Guess what? We had a Sochi 2014 Olympic star visit a few weeks ago! Yep. Gus Kenworthy ~ Telluride, CO’s first olympic medalist came back to visit us in his (& my) hometown.
With a population of about 2,700 here in the Southwest corner of the Rockies, we might be few in number…but everything we do is BIG. Thats why brought it with this homecoming parade!
Here in this tiny mountain town we embrace the great outdoors, we respect our mountains, our community & athletics ~ especially skiing.
If you didn’t know Gus took home the silver medal for the inaugural Slopestyle Ski event in Sochi, Russia this year. Three american men swept the competition.
It took a lot of hard work to get to the Olympics…Gus won AFP World Championships overall titles in 2011, 2012, and 2013. In 2013, he placed second at the World Cup in Sochi, Russia. He won his first medal, a bronze, at the X Games in Tignes, France in the slopestyle event.
Gus wowed the kids & adults alike at his parade…
Our volunteer firefighters escorted the crowd…
As did our local cowboy Roudy…
The kids had a blast on the horse drawn wagon…
The littles were smitten to have such a fine athlete in their presence ~ you can tell by their faces!
My kids were talking about Gus’s visit constantly both before & after…
Our community thrives in all kinds of winter sports & I’m sure Gus will forever motivate kids to grab their dreams.
As a matter of fact the kids couldn’t keep their hands off him…
His medal…
And the famous Sochi Puppies!
He was so grateful to walk the streets in his welcome home parade, his sentiments shared in in his sweet smile & thank you speech.
He was adorable at the podium….he took photos of the crowd.
And of course a selfie!
If you visit us be sure to look for the street renamed Gus’s Way…
Gus was born in the UK but came to Telluride in 2003 at just two years old. His folks are well known in our community.
Pete (Gus’s dad) is the Executive Director of my favorite Mountain Film festival (register now folks & visit us for Memorial Day weekend!) Pip, Gus’s mom owns the fabulous vintage clothing store on Colorado Ave…..Pips Consignment.
Follow Gus on Twitter & support his sponsors Nike & Atomic Skis.
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Lovely pictures! Thanks for sharing.
Cheers,
Rosa
What beautiful photos! You can really tell how much joy and excitement this brought to the entire community. Amazing, so proud of all the Olympians!
Hi Louisa…yes, so proud of all these amazing folks. They are dedicated & wonderful roll models. Seeing Gus was such a treat!
Such a fun post! I love all the intimate shots of daily life.
Thanks Ashley! It is so fun to really get in there for these pics 🙂
THis just makes me smile. Love it to bits! What a great community.
Awesome!! Exactly what it’s supposed to do 🙂 Thank you!
Woah, this is SO cool! Thanks for sharing this experience with us, Marla!!