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Corporate Sponsors	Gillen protege Kroft wins first Bob Gillen Memorial Award Gina Kroft, director of marketing at Crested Butte Mountain Resort, was honored as winner of the North American Snowsports Journalists Association first Bob Gillen Memorial Award for contributions to the advancement of snowsports March 16, 2002, at the organization's awards banquet in Banff. Kroft was originally hired by Gillen at Crested Butte, and considered him her mentor in learning the intricacies of ski area marketing and public relations. Gillen, a longtime journalist and marketing director for several ski resorts, passed away in 2001. NASJA dedicated an award in his honor ``to exemplify the highest standards of professionalism in public relations and communications.'' Kroft received the award after a close balloting among NASJA members with Chip Carey of The Canyons (Utah) and Joe Stevens of Snowshoe Resort (West Virginia) among the finalists. NASJA President Dave Irons introduced Kroft at the banquet: ``Bob Gillen did much to define the way journalists and information specialists at ski resorts work together through professionalism, and Gina Kroft learned at his side. She is an outstanding choice for the first Bob Gillen Memorial Award.'' Cox wins two NASJA Hirsch Newspaper Awards, Cowan and Lukens also presented awards Bob Cox, whose ski columns appear in two newspapers in California and several others across the nation, was named the first ever double winner in the North American Snowsports Journalists Association writing competition March 16 at the organization's awards banquet in Banff. Cox, of Torrance, CA, received the Harold S. Hirsch Awards for Excellence in Snowsports Journalism in both Newspaper Columns and Newspaper Features. Cox has now won four Harold Hirsch awards, tying him with three other journalists for the most awards since the competition began in 1963. Other four-time winners were Denver Post columnist Charlie Meyers (1977-82), Colorado free-lance writer Peter Shelton ('84-92), and magazine and book author Jules Older ('91-2000). Jay Cowan of Aspen, CO., and SKI magazine, was honored as winner of the Harold S. Hirsch Awards for Excellence in Snowsports Journalism in Magazine Writing. It was the first award for Cowan, whose work has also appeared in Sojourner, Skiing, Couloir, Powder, Freeskier, Cross-Country and the old Snow Country magazine. He is also author of a book called, ``The Best of the Alps,'' which is still in publication. Shannon Luthy Lukens of Highland Ranch, CO, received her first Hirsch Award for Website Writing. In presenting the awards, NASJA member Lynn Rosen read from some of the judge's comments on the winners. One judge said of the ski columns written by Cox: "A good columnist is like a good friend: You may not agree with all of his opinions, but you sure look forward to hearing them. Bob Cox is a good columnist. His style is casual and conversational, which makes for an easy read. But he also sneaks in solid advice without patronizing the reader, not an easy trick to pull off. "His columns address common questions, frustrations, and joys shared by anyone who spends time on the slopes - yet he has the ability to surprise the reader with a new perspective or by dusting off a long-forgotten truth. He acts as your eyes and ears out there, more often than not scratching his head and exclaiming, `Ain't that a kick.' You feel that Bob is living his life, and letting the readers in on all the fun and frustrations. You could do worse for a friend.'' One of the judges said this about the ski stories written by Cowan: "The contributors to this year's (magazine) competition are of a uniformly high caliber, making the selection of particular outstanding work difficult. One of the judges said this about the website writing by longtime broadcast journalist Lukens:"I was somewhat torn between my interest in reading for entertainment versus reading for cold, hard facts. Luckily, I felt there was one writer who managed an especially good balance between the two, and that was Shannon Luthy (Lukens). Her copy was easy to read, yet did not waste too many words in her pursuit of good, solid information. It is obvious to me she is a professional writer, and I think I would like to read anything she had to say, not just on skiing."

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Gillen protege Kroft wins first Bob Gillen Memorial Award

Gina Kroft, director of marketing at Crested Butte Mountain Resort, was honored as winner of the North American Snowsports Journalists Association first Bob Gillen Memorial Award for contributions to the advancement of snowsports March 16, 2002, at the organization's awards banquet in Banff.

Kroft was originally hired by Gillen at Crested Butte, and considered him her mentor in learning the intricacies of ski area marketing and public relations.

Gillen, a longtime journalist and marketing director for several ski resorts, passed away in 2001. NASJA dedicated an award in his honor ``to exemplify the highest standards of professionalism in public relations and communications.''

Kroft received the award after a close balloting among NASJA members with Chip Carey of The Canyons (Utah) and Joe Stevens of Snowshoe Resort (West Virginia) among the finalists.

NASJA President Dave Irons introduced Kroft at the banquet: ``Bob Gillen did much to define the way journalists and information specialists at ski resorts work together through professionalism, and Gina Kroft learned at his side. She is an outstanding choice for the first Bob Gillen Memorial Award.''

Cox wins two NASJA Hirsch Newspaper Awards, Cowan and Lukens also presented awards

Bob Cox, whose ski columns appear in two newspapers in California and several others across the nation, was named the first ever double winner in the North American Snowsports Journalists Association writing competition March 16 at the organization's awards banquet in Banff.

Cox, of Torrance, CA, received the Harold S. Hirsch Awards for Excellence in Snowsports Journalism in both Newspaper Columns and Newspaper Features.

Cox has now won four Harold Hirsch awards, tying him with three other journalists for the most awards since the competition began in 1963. Other four-time winners were Denver Post columnist Charlie Meyers (1977-82), Colorado free-lance writer Peter Shelton ('84-92), and magazine and book author Jules Older ('91-2000).

Jay Cowan of Aspen, CO., and SKI magazine, was honored as winner of the Harold S. Hirsch Awards for Excellence in Snowsports Journalism in Magazine Writing.
It was the first award for Cowan, whose work has also appeared in Sojourner, Skiing, Couloir, Powder, Freeskier, Cross-Country and the old Snow Country magazine. He is also author of a book called, ``The Best of the Alps,'' which is still in publication.

Shannon Luthy Lukens of Highland Ranch, CO, received her first Hirsch Award for Website Writing. In presenting the awards, NASJA member Lynn Rosen read from some of the judge's comments on the winners.

One judge said of the ski columns written by Cox: "A good columnist is like a good friend: You may not agree with all of his opinions, but you sure look forward to hearing them. Bob Cox is a good columnist. His style is casual and conversational, which makes for an easy read. But he also sneaks in solid advice without patronizing the reader, not an easy trick to pull off.

"His columns address common questions, frustrations, and joys shared by anyone who spends time on the slopes - yet he has the ability to surprise the reader with a new perspective or by dusting off a long-forgotten truth. He acts as your eyes and ears out there, more often than not scratching his head and exclaiming, `Ain't that a kick.' You feel that Bob is living his life, and letting the readers in on all the fun and frustrations. You could do worse for a friend.''

One of the judges said this about the ski stories written by Cowan: "The contributors to this year's (magazine) competition are of a uniformly high caliber, making the selection of particular outstanding work difficult.

One of the judges said this about the website writing by longtime broadcast journalist Lukens:"I was somewhat torn between my interest in reading for entertainment versus reading for cold, hard facts. Luckily, I felt there was one writer who managed an especially good balance between the two, and that was Shannon Luthy (Lukens). Her copy was easy to read, yet did not waste too many words in her pursuit of good, solid information. It is obvious to me she is a professional writer, and I think I would like to read anything she had to say, not just on skiing."