Lawrence Realty
Larry Lawrence,
Chiara and Ron Gajar
(530) 583-1529


The Push: A South Pole Adventure, WOW!

February 2nd, 2012

We attended the welcoming reception for the team members of The Push: A South Pole Adventure organized by Squaw Valley Institute.  This was the first public welcome of the team since their return from the South Pole.  The Push was a goal for the first ever adaptive skier to push himself to the South Pole and arrive on the 100th year anniversary of the first explorer to the South Pole.  Goal accomplished.  I learned so much about the whole adventure, the planning, the motivation and the strength of the human spirit, as did a large group of attendees…the place was packed.  Here is a brief synopsis.  All the team members had a chance to get up on stage and share their empowering experiences.  Video clips and photos were shown to give a taste of the adventure.  A movie is in the making.

Roy Tuscany and Doug Stoop

Roy Tuscany and Doug Stoup

Roy Tuscany: President and Co-Founder of the High Fives nonprofit organization spoke about High Fives and their involvement in The Push.  They have given $300,000 to athletes with life altering injuries from winter sports in just the 3 short years they’ve been in existence.  Originally Roy was supposed to be the adaptive athlete in The Push but he was so involved in getting High Fives going that he didn’t want to take time away from that to train.  I’m sure quite a few athletes are grateful for that decision.  What a well spoken and vibrant guy.

Director Steve Siig

Director Steve Siig

Steve Siig: Director of The Push.  Based on the photos and video clips it is going to be an amazing and emotional movie.  Siig has been involved from the beginning and sounds really excited to tell the story.  The Push was a year in planning and training before the actual event.  I can’t wait to see the movie.

Tal Fletcher

Tal Fletcher

Doug Stoup and Tal Fletcher: Guides to the South Pole.  These two men were the knowledge and know how to guide Grant Korgan to the South Pole one push at a time.  Each push moved Grant about 2 feet on his sit ski.  If he stopped moving for more than 30 seconds he would risk hypothermia.  He would wake each morning and push himself for 12 hours a day, non stop.  Doug and Tal guided, motivated, and even fed Grant along the way.

Steven Siig and Keoki Flagg

Steven Siig and Keoki Flagg

Keoki Flagg: Camera man extraordinaire.  Keoki talked while the slide show was playing giving the audience insight to the adventure.  He shared feelings about the peace, solitude and the human soul as he motivated himself through the adventure, continually looking for the best angle to capture the team as they pushed over the white frozen landscape.  He kept his batteries in his under layers so they had life when they came out in the cold.  The images he shared were stunning and so full.  ( Tom Day and Petter Nyquist, the other crew/camera men were not there to share that night).

photo 1

Grant Korgan, an amazing person and athlete

Grant Korgan: Saving the best for last, the adaptive athlete who pushed himself to the SouthPole and actually got out of  the sit ski and walked the last 100 feet.  Grant is an amazing story teller, so comfortable and charismatic on stage.  He shared with us on so many levels getting the audience to both laugh and cry during his talk.  Not knowing Grant personally, it sounds like his life may have changed for the worse at first and then for the better when he injured his back in 2010 changing the course of his life.  It is to hard to summarize all the stories and emotions that were shared but I am sure the story will be well told by Steve Siig when the movie comes out.  We had a chance to briefly meet Grant at the end of the evening.  What a charming athlete.

To close, a few intersting tid bits shared by the team…

  • it took two hours every morning to boil enough snow to make soup for the team for the day
  • water, not kept in a thermos, froze solid in about 90 minutes
  • the crew/camera men would pack up the tents in the mornings, catch up to the team, weave on and off the track as they captures photos, then hurry ahead to get the tents set up for when Grant, Tal and Doug arrived
  • Grant’s toes were hooked to wires so he could monitor their temperature, the got to 23 degrees at one point halting the progress to immediately warm him up
Grant and his wife with my two kids.

Grant and his wife with my two kids.

Squaw Valley Institue presents… Grant Korgan from The Push

January 31st, 2012

Tonight at Bar 1, Squaw Valley Institute  is welcoming home Grant Korgan, the adaptive skier who recently pushed himself to the South Pole.  It is the first appearance of the team since they returned from their expedition.  The team included Grant, two guides and three support team members (also amazing camera men)  who were documenting the trip.  The Push: A South Pole Adventure was the first ever attempt for an adaptive skier to push himself to the South Pole.  There were two adaptive athletes training to attempt this journey however one had to cancel before leaving due to sickness, or so I heard.  We are looking forward to the event.  I am sure the stories and photos will be incredible and even more so because we personally know four of the six team members who went on this expedition.  Click to read my previous blog on The Push.

Nor Cal Tough Mudder at Northstar in 2012

January 24th, 2012

So I just got an email that a Nor Cal Tough Mudder has been scheduled for September in Northstar.  A few weeks ago Tough Mudder announced the Nor Cal race was in a different location, Diablo Grande.  I guess they had so much demand they decided to add a second Nor Cal race here in the Tahoe/Truckee area and this year it is at Northstar.  After competing in the Squaw event last year and having such a fun time, it already has me thinking and checking my calendar.  There is fun to be had.

Crazy Helmet Day for Mighty Mites

January 24th, 2012

Last Sunday was the Crazy Helmet Day for the Mighty Mites.  The ski day started off with a parade of helmets in the corral all rotating around the judges which included Susan, owner and head baker of our beloved Wildflour Bakery.  There were 5 categories to compete in: Most Colorful, Most Beautiful, Most Creative, Most Edible and Scariest.  There were prizes given to the top three helmets for each category.  All the prizes were donated by business in Squaw including Fireside Pizza, Lather and Fizz, Wildflour Bakery, Mind Play toy store and so on.  It is always amazing to see what the kids come up with.  Here were the winners for Scariest and Most Creative.

Parade of Helmets, our son had a skier on the Palisades.

Parade of Helmets, our son had a skier on the Palisades.

Squaw meet Alpine, notice the cable car connecting them!

Squaw meet Alpine, notice the cable car connecting them!

Might Mite Squaw Cup

January 19th, 2012

Well last weekend’s Mighty Mite Squaw Cup was an experience.  Sunday morning, race day, it was incredibly cold from a strong wind.  The gates were blowing sideways and the Green Stars were shivering at the top of the course at 9:30am ready to start their first Mighty Mite race.  It was one of those times when you feel sorry for the kids in the blowing weather but also have to smile as they make 3 turns between gates, switch courses accidentally and even go through the same finish line while they learn what it is to race.  Don’t get me wrong, some of those little Green Stars new exactly what to do, but it was a mixed bag of experiences the kids.  I think it took over an hour to get all the Green Starts through the course two times.  Hats off to the coaches and race crew for providing the experience and staying positive.  Next the Orange Stars did their runs and as they were wrapping up 3 of the 4 lifts open on the mountain closed on wind hold.  That left only Exhibition for the Mighty Mites, the other ski teams who were training and the general public still wanting to ski.  The Red Stars got started and the wind did not let up.  Squaw had to close Exhibition, rightly so.   The last thing parents want is there children on an extremely windy chair lift ride.

The rest of the race was moved to Monday (Martin Luther King Day).  Luckily the wind had subsided and the sun was out but it was still quite cold.  Our son is a Blue Star and he enjoyed two great runs on the course.  At this age great means: went around all the gates the right way, stayed on his course, crossed the finish line and was smiling at the end for the fun of it all. 

There was an issue that came up during the race, the race times.  I was a Mighty Mite coach for 8 seasons and now this is my 4th season as a mother of a Mighty Mite/Shooting Star.  I know the races times are never shown.  That is why I was shocked when I walked over near the race shack and found an electronic board, out for everyone to see, with names and race times.  I thought “This is new.  I wonder why they are doing this?”  Of course I had to take a look and I found my son’s name with a fairly fast first run time and a DNS for his second run.  Quite a few kids had a DNS for their second run, but many of them had times. 

From my years of racing I know DNS means Did Not Start, differing from the other abbreviation, DSQ, meaning Disqualified.  DNS means you did not do the run.  DSQ means you did the run but missed a gate, or several in the case of some of the little competitors this past weekend.  I knew my son, as well as many of the others raced both runs.  One of the coaches was noticing the board as well and went to check it out and came back to report the display was not working accurately and all the times were in the race shack on the computer.  I was glad to know and spread the word to other parents who were asking and looking at the board.  It really is a bummer the board was even on because it was causing some confusion.

toby wins

Our Blue Star Wins!

Anyway when the official results came out and the coaches went up on stage to announce the winners, and our son won the gold for Blue Stars.  He was so excited letting us know, this was the first Mighty Mite race that he was in the top ten.  We are so proud of him and thankful for the opportunity for him to grow in the sport of skiing through the Mighty Mite program.  Thanks to the coaches and staff who do their best with a large number of kids gaining their first racing experiences.

First Mighty Mite Race of the Season

January 13th, 2012

Lawrence Realty is a proud sponsor of the Mighty Mite  junior ski program at Squaw Valley.  This Sunday over the 3 day weekend will be the Might Mite Squaw Cup of the season.  The kids will be racing on the lower part of Exhibition most of the day.  Here is the approximate schedule.

9:00 – 9:30 – all teams inspect the courses

9:30 – Green starts and take BOTH runs. One run on the red course and one run on the blue course.

10:45 – Orange takes BOTH runs. One run on the red course and one run on the blue course.

12 noon – Red takes BOTH runs. One run on the red course and one run on the blue course.

12:45 – Purple/Blue takes BOTH runs. One run on the red course and one run on the blue course.

1:30 Silver/Gold takes BOTH runs. One run on the red course and one run on the blue course.

2:00 Awards at the Ford Race arena/Julia’s Double Gold 

We will be there supporting the Mighty Mites this weekend and especially our son who is a blue star.  See you on the slopes.

Queen of Hearts 10th Annual Luncheon

January 12th, 2012

Calling all Queens, of the Queen of Hearts Women’s Fund that is.  February 15th is the 10th Annual Queen of Hearts Luncheon.  The luncheon will be held at the Resort at Squaw Creek once again, however the agenda of events is different this year.  In the past Queens have had the opportunity to participate in a ski clinic before the luncheon, this year it is something new.  After the luncheon there will be aprivate screening of Miss Representaion.  The film waswritten, directed and produced by Jennifer Siebel Newsom who will be one of the two guest speakers at the event.  Following the screening, Jennifer will do a question and answer session and the afternoon will end with a wine tasting reception.

The Queen of Hearts Women’s Fundwas officially launched in February 2006. The goal was to find 1,000 women to donate $1,000 and raise $1 million dollars within 1 year.  The goal was exceeded and membership continues to grow.    ”The most appealing benefit of joining the women’s fund is that by giving collectively, we are able to make a bigger difference than any one of us could individually.”  (quote from the website)  Each year the Queen of Hearts donate large sums to local organizations.  I am a Queen and happy I can do my part to help our community. 

The event sounds fabulous and I plan to attend.  And yes this year the event is open seating so find your friends that are Queens and make a day of it.

Martis Camp Update

January 11th, 2012

Martis Camp continues to be strong.  Here are the highlights from the thriving subdivision for 2011.

  • July 1st the Camp Lodge opened
  • 100 new families joined the Martis Camp community in 2011 with 83 lot sales, 11 home/lot packages and 5 custom homes totaling approximately $90.2M
  • 48 home construction projects were started in 2011

Overall Martis Camp has 50 completed homes, 84 under construction and 60 in the design review process.  DMB Highlands Group has now spent approximately $90M in amenities so far and has the Tennis Park and Pavilion and the Ski Lodge slated for completion in late 2012.

Martis Camp is a growing and very successful part of the Tahoe Truckee community.  We currently have 4 lots for sale in Martis Camp and were involved in several sales last year.  Our clients we expose to Martis Camp are impressed again and again.  We look forward to another year of sales, events, construction and fun in Martis Camp.

Rest in Peace Betty Walsh

January 10th, 2012

This morning, in the company of family, at the age of 83, Betty Walsh took her last breath.  Betty was along time Squaw Valley local who was well known in the community.  Many of her family members live here locally and we wish them the best as the mourn their loss.

Mighty Mites in Olympic Heritage Celebration Week

January 10th, 2012
Jonny Moseley leading the Mighty Mites

Jonny Moseley leading the Mighty Mites

We are in the year of the summer Olympic Games in London and Squaw Valley is celebrating their Olympic Heritage, as the host of 1960 Winter Games.  This past weekend some the Mighty Mites got to participate in the celebration by doing a Parade of Flags on Exhibition following 1998 Gold Medalist Jonny Moseley.  The Red, Purple and Blue Stars of the Mighty Mites each carried a country flag and followed Jonny in snake like fashion down Exhibition.  Then they clicked off their skis and headed to the fire pit where Jonny Moseley spoke.  He started by thanking the Mighty Mite parents for having their children participate in the program.  Jonny, other well known locals Julia Mancuso, Marco Sullivan, Travis Ganong to name a few, started his successful skiing career in the ranks of the Squaw Valley Ski Team.  Also present yesterday at the firepit was three time Olympian Kirsten Clark-Rickenbach.  Though Kirsten did not grow up in Squaw Valley, she is a local of the valley now with her family and an advocate of the sport.  She also had a few words to say to the gathered crowd about the children and the sport of skiing.  All in all it was a pleasant and different way to end a day of Mighty Mites.  Stay tuned as next week is the first Squaw Cup of season and Lawrence Realty is a proud sponsor. 

Jonny Moseley talking the Mighty Mite families

Jonny Moseley talking to the Mighty Mite families


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