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Show Wednesday, February 23, 1977 U.S. Racer Announces Retirement -SSTHESS Page 7 Sixth year U.S. Ski Team veteran Gail Blackburn, 21, Brunswick, Me., will retire from ski racing at the end of this season to enter nursing school, U.S. Alpine Director Hank Tauber has announced. announ-ced. "We are sorry to lose an athlete with Gail's talents," declared U.S. Head . Women's Coach, John -Bowerman, "but we wish . Gail well in her studies." The "B" Team veteran who .last year electrified ; spectators at the Copper ' Mountain World Cup Slalom--starting from dead last, finishing in the top ten-- said of her decision, "I plan on .finishing this season by -racing in the World Cup and by helping out in the Spring Series with my low slalom GAIL BLACKBURN points. " Of her six years as a National Team Member Blackburn said, "I'm really grateful to the past and present coaches and competitors com-petitors who have made the U.S. Team what it is today-a very strong and respectable group which I have been honored to represent." Blackburn will enter Westbrook College, Portland, Port-land, Me. Jakober Wins Labatt Pro Challenge Manfred Jakober ir gports Ten U.S. Alpine Racers Picked For Japan World Cup With a victory in the giant slalom and a second-place finish in the slalom of the $40,000 Labatt Pro Challange at Blue Mountain, Collingwood, Ontario, Feb. 12-13, Manfred Jakober of Switzerland banked $8,400 and reigned as the meet's number one money winner. Jakober, 27, now ranks fourth four-th on the World Pro Skiing circuit. Pro champion Henri Duvillard, after a disastrous defeat in the giant slalom round of 32 at the hands of Vermont's Greg Bartlett, retaliated to take Sunday's slalom, worth $5,400. "I am not unhappy to lose," Duvillard said. "I win so much why should I be upset to lose." It was Duvillard's first defeat in the round of 32 without a fall since turning pro in 1975. Swiss Josef Odermatt, 24, placed second behind Jakober in Saturday's dual giant slalom and third behind Jakober in Sunday's slalom to retain second place overall. "Always number two," Odermatt grumbled. "My bib is number two; I think I have a tattoo on my back that says number two, too. Maybe I cannot win anymore." Canadian Doug Woodcock, 26, from closeby Oshawa, Ontario, provided the only glimmer of joy for Canadain race fans when he secured third in Saturday's giant slalom. His countrymen, Paul Carson and Alain Cousineay both ranked in the top ten, found racing difficult dif-ficult in the" soft, sometimes mushy snow here, the result of 40 degree temperatures. American Perry Thompson, Thom-pson, 26, of Mammoth, Ca., took fourth in the giant slalom and is now fifth overall. Tyler Palmer, 26, of Kearsarge, N.H., placed fourth in Sunday's slalom and ranks third overall. Ten U.S. Alpine Team jacers have been named to 5the World Cup Team leaving for Japan February 19, U.S. Alpine Director Hank Tauber announced last week. The five men and five women selected for participation par-ticipation in the World Cup slalom and giant slalom events at Furano, Japan Feb uary 25-27 were named on the basis of their FIS point profiles, their overall season performances and their results in the U.S. National Alpine Championships Champion-ships held in Sun Valley, Id. this week. Men representing the U.S. in the world class international inter-national Japanese races are: Gary Adgate, 23, Boyne City, Mi., 1977 U.S. National Slalom and Combined Champion; Phil Mahre, 19, White Pass, Wa. 1977 U.S. National Giant Slalom World's Best Skiers To Race At Sun Valley The world's best Alpine racers are scheduled to compete in the U.S. World Cup races to be held at Sun ValJty, Id. March 5-7, and Heavenly Valley, Ca. March 12-13. The list of entrants includes in-cludes Olympic and World Champions, among them Austria's Franz Klammer, 1976 Olympic Downhill winner win-ner and current World Cup Downhill leader; Sweden's Ingemar Stenmark, leader of this season's World Cup Slalom standings; five time women's World Cup winner Annemarie Moser-Proell of Austria; and Phil Mahre, 19, White Pass, Wa., currently third in World Cup Giant Slalom standings; along with other members of the U.S. World Cup Team. The U.S. World Cup races are part of the 60 race FIS World Cup circuit featuring top international Alpine athletes competing on three continents, Europe, Asia (Japan), and North America. The interest of millions of spectators around the globe will be focused on the two western resorts in early March if last year's U.S. World Cup races are any indication. At that time more than 109 press credentials were issued to media representing 7 foreign nations, 3 international wire services, 3 television stations and 57 different domestic press representatives. represen-tatives. Even greater numbers num-bers are expected at Sun Valley and Heavenly Valley to cheer this year's champion cham-pion skiers and to participate par-ticipate firsthand in the excitement ex-citement of topnotch international inter-national Alpine competion on home turf. Champion; Steve Mahre, 19, White Pass, Wa.; Pete Patterson,' Pat-terson,' 19, Sun Valley, Id. and Geoff Bruce, 23, Corning, Cor-ning, N.Y. Joining the men will be the following women : Christin Cooper, 17, Sun Valley, Id., 1977 U.S. National Slalom and Combined Champion; Becky Dorsey, 19, Wenham, Ma., 1977 U.S. National Giant Slalom Champion; Heidi Preuss, 15, Lakeport, N.H., Farah Canadian-American Trophy Series Slalom, Giant Slalom and Overall Women's Champion; Viki Flecken-stein, Flecken-stein, 21, Syracuse, N.Y.; and Abbi Fisher, 19, South Conway, N.H. Following the Furano races, the group will return to Sun Valley, Id. March 2 to compete in the rescheduled World Cup slaloms and giant slaloms to be held at the resort March 5-7. C Bergman -fas 7i I ! Q OVERNIGHT PROCESSING OF KODACOLOR II, EXTACHROME & BLACK & WHITE Sport t Candid Commercial . -II VI II Mill IIOI Id-Mill I l'.Z llll Ml I I' MIM I n . I I Ml IIIIKHIIHIM m ) SAVE UP TO 80 ON OVERSTOCKED ITEMS L NEXT TO THE GONDOLA AT THE RESOHT CENTER TOE EITABLISMENT -Featuring the best omeletts this side of Poison Creek. Open Mon.-Fri. 7a.m.-3 p.m.; Sat &Sun. 8-6. Beer available. Dinner 5 p.m. to 1 0 p.m. Tuesday thru Sunday. Telemark Tales By Jim Miller White Pine Touring Center It seems to happen every time. This particular time it was with Sid Jensen, the Park West ski School Director, but it is the same way with most every other hard core lift skier that I manage to get to cross-country ski with me. Wanting to show them a whole new world of skiing-far away from noise and machines, I proudly ski them up to some of the quieter bowls and canyons that we are blessed with where the silence and beauty is like a shocking slap in the face, feeling fortunate and proud to have such wild places left, and at our doorstep even, I turned towards them to see what their reaction might be and sure enough, the response was, "Boy, this sure would make a nice ski area!" This hurts me. I strikes deep because back-country back-country spots such as West Monotor Flat, Iron Canyon, etc. are part of my soul. I think of the mass of destruction of this area by a lift company, brings out a sadness that sinks into my whole state of being. What possible improvement could a lift with accompanying support systems do to this spectacular country?? Besides, it already is a ski area, just as it stands . Sid Jensen is a gentleman of the sport and I enjoyed en-joyed the tour with him. But why are he and others eager to see our last remaining areas turned over to the big-money, power politics of lift maniacs and chain saw operators? Where does one stop changing the natural world for his own comfort rather than adapt to the set patterns already established? We must have untouched country, buffer zones, between ski resorts, towns, roads, etc., or we will lose our much sought after individuality. in-dividuality. Salt Lake County has over 400,000 people; Summit County only 4,000, thank goodness good-ness for the bufferzone between us. The demand for development in these mountains moun-tains is tremendous, probably always will be. The once rugged and formidable Wasatch Mountains are now but a toy for machines and their machinelike machine-like people. Any ski tour to the main ridge will reveal a once-proud mountain range reduced to a series of lifts, roads, jeep trails, snowmobile tracks, helicopter pads and avalanche gun mounts. moun-ts. There are small pockets of wilderness left, but as a whole, the Wasatch Range has been reduced to a large city park. Big money has a loud voice and development will continue. Ski money is a big "sugar daddy." But our natural resources are already being stretched stret-ched to meet our daily demands. Will we, as a community, be about to support increased development, especially large, energy absorbing lifts, and condominium-type second homes?? Will our community be pushed out of the way to make room for these developments?? Will the nation be able to supply the power to even run these facilities? I think that the emphasis should be placed on small, independently owned and operated lodges and hostels. Situated throughout the Wastach Range, connected by self-propelled self-propelled ski and snowshoe trails, these could facilitate a large number of people, yet keep them spread out. With well-maintained, patrolled ski trails and utilizing existing lifts, skiing would be almost as easy, certainly as safe, as any lift dominated ski trail systems. When the energy crunchy hits hard, our low overhead, self-propelled, low-energy-comsuming ski lodges will continue to survive. What will happen to Snowbird when electricity elec-tricity is scarce and maybe a bad snow year hits at thp samp limp?? This makes sense to me, and it will save our mountain for others to enjoy as we enjoy them today. It will insure that the ski industry will sur vive aiiu iikiAe niuiiey. remaps niu&i uupurumuy, a clean, beautiful environment will be ours to enjoy. 317 Main Street 649-8284 |