JANS Winter Welcome’s Youth Sports Alliance holds its 44th fundraiser

Amanda Peterson, wife of the late Jan Peterson, for whom the event is named; Joe Cordery, son-in-law of Jan and husband of Jan's late daughter Abbey; and friend and neighbor Ginny Coombes (R). Peterson has attended JWW for all 44 years, Cordery for half, and this was Coombes' first year—numbers reflective of the crowd's diversity in attendance. Photo: TownLift // Michele Roepke

PARK CITY, Utah — On Saturday night, a star-studded and sold out 44th annual JANS Winter Welcome event, the largest Youth Sports Alliance fundraiser, was held at the Stein Eriksen Lodge. Not only was it star-studded, but sold out.

Heidi Volker, three-time alpine ski Olympian and Deer Valley Ambassador, told TownLift, “Thanks to Jan Peterson’s care and concern for young athletes in Park City decades ago, Youth Sports Alliance continues to bring the community together each Fall at this amazing, exciting event ensuring that families receive not only the economic support they may need, but, in turn, allows for the equally important emotional space they may need to set them up for success.” 

Special speakers at the fundraiser included four-time Olympic Alpine skier Steven Nyman, who spoke about the importance of community in raising successful athletes. Nyman, who grew up skiing at Sundance, where his father was the ski school director, said help from the community played a major factor in him being able to stay in the sport through his developmental years before he made the U.S. Ski Team and went on to become one of the world’s best downhillers.

Figure skater Kate Pressgrove of Heber is a longtime recipient of YSA’s Dare to Dream scholarship funding. She also spoke, and guests watched a video that told her story. Pressgrove thanked YSA supporters and spoke about what a difference YSA had made in her pursuit of becoming an Olympian one day. 

“I want to thank all of you supporters because I get to do what I love every day,” she said. 

Pressgrove was one of the local athletes invited to join the Utah delegation traveling to the 2024 Paris Olympics this summer. 

Black-tie-attired attendees got to rub shoulders with this partial list of sport superstars:

• Val Fleming, Olympic Bobsled Medalist 
• Derek Parra, Olympic Speedskating Medalist 
• John Owen, Olympic Luger
• Hannah Kearney, Olympic Freestyle Skiing Medalist 
• Billy Demong, Olympic Nordic Combined Medalist
• Steven Nyman, Olympic Alpine Skier
• Trace Worthington, Olympic Freestyle Skier
• Ashley Farquharson, Olympic Luger
• Bryon Wilson, Olympic Freestyle Skier
• Erik Heiden, Olympic Speedskating Medalist
• Heidi Voelker, Olympic Alpine Skier

Youth Sports Alliance’s afterschool programs, Get Out and Play and Active8, give children from Summit, Wasatch, and Salt Lake County the opportunity to try out new sports. As they develop their skills and passions, athletes from seven teams are eligible to apply to the Stein Eriksen Dare to Dream Endowment Fund need-based Scholarship and the Jim Gaddis YSA Endowment Fund.

Those seven teams are:

1. The Ice Miners
2. Wasatch Luge
3. Park City Speedskating 
4. Figure Skating Club of Park City
5. Park City Ski & Snowboard
6. UOP Bobsled Skeleton
7. Wasatch Freestyle

JANS Winter Welcome featured an online and in-person silent auction, a live auction, and an Opportunity Ticket drawing interspersed among the drinking, dining, and dancing. A small army of local volunteers ensured that the whole night worked like a well-oiled machine.

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Photos by: TownLift // Randi Sidman-Moore