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Show Wed/Thurs/Fri, April 18-20, 2018 Continued from B-1 Stephen announces retirement Stephen’s running, since Stephen will join Park City Running Company’s running team and will work with the store this summer while she tackles personal goals, including running the New York City Marathon in November. She expects that she won’t hit the same performance peak that she would if she was training for the World Cup circuit, or the Tour De Ski, both of which were venues where The Park Record Stephens pushed boundaries for the U.S. team. Over her 12 years with the team, she has established three records for the U.S. team, starting with a 15th-place finish at a World Championships at Liberec in the Czech Republic in 2009, which had never been achieved at that distance by the team before, followed by a fifth-place finish in the 10K skate at the World Championships at Val di Fiemme, Italy in 2013 – another distance record for the U.S. team. “Where she was really good was on hill climbs,” said Tom Kelly, vice president of communications at US Ski and Snowboard. In fact, she was given the nickname “Hill,” after her ability to push herself up inclines when others couldn’t. Those skills shone in 2014’s Alpe Cermis portion of SARAH BRUNSON/U.S. SKI TEAM Stephen competes in the Women’s 30K classic at the 2013 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Val di Fiemme, Italy. She finished 16th overall. She finished fifth in the 10K the day before, which was a record for the U.S. women’s team. Continued from B-1 tive training. “Don’t let your perceived ability, or lack thereof, hold you back,” a press release stated. Email questions to Sydney Bull at sydney@ basinrecreation.org Sports briefs SWIM COACHES AND INSTRUCTORS WANTED U.S. MASTERS SWIMMING WORKOUT Basin Recreation Fieldhouse has added U.S. Masters Practices to its programming on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons from 12-1 p.m. for swimmers and future swimmers age 18 and up. A coach will prepare workouts and provide feedback and instruction. The class is geared toward a broad range of skill levels, from those seeking to stay fit to competi- The Basin Recreation Fieldhouse is looking for experienced and knowledgeable individuals who are interested in teaching Youth Swim Lessons and coaching our Adult Swim Clinics and Masters practices. Applicants must be 16 years of age or older and must have current CPR, AED and First Aid certifications as well as strong swimming skills and knowledge of the sport. Inquire with Aquatics Coordinator Sydney Bull at sydney@basinrecreation.org or call her the Tour De Ski, which ended with a 9K hill climb. “She was just amazingly good at this event,” Kelly said. Though she never finished in first outright, Kelly said she was usually in the top of the pack, which helped her take fifth overall in 2015, raising the bar for the American team yet again. “She was one of the first to really have success across all stages, which was an amazing achievement, Kelly said. Stephen said one of her favorite memories was a frigid 10K climb in Rybinsk, Russia, partly because of the “barely legal race temperatures.” After finishing second in the race she wanted to celebrate with her teammates, but first she had to talk to the media and go through the anti-doping protocol. “What I’ll remember about all of that is the team, on one of the coldest days of my career, just waiting there because they knew how important it was to me,” she said. “If I had advice to give people that are trying to create a team — notice the little things that matter to people. Maybe that wouldn’t matter to someone, but the team knew that their presence there would matter more than anything else to me.” Matt Whitcomb, the U.S. Ski and Snowboard women’s cross-country coach, has coached Stephen since she switched from alpine racing at the Burke Mountain Academy at the age of 15. Over that time, Whitcomb said Stephen has established herself as one of the team’s most nurturing members, even providing massages to teammates during the team’s early days when it didn’t travel with physical therapists or masseuses. But Whitcomb said Stephen’s mental strength gave her the ability to switch from nurturing teammate to fierce competitor at race time. “She can absolutely turn herself inside out on the race course,” Whitcomb said. “She is limited less by pain and physical limits than most are. The normal person might think (their challenges) are physical barriers, but to Liz they are mental barriers and to Liz that’s opened up a whole new level of racing.” Whitcomb said Stephen’s longevity on the team stems in part from how close she is with her teammates — considering them first as friends – and said it’s telling that the team has kept so many of its athletes for so long, given the modest financial incentives. Stephen said finding that kind of community elsewhere will likely be the hardest part of leaving the team, though it’s a good time for her to get out. She said the goals that her generation of skiers set out to achieve for the U.S. team have largely been met. For example, there was a time when she was skiing competitively that the U.S. didn’t even have a national cross country team. Since then, she and her teammates have made the U.S. one of the most competitive teams in the office 435-655-0999 x16 ball Program, for kids between the age of 6 and 14, will run from April 23 to June 8. Games will be played at Ecker Hill, Treasure Mountain, Park City High School softball field and Trailside Elementary for more information visit: www.basinrecreation.org or call 435-655-0999. Tryouts are being held this week. SPRING YOUTH BASEBALL CLINICS This three-day baseball and softball clinic will focus on instruction from the head coaches of the Park City High School baseball and softball team and their staff and players. The clinic will focus on skills, drills and fun. Sign up for one clinic, or sign up for all three, the clinics are appropriate for boys and girls ages 7-10. Clinics will be on Saturday, April 21, 28 and May 6, check website for ages and times, www.basinrecreation.org LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL AND SOFTBALL Basin Recreation’s Little League Base- 4 8 el THE MOMENTS + THE EXPERIENCES = THE MEMORIES Gather with friends and family, share experiences, and support local Park City residents and business owners in Historic Park City. FREE PARKING Park City’s Free Public Transit operates daily to access Main Street, or this shoulder season enjoy a complimentary parking session on Main Street and experience Historic Park City. Visit historicparkcityutah.com for parking session redemption instructions. Galleries | Boutiques | Bars & Restaurants | Nightly Entertainment cycle Re PARK CITY U tah EA RT H 18 DAY 2 0 Sunday, April 22, 2018 Wasatch Brew Pub | 250 Main St 5 PM - 8 PM $35 adults/$15 kids in advance or $40/$15 at the door purchase tickets at recycleutah.org c h c n c . cycle Re PARK CITY U tah All proceeds benefit Recycle Utah’s education programs INTRODUCTION TO LACROSSE CLINIC Learn how to play lacrosse at Basin Recreation’s Introduction to Lacrosse Clinics. Kindergarteners through third graders will learn the fundamentals of the game and will be provided with a stick and lacrosse balls for practice. Clinics will be held at Matt Knoop Memorial Park every Saturday from April 21 to May 19. To register and for more information visit www.BasinRec- B-3 TOM KELLY/U.S. SKI TEAM Liz Stephen charges up a hill at U.S. Cross Country Ski Team roller ski training on the Olympic trails at Soldier Hollow last year. world. The recent gold medal in Pyeongchang, earned by Kikkan Randall and Jessie Diggins in the team sprint, was the icing on the cake – showing what the team knew it could do all along. “The medal was so important in so many ways,” Stephen said. “I never felt like our team needed the medal to know we could do it, but I’ve always felt there is this need for the next generation — that we could have done it, but to show that it could be done, I think that provides a lot of drive in the future and support for the sport.” Her departure from the team, along with Randall’s, will force some major organizational adjustments, Whitcomb said, though the adjustments for the athletes will be just as large. “These guys are endorphin junkies, and they have also adjusted their norm to being some of the fittest people in the world,” he said. “There are things like depression that can enter your life that you never expect would.” To help prevent that, Whitcomb said the team tries to keep former members involved, providing coaching and cameo opportunities at races and training camps – opportunities that will be open to Stephen. But between the adventures, races, nonprofits and classes she plans on taking, Whitcomb said he doesn’t anticipate Stephen needing additional direction. “I think that’s going to be very fulfilling for Liz,” he said. “I should add we are going to miss her like crazy.” reation.org, or call 435-655-0999. camps are H20 adventures, tennis, and mountain biking. Space is limited. To sign up, visit basinrecreation.org or call 655-0999. For more information, email Angie at agreenburg@basinrecreation.org. BASIN RECREATION’S TEE BALL, BLAST BALL The blast ball and tee ball season starts April 23 and runs through May 30. Blast ball will be held 4-5 p.m. every Wednesday and tee ball will be held at 5-6 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays. Both will be at the Basin Recreation Fieldhouse. This league is coed and is run as an instructional program. BASIN RECREATION SUMMER CAMP Registration for Basin Recreation’s summer camps was set to open Sunday, offering programming ranging from a single day up to the whole summer and featuring a range of different activities. The most popular COUNSELOR IN TRAINING PROGRAM Learn the skills necessary to become a camp counselor and for many first jobs. Park City Recreation is seeking applicants for this summer’s Counselor In Training program. The CIT program is designed to provide leadership training, goal setting and program skills to participants ages 13 to 15 years old. For a complete description of the program and an application, visit parkcityrecreation.org or email jmoran@parkcity.org. Applications are due Monday, April 30. |