traveling with the family to ski races held throughout the state. As soon as I could work, it all went toward the expenses of racing. There were no scholarships. Dad, as coach, was so proud of the team when traveling to an event and the hotel and restaurant owners would congratulate him on our good manners and respect as well as our ability to race. Our group dynamics, dedication to the club and hard work were seen in such duties as locking arms to boot pack the jump landing before a big competition. The fond memories of all the hard work, cold days, lifelong friends and life lessons are still engrained in me.
Ty Lockhart
It was like the “Wide World of Sports” agony of defeat.
Former racer, volunteer, owner of F.M. Light & Sons In the 1950s and ’60s, Winter Carnival was the same celebration but much more competitive. Its races drew people from around the state as qualifiers for the Junior Nationals. They weren’t everybody-gets-aribbon events. The big hill event was one of the biggest jumping competitions in the country. The list on the wall at Howelsen shows how the North American records increased each year. The whole outrun would be filled with people cheering. My dad was in charge of the carnival for several years. One year, I got to go up in the judges’ tower and schlep papers around. I’d watch the jumpers and try to figure out how the judges awarded points. I’ll never forget when we saw a jumper come down the inrun, get out of the tracks and fly off the side, crashing way over to the side of the normal landing area. It was like the “Wide World of Sports” agony of defeat. People remembered it for a long time. There also were competitive cross-country races at the carnival. I remember it being so cold that one racer, Ted Farwell, finished with saliva and snot frozen from his nose down to six inches below his chin. This summer I talked with someone from the original 10th Mountain Division who remembered it, too. On the last night, there was always a big banquet for competitors in the old junior high gym, where the club gave out medals. With all the hoopla, it was a Sunday night to behold. I still remember my coach Gordy Wren giving the speech at one of them.
Lindsay Lockhart
Winter Sports Club made it all happen. Two-time overall Junior Olympic champion, racer for Dartmouth College, owner and manager of F.M. Light & Sons When you live in a town of Olympians, anything short of
participating in the Olympics really isn’t that notable. What is notable is the effect all of that training, hard work, competition and experiences had on me and my fellow athletes. It shaped our lives and changed us forever. Coaches like Werner Schnydrig and Rob Worrell taught us intense discipline and how to be true competitors. One of the athletes I raced with from age 6 through the NCAAs, Emmy Barr, was my maid of honor. The people I met through the club truly changed my life. Ski racing has shaped my life positively in so many ways, and the Winter Sports Club made it all happen.
Sue Beauregard Rife
When I think about the Winter Sports Club, I almost tear up. Former racer, volunteer, artist/photographer When I think about the Winter Sports Club, I almost tear up. It seems like my whole life has been part of this awesome organization. I grew up in the club, along with my six siblings, as did my own children. When you add up the coaching fees, equipment, season passes, race entry fees, lodging and travel expenses, it’s literally priceless. But in return, you get a young adult who knows how to compete in the world, how to travel, how to manage money and how to communicate and get along with others, all while attending school. A typical day involved getting up early, working out at the gym, attending school, ski training, doing homework, then going to bed. As a parent watching this schedule, I simply don’t know how they kept it up. It has to be the love of the sport and the camaraderie that lasts a lifetime. It also takes parental commitment, volunteering for fundraisers, races and events as well as becoming a taxi service for training. When our sons were 11 and 13, their father was paralyzed in an accident and suddenly our income dropped. Because of the scholarship program, they still were able to train, race and travel. We can’t thank the club enough for assisting us so they could continue their love of skiing. Now that our sons are parents, they too are enrolling their own children into Winter Sports Club programs; and again, it almost brings tears to my eyes.
16 | Steamboat living | 2014 Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club 100th Anniversary Supplement