THE CENTURY COUNCIL ANNOUNCES OFFICIAL PARTNERSHIP WITH U.S. SKI TEAM, U.S. SNOWBOARDING
The Century Council, a national not-for-profit funded by distillers dedicated to eliminating drunk driving and underage drinking, has officially announced its partnership with the U.S. Ski Team and U.S. Snowboarding as a key component of their marketing efforts leading up to and during the Vancouver Olympics.
The Century Council will sponsor the third and final stop of U.S. Snowboarding’s Sprint Grand Prix in Park City where the preliminary Olympic halfpipe team will be announced. In addition to on-site activation around its Ask Listen Learn: Kids and Alcohol Don’t Mix program, The Century Council has partnered with snowboarders Gretchen Bleiler and Louie Vito to create a public service announcement that will air during NBC‟s broadcast of the Grand Prix and throughout other programming leading up to and around the Olympic Games.
At the Olympics, The Century Council will have a presence at the Spyder/U.S. Ski Team House near the Whistler Medals Plaza, promoting Ask Listen Learn and its new interactive game for kids. On February 23rd, the U.S. Ski Team and The Century Council will host “Kids Day,” introducing families to the program and game, and creating an opportunity for them to meet Olympic athletes.
“We’re thrilled about the opportunity to work with an organization like the U.S. Ski Team and U.S. Snowboarding to reach out to the ski and snowboard communities,” said Ralph Blackman, President & CEO of The Century Council. “The Olympic Games create a powerful platform for young people to learn about the importance of saying “yes” to a healthy lifestyle and “no” to underage drinking.”
In addition to the U.S. Ski Team and U.S. Snowboarding partnership, The Century Council is working with Olympic athlete Apolo Anton Ohno in various marketing activities around the Vancouver Olympics. In the past, The Century Council has partnered with professional athletes including Misty May Treanor, Antawn Jamison, Mia Hamm, and Julie Foudy.
About The Century Council
The Century Council is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to fighting drunk driving and underage drinking and is funded by distillers including Bacardi U.S.A., Inc.; Beam Global Spirits & Wine, Inc., Brown-Forman; Constellation Brands, Inc.; DIAGEO; Hood River Distillers, Inc.; Pernod Ricard; and Sidney Frank Importing Co. Inc. Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia and chaired by The Honorable Susan Molinari, The Century Council is a leader in the fight to eliminate drunk driving and underage drinking and promotes responsible decision making regarding beverage alcohol. The Century Council develops and implements innovative programs and public awareness campaigns and promotes action through strategic partnerships. Established in 1991, The Century Council‟s initiatives are highlighted on its website at www.centurycouncil.org.
Ask, Listen, Learn: Kids and Alcohol Don’t Mix is a creative, multimedia program which was designed by a team of educators and school administrators specializing in middle school-aged students. Ask, Listen, Learn empowers kids to say “YES” to a healthy lifestyle and “NO” to underage drinking.
Ask Listen Learn provides middle school aged kids and their parents with information about the dangers of underage drinking. A new interactive physical fitness and educational Ask, Listen, Learn Game along with strong new partnerships with Sports Illustrated for Kids and PE4Life will allow The Century Council to distribute the program to schools and community organizations across the country. Ask, Listen, Learn (A.L.L.) Stars. “A.L.L. Stars” are students involved in athletics, academics, and/or their community that pledge to make healthy choices and to say “no” to underage drinking. “A.L.L. Stars” are featured on www.asklistenlearn.com.
About the U.S. Ski Team and U.S. Snowboarding
The U.S. Ski Team and U.S. Snowboarding are a part of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association, the national governing body of Olympic skiing. The century-old organization manages year-round nationwide development and elite programs, fields and maintains teams of world-class athletes for national and international competition, including the Olympic Games. With the vision to be the best in the world in Olympic skiing and snowboarding, the Team coordinates nationwide development and elite programs in six distinctly different Olympic sports: alpine, cross country, freestyle, nordic combined, ski jumping and snowboarding, as well as Paralympic sports of adaptive alpine and adaptive cross country.