Journal of the New England Ski Museum Spring 2011 Issue Number 81 Five Rings, Six States: New England's Olympic Skiers Part Three The Fever Over Amateurism Peaks and Fades, 1964-1984 by Jeffrey R. Leich Innsbruck, host of the 1964 Winter Games, suffered the to being the cynosure of the competition, Killy was the center fate of most Olympic venues in their showcase years, a severe of controversy over the perennial issue of amateurism, brought snow drought. The 1960 Games in Squaw Valley had been a back to the forefront by the election of professional-aver Avery major exception to the emerging pattern, and had been almost Brundage as IOC President in 1952, and the increasing audience overwhelmed with snow, SO that avalanche hazard had been a for Olympic ski events that television could deliver. By this time real concern. At Innsbruck, snow was trucked in to the event the focus of professionalism had shifted from ski instructors to sites, and carried in backpacks by the military to the slopes.¹ competitors who accepted money for product endorsements, American men scored their first medals in Olympic alpine and Brundage campaigned to keep manufacturer's logos invisible skiing at Innsbruck in 1964. There had been notable close to cameras and the public. At Grenoble, photos appeared of calls in 1952 and 1956, but at Innsbruck Bill Kidd of Stowe, Killy's gloves emblazoned with a Rossignol logo, and Brundage Vermont and Jimmy Huega of Tahoe City, California finished declined to attend the alpine medal presentations. second and third in the slalom A squad of at least thirteen behind Austrian Pepi Stiegler. New Englanders took part in the aring in the glory of these Grenoble Games. Billy Kidd's rist American podium finishes fifth place in giant slalom, in was coach Bob Beattie, a which he won the second run, Manchester, New Hampshire beating Killy and Austria's Karl native and interim coach at Schranz among other stars, was Middlebury before he became the most notable finish among head coach at Colorado and the American men. 4 For only the Olympic alpine team. second time in the postwar era, New Englanders who may American skiers came up without have been spectators at the an Olympic medal. 1967 World Cup events held The 1968 Games featured at Cannon Mountain were a new development in Winter allowed a preview of the men's Olympics venues in that the alpine at the 1968 Winter city of Grenoble was not itself a Games, held in Grenoble, winter resort town. The alpine France. At the North American events were held some 20 miles Championships at Cannon in outside of the city at Chamrousse, 1967, the first World Cup ski and nordic took place 30 miles race held in North America, distant from there. This dispersion France's Jean-Claude Killy of locales would come to be swept the downhill, giant accepted in time, but had the slalom and slalom, just as he effect of separating athletes into would in Grenoble. In addition distinct Olympic villages apart Continued on page 3 Bode Miller grew up skiing at Cannon Mountain, before moving to Carrabassett Valley Academy. After taking third place in slalom at the 1996 National Championships at Sugarloaf, seen here, Miller was offered a slot on the US development team. It was in that season that Miller began winning races on shaped skis with more sidecut than the traditional models; "it was a revelation, like the difference between a $99 Kmart bike and an $8,000 handmade mountain rocket," he wrote in his 2005 autobiography, Bode: Go Fast, Be Good, Have Fun.