The 2002 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games left a legacy of venues across Utah. But they also left a culture that motivates kids to get into sport. Each winter, the Youth Sports Alliance in Park City leads thousands of boys and girls into winter sport. And today, YSA is bringing its expertise to Ski Utah’s popular 4th Grade School Program. Last Chair sat down with YSA Executive Director Emily Fisher in the High West Studio to talk about the culture of winter sport in Utah, and how more kids than ever before are finding their way into skiing and snowboarding.

Today, nearly a quarter century after the 2002 Games, new generations of Utah youth are finding excitement in winter sport – from speed skating to luge to skiing and snowboarding. Sure, it’s the fun and excitement of sport. But it’s also about the life lessons that sport teaches.

“Really, it's the smiles and seeing how excited they are about skiing, about the culture, about being active in winter sport,” said Fisher. “I think if you're not exposed to it, it is easy to sit inside in the winter and to see these kids so excited to get outside, even when it's snowing, even when it's really cold, they're excited. They want to be part of this program, and their families want them to be part of this program. But just the smiles and the laughter make everything, all the hustle all year, worth it.”

YSA’s longstanding Get Out & Play program introduces kids to myriad different sports. It’s a sampling program to give kids a sense of what they like to do. From there, they can pick a sport and engage in a local club. You never know where it might lead. At the upcoming Milan Cortina Olympics, local Utah athlete Casey Dawson will challenge for a speed skating gold, while Ashley Farquharson is a favorite in luge. 

This season YSA is taking on a new role, managing Ski Utah’s 4th Grade School Program. In its 30 years, the Ski Utah program has introduced over 100,000 Utah kids to skiing and snowboarding.