Curtis Bender nominated to Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame
One hundred and forty members of the Colorado Ski & Snowboard Museum’s voting panel began casting their ballots last week to elect four new members of the Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame. Colorado Mountain College’s Ski Area Management professor Curtis W. Bender is among the small handful of distinguished potential inductees.
The Hall of Fame is intended to recognize individuals who have made major contributions to the sport and industry of skiing and snowboarding in Colorado. Athletes, coaches, founders of major resorts, artists, all have been inducted in previous years.
This year’s list of nominees includes such illustrious names as Olympic snowboard medal winner and liver transplant Chris Klug, singer John Denver (for his songs promoting Colorado), Paralympic champion and adaptive skiing pioneer Jack Benedick, Wolf Creek Ski Patrol founder Charles Elliott, Summit County Nordic Ski coach Gary Giberson, U.S. Adaptive team coach Jon Kreamelmeyer, US Ski Team Member and 2009 USSA Alpine Coach of the Year Karen Lancaster Ghent, and Tom Jankovsky, general manager at Sunlight Mountain for the last 25 years.
Bender was elected for his work contributing to the sport through his tenure as professor of Ski Area Operations at Colorado Mountain College. In his nomination letter, Curt’s contributions to the sport were described as being just like Curt: “Humble, quiet, and of the highest quality. In his tenure as a Professor of Ski Area Operations at Colorado Mountain College, Curt has touched the lives of over 700 students and has helped groom the careers of over 500 men and women who capably serve our guests and the industry…He is as passionate for teaching and learning as he is for the steep and deep.”
Final votes will be tallied on April 15th. Visit http://colomtn.me/CMCSkiFame to learn more.