Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame prepares for enshrinement weekend
ISHPEMING — On a gray September day, winter sports are the focus of a weekend of events at the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame and Museum.
The 2014 Hall of Fame weekend takes place in Ishpeming next week, September 19th and 20th. The final preparations are underway for the weekend’s activities and events. The six members of this year’s class of inductees will be presented to the community eight days from now.
Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame and Museum president and CEO Tom West says they include “John Clendenin, who was one of the pioneers of freestyle skiing; Kris ‘Fuzz’ Feddersen, one of the first freestyle skiers to be on the U.S. ski team and then he went on to coach two Olympic gold medalists in 1998; (and) Joe Jay Jalbert, Robert Redford’s double in the movie ‘Downhill Racer’.”
There’s a national induction ceremony every spring. This year’s event took place in Park City, Utah, but each year’s enshrinement isn’t considered complete until each year’s class visits the actual Hall of Fame facility in the fall.
“And they just love it,” West said. “Anytime these people are here, as they’re leaving on the Sunday, they say, ‘we don’t want to go home. We’ve really enjoyed it. Thank you for having us.’ They really enjoy the opportunity to meet this community.”
The events get underway at 5 p.m. on Friday, the 19th, with a ski jumpers reunion and reception. The induction ceremony takes place at 7 that night. It’s free of charge and the public is welcome to attend. The Hall of Fame banquet will take place on the night of Saturday, the 20th.
You can find out more about the weekend’s events online at ski hall dot com.