WARNER ROBINS -- Chris Howard shops at Dick’s Sporting Goods, but he never imagined he’d get to go to Utah because of it.

Howard participated in an online game that entered him into a contest to win a vacation package from Dick’s.

When he received word he had won, he wasn’t sure it was for real.

“My brother, he was skeptical about it,” said Howard, who lives in Warner Robins but is originally from Chicago.

But the skepticism turned out to be unfounded, and the two brothers were headed for a ski resort for the first time.

“It was my first major win of any sort,” Howard said.

His brother Jonathan Howard, who lives in Chicago, accompanied him on the four-day, three-night trip to Deer Valley Resort to attend the FIS Freestyle Ski World Cup events in Park City, Utah, from Jan. 31-Feb. 3. The package was valued at $17,500.

Since neither had been skiing before, the brothers spent most of their time skiing down the easy slopes. They spent at least five hours a day skiing on three different mountains.

Howard said the trip was a dream come true. Because he had such a good time, he is planning on going skiing again when he gets the opportunity.

“Winning the trip gave me a chance to do something I would have never done,” he said.