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Show An Olympian in the business world II " . "'W' ,... . iiiwuuil. ii.ijinpw.ini. mi i.iium in.m ,iu i .inwini.'ipiwiii i tm ,m. mui J ;....' I 4-' " i 1 " I ' i ' ".'.':-V", - - ' " Mf,,,, J by Teri Gomes I . Former Olympic athletes I often have a hard time I giving up their sports for a I job in the real world. But I former French Olympic skiing star Bernard Orcel ! seems to have made the ; switch successfully. "Life is not made only of sport. Business is also a . sport and it makes for an interesting life." For the past 10 years Bernard and his fashion astute wife, Simone, have ; operated Courchevel's most popular ski and high fashion shop, Bernard Orcel Sports. Their modern shop features I famous name brands which ! attract a world-famous I clientele. Bright high tech J displays invite shoppers to examine clothes from Kitex, Descente and Anba, strong ski lines the Orcels mix with their high fashion lines like Dior, Givenchy and Ginochietti. The shop does a fast-paced business all season. Last year it sold some 400 pairs of skis, 1,100 pair of boots and 2,000 items of clothing. Surprisingly the Orcels rarely go to trade shows. "We're usually just too busy" said Simone "and so the reps generally come to us." The Orcel s are no strangers stran-gers to the United States and eventually would like their 10-year-old daughter to receive re-ceive an education here. This summer they will venture into business American Ameri-can style they will open a store on Long Island in New York. Simone has been coming to Courchevel since she was four years old. "There were just three houses and four hotels then. But whenever my parents would ask where did I want to go for vacation I would always say the same thing: Courchevel!" The Orcels are enthusiastic enthusias-tic about the "jumelage." "We are happy to welcome the people of Park City here, and we plan on becoming the best of friends" said Bernard. "I am happy that people of both areas will have an opportunity to learn from each other," added Simone. photo by Teri Gomes Former French Olympian Bernard Orcel, in his ski shop in Courchevel. |