(Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation press release)
The Utah Olympic Park is excited to announce the hiring of Robert Lazzaroni as program manager of Park City Nordic Ski Club. Lazzaroni will oversee the organization’s day-to-day operations and manage cross-country, Nordic combined and ski jumping coaching staff.
“We are very fortunate to have the caliber of experience that Robert brings,” said Marc Norman, vice president of sport and venues. “His proven leadership and management style will contribute greatly to the club’s future growth.”
Lazzaroni brings to the organization more than 25 years of Nordic experience. Most recently, Lazzaroni represented sales and marketing for Park City-based One Way Sport. His career also spans 17 years with The Rossignol Group. In progressively more senior management roles, Lazzaroni spent time in France, Finland and Vermont during his Rossignol tenure, relocating to Park City in 2006 to manage the Nordic Division. Lazzaroni has also served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the National Ski Foundation.
Lazzaroni was a member of the French Ski Team in Nordic Combined from 1983 to 1988. After pursuing a degree at IUT Annecy and an international business MBA at IAE of Grenoble, both located in France, he coached the French Nordic Combined B team from 1992 to 1994.
Beyond his passion for Nordic disciplines, Lazzaroni is also an avid alpine and telemark skier, mountain and road biker, and hiker. Fluent in English, French, Italian and Finnish, he lives in Jeremy Ranch with his wife, Susan, and two children, Julia and Joanna.
In his new role, Lazzaroni will work closely with cross-country elite team coach Gordon Lange and ski jumping elite team coach Alan Alborn to continue to provide leadership and guidance to the club’s elite team athletes. His focus will be in the areas of communication with parents and other stakeholders, evaluation of current offerings and the development of new programs, and ultimately, growing the Nordic culture in Park City and Wasatch Front.
Along with the hiring of Lazzaroni, the UOP is also excited to announce the promotion of Kris Seymour to full-time coach focused on the clubs’ outreach efforts, learn-to programs – Kickers and Gliders – and development programs. Seymour will work closely with development team coach Steve Cook as well as part-time coaches to develop and grow the critical programs that create a Nordic foundation for athletes moving though the club’s progressive offerings. Lazzaroni and Seymour began their new positions on April 15.