STOWE — Three athletes with Addison County connections will join a who’s who of Vermont’s ski and snowboarding world at The Lodge at Spruce Peak in Stowe on Nov. 2 for the induction of the class of 2019 into the Vermont Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame. The event, hosted by the Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum in Stowe, will also honor the recipients of the Paul Robbins Award and First Tracks Award. One of the highlights of the evening will be the showing of short biographical films created for each inductee.
This year’s Hall of Fame inductees are Craftsbury’s Nordic skiing pioneer and Middlebury College alum John Brodhead, Olympic and World Cup alpine skier Doug Lewis (a Middlebury native), legendary snowboard innovator J.G. Gerndt of Stowe, Olympic ski jumper and TV commentator Jeff Hastings of Norwich and Ann “Nosedive Annie” Bonfoey Taylor, 1940 Olympic alpine team member and ski fashionista. The Paul Robbins award for journalism is going to ski writer and author, Peggy Shinn, of Rutland. The First Tracks Award will be presented to Starksboro native Tim Kelley, of Cochran’s Ski Area.
Since 2002, the Vermont Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame has recognized more than 70 people who have made history in snowsports in the Green Mountain State. The purpose of the Hall of Fame is to honor athletes, special contributors, and pioneers of Vermont skiing who promoted and/or contributed to the sport of skiing and riding in Vermont; to document the histories of Inductees in the museum’s collection; and to recognize their accomplishments through the induction ceremony and the Hall of Fame exhibit. The Hall of Fame committee looks at candidates in three categories: Athletes, Pioneers, and Special Contributors.
JOHN BRODHEAD
John Brodhead skied four events at Vermont Academy (’62) — slalom, downhill, cross country and jumping — and raced at Middlebury College. In 1979 he began directing Craftsbury Outdoor Center’s ski program. There he developed an extensive trail system and started numerous ski programs for youth and adults including the Bill Koch and summer training programs. He founded and organized the Craftsbury Marathon, one of the most popular ski marathons in the country. Today, winners of the Marathon are awarded the John Brodhead Award. Brodhead founded the Craftsbury Nordic Ski Club in 1997, modeled on the Scandinavian multi-generational ski training design. For 38 years as Director of the COC, Brodhead touched the lives of countless skiers.
DOUG LEWIS
Doug Lewis, encouraged by his mother who was a ski instructor at Middlebury Snow Bowl, was on skis by the age of three. By age 10 he was hooked on ski racing and had already set his sights on the Olympics. He went on to become a two-time U.S. National Champion (’86), a two-time member the U.S. World Championship team and became the first American male ever to win a medal in the downhill at the World Championships, and a two-time Olympian (’84, ’88). He has continued as a tireless advocate for skiing and ski racing and is actively involved in every level of the ski industry as a broadcaster, TV host, ski celebrity, motivational speaker, product consultant, spokesperson, journalist, coach and fitness trainer. For over 25 years, he has run ELITEAM camps and clinics, designed to inspire and educate young ski racers. He’s a former Green Mountain Valley School ski academy student.
TIM KELLEY – First Tracks Award
Despite an injury-riddled alpine racing career, former U.S. National Team member, UVM collegiate racer and Starksboro native Tim Kelley has made the most of his skiing career. After being dropped from the National Team in 2010 and undergoing multiple surgeries, Kelley was determined to re-enter the international scene. With his brother Robby and others, he pioneered a path to continue competing at an elite level, despite not having National Team support, by founding “Redneck Racing.” He was re-named to the National Team and had his best World Cup results in 2016 before retiring, undergoing another surgery, and finishing at UVM. He continues to inspire and motivate young skiers with his energy and competitive integrity, and by playing an active role at Cochran’s Ski Area with the maintenance, grooming and mowing of the ski and mountain bike trail systems. As a member of the renowned Cochran ski racing family, he serves on the Board of Cochran’s Ski Area and strives to promote the ski area’s mission “to provide area youth and families with affordable skiing and snowboarding, lessons and race training, in the Cochran tradition.” Kelley volunteers with Vermont Special Olympics and as the Pace Biker for the Hand Cyclists at the Burlington Marathon.
The First Tracks Award is presented to a skier or snowboarder under 35 who is making a difference by contributing and enriching skiing or snowboarding in Vermont and/or beyond. Awardees will serve to provide models for future generations to emulate. It is given in honor of former VTSSM Board Member and lifelong skier Ian Graddock who passed away at 35.
The Vermont Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony is open to the public and usually sells out. Tickets are $95. For more information about the Vermont Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame, visit vtssm.org.