USSA awards Julius Blagen award to Howard Peterson

USSA awards Julius Blagen award to Howard Peterson{mosimage}PARK CITY Howard Peterson, who led the United States Ski Association through some turbulent times, was presented the Julius Blegen award, the association’s highest honor at the annual USSA congress banquet Saturday.

Peterson was the CEO of USSA from 1981 to 1994. During that time, he saw the U.S. Ski Team leave the association, but was instrumental in bringing the team back under USSA’s supervision eight years later.

According to Jim McCarthy, a past president and chairman of the association, Peterson always put the athletes first. ‘He had a vision that if the association focused on athletes and their needs, it was headed in the right direction’ McCarthy said.

In many ways Peterson was a visionary. Under his aegis, he took freestyle skiing into the USSA fold and then was instrumental in getting the discipline both FIS and Olympic recognition. Freestyle became an Olympic medal sport at the Albertville, France Olympics in 1992.

Shortly thereafter, Peterson became a driving force in disabled skiing, elevating it to USSA team status and getting the FIS to recognize the discipline as well.

When snowboard suddenly exploded, Peterson, unlike many of his USSA colleagues, immediately adopted the sport, ensuring that USSA was in the forefront of getting the FIS behind its adoption at the international level. To get the FIS’ attention he inspected the season’s opening downhill in Val d’Isere on a snowboard, perhaps the only time that has been done.

Peterson was a skilled parliamentarian in FIS affairs and is well respected by nations from all parts of the globe. His floor speech and parliamentary maneuvering at the 1994 FIS Congress in Christ Church, New Zealand is still admired. In a series of moves, Peterson got a very reluctant Congress floor to change its mind. Prize money for World Cups was given approval, a direct result of his efforts.

In other awards, former ski team head coach and Mammoth Mountain executive, Dennis Agee, received the John Claire award for outstanding service to the association. Daron Rahlves received the Beck award for excellence in international competition. Liz McIntyre was named Internationals coach of the year and Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club received the Club of the year award.

–G. B. Jr.

Other awards included:

The Westhaven Award for outstanding service as a technical delegate, given to Dr. Robert C. Calderwood of Florence, WI.

The Paul Bacon Award for event organization: Wendall “Chummy” Broomhall, the two-time Olympic cross country skier who was cited as the heart and backbone of the Chisholm Ski Club in Rumford, Maine, which hosted the U.S. Cross Country Championships for the last two seasons, four times since 1993.

John J. Clair Award for “outstanding service” to the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team to former Alpine Director Dennis Agee of California’s Mammoth Mountain.

Bud & Mary Little Award for longtime service to the International Ski Federation or Olympic community: Hank Tauber (Park City, UT), veteran FIS representative and former alpine director and Olympic coach.

Russell Wilder Award for “outstanding effort” to focus the attention of the nation’s young on skiing or snowboarding: Billy Kidd (Steamboat Springs, CO), 1964 Olympic medalist and 1970 world champion who had been involved in youth programs for three decades.

West Family Cup for outstanding service as a USSA official: Pat Miller, Denver, CO.

Alpine Club of the Year: Mammoth Mountain Ski Club (CA)

Freestyle Club of the Year:  Waterville Valley BBTS Ski Club (NH)

Cross Country Club of the Year: SSWSC

Jumping/Nordic Combined Club of the Year: Norge Ski Club and Junior Training Center (Fox River Grove, IL)

Snowboard Club of the Year: SSWSC

In addition to McIntyre and Grover, USSA’s sport-by-sport Coach of the Year award recipients include: Alpine International, Alex Hoedlmoser (U.S. Women’s Team); Alpine Domestic, Randy Pelkey (Western Region coach); Cross Country International, Trond Nystad and Pete Vordenberg (U.S. Ski Team); Cross Country Domestic, Chris Grover (U.S. Ski Team); Disabled, Jessica Tidswell (U.S. Disabled Alpine Team); Freestyle International, Liz McIntyre (U.S. Moguls Coach); Freestyle Domestic, Steve Kenney (Stratton Mtn., VT); Ski Jumping Domestic, Scott Smith (Norge Ski Club); Snowboard Domestic, Thedo Remmelink (SSWSC).