a young publicist named Steven Hannagan to transform the sleepy town into a glamorous, “place-to-be-seen” destination. Hannagan had a reputation for drawing attention to off-the-beat- en-path vacation spots — he was responsible for turning a swampy island off the coast of Florida into ritzy, tropical Miami Beach. Hannagan realized that convincing Hol- lywood actors and actresses to visit Sun Valley would be an excellent way to promote the resort. Along with Schaffgotsch’s connections to Europe- an nobility, this was the perfect combination to give Sun Valley a dose of cachet. In December 1936, the Sun Valley Resort, opened and as pre- dicted, celebrities followed. Many were frequent visitors to the resort, including Clark Gable, Er- rol Flynn, Claudette Colbert, Bing Crosby, Gary Cooper and Lucille Ball. “Tey really played into the image of the
Hollywood lifestyle,” said Scott Irvine, the ice rink manager and ice show director for Sun Val- ley. A few years later, Sun Valley received even more attention when the film Sun Valley Serenade, which starred three-time Olympic figure skating champion Sonia Henie, was released. “Te movie really helped to put Sun Valley on the map in the figure skating world,” Irvine said. “To a certain extent, that exposure has been one of the driving forces behind the growth of skating in Sun Valley.” In the years to follow, the resort would ven-
ture into other skating-related events, including an annual competition (the Sun Valley Summer Championships), workshops and camps, and ice shows. Champion figure skaters such as Scott Hamilton, Katarina Witt and Brian Boitano were frequent performers in Sun Valley, which drew even more attention — and tourists — to the area.
Irvine first came to Sun Valley in the late 1980s for a competition and in his words, “has been hooked ever since.” “Tere was such a cool vibe between all these
Natalia Zaitseva and Jonathon Hunt perform at one of the Sun Valley Saturday night ice shows (
www.sunvalley.com).
different skaters from different parts of the world, all concentrated in this one magical spot,” he said. Irvine spent 13 years skating with Disney
On Ice, but always spent his summers in Sun Val- ley, either performing with the ensemble cast at the resort’s Saturday night ice shows or working at the rink.
“Tere’s not a single rink that makes me
think, ‘Gee, I can’t wait to get back and perform there,’ except for Sun Valley,” he explained. “I think a lot of skaters feel that way. Tere’s a feeling here that just can’t be duplicated in a typical rink.” Sun Valley on Ice, the summer ice show se- ries, has been drawing crowds to the outdoor rink for several years. Starting on July 4, the show runs
every Saturday night until Labor Day and features a core cast with a new guest star each week. Ryan Bradley, the 2011 U.S. champion, per-
forms with Sun Valley on Ice, and began coming to Sun Valley in 2007. “I’m originally from a small town in Missou-
ri, and Sun Valley has that same small-town feel,” Bradley said. “It’s very welcoming and warm.” Since retiring from amateur competition,
Bradley skates professionally and coaches. Tough the time he spends in Sun Valley can be hectic, es- pecially in the summer months, there is a sense of calm for Bradley.
“Te outdoor rink is a very peaceful place,” he said. “I think skaters come here for a lot of dif- ferent reasons. For me, being able to skate under the sun and under the stars is a very pure way of skating.” Modern-day Sun Valley has also become a
hotbed for professional skating, Heath said. “It’s the unofficial pro skating capital of the
world,” he said. In addition to hosting many profession- al skating contests, such as the ProSkaters Live Competition, the resort often holds casting events that promote professional skating opportunities. “In July of this year, Sun Valley hosted audi-
tions for several different ice shows,” said Heath, who serves as the president of ProSkaters, a non- profit organization that provides opportunities for professional skaters. “We had six producers from these shows at the event, and it was our biggest one ever.”
Tough Sun Valley’s contribution to the
sport of skating continues to grow and evolve, its storied past is unmatched. “When you walk into the Sun Valley Lodge,
and you see the Hall of Fame area with all the photos of past skating champions who have per- formed here, it’s incredible,” Bradley said. “Sun Valley has a pretty amazing history.”
SKATING 17
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