Local women teaming up for 24 Hours of Schweitzer

SANDPOINT — Last year 120 skiers and snowboarders carved out more than 9,500 runs during 24 Hours of Schweitzer, with a team called “The Wolf Pack” completing 441 runs to win the four-person team title.

This year a pack of four Sandpoint women are hoping to obliterate that mark, as Fill the Bank for Hank members and ski enthusiasts Jen Forsyth, Suzanne Pattinson, Parker Nathane and Kim Loosemore are teaming up to ski as many runs as and raise as much money as possible.

All four are past participants in the cystinosis fundraiser for local five year-old Hank Sturgis, and although they weren’t on the same team last year, the foursome combined to churn out a whopping 660 runs. For the math impaired, that’s an average of 165 runs and chair lift rides per team member, and more than 200 better than the winning team.

In other words, they skied very fast for most of an entire day, and are back for more starting Friday.

“They are all really good skiers,” said race organizer Tricia Sturgis of the women. “They have held fundraisers around town and always supported us.”

Pattinson and Loosemore gave slide show presentations at Pend Oreille Winery recently to help raise money for the team, and all four skiers will be waiting tables tonight at Trinity at City Beach, with all of the tips going to the cause.

For Forsyth, one of the biggest highlights of the unique event has been seeing the community join together for the fundraiser and watching event namesake Hank grow up every year.

Part of the race’s allure is seeing everyone set goals for themselves, both from a skiing and fundraising standpoint, then watching them go about skiing round-the-clock to achieve them.

“I think the best part of this event happens in the middle of the night, when you are doing anything you can to stay awake, dry, warm and entertained,” said Forsyth, who enjoys the fun spirit of the event. “My teammates last year would dance as they were skiing down chair two. It kept me entertained as I was riding the chair.”

Another funt aspect is hearing the various stories and reasons why each participant is there, many shared on chair lift rides. The Fill the Bank team is yet another of the many great behind-the-scenes stories that make 24 Hours of Schweitzer so successful.

“All of the community support means everything to us.,” said Sturgis. “We appreciate our participants, volunteers, board members, sponsors, donors and family — they are what make this event possible.”

For more information on the ski event and auction, to register, or to make a donation, call (208) 610-2131, or visit “www.24hoursofschweitzer.com.”