For the past two years, Cook and sponsor Sun Valley Ski Tools (SVST) have provided wax and tuning equipment in the form of a scholarship to four junior racers annually. The scholarship was such a success, with over 100 applicants in the first two seasons, that Cook has had to expand the application process for the third cycle.
"Each year I was getting more and more applicants, so I actually had to make the application more in depth in order to ensure the quality of those applying," said Cook, while packing to travel to the Center of Excellence, the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association's state-of-the-art training facility in Park City, Utah. "The difference is you don't need to be a junior national champion to win the scholarship, the application is designed to represent passion for ski racing and overall character of the racer."
The scholarship concept began when Cook broke through to the U.S. Ski Team and no longer needed free tuning equipment, but still wanted to give back to SVST who had supported her through the junior levels.
"SVST was one of my first sponsors and a lot of coaches will tell you that I had some pretty fast skis as a junior," laughed Cook. "But when I made the jump to the national team, I didn't necessarily need wax and tuning gear anymore. So I developed the scholarship as a way to give back to the company so they could continue to support ski racing at the development level."
Also sponsored as juniors by SVST were fellow U.S. Ski Team racers Marco Sullivan (Squaw Valley, CA), Erik Fisher (Middleton, ID) and Hailey Duke (Boise, ID). All have moved to the World Cup level with Sullivan holding a World Cup victory and multiple podium finishes in downhill.
"We are very aware of the time, money, dedication and determination required by athletes, parents and coaches to compete at the junior level and beyond," said Jim and Norma Vermillion of Sun Valley Ski Tools. "Pure and simple, this is our chosen way to say thanks to the alpine racing community here in the U.S. for their continued confidence in our company and products."
For complete details on the Stacey Cook/SVST Scholarship and for an application, log on to www.staceycook.net. The deadline for this winter is Sunday, Oct. 25.
"I've already seen some of the applications and they're really good," said Cook. "It's never easy to decide who wins because there are so many young racers with a lot of passion. Ultimately, I love this scholarship because it helps support that passion and it helps me to stay in touch with such talented young racers."
