5th annual Bindu Memorial Run set for May 27
The event is a fundraiser for a scholarship honoring Bindu Sky Pomeroy, a former VSSA teacher who died in a backcountry snowboarding accident in 2018
Caroline Jones/Courtesy photo
When it came to choosing a senior project, Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy student-athlete Keely Hendricks was looking for something community-based.
“I just wanted to give back,” the Nordic skier, who will compete for St. Michael’s College next fall, said.
Having been blessed as the Bindu Spirit Award scholarship recipient this winter, Hendricks decided the most appropriate senior project would be organizing the Bindu Memorial Run. The fifth-annual 5k fun run, which honors Bindu Sky Pomeroy — a former VSSA teacher who died in a backcountry snowboarding accident in 2018 — is set for May 27 at 10 a.m. at Maloit Park.
Hendricks said she was honored to receive the award this year.
“He was a super cool guy and it feels good to kind of be told that I embody that spirit,” she said. “He loved the outdoors and he shared our passion and really connected with us. (He) loved helping anybody he could.”
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Hendricks got to know Pomeroy as her study hall teacher. She fondly recalled the time he jumped off the school roof wearing the VSSA Yeti mascot outfit.
“He would always show up a little late to class because he was like in the backcountry or doing something outside,” she added.
More than 200 people showed up for the inaugural trail run, organized by Caroline Jones as her VSSA senior project in 2018. Hendricks is hoping the community rallies around the event — which raises funds for the Bindu Sky Memorial Scholarship — again this year.
“It supports local kids,” she said.
She also said the event is about building community and honoring the lives of Pomeroy as well as Nick Courtens, Lily Connelly and Tony Seibert.
Pomeroy, Connelly and Seibert all died snowboarding or skiing in East Vail; Seibert in 2014, Pomeroy in 2018 and Connelly in 2023. Courtens, a talented horticulturist at Betty Ford Alpine Gardens, was killed in a paddling accident last spring in Glenwood Canyon. The Bindu Sky Memorial Fund — which has awarded $30,000 to local student-athletes — has expanded to include VSSA scholarships honoring all three.
The Nick Courtens Community Member Award is given to an “athlete that demonstrates care and stewardship of their community.” The Lily Connelly Female Athlete of the Year is awarded “to the female athlete that demonstrates outstanding athletics and community engagement.” Finally, the Tony Seibert ‘Pardee On’ Award is given to the “athlete who demonstrates a love for life in the mountains.”
Hendricks partnered with two other VSSA seniors’ projects, which will also be present at the event. Cassidy Wright will be selling clothes to benefit the humane society through her project, ‘Get Thrifty for Good,’ and Henry Andrie is organizing a VSSA Alumni Association meeting.
“We just want to connect graduates to share stories about how VSSA helped them and just connect them to the current student body,” Hendricks said, adding that present alumni will run in the race and meet at Kirby Cosmo’s afterwards for lunch.
Registration for the event is $15 for adults, $10 for kids and $45 for entry and a Bindu hat. To sign up, visit BSPmemorial.com.
