Brattleboro Union High School - Colonel Yearbook (Brattleboro, VT)

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SCI-ITEM ALONG! -SKI I-IEIL! SPRAY of snow! a puff! a grunt! and a groan! shot a roly-poly man, clad in a red mohair suit, down beside me on the terrain. I imme- diately came to the conclu- sion that something had to be done, for the poor fel- low could scarcely be seen, only the red tassel on his I cap and the points of his skiis protruded from the snow pile. As I helped him to his feet, I noticed that from his sack valuable presents had been spilled all over the ground. I started to pick them up and to hand them to Santa Claus. In my hands were four of the best looking ski books imaginable, and I was almost ready to ask him if I might borrow them for over- night when he laughed and said, Don't bother about re- turning those. They were for you, anyway. I thought that you would like them, since your next DIAL is to be about winter sports. With that, he started on down the course. Ski Heil, Santa! Thanks loads! By this time those books are nearly worn out from use given them not only by my eager eyes, but also by their being passed around-and they leave everyone excited. It takes a good solid book to enthuse anyone for anything! These have done it! If you spend a solid evening tripping through one fI'll promise you pleasant dreams and a per- fect landing!j just pass it on the next morning and then certainly that person can't blame you if the Latin line doesn't measure to a dactyl hexameter, or if your income tax doesn't balance for do they balance?j. You and that person won't mind, because you'll be thinking in tele- marks and waxes. Don't blame each other-blame Santa Claus! And if you want to delve further into the origin of this pleasure- A little office on Main Street will fur- nish a clue- where the best books on skiing are pub- lished. You're right! It is the Stephen Daye Press, of Brattleboro, with its energetic and enthusiastic ofiice staff ! And by the way, they're not only enthusiastic about the art of printing and its side tracks, but also about the art of skiing. You'll immediately recognize this by one tiny glance at these fine editions. My favorite fbecause it is most helpfulj is old faith- ful -Modern Ski Technique, published last in 1935. Chapters from this same book have appeared in the Dart- mouth Alumni Magazine-here we have them all! You'll know it because there is a man stemming down the cover. Doesn't it look like fun? You'l1 be sure to know how to stem, after you have read and digested the contents of this little book fthis is a perfect example of one which j 15 really should be treated in just this mannerj . You'll obtain the best results, if you really want to rule over your ski and poles fafter you have read which ski to use, how to wax, and the proper length of poles--oh yes! You'll find all thisj to find a gentle slope with good soft snow and to open your tiny book to the first skiing lesson. There are some grand stills, taken by the authors, which will help you immensely. Read and then try! If you have any trouble, read again and consult the pictures. You'd better have your hand between pages forty-four and forty-five, because you may find yourself down. But you'll soon be up, and brushing yourself off, if you follow the directions given you upon getting up. They help, and everyone has to use them! After you have become an accomplished meister, you'll wonder how so much valuable information could be tucked away in such a tiny book, but it was written by Otto Schniebs, one of the best masters of the ski in Amer- ica fLucky Dartmouthlj and J. W. McCrillis, the first pupil in America to study under the great master. It was published by the Stephen Daye Press-now do you still wonder? Track! Track! American Ski Annual with its New ski lines for skiers - Terrain, Technique and Equipment appears. Here it is! Everyone should clap it into his col- lection of the finest ski books and pamphlets. A book- friendly, vivacious and sparkling! I can't begin to men- tion all the grand articles and advice, because it's over- flowing and oozing out onto the cover. Three cheers and good luck to Stephen Daye Press! The assistant editor of this lively press has contributed an article which you'll want to read. Shall I tell you my favorite, or keep that for last? I'm going to keep you guessing. Anyway, there are others nearly as good, such as New York Thinks It Can Ski, written by Eugene Du Bois, who should have ample reason for, and justification in writing this article, as a result of his editorial position on The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. H15 article is rather amusing but very true. The author -I-seems a wee bit skeptical about the outcome of this national fad, or is it a fad? I'm not sure! This account includes amusing paragraphs taken from some of the leading papers, which ran sport columns for the benefit of their eager but ignorant sportsters, who thought that they might be keen on skiing. Here is one which aptly defines slalom in a definite sort of way: Slalom it a type of Jki context. It if downfall work on the long wooden runners. Pole: are allowed ar acces- .rorier or accelerators. A slalom event it marked out hy the flags. The flag: are usually red in color, though this

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WI-IY NOT A I-IIGI-I SCHOOL SKI TEAM? N the same manner as our School has football, base- ball, basketball, track and tennis teams with regular schedules and interscholas- tic competition, why should we not have a ski team? Why should not the splen- did sport of skiing be equally recognized? The craze for skiing is spreading over the country like wildfire. What could be more fitting than that a school located in one of the winter sports centers of the East should take the lead in promot- ing skiing as an interscholastic sport in Vermont? You can't hold down skiing. Why not ride in on its ever grow- ing popularity? We already have a nucleus of skilled skiers in school, many of whom are already members of the Brattleboro Outing Club, Inc., one of the pioneer ski clubs of the East. The school could count on the enthusiastic coopera- tion of the latter. Until the school could afford its own ski coach, coaching assistance could be secured from the Out- ing Club, which has among its members several men qualified as ski instructors according to the very strict re- quirements of the United States Eastern Ski Association. If other Vermont schools can be interested to organize ski teams, the idea of Interscholastic competition could be introduced by the State I-Ieadmasters Association. What are the good features of skiing which entitle it to recognition? First, it is a clean sport and a good one. What is the definition of a good sport? My answer is that any sport which challenges every ounce of courage, intelli- gence and ability in a man is a good one. Since I first began skiing when a junior in B.H.S., I have seen skiing meet these requirements. Much as we all like football and ac- knowledge its attraction, we find on analysis that to be a proficient skier, it takes every bit as much skill, coordina- tion, study, practice and intestinal fortitude as it does to be a good football player. Over three hundred come out for football at Dartmouth, but those who dare to take the big ski jump at Hanover can be numbered in the dozens. I confess that when I saw Mezzy Barber hurl himself r- . 1 out into space on our ski jump last winter never to touch the snow again until he had soared over 200 feet, I had as much of a thrill as I ever had in seeing a touchdown made by the completion of a successful forward pass in the end zone. Although skiing does not have the same team play features as does football, it can be carried on for years after graduation. After leaving school, skiers do not have to stop taking part in the increasing number of competi- tions. Some ask-is skiing a fad? Will it go out like parlor golf? I have watched skiing develop for 30 years and I wish I were as sure of many things as I am that skiing is here to stay. Although some ill-advised commercial ven- tures will probably end in the hole, the sport itself is fundamentally sound. It converts what might be dreary, winter days into days of joy and health. What has caused the recent great increase in popular- ity? The introduction of the Slalom and Down Mountain Races has had a great deal to do with it. Ski jumping ap- peals to the hardy and daring few. Cross country racing represents a gruelling grind beyond the physical endur- ance of many. The winding, downhill Slalom race under controlled speed through a series of vari-colored flags is open to all. The down mountain races have many fasci- nated adherents. Another cause has been the development of the modern ski technique of the Arlberg type with variations. Un- der this new method, the beginner is able to learn how to make the various turns in a week and likewise how to con- trol his or her speed. This has opened up a world of inter- esting possibilities. Girls have proven very adept at the making of turns--and Oh! Yes! girls, the stylists have designed the most attractive of ski costumes for you! Better than any of the competitive races are informal cross-country ski trips. With a knapsack full of grub, the swish of snow under your feet and a blue sky overhead, a day in the open on skis is a joy indeed. There is a spirit of adventure in skiing between snow-laden evergreens, along old wood roads and down the open trails. Ski trips take you into places you never see in summer. With impunity, you can ski over a frozen marsh into which you would not dare penetrate in summer. Iffmztirzued on page .202 Ca! by Cora Terrcri 39 xx- 9 Q gf, 14

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Cut by janet foner '39 ir not COIllpIll.l'0l'y. It'.r really 11 t11r11i11g e1'e11t and the flll'tI.l' are taken at high speed. Alfa, they .ire rery sharp t111'11.r. The competitors tahe the flll'lI.l' .15 111ar'hed-if they are lucky-Aand the 1l'itIlI6'l' if the fellow who har the bert .rrore when the little? and do11'11hill ,rtyle are fdbeitl into c1CL'0IlI1fdtZd totaled np. The modern definition from Sixty Centuries of Ski- ing is: Slalom rare if 11 controlled douwhill race. de- signed to rhou' the .rhill of .rhierr r111111i11g het11'ee11 retr of flags against time. You will laugh at the author's clever- ness. It's funny! We are never tired of reading about the Olympics. In this volume, you may learn the professional and the dub skier's opinions and views. There are chapters about jumping, mountaineering, cross-country, slalom, summer skiing, waxes, first aid and bindings. I-Iere's everything you need! lt's interesting to read about skiing in foreign countries where that sport has really come into its own. But, best of all, in my opinion, is the friendly article written by David Bradley, a member of the Dartmouth Ski team. You can read adoration between the lines. Otto Schniebs is staring at you from every page. Can't you see him as he is described, talking to his team about the trail which they are to tackle? Vell, che11tle111e11. 1,111 going d111z'11 1111112 Take it eary on the lar! .fL'h7llJi.l'-if lj' 1111! that re 11211 the race: i11.rtead dot re .thi it. Ddlltl 1'e 1'i11 .111y11t1y. lt ir 1111! dot ze hreah .1 shi, or a leg mehhe. or 1111 eye P-for rot? Shi 1111 fall----dotfr the mort iIllp0t'fc1llf 1li11h.f of the di11h.r--and lark Ito Dllt'l'dIlL'Ej there 1'ill he lt11'ett'y girly along the trail. hilt do11't .rchtop for dem 111111'. He leaves his boys with a determination to ski well. NOTHIER story which Dave Bradley tells is that of a young girl who asked Otto in a puzzled fashion: What would you do if yon were co111i11g dorm: a steep tzarrou' trail a little too fart and there were rtu111p.r and treer and ice and thi11greea11d thingy all c1l'0lllld.DH Vell, either tahe the da11111ed this off and ralh-or .ft'lJf6'lIl-Jfhlfflll like Hell! I finished Heil Otto! all too soon, wishing for more about the great master of the ski. If we all could ski like him we would probably agree with him when he said: Skiing ir 11ot merely a .rchporte e lt ir 11 my of life. This living article adds a lot and more to the already liv- ing Annual, with its adorable sketches on the bottoms of the pages. Aren't they cute? Now while you're resting in a heap of snow, piled up beside the run, you'll have time to think about skiing in its infancy and to learn of its rapid growth before you put on a pair of blades, or got your fingernails full of wax, or stuck your fingers together with shellac. You'll find good reading to this point in Sixty Centririer of Shi- ing by Charles M. Dudley, published by Stephen Daye Press. Before delving into the printed page, I couldn't resist the fetching photographs, taken everywhere that the snow is scratched by ski tracks. And the sketches of ancient skisters can't well be passed up. The first of this volume of valuable information deals with the origin of the type, pronunciation, and reasons for ski. You'll be interested in the origins of the words Telemark and Christiana It would be of interest to Brattleborians and New Englandc-rs to see mentioned so many times the name of Fred Harris, and the grand work done by him to put skiing where it is today. Perhaps the first section of this original book would be of far greater interest to those of you who have to know where things come from, how they were used before your time, and why they are here, etc. Probably I'm too contented with matters as they stand or perhaps just too lazy to care how they came to be, but anyway, I'm glad to say that I did much more enjoy the second part which is a ski tour of the worldma guide to every place on earth where snow falls and the ski is known. After reading or even glancing at the pictures, you can't help but wish that you could sprout wings on your wooden runners and Hy to every snow covered hill on earth, and stem, telemark, and Christy all the way down-I'm ready! When shall we start? Did you recog- nize one of the photographs as being the cover of the A111111al-fif you didn't, do so. Y now, I imagine that, after all your coaching, you have graduated from the troupe of the novice and have become interested in the racing track of the matter. High Speed Skiing, written by Peter Lunn, Captain of the British Olympic Team, is outstanding in its line. You probably have mastered the fine art of turning, and if you haven't, no harm can be contracted by reading the five chapters on turns. Skis need attention and here you'll find how to give it to them. Did you ever think of the psychology of racing? After you have read the last chapter of this tiny book, you'll want to think. It's different from most material which you find in a ski book. lt's good for you! And there goes the last turn in High Speed Skiing! fclllllflllllkd 1111 p.1ge 3111