I became fascinated with cross-country skiing after

seeing members of the Jim Dandy’s Ski Club, like

John Smith, Naomi Bryson and Fred Smith during the

Sno-Gophers Winter Carnivals. They were a refined

group of skiers and I was impressed with the thought

having the diversity in skiing options.

There was also a group of higher-performing

cross-country skiers, who I later found out were also

‘runners and skaters’. That was an ah-ha moment. Here

was a group of skiers that did not have an opportunity

to compete because cross-country racing was not in our

offerings.

When I started the cross-country division for the

Sno-Gophers Ski Club, I recruited several downhill skiers,

who were ‘up for the challenge’. Also, there were plenty of

skaters in the Sno-Gophers. I knew it would be a great ‘sell’.

The first recruit was Helen Cook.

The beauty of cross-country was that it did not require

travel. The city’s golf courses on wintery Sunday

afternoons were the place to ski. We had a few cross-country

enthusiasts like Olivia Baker, Tommy Waterford, and

Fran Williams to name a few.

At our Annual Sno-Gopher Carnival, the event took

on fast. There were novice, intermediate and advance

categories. We later added a Veteran’s category.

Soon, several participants from the clubs in Ohio and

Michigan were taking part in the cross-country races.

These races became fierce and competitive. We’ve had

up to fifty skiers participating at any one time. The

number of cross-country trophy winners were almost

as many for downhill.

At our annual Carnival, there were skiers who would

come specifically to race cross-country. The race course

had become so competitive, at one point, we added a

‘leg’ of the race that was uphill and another ‘leg’ that

was downhill.

At the Summit(1987) Lake Placid, NY, the Sno-Gophers

had their first and largest contingent of cross-county

skiers. (See Lake Placid photo in back) I was asked by the

past director of the NBS (National Brotherhood of Skiers)

cross-country ski division to head NBS cross-country,

of which I declined. I served as the Sno-Gopher Ski Club

Cross Country Director for seven years before turning

over the reigns to Helen Cook.

I am sure, with the addition of cross-county races at

our Winter Carnivals, it increased interest and attendance

and made for a more diverse and exciting event.

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The largest cross-country contingent of the Sno-Gophers Ski Club at the Lake Placid NBS Summit. Pam Rice - Director (kneeling lower right)