Ski Writer John Meyer Honored at Beaver Creek

BEAVER CREEK, CO (Dec. 7) – Veteran Olympic and ski racing writer John Meyer of the Denver Post was honored Saturday with the FIS Journalist Award from the International Ski Federation (FIS) and U.S. Ski Team. Known as “America’s Ski Writer,” Meyer was recongnized by U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association President and CEO Bill Marolt and FIS Communications Director Jenny Wiedeke during the Team’s annual Neve U.S. Ski Team Alumni party in Beaver Creek. The award is presented annually to recognize lifetime achievement in covering U.S. Ski Team athletes and events.

HIGHLIGHTS

• John Meyer of the Denver Post was presented the FIS Journalist Award for his lifetime of coverage of the U.S. Ski Team athletes and events.
• The award was presented by U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association President and CEO Bill Marolt and International Ski Federation Communications Director Jenny Wiedeke at the Team’s annual Neve U.S. Ski Team Alumni reception during the Audi FIS Alpine World Cup in Beaver Creek, CO
• The FIS Journalist Award is made by the sport's international governing body for career contributions to the sport. Selections are made by national ski associations on behalf of the FIS. Meyer joins a distinguished list of 14 U.S. journalists honored since 1996.
• Meyer has covered more than 100 World Cup events, six Olympic Winter Games and four World Championships, foremost among them Daron Rahlves’ legendary 2001 super G title in St. Anton, the Bode Miller-Daron Rahlves 1-2 at Bormio in 2005 and Lindsey Vonn’s downhill gold in Vancouver.
• Among many U.S. Ski Team athletes’ careers he covered were Rahlves, Miller, Picabo Street, Tommy Moe, Diann Roffe, AJ Kitt, Chad Fleischer, Caroline Lalive, Sarah Schleper, Kristina Koznick, Ted Ligety, Lindsey Vonn and Mikaela Shiffrin, plus stars of the past including Billy Kidd, Jimmie Heuga, Andy Mill, Christin Cooper, Cindy Nelson, Deb Armstrong and many others.
• A favorite memory was the final World Cup win (number 86) of Swedish superstar Ingemar Stenmark at Aspen in 1989, where he saw the a wide-eyed wonder in the face of American rookie Kyle Wieche who got to share a press conference with Stenmark after finishing seventh.
• Some of the notable international stars he met included the Italian showman Alberto Tomba, the great Swiss downhill duo of Maria Walliser and Michaela Figini and the amazing Hermann Maier.

QUOTES
John Meyer
I am overwhelmed with gratitude for this award, and for the opportunity to receive it in the company of so many friends in a sport that has blessed me beyond measure for more than 25 years. I have always sought to fill my stories with passion and joy, because that is what ski racing is all about.

Skiing is an endlessly fascinating sport to me - the color, joy, danger and suspense in races decided by fractions of seconds on icy, bumpy courses. The day that summed it all up for me came at the 1999 World Championships on Birds of Prey. The two co-favorites in the super-G –Hermann Maier and Lasse Kjus - tied for the gold medal. Hans Knauss was just a hundredth of a second behind them for bronze and American Chad Fleischer just 0.28 back in sixth.

Bill Marolt, President and CEO, U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association
John Meyer is passionate about ski racing and it shows in his writing. He has told the story of countless U.S. Ski Team heroes and helped build public excitement about our sport and its great stars.

FIS JOURNALIST AWARD
U.S. Recipients
2013 – John Meyer, Denver Post
2012 – Jonathan Selkowitz, Photographer
2011 – Tim Ryan, NBC
2010 – Hank McKee, Ski Racing
2010 – Paul Robbins, Freelance Journalist
2008 - Mike Clark, Associated Press
2007 - Gary Black, Ski Racing
2002 - Peter Diamond, NBC
2002 - Joe Jay Jalbert, Jalbert Productions
2001 - Anita Verschoth, Sports Illustrated
1999 - Charlie Meyers, Denver Post
1998 - John Fry, Ski Magazine
1997 - Bob Beattie, ABC/ESPN
1996 - William Oscar Johnson, Sports Illustrated