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

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1 20 I THEiilDIAL Brattleboro Ski Jump fCon!inuedfr0f1z page 41 shows that Dartmouth has a running space of 210 feet, while the running of the jump here is from 290 to 300 feet. The Brattleboro hill is natural, while at Dartmouth it was necessary to build a steel trestle, the jump there cost- ing about 34500. The Dartmouth jump is 375 feet long, whereas the Brattleboro jump is 750 feet. Dartmouth's jump drops about 200 feet, and there is a drop of 268 feet on the local jump. Brattleboro has been favored with the scene of the National Ski-jumping Championships of the 1937-1938 season. The National Ski Association in Chicago acceded to Brattleboro's request for next winter's tourney for the third time. The date has not been set but will be early in 1938. So Brattleboro, with its natural beauty, has attained popularity for its winter activities, especially for skiing. Against a background of snow-capped Vermont hills, the artistic environment, with the spectators like candy of every color on a huge frosted cake, invites many on-lookers and participants to our town. Our hearts thump with pride at the snow-laden beauty of winterset in Brattle- borol Why Not a High School Ski Team? fC0ntinuea' fron: page 142 Winter picnics are a lot of fun. With a roaring fire built in some sunny place out of the wind, you will be surprised how warm you can be especially when the days grow longer toward the end of the season. There are many interesting places and camps within a few miles which can serve as objective points. When city dwellers are willing to spend 8 hours in a day on a train in order to enjoy 4 or 5 hours of skiing, how much more should we who live in the ski belt be alert to our opportunities! How to start toward having a High School Ski Team? Simply call a meeting of those interested. I venture the prophecy that the idea will meet with instant enthusiasm. Invite the President of the local Outing Club who has had experience in the work of organization. Elect a Captain and Manager, also a Chairman of a Committee on ski trips. It should not be difficult to arrange a dual meet with a nearby, ski-minded school. Yes! I would like to see organized a ski club and a ski team. We have all the advantages. There is every chance of success. May the time not come-and soon-when we will be as proud of a winning winter sports team as we were this fall of our winning football team? Schtem Along l -Ski Heil l ICon1inued from page I6j After you have read and absorbed the interesting text of these five books y0u'll feel just like sitting in front of a huge fireplace with skiers from every country. You'll be talking of the good and bad turns, the types of wax, broken bindings, conditions of snow. The names of great ski instructors will spring up now and then. Didn't you read about all this? Aren't you glad that you did? I'm sure that you will be! But, if you aren't yet read up on the subject of skiing, there are still more excellent books concerning this great sport. So put on your woolens, dig out your red plaid ear mulfs fto match your wooliesj, and delve into the snow covered pages of: Ski Gang-George Herring-Stephen Daye Press. fThis is a book for childrenj Douwlsill Skiing-Otto Lang-Henry Holt 8: Co. Novels which have to do with skiing Snow Against the Sky-Mary Dunstan. Family Name-Arnold Lunn. IV ell, Otto, I hear that lhefe are lwo fee! of ,mow on Hellfr Highway. I'm going up this week-emi: will you be up there-but remember, .rclntem like Hell on Ibe Rock Garden-Ski H eil! Brattleboro-Winter Playland fCon!inued from page 71 any crisp, clear night you can hear the shouts of happy groups as they speed down shining slopes on toboggans For those who still love just plain sliding, the town has set aside Green Street, Maple Street, and South Main Street. After a fall of snow, it is fun to watch young and old gaily sliding down, only to trudge to the top to start again. Is it any wonder that Brattleboro is called a Winter playland? It is a paradise for sportsmen, and, besides pro- viding advantages for every Winter Sport, it has a health- ful and invigorating climate. ut by Genrie Edron '39

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TI-iE DIAL I9 Ski Jumping Technique fContinued from page 91 It is hardly a question of nerve, it is more one of love for the sport that makes a skier jump harder. A jumper begins at a very early age and, consequently, builds up his nerve into love, so he no longer thinks of whether or not he has the nerve to jump far. I'm sure I would never have the nerve to go over such a thing! How do you dare to go over anything so large? The larger the jump, the safer the hill. That is, of course, up to a certain point. When a hill is built large, it is made wider and steeper, conditions which eliminate the danger of rolling off the course and of landing ter- ribly hard as one would do if the landing were Hatter. The reason you wouldn't dare to jump is the fact that you didn't start to jump when you were very young. ALITTLE later on, I heard one fellow say to another who was watching a jumper who had just come over, That was a terrible jump! He didn't go far at all. Oh, if the onlookers only knew that distance isn't all there is to jumping! A jumper is given twenty points for form and twenty points for distance. The form points, however, are by far more important than the distance points, for it is hard-in fact, almost impossible-to be able to beat another man by more than four or five dis- tance points, but there is no limit to the number of form points by which a man may be beaten. Points are figured differently. With the longest standing jump in competition as a standard, the judges take off so much from the total of twenty, for each foot or meter that the jumper is short on his jump. The form points, however, are taken off by the judges according to facts on a sheet of paper which lists all the possible mistakes a person can make throughout his entire jump. As the competitor starts down, he must be absolutely steady, and he must prove to the judges that he is really so, as they will take off from one to three points for this fault. For not riding low enough on the approach, the jumper loses one or two points. If he is over anxious, and jumps before he gets to the end of the takeoff, or if he is late in leaving the takeoff, that is, if he jumps after he is past the end of the takeoff, he loses one to three points. The Norwegian judges, who are considered the best in this sport, do not take off for too much bend at the hips or for the participants being too straight while in the air, but they insist in marking off very heavily for the jumper's straightening absolutely, after leaving the takeoff. Again, unsteadiness comes in, for, if one wavers or acts as if he weren't under control, the judges take off more points. One point each is taken off for bent knees, wrong ankle bend, crossed skis in front or in back, or if the skis are too far up in the jumper's face. THE next thing is the landing. Every jumper lands in a telemark position, that is, one ski is advanced in front of the other. If he breaks into this position before he is approximately three feet from the ground, points, again to the tune of one to three, are taken off. He must be steady, and his back must be erect when he lands. If this is not so, one or two points are taken off. After he is down, he must straighten up, then he may ride the rest of the way as he pleases. The only situation in which points can be taken off from now on, is that in which he is more or less steady. If a jumper falls, he is automatically disqualified, because he has lost so many points that it would be impossible, even if he made a perfect jump his second try, to outpoint any other man who stood up on both jumps. There are two completely different styles of jumping. One isicalled the American style, and the other, the Nor- wegian style. The American style consists of jumping straight up into the air when leaving the takeoff. After do- ing this, the jumper must acquire his lean, The Norwegian style consists of diving off the takeoff and, consequently, the jumper already has his lean. Using the American technique, the jumper lands much harder, and, con- sequently, must have a very strong pair of legs. The Norwegians are all small men, and so they have derived their own method of going just as far without getting the tremendous jolt which comes with a long jump done in the American style. All jumpers use variations of these two styles plus their own ideas of landing and flight through the air. Every jumper must know the rules governing his sport in order to keep his style as nearly correct as is possible. Due to the changing rules, he must keep up his knowledge of the subject from year to year. . 2i ' 0 41 Cut by Cora Terferi '39

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I-IUMORESQUE Pr Ski Technique Oh, how nice of you to come and watch me! Yes, wasn't it lovely of Uncle Elmer to give me such beautiful skis? I'm just thrilled, absolutely enthralled by the mag- nificent grain in the wood. You say it's the company's trade-mark? Anyway, he must have hunted for weeks to find just that certain mark. I was afraid that I might harm them, if I wore them, for skiing, but jacob fthat's my husband, you knowj said that the snow was soft and wouldn't scratch. But, to be certain, I padded the bot- toms with felt. See? Isn't that unique? My neighbor, Mr. Makemspitam, said that it would hinder my prog- ress. But Jax fthat's what I call my husband, for shortj, said that nothing was too slow for me. Wasn't that a nice compliment? I thought the snow might spot them but my little nephew, Bartholomick, said that they are specially adapted to weather conditions. I didn't see how nature could adopt anything, and I don't think Uncle Elmer would want anyone else to have them, for they're mine. Well, I guess I'm ready. What's that rope for? You take hold of it. Why? I usually don't put on skis for a tug of war. Anyway, it's not fair. The one at the top has a much better chance! It pulls you up? How cunning! But what if it breaks? It won't break! Young man, how do you know it won't? You say to try and see! Are you being pertinent? You're just my instructor? Well, here goes! Oh, help! it's dragging me! My legs are forgetting to come. You say to let go? Let go of what? Oh, the rope, I'd forgotten the rope. Well, what's wrong! Do some- thing! You' re the instructor. Do something! You think I'cl get along better with the points of my skis in front? Are 1 C111 by Florine DeArzgeli.r '38 you trying to tell me how to wear skis? Why, I wore skis when you wore diapers. Probably with the same results? Why, you young whippersnaker! All ready now, I'll start again. I'm moving! Keep my feet under me? Where did you think I'd put them? In my pockets? Young man, your tongue is far too long! Oh, there goes my handkerchief. Stop! Get it! Save me! I'm sliding backward! Ugh!-I think I've broken my back. I can't breathe. My sides are crushed. Oh, don't touch me. You say my ski is broken? Thank God! Now, I may go home! And-I'm sending Uncle Elmer a bottle of Sloan's liniment for Christmas. -V. P. !38 va ar: :xc as The Freshmen are engaged on an I I I project, build- ing Senior Air Castles! Certain students of Mr. Miller's Economic class are determined that Protection to Infant Industry refers to Birth Control! If the sixth period Biology class is an example of Sophomore ingenuity, it certainly hasn't been acquired through precedence! It's remarkable how many juniors are taken to be Sen- iors by the underclassmen! The addition of new lights to our school building cer- tainly has not helped some eyes. Mr. Thomas revels in denotching. Seniors, watch your throne!