PARK CITY, Utah (May 16, 2019) – LiveLikeSam.Org and the Live Like Sam Fund have partnered with Park City Ski and Snowboard with the joint mission of helping position young athletes to navigate not only the highest levels of athletic success but also develop essential life skills like resilience, mindfulness, discipline, grit and building healthy relationships.
Live Like Sam Fund is under the Park City Community Foundation, a non-profit organization founded by Ron Jackenthal, the father of the late Sam Jackenthal, a Park City, Utah, local who was a young man of strong character and values who was also a world-class, up and coming athlete. At just 15, Sam won the overall combined title at the U.S. Junior Freestyle Championship. In 2015, he was ranked as one of the top 60 men in the world and top 20 Under-18. Sam was also a top-ranked international inline skater.
The 16-year-old freeskiing champion passed away in 2015 from injuries suffered in a training accident in Australia. Since Sam’s passing, Live Like Sam has created and deployed the core principles of CARE: Community, Athletics, Responsibility and Education – principles that guided Sam’s life. Live Like Sam programs create educational platforms with personal development-based curriculum, build strong community partnerships which provide our youth with opportunities to volunteer and serve their communities and award merit and need-based scholarships
“Supporting LiveLikeSam.org is an obvious choice,” said Christie Hind, Interim Executive Director at PCSS. “We consider Sam a legacy PCSS athlete because of the time he spent with the Freeski team since 2006 that became PCSS Freeski in 2017. Sam was part of our family and his character – the team mate and person he was – is woven into the fabric of the whole club,” Hind added. “Sam serves as a reminder to all of our athletes and families of what it means to stand on the shoulders of someone who embodies PCSS’ core values: Integrity, Team, Respect, Passion and Accountability. The opportunity to teach our athletes the skills they need to excel athletically and the character/leadership skills they need to thrive in life is important and core to our mission. We look forward to working with LiveLikeSam.org and sharing the educational content the organization is creating around the core principles of community, athletics, responsibility, and education (CARE) with our athletes and coaches.”
“I couldn’t be happier to partner with LiveLikeSam.org and take full advantage of Sam’s legacy to promote whole athlete development. Coaching Sam was one of the highlights of my career, he was such an intrinsic part of this team,” said Chris “Hatch” Haslock, Director of the Freeski Division at PCSS and Sam’s former coach. “What really separated Sam from many wasn’t his athletic accomplishments, it was his character, the way he treated others and how he showed up for himself. Being able to harness his spirit in the form of an athlete curriculum and scholarship opportunities for local athletes is amazing. It serves kids and benefits the whole Park City community.”
“I’m excited to share LiveLikeSam.org’s whole athlete model and mission to help PCSS reach its goal of becoming a learning center through sport in addition to offering its high-performance coaching and training,” said Ron Jackenthal.
Under the PCSS/LSS partnership, PCSS will provide LLS with a meaningful opportunity to share and promote its CARE principles with the PCSS-wide community. PCSS and LLS will closely collaborate on curriculum focusing on character development. LLS will provide PCSS its curriculum based on CARE principles to PCSS athletes, coaches and family members.
About Park City Ski and Snowboard
PCSS provides world-class ski and snowboard training programs. With more than 800 athletes, 600 families with 2,000 family members, 1,000 volunteers, and 125 coaches, we are one of the largest winter sports clubs in North America. PCSS has a rich competitive heritage that spans decades and includes many Park City athletes who have gone on to compete in Olympics, World Cups, X-Games, and NCAA Championships. Notable club alumni include: Ted Ligety (Olympic Alpine Gold Medalist, World Champion and World Cup Winner); Sarah Hendrickson (World Cup Ski Jumping Champion, 2x Olympian); and Izzy Atkin (Olympic Bronze Medalist, Slopestyle Skiing; World Championship Bronze Medalist, Big Air). While we are proud of our elite athletes, we are equally proud of all or our athletes who strive to reach their individual potential while exemplifying our core values. For more information, visit www.parkcityss.org.
About Live Like Sam
Live Like Sam wants every young athlete to be able to develop the confidence and utilize the tools necessary to excel in life – as an athlete and as a person. Fueled by the Sam Jackenthal Fund, Live Like Sam empowers the positive personal development of young athletes through educational programs and services, community-based partnerships, and merit and need-based scholarships. For more information, visit www.livelikesam.org