MASTERS
Erik Fisher and Scott Macartney, an athlete rep from
the World Cup Dreams Foundation,. “There were as
many athletes there as racers,” said Hill. “They did
drills, ran some gates, and had a great time. It was
a hoot.”
And then it was off to the Multnomah Athletic Club
(MAC) in Portland for the dinner and auction. “Oh it
was big,” said Scroggins. “We collected items worth
over $70,000 for the auction; we had a band, great
dinner and about 14 USST athletes at the party.” A
USST athlete graced each table, much to the pleasure
of the starry-eyed kids (and masters) in the crowd.
The athletes all stoked the fund-raising fervor, too.
After a fierce bidding war, Lindsey Vonn’s racing
suit brought in $9,000. The young winner, 10-year-
old Natalie Hanson was so pleased with her purchase
that she immediately put on the suit (rolling up the
sleeves and legs) and stormed the stage during the
next part of the auction.
Not to be outdone, Kaylin Richardson yelled to the
crowd, “What am I worth to you?” as she prepared to
accept bids for her suit. She then proceeded to put on the suit over her
fancy party gown to the cheers of the crowd.
Kerry Scroggins, a Nike executive who used her considerable marketing
skills to deliver the goods, said she was relieved to have the event behind
her, but couldn’t have been more pleased with the outcome. “This just
shows how much of a skiing family we all are,” she said. “Tons of people
showed their support and it was fun to work with all of them — parents,
racers, USST athletes, and retailers. We raised about $30,000.”
Jennifer Vance, executive director of the World Cup Dreams Foun-
dation, praised the efforts of the masters and the Scroggins. “We are
thankful for the support of the masters and, in particular, Willy and
Kerry. They did an incredible job in making this happen.”
Raising funds at the Multnomah Athletic Club in Portland. Top: Kaylin Richardson, Hailey
Duke and Laura Whitehorn; bottom: Dale Parshall, Sheri Parshall and Sally Niedermeyer.
Mo Money, Mo Racing
For more information on the World Cup Dreams Foundation, visit worldcupdreams.org.
Natalie Hanson
The fund-raising fervor continued at the final awards party of the Summer Fun Nationals when Willy Scroggins staged an impromptu auction
for the benefit of PNSA racer Michael Bansmer, who had been forerunning the races and training with the masters. Scroggins asked for
donations to help Bansmer pursue his ski racing career and the crowd
responded. Tim Hill offered $500 if the bidding got up to $1,500.
Even the bartender emptied his tip jar and in the ultimate sacrifice,
former racer and current coach Scott Venus pulled out the last re-
maining $9 from his wallet. “Why not?” he said. “The beer is free.”
