KETCHUM - The Olympic Spirit is alive and well in the mountains of Sun Valley. Throughout the years, many Idaho Olympians have called the Wood River Valley home.
And now, there's a movement underway to make sure that the Olympic flame continues to shine bright for generations to come.
Famed Olympic Gold Medalist Dick Fosbury did not hesitate when he was approached with the idea.
"I was all in immediately," said Fosbury, who won gold in the high jump at the 1968 Mexico City Games. "This is the finest way to give a tribute to those athletes."
The project is called "Our Olympic Ladies," and involves creating life-sized bronze statues depicting each of Sun Valley's Olympic medalists.
Two statues have already been created, honoring iconic two-time medalist Gretchen Fraser.
"What’s special about Gretchen is she is the first athlete, male or female, to win a gold medal in the Olympic Games in alpine skiing," Fosbury said.
Fraser won gold in the women's slalom and silver in the women's combined event at the 1948 Games in St. Moritz, Switzerland.
"She is the iconic first lady of Ketchum, of Sun Valley and of Sun Valley skiing," said Christin Cooper, Olympic silver medalist and Sun Valley native. "And she taught us that all things are possible and that we can do it our own way."
Five more ladies will follow with bronze statues of their own: Paralympian Muffy Davis, snowboarder Kaitlyn Farrington, and alpine skiers Susie Corrock, Picabo Street and Cooper.
"I think we all represent the possibility of greatness," Cooper said. "And that’s what little kids look to, they just need to, to see that it’s possible and all of a sudden more things do become possible."
Boise State bronze sculptor Benjamin Victor has been commissioned to complete the project, which is being funded entirely through private donations.
"And so you’ve got all of these female athletes from this area, Olympians, and to be a part of that and give them recognition is really what it’s all about and I’m just glad to be a part of it," Victor said.
Victor will sculpt each statue as soon as it's fully paid for. With each likeness costing about $150,000 to create, the project is a work in progress.
"I am hoping that everyone in the community contributes in some small way to the project because I think it’s going to stand out and make Ketchum and Sun Valley stand out," Cooper said.
Those behind the project say that, once complete, the display will be the largest female athletic monument in the world.
"It’s going to inspire some young athlete - boy or a girl - to become, try to achieve their dreams and get that Olympic dream," Fosbury said.