A Day of Champions

The doors will open for the 2017 A Day of Champions at 8am and attendees are requested to be in their seats by 8:45am. This event is open-seating and reserving seats is discouraged.

After doors close, attendees are invited to enjoy 15-minutes of gut-wrenching laughter courtesy of our Master of Ceremonies, actor and comedian Michael Birkeland. Michael has been in numerous movies and commercials and has entertained audiences all across the nation.

Event organizer and American bobsled athlete Jeremy C. Holm will kick off our conference with a welcome that only a bobsledder could pull off. Jeremy will introduce several special guests, including some honorary Event Coaches and the winner of our Cruise for a Coach award and explain the Andrew J. Carrico leadership scholarship program. Jeremy will then help each athlete dig deep to discover and unleash the powerful champion within as together we discover the true meaning of sportsmanship.

 The Wall Street Journal quoted "A Million to one Odds" that Gretchen would claim the Miss USA title. Not only did she win, she then placed 2nd in the Miss Universe Pageant. Using humor, powerful insight and incredible stories of achievement, Gretchen will help athletes learn how to set life-changing goals and learn to work for success on and off the field.

Olympic doubles-luge athlete and United States Army Sgt. Preston Griffall is no stranger to teamwork. Competing in one of the world's fastest and most dangerous non-motorized sports, Preston knows the intricacies of working together as a team unit to obtain success. As one of the top competitors in his sport, Preston will share the secrets of teamwork and leadership that will help you excel in every aspect of play and life.

As a high performance chef for the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Association and as an athlete himself, Allen Tran knows a thing or two about sports nutrition. Allen will share with you elite tips on how to fuel your body for practice, recovery and competition and how to make the most out of every bite. Plus, he'll share with you recipes that will make your mouth water...right before our lunch break.

Unleashing the champion within is hard work, so we want to make sure you stay fueled. We are going to take a 1-hour lunch break and then reconvene for the rest of this life-changing conference. We have invited food trucks to park out in the parking lot during our break or you may bring your own lunch. Also, for a list of nearby restaurants, please click here.

U.S. Paralympic snowboard cross athlete Nicole Roundy knows a thing or two about adversity. Having endured and defeated the cancer that took her leg, Nicole became one of the world's first paralympic snowboard athletes and helped struggle to build her sport from the ground up. As such, Nicole is the perfect speaker to teach us all how to win through adversity and turn our greatest defeats into life's greatest victories.

Dr. Detling has been consulting with athletes since 1998, including serving as the Coordinator of Sport Psychology Services with US Speed Skating from 2008-2013 and is currently one of the sport psychology consultants with the US Ski and Snowboard Association. Nicle has worked with several Olympians, and h professional athletes in the PGA, MLB, MLS, and NHL. As such, Dr. Detling knowns what mental skills are required to excel at all levels of sport and will teach us the secrets and tips that help athlete reach the top of their game...and the medals podium.

If you want to make your day even more memorable, we invite you to attend our post-conference VIP Athlete Meet & Greet Experience. For just $45 more, attendees will be given given the opportunity to meet sport idols, including all of our speakers and many special guests from the world of summer and winter sports! We'll have photo-ops areas set up, including your chance to get a photo in an actual bobsled, and all the below athletes will be available for autographs and photos, including Paralympic, Olympic, professional and other elite-level VIPs. Don't miss out on this unforgettable experience, get your VIP Pass today in our Gold Medal ticket package!