Meet an Olympic star
Apolo Ohno joining Alaska Airlines
for a special event Nov. 17 in Seattle
November 5, 2009
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| Apolo Ohno will be visiting Alaska Airlines on Nov. 17, where he will answer employees questions for 45 minutes. |
You may have seen him beat the other contestants on the hit reality TV show “Dancing with the Stars.” Or you may have cheered as he won five Olympic medals this decade. Now is your chance to meet Apolo Ohno as the celebrated speed skater participates in a special Alaska Airlines ceremony this month.
The airline is sponsoring Apolo in his quest for more Olympic gold at the Vancouver, B.C., games next February. The winner of 11 national champion, 18 world champion and five Olympic medals, Apolo will be on hand the morning of Tuesday, Nov. 17, at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and Corporate Headquarters for a special event.
“We aren’t painting a plane, but let’s just say we’re going to give some lift to our sponsorship of this incredible athlete,” said Greg Latimer, managing director of brand, product and loyalty marketing.
The airport ceremony will begin at 8 a.m. at Gate C-9. At 11 a.m., Apolo will be on hand in the East Wing Atrium at Corporate Headquarters, where the athlete will answer questions for about 45 minutes before getting back to his aggressive training regime. Employees are invited to attend either event (Corporate Headquarters is a secure building, so only Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air employees may attend).
The Seattle-area native is poised to become the most-decorated U.S. Winter Olympian in history at the 2010 Vancouver Games. Apolo is tied with long-track speed-skater Eric Heiden for the most medals by a U.S. male Winter Olympian and is just two medals away from surpassing the legendary Bonnie Blair — the most-decorated U.S. Winter Olympian in history.
“Apolo Ohno and Alaska Airlines have a lot in common that makes our first major sponsorship of an individual athlete in our company’s history a perfect fit,” Latimer said. “He’s a Seattle-area native and we’re the hometown airline, but it’s about much more than geography. Apolo is a very grounded, genuine and considerate person — just like our employees. There are many similarities between the qualities that led to Apolo’s remarkable achievements and those of our employees, who show our customers every day that genuine, caring service is still alive and well. You could say he exemplifies North of Expected.”
Apolo Ohno fans can follow his speed skating quest via the home page of alaskasworld.com, his Web site or the new followopolo.com site that will launch on Nov. 17.
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