[PRpond]
The City of South Lake Tahoe will be honoring local National, World and Olympic Athletes with the unveiling the “Walk of Champions” on Friday, June 15th at 12pm at Champions Plaza located at 1000 Lakeview Avenue.
On the heels of the 2014 Winter Olympics, in which several of our local athletes earned Olympic medals, the idea of creating a Champions Plaza was born. To honor and recognize these athletes the City Council approved the construction and design of a Champions Plaza.
The following athletes will be inducted into our first round of athletes:
• Jamie Anderson* (will be in attendance)
• Maddie Bowman* (will be in attendance)
• Hannah Teter
• Kyle Smaine
• Travis Cabral* (will be in attendance)
• Shaun Palmer
• Glen Plake* (will be in attendance)
• Elena Hight* (mother will be in attendance)
• Jonna Mendes
• Juan Torres
• Travis Ramos
Information on the inductee policy and to recommend athlete for future inductees can be found online at www.cityofslt.us/champions
History
Lake Tahoe has a long history of producing champions in winter sports and it continues to grow each decade. In 1929 the Lake Tahoe Ski Club was formed, and that was the beginning of this great legacy that still holds true today.
In alpine events alone, no less than 50 U.S. Ski Team members, 20 Olympians, and a dozen national champions have come from the Tahoe Basin, and more than a few have their names honored in the National Ski Hall of Fame.
How Champions Plaza Came to Be
In 2014, South Lake Tahoe celebrated the achievement of several of our local athletes who earned Olympic Gold Medals. The community came together and put on a hometown parade for our “Golden Girls”, Jamie Anderson, Maddie Bowman & Hannah Teter. These athletes, along with many other local athletes who have competed in other World or National events, have brought South Lake Tahoe significant recognition to the worldwide stage.
To further acknowledge our amazing athletes, the City of South Lake Tahoe began planning for the creation of a Champions Plaza following the 2014 Winter Olympics. Over the course of two years, the City sought to find an artist that could bring a vision to the Plaza that would create excitement for public art to our community, as well as recognizing our local champions.
In 2016 City Council commissioned an artist to create a sculpture that could be prominently displayed within the Plaza. The City selected artist Gareth Curtiss with his proposed sculpture titled the Spirit of Competition. This sculpture captures the essence of competition. It is cast in bronze in the shape of a very large flame and out of the flame rise three life size athletic figures all striving to attain a large ring.
Sculpture Unveiling
On September 29, 2017, the final bronze sculpture was revealed. 
Travis Cabral and Hannah Teter
Walk of Champions
On June 15, 2018, the Walk of Champions will be revealed which will forever memorialize our local champions by engraving their names and their highest achievements in the walkway.
Invitation
Inaugural Athletes
- Jamie Anderson
- Maddie Bowman
- Hannah Teter
- Kyle Smaine
- Travis Cabral
- Shaun Palmer
- Glen Plake
- Elena Hight
- Jonna Mendes
- Juan Torres
- Travis Ramos
More information
Champions Plaza Recognition Policy
Champions Plaza Athlete Application
