Sports Creel party packed with skiers, boarders, stars

In case that evening nip in the air has escaped you, ski season is right around the corner.

As a way of both whetting your appetite for freestyle skiing and celebrating 52 years in business, The Sports Creel is holding its second-annual Founder’s Day Party next Saturday. Adding to the festivities is a collection of the sports’ brightest stars from the Pacific Northwest and the world premiere of a skiing movie shot in our own skiing backyard.

“We did this last year and the response was overwhelming,” said Micah Genteman, the third generation to run the East Sprague Avenue sporting goods store. “We had people come up to us afterward – people who weren’t there and had only heard about it afterward – and tell us that we’d be crazy if we didn’t make this an annual event.”

The family isn’t crazy.

But it might look that way as they truck in snow for the rail jam in the parking lot in the afternoon.

“We’ll be importing snow and ice and manufacturing a miniature terrain park in our parking lot,” Genteman said. “There will be a roll-in ramp off the top of a van, they’ll hit a little jump and go up onto a rail where they’ll be performing tricks as they slide along. They’ll be doing tricks up onto the rail, tricks while they’re on the rail, and tricks coming off of the rail.

“Our rail is unique because it’s five-and-a-half feet off of the ground on top of a fully functional Caprice Classic police car that’s been modified for fun. It’s a fairly intricate and involved event.”

Skiers Tanner Hall, a multiple-time Winter X-Games champion from Kalispell, Mont., and Andy Mahre, son of Olympic medalist and local skiing legend Steve Mahre, will show off their skills, sign autographs and talk about their sport.

Both skiers, along with CR Johnson, Pep Fujas, Sammy Carlson, Michelle Parker and Peter Olenick – all stars of the world premiere movie, “West Coast Boogaloo,” also will be in attendance along with other luminaries in world of freestyle skiing and snowboarding.

“The movie ‘West Coast Boogaloo’ was filmed right here in the area,” Genteman said. “Some of it was shot up at Schweitzer, there is some urban stuff shot in and around Spokane and there are hellish scenes that were shot on a couple trips up into Canada.

“It’s all right from here in our own backyard, and all of the stars from the movie will be here with their own posters that they’ll be signing.”

Two more movies will make their Pacific Northwest premiere: The Bigger Picture’s production of “Show and Prove,” and Poor Boyz Production of “Ski Porn,” which is billed as “Pure, unadulterated ski action with no plot.”

In addition to the movies, there will be a silent auction and raffle of ski items.

“Everyone who attends the premier is pretty much guaranteed to go home with something,” Genteman said. “It may be a T-shirt or a coffee mug, but they’ll go home with something. We’ve made arrangements for everyone who attends to get a year’s subscription to Free Skier magazine.”

Proceeds will help support the Stand Strong Again Foundation, an organization that helps athletes who have suffered severe spinal column injuries.

Tickets for the three movie premieres, held across the street at Players and Spectators, are $20 and must be purchased at the store ahead of time. Doors open at 6:15 p.m. Movies start at 7.

“There will be absolutely no walk-up tickets available,” Genteman said.

To purchase advance tickets, call The Sports Creel at 924-2330.