End the week on a high note—literally. Join us for our Closing General Session (+ lunch) featuring a high-flying, high-energy surprise that will leave you buzzing long after the final applause.
We’ll also take time to celebrate the next generation of industry leaders as we announce the 2026 STS Graduates, sponsored by Fort Wayne Sports, and reveal the total funds raised for our Sports Legacy Fund beneficiary, Nevada Youth Sports, sponsored by Sports Milwaukee.
Then, shift gears for an inspiring panel conversation spotlighting Salt Lake City’s role as a future host of the Winter Olympic Games, with insights from athletes and event organizers shaping what’s next on the world stage.
Meet Your Panelists
Casey Dawson
Olympic Speed Skating Medalist
In the high-speed sport of speed skating, World Cup Gold titlist, 2x Olympic medalist, Multi National and world record holder Casey Dawson tells the story of precision and teamwork – and how it has brought him global success on the ice. Dawson grew up in the winter sport-rich community of Park City.
Through the local Youth Sports Alliance’s Get Out & Play program, he sampled many sports but landed on ice in grade school, attracted by the sheer speed. Training at the Utah Olympic Oval, he quickly advanced in the sport. A medal at the 2020 Junior World Championships and a U.S. title in the 10,000 meters in 2021 set him on a path to the 2022 and Beijing Olympics and 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics. Along the way, Dawson found the value of teamwork – partnering with teammates in the team pursuit. Together, they have found success by working together – winning five straight season-long World Cup titles, setting new world records, and bringing home an Olympic medal. Through it all, Dawson has learned the benefits of discipline, stamina, and exactitude – reaching speeds of 30-35 mph solely by human energy, holding a squat for 12 minutes while perched on 18-inch-long, millimeter-wide skate blades.
Kaysha Love
World Champion Bobsled athlete and Two-Time Olympian
Kaysha Love is a World Champion bobsled athlete, two-time Olympian, and proud native of Herriman, Utah. A former track standout, she graduated from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) with a degree in hospitality and business, bringing a unique blend of elite performance and people-centered leadership to everything she does. Currently, Kaysha is training for the 2030 Olympic cycle, continuing her pursuit of excellence on the world stage.
Off the track, Kaysha serves on the delegation team for the 2034 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City and is deeply passionate about coaching and mentoring the next generation. Known for her resilience, energy, and authenticity, she uses her platform to inspire others to chase big goals, lead with purpose, and perform at their best under pressure.
Chris Lillis
Stifel U.S. Freestyle Ski Team Aerials Athlete
Chris Lillis has made his mark on the world of aerials skiing time and time again, including back-to-back Olympic gold medals in the aerials team event.
Not only was Chris the youngest man ever to win a FIS aerials World Cup, claiming the top spot as a 17-year-old in 2016, but he also has earned 13 NorAm podium finishes, four of which he took first place. On the World Cup circuit, Chris has been on the podium 15 times, winning three. Chris is also a four-time World Championship medalist, winning the gold in 2023 and 2025 in the aerials team event, and a silver and bronze in 2021. Fun fact: Chris is the first American since Jeret "Speedy" Peterson to complete a quintuple (five twists, three flips), in a competition!
When not on the slopes, he teaches guitar and piano lessons to local students in Park City.
Moderated by Chris Mazdzer
Chris Mazdzer is a four-time Olympian and the first American and non-European man to win an Olympic medal in Men's Singles Luge, earning silver at the 2018 PyeongChang Games. Over a career spanning 23 World Cup medals and seven national championships, Chris designed and built his own 2022 Olympic sled, where he went on to be the highest US luge finisher across all disciplines. His Olympic silver wasn't a story of dominance. It was a story of preparation, belief, and choosing to fail forward through two decades of setbacks.
After retiring from competition in December 2023, Chris stepped into corporate sales with no prior experience and spent two years proving that the same principles that got him to the Olympic podium work just as well in business. It wasn't the first time he'd tested himself outside his sport. On Season 26 of Dancing with the Stars, he advanced to the semi-finals before being eliminated alongside a national champion figure skater.
Off the ice, Chris has been equally driven to lead. He created the first ever Athlete Commission within the International Luge Federation, restructuring how athletes are represented in the sport's global governing body, and became the first luge athlete elected to the FIL Executive Board. He currently serves on the executive boards of USA Luge and the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation, and is finishing a book on resilience, failure, and what elite performance actually looks like behind the scenes. He lives in Salt Lake City with his wife Mara and their two sons.
STS Graduation Sponsor:
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Sports Legacy Fund Sponsor:
CASEY DAWSON
Olympic Speed Skating Medalist
In the high-speed sport of speed skating, World Cup Gold titlist, 2x Olympic medalist, Multi National and world record holder Casey Dawson tells the story of precision and teamwork – and how it has brought him global success on the ice. Dawson grew up in the winter sport-rich community of Park City. Through the local Youth Sports Alliance’s Get Out & Play program, he sampled many sports but landed on ice in grade school, attracted by the sheer speed. Training at the Utah Olympic Oval, he quickly advanced in the sport. A medal at the 2020 Junior World Championships and a U.S. title in the 10,000 meters in 2021 set him on a path to the 2022 and Beijing Olympics and 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics. Along the way, Dawson found the value of teamwork – partnering with teammates in the team pursuit. Together, they have found success by working together – winning five straight season-long World Cup titles, setting new world records, and bringing home an Olympic medal. Through it all, Dawson has learned the benefits of discipline, stamina, and exactitude – reaching speeds of 30-35 mph solely by human energy, holding a squat for 12 minutes while perched on 18-inch-long, millimeter-wide skate blades.
SPEAKING TOPICS
Resiliency
As a world-class athlete, your ability to be resilient and continue pushing through challenges is a key component of success. To be the best in sport, you need to sacrifice—learning more about yourself every day. Success does not come overnight. How do you come back from a bad race? The pandemic was an extreme test of resiliency for athletes like Casey Dawson. Juggled training schedules, demands of constant testing, and even the logistics of physically getting to the Games took a toll. But Dawson persevered through every challenge to achieve his goals, and to learn even more about himself.
Leadership
How important is it to be your own leader? And to help others become leaders, as well? With consistent global success in the team pursuit, Casey Dawson has learned the importance of leadership in a team sporting event where every athlete has a leadership role by giving and taking feedback from teammates – all in the spirit of improving together. Veteran athletes like Dawson are uniquely positioned to share their stories of how leadership helped them achieve goals, and how you can use that to your advantage.
Passion
It’s hard to get rich, even as a successful Olympic medalist speed skater. It’s the same in life. Casey Dawson knows passion and knows the role it has played in his success. It’s that inner feeling to always strive for more – that fire that keeps an athlete moving toward the next goal.
Teamwork
Success in any endeavor comes from teamwork. An athletic event like the team pursuit, where Casey Dawson and his teammates have dominated globally for several years, requires you to be in sync (literally) with your peers. Working in synchronicity allows every athlete on the team