32 years ago, I picked up the Tahoe Tribune and read about a guy named John Rice who was taking the reins at Sierra ski resort. What I didn’t know back then was that a legacy was just beginning.

I’m one of the lucky ones who joined the Sierra ranks in 1993 and had the honor to work with John for more than a decade where I met many favorite people and best friends for life.

Those days at Sierra were life changing and as most of us agree, even when we leave Sierra, we never really do.

Why is it that Sierra is in our hearts and minds forever? This doesn’t “Just Happen”.

You see it’s because The Golden Coach John Rice instilled a legacy of deep values and thoughtful traditions at Sierra.

Just as basketball fans can feel the Wooden legacy walking into Pauley Pavilion or Coach K’s Duke’s Cameron Stadium, Sierra fans can feel the strong vibe radiating all around. And the Golden Coach John Rice didn’t follow a playbook, he wrote it.

Recently at John’s “going away” party, everyone in the room understood this legacy would continue forever. From those who shared came the themes we all know well of Purpose & People, Follow the Heart, and Team.

The many thoughtful traditions like Mahalo Club and The Golden Eagle awards connected us as family and yeah our multi-talented leader also played those Jimmy Buffet songs. Then there’s the Hawaiian shirts and “Trace it’s a mindset!” with a ton of laughs and reality checks where we’d always learn and improve.

John and I were talent scouts to bring the best of the best to join the Sierra Team. With the right talent and mindset, we can do anything. Once part of Sierra always part of Sierra. When John was away, we’d often ask in challenging situations “What Would John Do?”

You see tradition builds pride, fosters team, brings confidence, and squashes negativity. It keeps us connected coming back year after year and even when we do leave, we never really do. John instilled a great love for Sierra. He Leads with The Heart.

John believed in me and gave me confidence. He taught me how to laugh at myself. I’ve come to believe he’s a Guardian Angel on earth.

And we sure had fun putting Sierra on the larger stage map. We pioneered the MTV filming (sorry Forest Service!) with Carson Daly showing Sierra from the Grand View deck, brought Volvo deals (bye bye Toyota Rav) and of course the years of the Boarding for Breast Cancer events with the likes of Beastie Boys, Foo Fighters and Linkin Park.

We started the first Sierra employee newsletter to our most important target market and during the Hwy 50 mudslide, our resiliency became ingrained in Sierra’s DNA.

John’s playbook is being captured in the book he’s been writing. What we didn’t know 32 years ago as his legacy was just getting started has become quite obvious today.

The Golden Coach Award goes to John Rice. The Big Heart. The Legacy. Thank You Endlessly.

Tracy Owen Chapman is owner of TOC Consulting and previously, Director of Marketing at Sierra-at-Tahoe followed by Northstar ski resort.  She is a 38-year resident at Lake Tahoe.