STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK

Dave and Trish Wilson remember the early Wild Game Dinners when parents of Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation athletes contributed elk and duck and coaches barbecued it outside the old Warm Springs Restaurant.

The dinners have gotten fancier and more formal in the 48 years since they started, but the mission has remained the same: To support the SVSEF in its commitment to engender integrity, perseverance, creativity and teamwork in its young athletes.

“When I started coaching in the 1980s there were 18 coaches and 175 kids,” said Orlie Sather. “Now, I’ve heard we have 114 coaches and a thousand kids.”

“I honestly thought we’d plateau, but we keep growing,” said Rick Kapala, the SVSEF’s director of Sport Development. “I think some of that can be attributed to the free lessons and equipment we provide youth who would otherwise not get to take part in ski sports.”

A sell-out crowd approaching 300 people took part in the 48th annual SVSEF Wild Game Dinner at The Argyros this weekend, enjoying a family-style meal featuring Seared Ostrich Fan Fillet, Pheasant Two Ways and Bison Bolognese served up by Britt Rescigno and Kinsey Leodler, who hope to open Fiamma Restaurant soon.

Organizers Heather Foster, Hanna Thompson and Callan Miranda went the extra mile setting the stage with trees and snowy owls welcoming people into the Argyros and clay pigeons serving as table place names.

In the lobby, supporters could take part in a Shotgun Shell Pull to win from a wall of Born and Bred and Grey Goose Vodkas, Heaven Hill Grain to Glass Whiskey, Five Star Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon and other spirits. A Hunter’s Draw Raffle offered such prizes as Stylin’ in Sun Valley and a Zenergy membership. And a galley showed attendees how to “Track Down Your Table.”

SVSEF Executive Director Scotty McGrew called the dinner’s lasting impact a testimony to the roots and legacy of the program.

“I don’t think people can experience the vastness of (SVSEF), the complexity and reach, unless they’ve been in the program,” he added.

He pointed to Rotarun Ski Area, which SVSEF took over several years ago. It’s celebrating its 75th birthday this year.

“We’ve lost half of our ski areas in this country since 1980. This community rallied to reinvigorate Rotarun for kids who otherwise would have no opportunity to share in the skiing experience,” he said.

Lake Creek Cross-Country Training Center is a center of adventure and fun, he said. And Soldier Mountain near Fairfield is serving as a training ground for US Ski & Snowboard Slopestyle Teams, thanks to the suggestion of SVSEF Alpine Director Will Brandenburg, who himself finished 10th in the Alpine Combined in the 2010 Winter Olympics.

“So, now, they’re expressing themselves in a way that never would have happened without this group,” McGrew said.

The Sun Valley Ski Academy is bringing kids from all over the world to be part of Sun Valley’s mountain culture, McGrew added. And Sun Valley Company is bringing World Cup to Sun Valley—something McGrew called an incredible testimony to the vision, history, community and partnership of Sun Valley.

“None of this happens in isolation,” he said. “And it comes with tremendous responsibility, passion, humility…”

McGrew said that the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation gave out a half-million dollars to kids in its program this past year. And on Saturday night the organization tried to ensure it can continue to do that by auctioning off seven live auction items.

Among them, four nights for four in the French Alps with chef-prepared meals, guided skiing with “Blizzard of Aahhh’s” star Mike Hattrup and the opportunity for heliskiing next door in Italy that went for $28,000.

Derek Brown and Vanessa Whitley’s Stoke Tracks, which makes ski pole baskets in the shape of bear, fox and wolf paws, sponsored the Pre-Game Drinks and Nibbles, while Northside Portfolio Management and Investment Advisory presented the dinner.

Brown and Whitley said they live in San Diego but hope to make Sun Valley their fulltime residence as soon as their kids graduate high school.

“Our kids first skied here 10 years ago,” said Brown. “We love everything about it here, and we love the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation.”

Elle Deckard was among several youngsters selling balloons that offered a chance for a 2025-26 Sun Valley season pass when popped.

“I’ve been with the Ski Education Foundation since I was 5 and I’m now 15,” said Deckard, who is on the SVSEF alpine team. “They’ve taught me how to become a better skier, and I’ve made a lot of friends being on the team.”