Scouting, Volume 71, Number 5, October 1983 Page: 30
82 p. : ill. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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OlS u5 WHJKEK SKI ASSOC
2 WELCOME
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(Top) Jenny Darnell, Theresa Meade, oaW Brian Freund
sign up a Husky friend. (Middle) The San Juan Needle
Mountains provide a stunning backdrop for the barbeque
and awards ceremony. (Above) Curtis Campbell and Cindy
Gardner were men's and women's overall champions.
30
Curtis Campbell pulled his ski cap down
snug over his ears, then carefully adjusted
the fit of his amber-tinted goggles. This
was it. You only get one chance in down-
hill racing. The slightest miscalculation or break in
concentration can add precious tenths of a second
to a skier's finishing time. Worse is the ever-pres-
ent possibility of a DQ—fall and you're out of it,
disqualified. You only get one chance.
The other Explorers standing at the top of
Pitchfork race course discussed their strategy for
the downhill. Most of the conversation focused on
the slope's final drop just before the finish line.
"How do you plan to approach the headwall?"
asked one apprehensive skier to another.
"Scared to death," came the reply.
"Don't worry about your time so much," ad-
vised one of the girl racers. "Just try to make it to
the bottom alive."
Curtis paid no attention to the nervous chit-
chat. He had already inspected the course, and he
knew his plan. He was skiing to win.
"All right, Explorers," the starter's amplified
voice sounded over the loudspeaker. "We're ready
to begin another downhill race here at beautiful
Purgatory Ski Resort. This is the final racing event
of National Explorer Ski Week, so give it your
best.
"Are you ready. Bib No. 144?"
Curtis planted his ski poles firmly on the outside
of the electronic timing wand and nodded his
head.
"Ready, set, go!"
With a giant heave Curtis thrust his body
forward onto his poles and pushed open the
starting gate with his knees.
The crowd cheered. "All right, Curtis! Go for it!
Push! Push!"
Spreading his skis in three powerful skating
strides, Curtis quickly built momentum. Then just
before reaching the first gate, he tucked into a
tight crouch, his poles trailing behind him under
his armpits.
The downhill is the fastest of all alpine racing
events. At speeds up to 35 miles per hour it takes
all the strength one can muster to hold a tuck
position while your thighs become like giant shock
absorbers above the crunching terrain.
From the top of Pitchfork spectators have a
limited view of the race course, but they are able to
spot skiers just before they reach the much talked
about headwall.
"There he is! He's coming up to it. Wow! Look
at him fly. Woops, he got a little air under him.
That'll cost him some time."
Then the racer dropped from sight as the course
turned sharply to the left toward the finish. Since
the finish line is out of sight, the crowd has to rely
on two-way radio communication for final results.
Seconds ticked by with no word. Had Curtis
missed his landing off the headwall and DQ'd
right before the finish line? You only get one
chance.
"We've got a time on Bib No. 144." the starter
announced. "Thirty-two-point-five-seconds.
Looks like the best time of the day."
October 1983 Scouting
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Boy Scouts of America. Scouting, Volume 71, Number 5, October 1983, periodical, October 1983; Irving, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth353543/m1/32/: accessed April 27, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Boy Scouts of America National Scouting Museum.