SSWSC athletes log over 4K miles and generate over $8K of donations for Yampa Valley COVID-19 Response Fund

Athletes of the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club surpassed their initial goal of tracking 2,000 miles of physical exercise by over double during this weekend’s Community Strong Challenge. Athletes ran, bike, walked, skied, and hiked 4,405.31 miles in three days, and their efforts generated $8,593 dollars with generous mileage pledges for the Yampa Valley COVID-19 Response Fund.

The challenge, which ran from 6am on Friday, April 17th until midnight on Sunday, April 19th, was an effort by the SSWSC to keep athletes moving during Stay at Home orders and to give athletes an aspirational goal by doing so: to give back to the community that has supported them for over 100 years and assist those businesses facing challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the Challenge’s start on Friday Morning, the Yampa Valley Community Foundation, host of the beneficiary Yampa Valley COVID-19 Response Fund, listed donations as being 83% of the way towards its $15,000 goal, for which the YVCF had a $15,000 match. The SSWSC’s contribution of $8,283 helped to meet, and exceed that goal.

“We came up with the goal of 2,000 miles in hopes that athletes would each put in around 5 miles per day, with the initial thinking that older athletes would help younger athletes make up for miles. Athletes not only surpassed the goal, but more than doubled it. Spring weather certainly helped, allowing athletes to pull out their bikes and running shoes to put in some additional miles. The overwhelming support and determination of our athletes, families, and community is truly inspirational,” said Sady Tobin, Strength and Conditioning Director of the SSWSC.

On Friday, the SSWSC had 160 members participating who managed 1,171.67 miles. Day Two brought in another 25 participants with 185 members tracking miles, and accumulating 1,180.56 miles for the day. Calmer skies on Sunday allowed Day Three, with 195 participants, to log 2,010.04 for a grand total of 4,362.27 miles.

“Athlete are doing what they love to do and it comes as no surprise that we had such high participation in a challenge that also helps our community,” said Ellen Campbell, Director of Development for the SSWSC & the Foundation, SSWSC.

To date, the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club offers youth development programming to approximately 1,000 athletes each year and claims 95 Olympians and 165 Olympic appearances, more than any other town in North America.

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