, I gained a seat in university and succeeded in college and I got placed in TR year-and-a-ha- a "I started skiing when I was 4. Romania was under a communist regime, and my parents his three national championships at age term," Gustai said. At 18, he won a regional army ski competition in Moldavia, but, communist, and to get your mind off things you have to do stuff outdoors, and then you're happy was strong enough ' to climb onto the old lifts, they would carry him up the mountain on their laps. For the Gustais, skiing was, and still is, a family affair. His father, is now over 70, and his mom's in her 60s, but every year they take a break from "body surfing" in Hollywood Beach, Fla., and come to Utah to ski at Powder Mountain with their son. Although the family was poor by today's standards, his childhood was very happy, he said. because of a fall, got third place in "Spartachiada," the army's national Adrien Gustai . competition. Before he went into the army, the family had papers to leave for America, and once he got out, they left. "We had relatives in America, and were able to immigrate. You "T-ba- r" " know Ceausescu (then the Romanian dictator) was cuckoo, a really crazy man, so it took us a while," Gustai said. Once with relatives in Florida, Gustai ran his own gas station. He hated the state because it was "completely flat," but help was on the way in the form of the American ski team. The American coach at the time became one of his "buds," while the team was in g as a form of the sunshine state wind-surfin- summer training. Since then, Gustai has been 4 Courtesy photo Adrien Gustai, applies some surfer spirit for this photograph, overlooking the Salt Lake valley. Gustai is an extreme sportsman, and former Romanian national ski champ. addicted to the sport. The waves in Florida couldn't hold Gustai, and he sold his gas station. He didn't want to be a "bum," so he became a commercial fisherman in Alaska. After paying hjs way through college, he had money in his pocket, g and, as a personal quest, he went in search of the perfect wave. He's convinced he's found the "best waves on the planet," and every year he makes a pilgrimage to a secret spot on Mexico's Baja Peninsula where he lives out of his car for three weeks, hitting all the monster waves he can. "I used to go to Hawaii, but now it's Baja. It's really intense because you have to take everything with you living out of a car. But the waves are like absolutely nothing else, they're crazy," Gustai said. After his wave search had ended, he settled down and bought a house in Utah. He moved here for several reasons, not the least of which is the snow, the mountain biking opportunities and the lack of an ocean. At the time, he felt so addicted to he decided to move inland to escape his addiction, he said. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't He still makes get away from his annual Baja run, but he has also found a way to wind surf inland. The Columbia River gorge, on the border of Oregon and Washdrive ington state, is about an eight-hou- r from here. wind-surfin- wind-surfin- g, g. g, Hilltop Times staff Air Force Services awarded Hill's Hess Fitness Center with its prestigious Four-Sta- r Fitness Award in December at the Athletic Business Conference in Orlando, Fla. "We're very proud that we earned this award. I feel like our hard work paid off. We see anywhere from 2,500 to 2,900 people at the Hess every day, and we continually provide great customer service," said Karen Wright, Hess Fit- . Waters (Hill's Services director) has to sign off on them. It's his responsibility. So, we are very careful what we check off and he then sends in a team to validate the checklist," Ms. Wright said. Most of the things they received no points for were like related to the facility basnot having two ketball courts something Services is currently workness Center director. The award marks an improveing on expanding. ment for the Hess. Last year ' "We've got a new facility on they were evaluated as a three-st- the way, slated for complefacility, but through hard tion in 2006, and we're very work and a team effort, they excited about it. It's going to boosted this year's rating, be a $13 million, 63,000 square-foMs. Wright said. facility," Ms. Wright said. "As an example, last year "Until then, well probably ratwe were required to have four continue to get four-sta- r special events and four incen- ings." The award system is based at Hill, tive programs-Wel- l, scale. Eleven we had 29 special events and on a five-st11 incentive programs. So, bases received the top rating we went way above the expec- this year and Hill was one of tations. We're going above 16 bases that received a four-stand beyond," Ms. Wright said. rating. non-parti- al , full-size-d ar ot ar ar bump-and-jum- p Gustai said The move also opened up new skiing oppor- tunities. , "I love the view, especially here in Utah, it's beautiful. But, the biggest change is that in Romania I was very narrow minded, only downhill. I never skied powder, I never skied bumps," Gustai said. "This is the place for that. It's so much less crowded, and so much more snow." When it comes to sports, Gustai is open minded, and loves all the opportunities Utah provides,. ,; "I don't discriminate. If people want to ski, I ski. If the powder is nice I use my snowboard or big fat skis. That's the problem with America, there are too many choices. Look at how many resorts are here, which one do you go to?" Gustai said. "You go mountain it's incredbiking in Moab, and ride ible." No matter where his adventures take him, tearing down mountains or cutting through waves, there is always one thing that keeps drawing him out, and has since he was a child in communist Romania... the ability to escape the world through the beauty of the outdoors. "I don't care about the rest. It's the aesthetic part, the view. That's what I love about it," he said. slick-roc- k, Division of Wildlife, Salt Lake City Adult volunteers are needed to teach 6- - to Hess provides the services or they get no points, there is no in between, Ms. Wright said. "I guess you could pencil whip the checklist for better results, but ultimately Mr. by Airman 1st Class Michah Garbarlno (wind-surfing- ). Adult volunteers needed for Utah DWRs youth fishing program While no evaluation teams are sent out by Services headquarters, as in a contest like the Innkeeper Award for lodg-inthere is a strict checklist that the Hess must honestly evaluate themselves on. The level award get rid of it But, then I discovered this place. So, I drive to it all the time during summer. It's tricks," good for practicing "I moved to Utah to globe-trottin- Star performance Go Speedracer Hess garners four stars in AF W " I lf branch, or short Romania was LET,' about fishing and aquatic resources in communities stretching from Logan to Payson. Volunteers will be helping the Division of Wildlife Resources and the various communities with their com- Photo by Airman 1st Class Mlcah Garbarlno Tyler Wheeler, left, looks back at the rest of his family discovers coming up. is a lot slower than sledding down. Oevin Custar, below, speeds to the bottom of the base's favorite sledding area near the intersection of 6th and 11th Streets. munity fishing program. Volunteer training will be held in each community in February. The training takes about one day to complete. The clubs of about 40 to 80 children each will be formed by April. To volunteer, or for more information, call Andrew Cushing, urban fisheries 4 biologist for the DWR, at (801) him at andrewcushingutah.gov or While patience and good communication and teaching skills are needed, Cushing says adults don't need a lot of fishing experience to volunteer. "After training, regardless of the person's fishing skills, I'm sure they'll feel completely comfortable getting together with their youth fishing club," he said. After training, volunteers will spend about two hours once a week, through the spring or summer, teaching children about fish and fishing by fishing with them at a local water. Cushing says a number of rewards await those who volunteer. "When they see the look on a kid's face, the first time they catch a fish, itil probably make their whole summer," he said. "Long term, I think they'll feel rewarded by knowing they've helped plug these kids back into a natural environment and have increased these community fishing $lubs stewardship of thqir own waters." 538-477- |