Broomhall Speaks at Nordic Legends Dinner

TAHOE CITY, CA - Rumford's Wendall "Chummy" Broomhall was among those honored recently at the Nordic Legends Dinner at Granlibakken on Jan. 15 as part of Olympic Heritage Week marking Squaw Valley’s 50th anniversary of hosting the Olympic Games.
     Some 250 people attended the event, which included skiers, groomers, coaches and volunteers sharing stories about the VIII Winter Olympics held in 1960.
     Broomhall didn’t compete in the 1960 Games, but he is credited with designing the cross country trails for those games as well as those in Lake Placid for the 1980 Olympics.
     He was among those asked to share their stories. Broomhall, 90, who competed in the 1948 and 1952 games in nordic skiing, was in the 10th Mountain Division during World War II.
     Known for his uncanny ability to battle the weather and move snow around with one of the earliest grooming machines, Broomhall spoke about how skiing and working at the Olympics changed his life forever.
     He said that while cross-country skiing doesn't receive the attention in this country that it does in Europe, Broomhall said it's not a dying sport as evidenced by the number of youth taking up the sport.
     Mack Miller, a member of the 1960 nordic team, and former cross country ski coach for Stephens High School, said it was incredible to walk into the stadium, just being there to represent your country.
     Bill Lindemann, who emceed the event, noted that the tiller Broomhall used to groom the nordic tracks should be restored by this summer. The state parks system inherited much of what was built for the Olympics.