Gatineau Park
History of the Ottawa Ski Club
by Herbert Marshall
Chapter 9 - Competitions and Champions
The measure of the competitive standing of the Ottawa Ski Club is found in the record of its achievements in individual, national and international competitions. As in all phases of the Club's activities, the nature of competitions evolved with changes in the skiing pattern. The 1910 Club's contests were devoted to jumping. Cross-country racing predominated for more than a decade after the Club's reorganization in 1919. Since the early 1930s downhill and slalom events have been increasingly popular. For the past dozen years the emphasis on programs for midgets and juveniles has resulted in a wider range of competitive events than ever before.
Some of the exploits of OSC jumpers are told in Chapter 8; but the racers have also brought much honour to themselves and to the Club. In the cross-country skiing period the Club's great trail system afforded an opportunity for the development of first-rate racers. It was in this field that it became known as a “Developer of Champions”. The Cliffside Annual of 1920 contained the following item:
Ed. Condon, a lad of 18 years, carrying the emblem of the Cliffside Ski Club and representing Ottawa Collegiate, carried off the honour in the first international intercollegiate cross-country ski race held here yesterday afternoon. Condon established a Canadian record for the distance of six miles.
Four years later, Eddie Condon won distinction again, this time wearing the Ottawa Ski Club colours. The Morning Journal of February 25th, 1924, reported:
Running a magnificent race and competing with the best ski runners on the continent, many of whom have gained real prominence in their native Norway and Sweden, Edmund Condon of the Ottawa Ski Club won the Dominion Championship for ski running on Saturday afternoon. The course was about 12 miles in length, starting at Fairy Lake, circling through the Gatineau Hills and finishing at the Homestead Inn ... The finish was the closest ever recorded in Canadian ski-running annals. Rolf Monsen, former title holder, was just six and two-fifths seconds behind for second position, Merritt Putman was third.
The skiers started at one minute intervals, Condon had drawn number seven and Monsen 18, in the field of 27. Condon passed the six men in front and appeared over the hill near the end, saw the finishing point and raced at top speed not showing any effects whatever of his long grind. When his time was noted, it was apparent to the judges and spectators that he had made a wonderful run and that Monsen’s title hung on a thin thread. The great Norwegian, for he and Condon were the favorites, had to cross the line in less than 11 minutes to beat Condon and he was nowhere in sight.
Condon, realizing that the Canadian title ought to be his, donned a heavy sweater, and with the intensely excited spectators, almost everyone had a watch in hand, started to count off the minutes. Some of Monsen’s admirers, never losing faith, went out over the trail in the hope of meeting and encouraging him on.
With only 55 seconds to go Monsen appeared, having been advised that it was do or die. He flashed into sight and with long strides and powerful timely strokes of his poles, raced for the finish. He crossed the tape just six and two-fifths seconds too late, and Condon had added the brightest light to his already brilliant career.
In March 1925 the Southam Trophy was won by the team from Lisgar Collegiate, composed of Ken West, Fred Taylor, Louis Grimes, and J.B. Jost. The latter had. participated in the early OSC races from Ironsides. In 1932, as a member of the Red Birds Club connected with McGill University, he won the ‘Roberts of Kandahar’ trophy for the downhill race at Murren, Switzerland, gaining the coveted ‘Gold K'. This was a notable achievement since it was the Blue Ribbon event of the British Downhill racing, and Jost defeated the best of the British skiers on a strange course. When he returned to Canada he won the first Quebec Kandahar combined race at Mont Tremblant. While these outstanding achievements were made as a member of the Red Birds Club, perhaps the Ottawa Ski Club may claim at least a share of the honours because of his early associations with it.
On February 25th, 1928, Bryce Grayson Bell won the Canadian Cross-Country Championship race when he led 17 competitors at a CASA meet held under the auspices of the Cliffside Club. W.G. (Bud) Clark came second in this race.
Next to bring honour to the Ottawa Ski Club was Halvor Heggtveit, who won the Canadian Cross-Country Championship on February 25th, 1934, at Shawinigan Falls. Hal had won the Willingdon Trophy for the City of Ottawa Championship for the preceding three years, and had been selected for the Canadian Olympic Team in 1932 but not obtain leave of absence from his office. In his final year of racing, 1934, he won the OSC championship, the City of Ottawa, the Provovince of Ontario and the Canadian Championships for cross-country skiing.
The following year, John Pringle Taylor defeated some 40 competitors from all parts of Canada (and from other countries as well) in the race for the Canadian Championship held at Rougement, thus becoming the fourth Club member to win this title.
On February 26th, and 27th, 1938, during the Canadian Championships held at Camp Fortune, another Heggtveit became the fifth OSC Canadian Cross-Country champion: Bruce Heggtveit nosed out A.E. Myll of Sudbury.
During the 1940s the names of Harvey and John Clifford, John Fripp, Bruce Heggtveit, Alex. McDougall and, towards the end of the decade, the Tommy brothers, were the outstanding Ottawa Ski Club competitors in outside competition. In 1944 Harvey Clifford won Class A in the Tachereau race at Mont Tremblant. Alex. McDougall and John Clifford were first and second in Class B. Harvey Clifford won a slalom race at Lake Placid and was first in the Laurentian Zone Championships, with Alex. McDougall in second place.
In 1946 John Clifford worked his way on a freighter to South America to participate in the Chilean Ski Championships. He came back with the championship which is representative of all South American skiing. In the same year Miss Audrey Dunn, in her first out-of-town meet, placed first in the Class 2 competition for Ladies’ Invitation Downhill and Slalom. Her fine showing at Collingwood gained her a place on the Canadian women's team which defeated the United States women in the annual Invitation Downhill and Slalom Tournament for the Kate Smith Trophy at Lake Placid, New York. At this meet Anne Heggtveit, then seven years of age, foreran the course and 'Made a big hit with racers and spectators alike.'
In this year a group of Ottawa skiers, Harvey and John Clifford, Alex. McDougall and Ted Graves went to Stowe, Vermont, for the Eastern United States Downhill and Slalom Championships. Berg, a Norwegian expert attending Harvard Business School, won first place on the precipitous "Nosedive Trail", Harvey Clifford was second in both events and in the Combined.
On March 2nd, 1946, John Fripp, then head instructor for the Mont Tremblant Ski School, made the fastest time in the open competition at the Quebec Kandahar race.
In the National Downhill and Slalom Championships at Franconia, New Hampshire, Harvey Clifford was third in the combined standing.
On April 7th, at Alta, Utah, John Fripp defeated such skiing stars as Dick Movitz and Alf Engen in Downhill, Slalom and Giant Slalom events to win the coveted Alta Cup in open competition.
In the 1948 Central Canada Championships John Clifford won the Cross-Country event and Harvey Clifford took both the Downhill and Slalom. Audrey Dunn won the Ladies’ Alpine combined.
In the 1949 Central Canada Championships Pierre Jalbert was first in the Downhill and John Clifford first in the Slalom and Combined. Anne Heggtveit, aged ten, went to Huntsville and won the Ontario Junior Ladies’ Championship in both Downhill and Slalom. John Clifford, Andy Tommy, Raymond Desrochers, George Grossman and Amby Quinn were chosen by the CASA to represent Canada in the World Championship games (FIS) held at Lake Placid and Aspen, Colorado.
From 1950 on the record of the achievements of Ottawa Ski Club racers in outside competitions becomes too detailed to be included in this chapter. The competitive Schedule became much more elaborate and many new names of both sexes, appear in the records among the high ranking skiers of Canada and not a few won international fame. Their outstanding achievements arc listed in Appendix A.
Olympic Competition
Canada’s first participation in the Olympic Winter Games was in 1928. Its representatives were; Gerald Dupuis, Cliffsides; Leonard Lehan (Captain), Montreal; W.M. Thomson, McGill, Montreal; Merritt Putman, Toronto Ski Club, O. Tollefsen was to go as representative from Western Canada but was prevented by some unforeseen circumstances. The 1928 games were held at St. Moritz, Switzerland. In the 1927-28 issue of the Year Book of the CASA the editor commented:
Unfortunately our captain and best jumper, Leonard Lehan, was injured in practice just prior to the jumping events and could not compete. This in itself was a great handicap. Considering the all too short time our men had to become acclimated, and the limited opportunities to become acquainted with entirely strange conditions, I think the results were all that reasonably could be expected. In the cross-country race we finished ahead of the American team and Dupuis in the jumping made an excellent impression. The sending over of our team was greatly appreciated and they all gained valuable experience.
The next Olympic Winter Games were held at Lake Placid in 1932. The then Lockeberg of the Canadian Amateur Ski Association, Alan Snowdon, appointed Sigurd to select and train a Canadian team. He was assisted by Louis Grimes. Included in the team were: J. Landry for jumping, H. Bagguley for combined, John F. Currie and J.P. Taylor for the 18-kilometre race. Although these members from the Ottawa Ski Club did mot win any medals, they came back to Canada rich in experience.
Canada’s Olympic Ski Team for 1936 was composed of Harry Pangman of the Montreal Ski Club, Tanager Tormod Mobraaten, Vancouver; Norman Gagne and Bill Ball, Montreal; Bud Clark, Ottawa, and Karl Baadsvik, Montreal. Canada had also at that meet a Ladies’ Ski Team composed of ladies who happened to be staying in England at the time. These were: Mrs. Gordon Lennox, Mrs. Chamier, Mrs. Miller and Mrs. Butler.
Pagman wrote in the 1936-37 CASA Ski Annual:
While the Canadian Olympic team did not bring back any championships, I believe that the main object of the trip was accomplished, namely instruction. We learned a lot, a tremendous amount about downhill and slalom skiing. We saw an almost entirely new technique of downhill racing.
In cross-country our runners are not far behind. They have practically the right technique; what they need more than ‘anything else is smoothness, more use of their arms, and hard strenuous training the year round. Similarly with our jumpers — what they lack is practice and still more practice, and what the great majority of Canadians do not realize, condition, that is keeping in shape all year.
The 1948 Canadian Olympic Ski Team included Louis Cochand as manager, Tom Mobraaten, Hec Sutherland, Harvey Clifford (OSC) Pierre Jalbert, Emile Allais (coach), Rhoda and Rhona Wurtele, Morna Cochand, Bert Irwin, Luce Laferte, Tom Dennis, Laurent Bernier, Bill Irwin and Thorne Pickering.
In this Olympic Meet the Ottawa Ski Club was proud of the good showing made by Harvey Clifford. He was 21st in the slalom out of 120 competitors, despite the fact that he overshot a gate in his first run which cost him 15 seconds. His total time was only 18 seconds slower than the winner and he led the Canadians. After the Games, Harvey and Hector Sutherland of Montreal made excellent showings in other continental meets, particularly at Nice, where Harvey defeated the French Olympic team members in a slalom race.
On his return to Canada, Harvey competed in the United States National Championships at Sun Valley, placing fifth in the combined out of approximately 100 starters. In the Jim Brewster Memorial Downhill (Columbia Icefields), Harvey came first, defeating Jean Gillis of the American Oplympic team and Toni Matt, the top professional racer of North America. Harvey Clifford had won a very high place among the top skiers of the continent, and was appointed coach for the 1952 Canadian Olympic Ski Team, of which Claude Richer of the OSC, a cross-country runner, was a member.
Of course, the outstanding event of the 1956 Olympic Meet was the brilliant performance of the Laurentian’s Lucille Wheeler (now Mrs. Vaughn) in bringing back Canada’s first Olympic gold medal. Anne Heggtveit, Andy Tommy and Art Tommy represented the OSC on that Olympic Team. They arrived at Cortina prior to the events and during the training period Andy Tommy had the misfortune to suffer a double fracture of his right leg. Art joined his brother on the casualty list when he sprained an ankle very severely just before the Giant Slalom event. Not discouraged by these occurrences, Anne Heggtveit performed well in all three Alpine events.
Four years later Anne Heggtveit came into her own. In 1960 at Squaw Valley the Club was represented on the Canadian Olympic Team by Anne and by Nancy Holland in Alpine events and as jumpers, Gerry Gravelle and Franz Baier (coach). Anne's performance was superb. She brought home three gold medals. Shea was first in the ‘Olympic Ladies’ Slalom, first in the FIS Alpine Combined and first in the FIS Slalom, In winning the Olympic Slalom she had the largest winning margin ever recorded in women’s Olympic or World Slalom competition... 3.3 seconds better than Betsy Suite of the United States, the silver medalist, and seven seconds better than Barbi Henneberger, the European bronze medalist. Anne was the only non-European man or woman, to win the World Alpine Combined title.
This great victory for Canada in the field of winter sports made Anne a celebrity throughout Canada.
Elected as the Canadian “sportswoman of the year," she deserved all the praise and glory which came her way. In the Ottawa Ski Club 1960-61 Year Book, Andy Tommy, who was manager of the Canadian Olympic Team, wrote this insider's account of her accomplishments:
Anne Heggtveit’s gold medal in the Olympic Slalom and her World Championship at Squaw Valley came as no surprise to those of us who have closely watched her racing progress. You members of one of the greatest racing clubs in the world had a part in her success and know of the many discouragements and setbacks she went through. I will, therefore, recall only a few of the incidents of last year.
A few years ago Anne and Lucille Wheeler began to follow the European competition circuit as the result of our new idea that racing in Canada and the United States only would never develop world champions. Anne's trips were financed at great sacrifice on the part of her parents and money raised by the Ottawa Ski Club, the Gatineau Zone, the City of Ottawa and private individuals.
Anne has been racing in Europe for five years and placing consistently. She set such high goals for herself, however, that she tended to blame herself for any performance less than the best. Being very conscientious, she felt she was letting down those who had sponsored her. Thus, when she had bad luck she sometimes became depressed and her skiing was affected.
On the surface, Anne's Olympic victory appeared to be the logical outcome of years of training and experience. Actually it was not a smooth path. This was the big year and all would be won or lost by small strategy differences. The pressure was terrific. The CASA realized this was Anne's year and sent her to Pepi Salvenmoser in Austria early in the winter. Pepi had guided Lucille Wheeler to a World Championship and had trained Anne previously. He believed that she was world championship material. He also knew that if they made any mistakes or had bad luck all would be lost. Even with the best of training and aptitude many things can go wrong before a race. A racer may completely break down from the tension or have an accident. It was Pepi’s job to guide Anne through all these pitfalls and bring her to racing peak for the Olympic games.
In Europe Anne and Nancy Holland trained with top men racers such as Tony Sailer, Anderl Molterer, Egon Zimmerman and others. Anne's first mishap came in Grindelwald where she had gone for the Lauterhorn race. A hill maintenance man struck her on the leg with a shovel as she sped by. The fact that it was probably not malicious did not make it any less serious for Anne who was already having trouble with her legs. She did not perform up to her best in Europe and Pepi did not force her. He had to overcome the effects of her injury both mental and physical and prepare her to give even more than her previous best at Squaw Valley. He told Anne that their strategy would be to throw up a smoke screen and let it be known that she was in poorer shape than she actually was. This tended to produce overconfidence in other racers and took some of the pressure off Anne.
When Anne, Nancy and Pepi joined the rest of the team at Alta, Utah, Anne was not in top shape after excessive travel and three weeks layoff. Pepi told her she didn’t have to race in the National but she entered and easily won the slalom and giant slalom. This restored her confidence and she started the drive for the top. The next week she won both slalom and giant slalom for the Roche Cup at Aspen. We then went to Squaw Valley for the finals. At Squaw Valley she trained as if every practice run was a race. Pepi couldn't keep ahead of her she was so keen.
Anne is equally good at giant slalom and downhill. Luck was not with her in these two events but she came into her own in the slalom. She had been ranked first in the world and at the seeding meeting I drew No. 2 for her. We believed she could win but knew that until the race was over anything might happen. I remember standing at the finish line in the officials’ roped off section with Terry Kielty and Bill Westwick. We were keeping times and could tell immediately where any racer stood at any time with respect to Anne. She was over two seconds ahead in her first run, which is miles in a ski race that is measured in tenths of seconds. We wrote off this one and that as they came down.
In the second run Anne would be under the most severe tension. The Olympic Championship was within her grasp if she could keep up the pace. As she came out of the starting gate we could see she was going to do it. Her timing and co-ordination were perfect. She even seemed to be doing it too easily and when she finished we knew that it was just a formality for the other competitors to run.
The rest of the Canadian girls were so happy they were in tears when she finished and Anne herself was in a daze. She had reached the top and won in one swoop both the Olympic Slalom and the World Championship. She was crushed by photographers, reporters and well wishers. She was the toast of the sports world. After her phone call to her father, you at home joined in the congratulations.
As mentioned above, there were many who assisted Anne in her skiing career. First there was her father, a Canadian champion himself who started her training when she was a mere child, and in the final stages, her European trainer, Pepi Salvenmoser. All this assistance does not detract at all from her own superlative contributions. It was her own character and endownment which enabled her to reach the top. Her dedication to the achievement of perfection in a great winter sport over a period of several years overcame all obstacles and enabled her to climb steadily to the peak of succes. It is an indication of her merit that, while she spent so much time and effort in keeping herself at the peak of physical fitness and in training for skiing, she emerged not only as an Olympic champion but also as an attractive and accomplished personality, exemplifying the spirit of the Greeks who originated centuries ago the Olympic Games — the aim of a sound mind in a sound body.
Local Competitions
From the beginning the Ottawa Ski Club stressed the competitive aspect of the sport and the racing program reflected the changes in the skiing pattern. Up to 1924 the only trophy available for annual competition was the Devonshire Trophy for jumping. Appendix B lists the Large number of them which became available, together with the names of the winners in the local competitions of which they are emblematic. The nature of the competition in each case illustrates the change which has taken place in the skiing habits since the Club was formed. For a number of years, however, there were many Club races for which no continuing trophy was available.
A prominent feature of the early period was the running of preliminary races from Wrightville to Dome Hill Lodge. The January 9th, 1929, issue of the Ski News stated concerning one of these:
There will be three classes for boys and girls; senior, those who have already won a prize; juniors, those who have never won a prize; and novices — those who have never competed in a race. This classification holds only for preliminaries.
Races were also held at Camp Fortune. Between 1922 and 1927 the outstanding racers were George Audette, Jack Bourgault, Joe Morin and Ken Fosbery. During this period the championship for the ladies was held from 1922 to 1925 by Hazel Reid, Edith O'Connor in 1926, Alice Heggtveit 1927-1929, and Grace Heggtveit in 1930. Then there was a lag in interest for awhile as indicated in an extract from the Ski News: of February 4th, 1931:
A race for ladies? Louis Grimes, chairman of the Racing Committie. says he will arrange for a ladies’ race if a petition signed by twelve of the fair sex. accompanied by an affadavit stating that no signature has been obtained by coercion or intimidation, is received before February 2st.
In 1924 Mr. H.S. Southam donated a handsome trophy for annual Intercollegiate competition. For the first year it was awarded to the individual winner. Afterwards it became a team award. In 1951, due to a decision by the Collegiate Institute Board of Ottawa, on the recommendation of the athletic coach, students were refused permission to compete because the schools were not willing to take responsibility for student competitions where a member of the staff was not in charge of the pupils. The Southam Trophy was then made available for junior cross-country competition. In 1956 some collegiates withdrew their opposition to intercollegiate events and gradually nearly all came in again. In that year the Winthrop F. (Dalton) Wood Memorial Trophy was available for interscholastic four-way competition. (Jumping, cross-country, slalom and downhill.) Thus intercollegiate racing come into line with the modern trend. For the first few years of downhill and slalom Club competitions Bud Clark was the outstanding performer with John Taylor pressing close behind him. Sophie Amyot, Roth O'Halloran, D. Charbonneau and Gwen Barnes shared the Ladies honors.
It was in 1941 that Bob Wallace presented the first trophy designated for four-way competition — the Norland Challenge Trophy. This Was retired in 1961. In the interval the four way aspect was gradually dropped because it failed to attract competitors. Experience had shown the racing committee that four way competitions are popular with juveniles and midget classes and when they reach the junior stage the interest is in specialization, either Nordic or Alpine events. Few four-way competitors came forward after the age of sixteen. The four-way competitions for juniors and midgets has led to the emergence of good jumping and cross-country competitors who might not have developed had there been no such competitions.
As skiing developed in both complexity and popularity the number of trophies, and the events for which they were awarded, grew. For instance, from 1960 to 1965 nearly 20 trophics were presented for midget and juvenile races alone, as well as several for seniors. Appendix B lists those still up for competition in the National Capital Division, with the names of winners since the inception of the awards.
Some trophies have been retired. This happened principally because a new policy was adopted concerning annual awards after the burning of Camp Fortune Lodge which resulted in the loss of all trophies. After the fire the following letter was sent to the donors of trophies prior to January 27th, 1963.
Owing to the fact that most of the competitions open to clubs in the Gatineau Zone have for many years been held by the Ottawa Ski Club and because some of the trophies were donated prior ta the formation of the Zone, some uncertainty has existed in the past as to whether the Ottawa Ski Club or the Gatineau Ski Zone is responsible for many of the trophies. A conclusion has been reached that all trophies put up for competitions open to members of clubs in the Zone should be responsibility of the Zone. Only trophies (except those competed for by high schools) that are restricted to club members, should be the responsibility of the Club.