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Tag: Richard Hodges

  • NoCo Continental Cup in Park City: Day 1 and 2 (Photo Gallery)

    NoCo Continental Cup in Park City: Day 1 and 2 (Photo Gallery)

    Park City, Utah, played host to the FIS Nordic Combined Continental Cup opener last week, Thursday, Dec. 11 through Saturday, Dec. 13, despite balmy temperatures around 50 degrees Fahrenheit and venue changes. The cross-country races were moved to the Gorgoza Park tubing complex, where there was enough stocked up, manmade snow to create a 1.7-kilometer loop with “plenty of spectator-friendly hills and turns,” according to a press release.

    Jumping kicked off on Thursday at Utah Olympic Park with Austria’s Lukas Greiderer besting the field on an afternoon with “subtle, swirly winds,” according to a U.S. Ski & Snowboard Association (USSA) press release.

    Greiderer posted the top jump of 92.5 meters on the 100-meter normal hill, followed by Germans Tobias Simon and Philipp Blaurock, respectively.

    The top American in his first competition of the season, Billy Demong tied Russia’s Timofey Borisov in eighth with an 84.5-meter jump, and Ben Berend notched 22nd while Taylor Fletcher jumped to 26th.

    On Friday morning, Dec. 12, Greiderer started the 10-kilometer individual Gundersen at the Gorgoza Park tubing hill 4 seconds ahead of Simon and 6 seconds ahead of Blaurock. Demong started 1:02 back, followed by U.S. teammates Berend (+1:50) and Fletcher (+2:16).

    “It’s going to be a really tough cross-country event, especially if it’s icy,” Fletcher told USSA before Friday’s race. “But I feel I have the ability to catch the field.”

    Despite what turned out to be icy conditions at the tubing park (with the 10 k races held there because of low snow at Utah Olympic Park), Fletcher ended up posting the third-fastest ski time to finish as the top American in eighth on Friday.

    Austria’s Tomaz Druml won it in 29:17.2 minutes after starting 40 seconds behind and posting the second-fastest time, behind France’s Geoffrey Lafarge, who improved from 28th in the jump to sixth overall. Greiderer took second, 18.7 seconds back, and Marco Pichlmayer placed third (+57.6) to complete the Austrian podium sweep. In fact, Austria occupied the top five with Alexander Brandner in fourth and Harald Lemmerer in fifth.

    Demong placed 13th and Berend finished 23rd, just 0.4 seconds ahead of teammate Michael Ward in 24th.

    “This was perhaps the most difficult nordic-combined race I’ve done,” Demong said of the six-lap course with three hills per lap.

    Japan’s Yuseke Minato jumped the farthest in the second competition on Friday afternoon, giving him a 6-second head start on teammate Go Sonehara. Blaurock started 10 seconds back in third, followed by Austria’s Franz-Josef Rehrl (+14) and Druml (+24).

    Demong posted the best U.S. jump for the second-straight day and started the 10 k race in 14th, 1:20 minutes behind Minato.

    Fletcher jumped to 20th with a 1:36 starting deficit. He made it up quickly, posting the fastest time of the day in the 10 k to finish fifth.

    Druml raced to his his second-straight win in 26:16.9, edging Italian runner-up Lukas Runggaldier by 2.9 seconds. Minato hung on for third, 25.8 seconds behind Druml, and Greiderer was fourth (+33.9).

    Demong placed 17th (+2:53.8) and the U.S. had four in the top 30 with Michael Ward in 28th (+3:52.3) and Colin Delaney (New York Ski Education Foundation) finishing 7.6 seconds later in 29th for his first Continental Cup points.

    Jasper Good (Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club) just missed the points in 32nd, Ben Loomis (Flying Eagles Ski Club) placed 35th for career bests for both skiers. Ben Berend placed 40th.

    The Soldier Hollow organizing committee hosted the two-day event, and executive director Richard Hodges emphasized the amount of effort it took to pull off the competitions given the warm conditions and lack of snow. He said Soldier Hollow, Park City, Gorgoza and The Utah Nordic Alliance (TUNA) worked together to pull off the cross-country races: making snow, moving snow, and being flexible when it came to schedule changes.

    The Nordic Combined World Cup circuit resumes in Ramsau, Austria, on Saturday, Dec. 20, and Sunday, Dec. 21. Americans expected to compete include Taylor and Bryan Fletcher, Billy Demong, and Adam Loomis. 

    For more photos and full results see the USA Nordic Combined Facebook page.
     

  • Hodges Takes Over as Executive Director at Soldier Hollow

    Hodges Takes Over as Executive Director at Soldier Hollow

    A view of the stadium from the highest point of the 5 k olympic course.
    A view of Soldier Hollow’s stadium from the highest point of the 5 k Olympic course used in the 2014 U.S. Cross Country Championships.

    Richard Hodges has a long history with Soldier Hollow.

    He was part of the group that chose the Midway, Utah, ski area as the site for the 2002 Olympics when the original venue, Mountain Dell, became unfeasible due to watershed concerns.

    He was there for the first race that ever took place at the venue.

    To top it off, Hodges estimates that he has been at every winter event at Soldier Hollow, with the exception of five, since 2000.

    So in March when it was announced that Howard Peterson, Soldier Hollow’s longtime executive director, was retiring after leading one of the west’s most prominent cross-country ski areas, Hodges was a natural replacement.

    Richard Hodges (Photo: Linkedin)
    Richard Hodges (Photo: LinkedIn)

    He soon left his position on the Board of Directors of the Soldier Hollow Legacy Foundation so that he could apply to be executive director, and in June the foundation announced that Hodges would take over the operations at Soldier Hollow on July 1.

    Hodges has served as executive director roughly a month and already has a clear image of where he wants to take the 2002 Olympic venue.

    According to Hodges, his first task is to maintain the legacy that Peterson established.

    “It is nearly miraculous that Soldier Hollow continues to operate at a break-even point 12 years after the Olympic Games,” Hodges said in an interview with FasterSkier, attributing the financial stability to the work of Peterson.

    To maintain that legacy, Hodges plans to undertake the renovation of Soldier Hollow’s facilities so that they are up to current international standards. This includes placing top priority on ensuring that the ski area’s equipment and snowmaking are at the highest standards.

    While Soldier Hollow isn’t hosting U.S. nationals, Junior Nationals or the NCAA Skiing Championships this upcoming winter, it still has a busy schedule with the U.S. Sit-Ski Nationals, the Junior National Super Qualifier, Intermountain Youth Festival and possibly a Nordic Combined Continental Cup and a National Guard Biathlon event.

    To ensure the 2014/2015 winter events go smoothly, Hodges will oversee an upgrade of technology including phones, web and retail services.

    As Hodges looks ahead he realizes that the future of one of the most popular nordic ski venues in the country depends on several factors.

    “We are working to deepen and diversify our year-round activities as a cushion against the risk of shorter ski seasons and unexpected weather events,” Hodges explained.

    According to Hodges, Soldier Hollow’s tubing hill provides essential revenue that keeps the area ready for winter competition. In addition, the Spartan Race, Sheep Dog Championships, Dirty Dash races, high-school mountain-bike races, a trail-running series and other events help to bring in thousands of summer customers who will in turn help keep the winter operations of Soldier Hollow financially viable.

    As for future winter competitions, Hodges plans to continue to host the numerous national races that Soldier Hollow has held in the past. While Hodges acknowledged the challenges of bringing international racing back to Midway, Utah, he’s certainly not ruling out the possibility.

    “Who knows, 2026 isn’t that far away,” he said.

  • Soldier Hollow Announces Richard Hodges as Executive Director

    Soldier Hollow Announces Richard Hodges as Executive Director

    (Press release)

    Hodges will lead Soldier Hollow, reaffirming its place as North America’s premier Nordic venue

    Richard Hodges (Photo: Linkedin)
    Richard Hodges (Photo: LinkedIn)

    Midway – Utah (June 25, 2014) The Soldier Hollow Legacy Foundation (SHLF) is excited to announce the hiring of Richard Hodges as its new Executive Director effective July 1, 2014. Hodges will oversee the execution of the foundation’s bold strategy to build upon its current financial stability and continue building regain its place as the premier cross-country ski and biathlon venue in North America and become a year-round tourism and event magnet for the Heber Valley.

    “Richard brings to this position a contagious passion for Nordic sports,” said Brian Olsen, newly-elected Chairman of the Board and 2006 Olympian. “He brings a compelling vision for re-invigorating the venue’s facilities, its programming, and its ties with the Heber Valley community.”

    A past member of the foundation’s Board of Directors, Hodges has 10 years of experience as the volunteer President of The Utah Nordic Alliance (TUNA), the largest cross-country ski organization in Utah. In that position, he grew the organization’s membership, event participation, and revenues, and assisted smaller ski clubs with becoming financially stable.

    Hodges has stated that his immediate priorities are to listen to the ideas and feedback of the foundation’s many stakeholders, from employees to long-time Soldier Hollow users. “I very much look forward to working with local business and community leaders in Midway and Heber Valley to help expand Soldier Hollow’s presence and profile,” said Hodges.

    With sport central to the foundation’s mission, Hodges looks to build deeper and even stronger ties with regional and national sports organizations, such as the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Association and the U.S. Biathlon Association. The goal is to ensure that the venue is contributing to the athlete development pipelines of these sports by recruiting and developing new talent and providing a world-class training and competition venue for elite athletes.

    Outside of the ski world, Hodges has been in the transportation sector as an accomplished project manager, economist, and, most recently, private consultant. He has worked for and in support of government entities such as the Utah Transit Authority, which will serve him well leading a foundation holding the concession contract with the State of Utah to operate the Soldier Hollow venue: “Our long-term partnership with Utah State Parks ensures that together we provide great opportunities for the community,” he said.

    Having worked as an event volunteer and advisor to the Salt Lake Organizing Committee since the early days of what would later become Soldier Hollow, Hodges experience with the venue runs deep. The foundation’s first and current Executive Director, Howard Peterson, will remain as a consultant through September providing Hodges with continuity and expert advice after having served in the position for more than a decade. “I am honored and privileged to have the opportunity to work with Soldier Hollow’s world-class staff to carry forward the Olympic and sport legacy that Howard has built,” concluded Hodges.

    About Soldier Hollow Legacy Foundation (SHLF): A non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation based in Midway, Utah, SHLF oversees the facilities and programming of the Soldier Hollow venue, which hosted the cross-country skiing, biathlon, and Nordic combined events during the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Olympic & Paralympic Games. Today, Soldier Hollow is a year-round facility focused on recreational, youth, and elite level cross-country skiing, biathlon and other related sports programs. Soldier Hollow also provides winter snow tubing and hosts multiple events during the summer. At all times, the organization and its staff work to promote the Olympic and Paralympic ideals, and expand opportunities for people in the communities it serves.