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Western Ski Heritage's History Award
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By John Watson, 2001
Chairman, FWSA History Committee
The Association’s Western Ski Heritage program will annually
recognize the best effort in the prior year that communicates the
contributions to skiing and those of skiing itself to the
community at large. The prize* to “Historian #3” will be sponsored
by Steamboat Springs Ski and Resort Corporation and will be
awarded at the annual meeting in Portland in June 2002. Steamboat
Springs itself is an area rich in the history and personalities
involved in the development of skiing in the West. Steamboat
Springs, home of champagne powder, will make available a four-day
skiing vacation, including air transportation from Los Angeles, to
the top history contender for the Western Ski Heritage prize.
The purpose of the Association’s Western Ski Heritage program
is to raise the awareness of skiers and non-skiers alike of the
contributions made by individuals, groups and companies to all
aspects of skiing – competitive as well as that of outdoor winter
recreation and fitness. A parallel purpose is to convey the
positive role skiing has had in its contributions to the
communities in the West.
The prize will be open to an individual or a group leader. A
variety of methods may be used to achieve the objectives of the
program. This can include original documentation of facets of
skiing (in the legendary Bill Berry tradition), organization
histories (club, council, league, company, etc), videos, photos,
field trips, speaker programs or descriptions of past major
events. Materials and history programs will be evaluated against
the objectives of the program by individuals selected for their
knowledge of the history of Western skiing and that of the
Association. Evaluations of history efforts will be conducted
commencing in October for the initial prize and in spring 2001 for
the second prize.
The historic town of Steamboat Springs was founded over 100
years ago, and is the site of Howelsen Hill, the first ski jumping
hill in Colorado, started in 1913 by Hall of Famer Carl Howelsen.
Steamboat Springs today is a major center for ski jumping in the
West. It is home to 43 Olympians and famous athletes, including
Billy Kidd, a great friend to the Association, Sven Wiik, longtime
Nordic coach, the legendary Buddy Werner and Gordie Wren, both
Hall of Famers, and football great Doak Walker, 1948 Heisman
Trophy recipient. Walker married Skeeter Werner, Buddy’s sister,
who carries on with her good works in the Steamboat community.
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