Simon Dumont & the 3rd annual Dumont Cup at Sunday River

My daughter's obsession with Simon Dumont began when she was 14. This amazing athlete from Sunday River was smashing freeskiing records, launching big air and giving my daughter butterflies in the process. I actually let her skip school on a sunny spring day in April 2008 to witness Simon's Guinness World Record 35' jump at Sunday River...I frankly knew it would be one of those rare sunny blue ski days with soft corn snow- the Simon show was a bonus to me.

That dreamy day led to our annual pursuit of the now pro Dumont. We attended his first Dumont Cup and met his entourage of freeskier friends - Tom Wallisch, Josse Wells, Mike Riddle, Peter Olenik...which led to the 2nd annual Dumont Cup and more famous fun athletes and another big air showdown throwdown.

And that led to my assignment to write about the mighty young man from Bethel and his 3rd annual Dumont Cup for Maine Magazine...

Like all teen crushes, Simon has grown up and my daughter Aspen has moved on to the new fresh young faces of freeskiing, specifically Olympic freeskier medalists Gus Kenworthy, Nick Goepper and Alex Schlopy who swept the podium at Sochi Russia's Winter Games 2014. These guys are going bigger and better than their predecessors who petitioned the IOC to include slopestyle skiing and super pipe skiing as an official Winter Olympic venue.

Perhaps taking my Aspen to Winter XGames in Aspen is next... and we will continue to go every March to the annual Dumont Cup at Sunday River...now turning 7 in 2015. After all, you never forget your first ski crush. Dumont is now nicknamed the Godfather of freeskiing, which makes my daughter feel old. #lol