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It might seem natural that Olympic-caliber skiers come from a town such as Steamboat Springs.

Mount Werner and Howelsen Hill seem like the perfect places for gold-medal dreams to sprout and grow. But it takes a lot more than steep slopes, challenging cross country trails and world-class jumps to produce an Olympian.

Nobody understands this better than the 300 members of the Steamboat Springs Over the Hill Gang, one of the many organizations that contributes to Steamboat's recipe for Olympic success.

Each year, the group raises money through its membership dues to give to aspiring Winter Olympians, just like Santa passes out presents on Christmas Day to good little boys and girls.

In the Gang's case, the good little boys and girls might be ski jumpers or Nordic skiers. A few prefer to crash gates on race courses, either on skis or snowboards. They may not ski at all, preferring figure skating or hockey.

The group's main goal, other than sharing a love of skiing with others in the 50-plus age group, has been to provide needed financial assistance to deserving younger skiers in the community.

In this community, giving money to aspiring athletes might seem like a simple gesture. To those who receive the gift, it is often what they need to keep traveling along the path to Olympic glory or just to keep skiing.

But for the members of the Over the Hill Gang, choosing deserving recipients is about a lot more than skiing prowess.

They consider the applicants' accomplishments in the classroom and their needs when making choices.

Sure, they would love to think the money they hand out is going to help produce the next Olympic medallist. But they will not complain if it just helps to create another productive member of society.

This year, the group gave $9,000 to more than a dozen deserving athletes. It's a tradition that stretches back more than a decade.

That tradition is one ingredient in the recipe that allows Steamboat to produce so many top skiers.

Other ingredients are hidden behind the doors of the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club's offices. That's where volunteers and employees work hard to find scholarships and grants to help young skiers stay on the slopes.

Still others can be found behind the corporate image of the Steamboat Ski Area, which gives proceeds from the first day of every ski season to the Winter Sports Club and offers training, lift tickets and other opportunities to young athletes.

The recipe comes together thanks to these groups and others in the community, all of which understand the importance of standing up for today's youth and just how expensive it can be to chase a dream.

It's the generosity of those groups that makes Steamboat the natural birth place of Olympians.