BY KAREN BOSSICK

He must have cut his teeth on Norman Vincent Peale’s “the Power of Positive Thinking.” Or, maybe it’s that grin that never seems to dim.

Cross Country Devo Teams Head Coach Dave Bingham has been awarded the 2018 Positive Coach of the Year award from the Idaho Youth Sports Commission

Bingham has coached for the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation for 24 years.

His temperament and approachability help create a nurturing and inviting environment for youth athletes, inspiring most of the youngsters sticking with the program as they mature.

“We are very grateful to have Dave as part of our program, and we are so happy for Dave for receiving this recognition,” said Julia Seyferth, the Ski Education Foundation’s communications director.

Bingham, born on Long Island in New York, grew up skiing New England’s wet and icy ski runs. He attended the Stowe School, an Outward Bound-based experiential boarding school in Vermont for high school. And later he worked at the Trapp Family Lodge Ski School in Stowe under Ned Gillette, a Sun Valley adventurer who captained the Dartmouth College ski team and was a noncompeting substitute on the 1968 U.S. Olympic team in cross-country skiing.

Bingham moved west to ski race and climb in the late 1970s. He ended up coaching skiing for the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation during winters and guiding for Sawtooth Mountain Guides during summer.

Dave was a founding member of Friends of City of the Rocks and has written a climbing guide titled “City of Rocks Idaho,” now in its seventh edition

In the late 1980s he competed in NBC’s “Survival of the Fittest,” which featured athletes competing in white water swimming, downhill running, speed rappelling and other competitions. It was called TV’s first reality TV show.

The IYSC provides education, training and standards regarding fair play, sportsmanship while inspiring coaches to ensure sports are a positive experience for athletes, coaches and officials.