Sports Then and Now

Jean Claude Killy was one of the brightest stars of the 1968 Winter Olympics.

It was the 1968 Winter Games—Grenoble, France.

The distinctive and enduring Olympic theme Bugler’s Dream , was introduced that year.

Drug and gender testing made it’s first intrusion into The Games.

A worldwide television audience viewed the spectacle for the first time in living color.

Two names, above all others, emerged from those Olympics to be indelibly etched in our hearts and minds:

Ageless US figure skater Peggy Fleming emphatically and beautifully declared to the world that American figure skating was back – after the entire US team was wiped out in a tragic 1961 air crash.

Dashing French alpine skier Jean-Claude Killy stole hearts—and at least one of his three gold medals—before a frenzied home crowd on the slopes of Chamrousse.

While Fleming’s story fairly drips with drama and significance, the telling of that tale on these pages will have to wait for another time. Read the rest of this entry →

Lindsey Vonn could be one of the darlings of the upcoming Winter Olympics.

Get used to this face.

The tarnished images of Tiger Woods, Mark McGwire, and Gilbert Arenas are about to be replaced with the wholesome beauty of Lindsey Vonn.

Television and Internet viewers across the world will soon be inundated with endorsements and ads featuring the refreshing new face of the Winter Games.

While the rest of the sporting world has been obsessed recently with American football, MMA, and an assortment of scandalous revelations, the American winter sports teams have been quietly gaining momentum heading into next month’s Winter Olympics.

To those who are not avid followers of Nordic sports, this may come as a surprise, as the Americans have typically been viewed as being on the outer fringe of the ski world’s elite.

For example, in the 35 previous World Championships since 1925, America had claimed only three podium finishes. Last year, they claimed four golds, a silver and a bronze—second only to perennial powerhouse Norway in total medals!

And Ms. Vonn has led the charge. The reigning World Cup ski champion has enjoyed an exceptional year in defending her cup in this year’s ongoing series. Read the rest of this entry →