STEAMBOAT TODAY
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 1999

Over-the-Hill Gang offers up to $1,000 in athletic scholarships

MICHELLE BALES
STEAMBOAT TODAY

Steamboat's Over-the-Hill Gang is once again offering financial-assistance programs that, in the past, have benefited skiers and snowboarders. This year, though, the group will expand the financial assistance to local athletes of any sports discipline. In addition, interest groups are encouraged to apply for the financial assistance.
Over-the-Hill Gang member Phil Durian explained the reason for the increased scope of the scholarships.
"Our membership and fund-raising efforts have increased so we have more money to invest into the community," Durian said.
The Over-the-Hill Gang will make financial awards up to $1,000 to assist students in educational needs or skill improvements in their sports.
Past student recipients have included Rob Jones, Nate Stevenson, Johnny Spillane and Brett Buckles. Community organizations that have received support include the Yampa River Botanic Park, Healing Paws, Girls to Women, the Rocky Mountain Division of the U.S. Ski Team and the Jimmie Huega Express.

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Ski Gang raises $11,000
Steamboat Springs'-
Over the Hill Gang has raised more than $11,000 to be used to help fund competitive youth sports and cornmunity projects."
At its annual fund-raising dinner and silent auction Feb. 3 at the Western Barbecue, more than 200 Over the Hill Gang members were on hand to purchase items donated by local merchants.
All of the funds raised will become part of the group's Community Fund and will be used exclusively in Steamboat and Routt County for two purposes:
 Assisting local athletes trying to compete at world-class development levels in expensive sports.
Funds are used to help, promising junior competitors with equipment and travel costs.
 Supporting projects that benefit the entire community, such as the Yampa River Botanical Park.
The Over the Hill Gang has a local membership approaching 400 people age 50 and older. The group provides a social network for members by offering participation in activities such as skiing, hiking, biking, monthly dinners and other social events.
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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 1999
Gang's generosity extends past
JOHN F. RUSSELL
STEAMBOAT TODAY
Jonathan Olinger came a little closer to realizing his goal of traveling to Europe with the high school soccer team next summer thanks to the generosity the Over-The-Hill Gang ski club.
Olinger, who has played soccer since he was 4 years old, became the first non-skiing Steamboat athlete to earn the financial assistant award from the organization. The Steamboat organization, made up of 300, 50-plus-year-old skiers ( all of whom have some tie to Steamboat Springs, but may not live here on a day-to-day basis) donated $750 toward Olinger's cause as part of an annual assistance program.
The ski club will also present five more awards at its Dec. 8 dinner at the Panda Garden.
Alpine ski racers David Lamb, Emmy Barr and Terra Williamson have also been named. Freestyle skier Catherine Reuter and nordic skier Katie Darst are the final two skiers to win the $750 award In addition, three local community projects will also receive funds. The club will support the senior residents of Mountain View Manor to help build a carport, Habitat for Humanity to help build affordable housing in West Steamboat and Soccer 2000 to help defray the cost of sending 36 local players to Europe.
"We had 16 applicants and six young people were selected based on their need and potential," club spokesperson Phil Durian said. "This is the first year that awards were given out beyond skiing."
The skiing club has been handing out the annual awards for more than seven years.
Durian said the money for the awards comes from an annual fund-raising dinner held in February.
Local businesses donate items for a silent auction which helps raise the lion's share of the money for the awards. Olinger said he found out about the awards in the newspaper. He applied and learned just week that he had won.
"Personally, I think it is great," Olinger said of the awards. "I hope they keep doing it, because I think it helps a lot of kids."
Olinger and other members of the Steamboat Springs High School soccer team have been trying to raise money through private donations and will continue to do so until next summer. The total cost of Olinger's trip will be over $2,000. He said without the award his chances of making it to Europe wouldn't have been good.
"I love soccer. It is my passion," Olinger said. "This trip is very important to me."
The soccer trip will take 36 members of the high school program to England, Germany, France and Holland from June 15 through July 3.
The students will stay with members of local soccer clubs during the trip and be instructed by coaches and compete in a tournament in Holland.

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Some Recollections of the Steamboat Springs Over The Hill GangGUIDES' GUIDE
1998-1999
When Scott Welles was president, the club tried to keep the cost of the monthly dinners under $12.00. Scott would have the wine in the trunk of his car and bring it to the dinners. With only about 25-30 members, we could meet in smaller restaurants like downstairs at the Bristol Hotel (now Mazzolas) where one evening Gordy Wren, Vernon Summers and Dick Randolph swapped stories about skiing in the early days on Mt. Werner.

As the club grew, we met for dinners in the fireplace room of the Pine Grove restaurant (now The Ore House) and even had the original Mazzolas cater a dinner for us at the Lost Dog Saloon in Sundance Plaza. They also catered a dinner for us in the upstairs meeting room at Trappeurs Crossing one time.

After a few years, when Derek Heins was president, Gail made arrangements with The Ore House to hold our monthly dinners upstairs fora fixed price and that relieved everyone of collecting money and doing head counts.

When some members asked about having the dinners at some of the other restaurants in town, Joni Pensack volunteered for the job., For several years Joni was our social chairperson extraordinaire and we dined at a different restaurant each month including summer dinners on the Sheraton Golf Course patio. When Joni retired, it took three ladies to fill her shoes.

When Jim Landers became our president, the club had begun to grow and Jim asked Gail Heins if she would be the club's treasurer. As it was before computers, we'd get a few OTHG members to help send out the billing for membership around Gail's dining room table and also send out membership rosters.

The club was getting a lot of new members and the dues grew in the checking account. Gail suggested to the guides that the club donate $ 1000 to the Nordic Combined team to help defray the expenses for traveling to Lake Placid, N.Y. and Calgary, CA to compete. These early donations became the foundation of the club's yearly Athletic Scholarship awards to deserving young winter athletes in Steamboat.

Background Info

Also, when Derek was president, there were some members who questioned why we paid dues to OTHG International, because there were hardly any of our members who were going on OTHG International trips. The guides, however, were covered under the liability insurance policy provided by International. Derek discussed this with the owners of OTHG International and they agreed to let us have an affiliate status which relieved us of paying dues, but let us keep our name Steamboat Springs Over The Hill Gang. The ski corporation then gave us liability coverage under their insurance policy. After several years, the guides came under the direction of the ski school.

Gail
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