Inspired Norwegian Olympic cross-country ski coach invited to holiday with Alberta Fairmont Hotels and Resorts
Inspired Norwegian Olympic cross-country ski coach invited to holiday with Alberta Fairmont Hotels and Resorts
(Originally published in TOURISM)
An altruistic burst of Olympic spirit that helped cross-country skiers Sara Renner and team-mate Beckie Scott earn a silver medal for Canada in the women's team sprint in Torino has earned Bjoernar Haakensmoen and his family a holiday courtesy of Fairmont Hotels & Resorts.
Haakensmoen - who has also received about five tonnes of maple syrup from appreciative Canadians - almost instinctively handed a pole to Renner from the sidelines during the race, a gesture that did not go unnoticed. He, his wife and their three children will be spending two weeks this month at the Fairmont Banff Springs, Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise and the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge properties.
Explains Fairmont representative Lori Grant: “We extended this offer in partnership with Travel Alberta which is helping fly them over. We are taking care of their accommodations, meals and ground activities, and the Stampede had called us to see if Haakensmoen would be willing to ride beside Sara Renner as parade marshals in the streets of Calgary during the event that is the official start of the Stampede. He had the choice to either ride in a vehicle or on the horse. He chose the horse.”
He donned full cowboy garb for the occasion. Grant says, “he was just blown away by the whole holiday invitation. He was just here in the fall; after a visit to Banff, he went home and told his wife about this beautiful castle he had seen while on 'down time' at the Canmore Nordic Centre, just 15 minutes away from Banff.”
Now he is here and Derek Coke-Kerr, managing director at Travel Alberta, can only echo the sentiments expressed by all the Canadians who witnessed the inspiring moment which Haakensmoen helped create: “It is something that caught the imagination of the entire country, and ourselves, Fairmont and the Stampede organization. We are joined together to honour this guy who did something on the spur of the moment, but in a true sporting fashion.”
When asked if he hopes to turn Haakensmoen into an ambassador for Alberta, Coke-Kerr answers: “I don’t think we are quite that mercenary about it. It kind of reflects those western values we have and that is the greatest thing. This is someone who made a terrific gesture; didn’t think about the consequences of the gesture; just did it because it was the right thing. We are doing something now to say 'Hey! Thanks very much! You are welcome to become one of us!'”
An altruistic burst of Olympic spirit that helped cross-country skiers Sara Renner and team-mate Beckie Scott earn a silver medal for Canada in the women's team sprint in Torino has earned Bjoernar Haakensmoen and his family a holiday courtesy of Fairmont Hotels & Resorts.
Haakensmoen - who has also received about five tonnes of maple syrup from appreciative Canadians - almost instinctively handed a pole to Renner from the sidelines during the race, a gesture that did not go unnoticed. He, his wife and their three children will be spending two weeks this month at the Fairmont Banff Springs, Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise and the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge properties.
Explains Fairmont representative Lori Grant: “We extended this offer in partnership with Travel Alberta which is helping fly them over. We are taking care of their accommodations, meals and ground activities, and the Stampede had called us to see if Haakensmoen would be willing to ride beside Sara Renner as parade marshals in the streets of Calgary during the event that is the official start of the Stampede. He had the choice to either ride in a vehicle or on the horse. He chose the horse.”
He donned full cowboy garb for the occasion. Grant says, “he was just blown away by the whole holiday invitation. He was just here in the fall; after a visit to Banff, he went home and told his wife about this beautiful castle he had seen while on 'down time' at the Canmore Nordic Centre, just 15 minutes away from Banff.”
Now he is here and Derek Coke-Kerr, managing director at Travel Alberta, can only echo the sentiments expressed by all the Canadians who witnessed the inspiring moment which Haakensmoen helped create: “It is something that caught the imagination of the entire country, and ourselves, Fairmont and the Stampede organization. We are joined together to honour this guy who did something on the spur of the moment, but in a true sporting fashion.”
When asked if he hopes to turn Haakensmoen into an ambassador for Alberta, Coke-Kerr answers: “I don’t think we are quite that mercenary about it. It kind of reflects those western values we have and that is the greatest thing. This is someone who made a terrific gesture; didn’t think about the consequences of the gesture; just did it because it was the right thing. We are doing something now to say 'Hey! Thanks very much! You are welcome to become one of us!'”
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