Denver Wins Carnival Ski Meet
Down at Lou's over a cup of coffee in the cozy confines of the Hanover Inn Ski Hut and in the Robinson Hall headquarters of the Outing Club they're still talking about the lads from Denver, about the two brothers Paul and Keith Wegeman, Don Johnson, Don Elisha and the balance of the team members from the University of Denver who walked away with the Dartmouth Winter Carnival Ski Meet trophy on the weekend of February 8-10.
This marked the first time in the 41-year history of Carnival that a Western power had captured the Carnival meet, and a great Denver team had to go all out to accomplish the feat, as Middlebury and Dartmouth battled in every event for the lead that was not settled until the final tabulations were in.
Despite Wednesday night's last-minute snowfall, the snow cover was insufficient so it was decided to hold Friday's downhill and slalom events at Mount Moosilauke. There on the 3,000 foot Dipper Trail set by former Dartmouth ski ace Ted Hunter the downhill race was held in the morning, and in the afternoon the skiers flashed through a 28-gate slalom course laid out by Hannes Schneider. The Big Green hopes rode high at the end of the day as Brooks Dodge, displaying top form, garnered a first place in both the downhill and slalom for a first in the combined. The Middlebury team showed its strength in the downhill as Captain Tom Jacobs and Dick Ireland tied for second place, with Verne Goodwin finishing fourth for the Panthers. Denver's Paul Wegeman was in fifth place and Fred Barstow of Dartmouth finished sixth.
DODGE COMBINED WINNER
The Denver team collected a few more points in the afternoon slalom event as Paul Wegeman came in second to Dodge, with Keith Wegeman taking fifth. Middlebury remained a threat as Gale Shaw and Tom Jacobs took second and third places. The combined results showed Dodge in the number one spot, Middlebury's Tom Jacobs second, and the Denver brothers, Paul and Keith Wegeman, in third and fourth places, with Fred Barstow of the Big Green finishing fifth.
Saturday morning dawned bright and cold in Hanover—2B below zero at 6 a.m. so the cross-country race was delayed for an hour so that it could warm up to only ten below. As the frost-bitten skiers started to pour across the finish line, the Big Green rooters saw their hopes go glimmering with Denver's Don Johnson leading the pack home, followed by John Armstrong and Dick Snow of the University of New Hampshire. Bob Pidacks of Maine took fourth and Paul Wegeman fifth to increase the Denver lead. Co-Captain Wes Blake was the first Dartmouth man to finish as he came in ninth, while Bill Beck of the Big Green wound up 15th.
Despite the poor showing in the crosscountry event, Dartmouth's hopes soared along with the temperature as some 6,000 spectators trouped to the Dartmouth 40meter hill for the final event of the meet on Saturday afternoon. Thirty-one jumpers took off from the hill, which was in perfect condition, and in some 2 1/2 hours, each contestant had taken three leaps apiece and all that remained was to tot up the final results.
TREMBLAY STARS IN JUMP
Down in the Robinson Hall press room the results began flowing in as the officials worked speedily and efficiently upstairs. Charlie Tremblay of the Big Green put together two leaps of 133 and 119 feet to take first place, while co-captain Colin Stewart of Dartmouth garnered third place with leaps of 131 and 116 feet, and Jim Branch of Dartmouth took fourth place. Denver and Middlebury, however, also had their competitors right at the top with Paul Wegeman of the Pioneers a close second to Tremblay, Middlebury's Tom Jacobs in fifth place, and Denver's Tom Hoffman sixth.
The combined cross country-jump results came next and dashed all hopes of Dartmouth's retaining the Carnival Cup. Don Johnson of Denver was in first place, Paul Wegeman of Denver second, and Tom Jacobs of Middlebury third. Charlie Tremblay was the first Big Green skier to count in the scoring and he showed up in tenth place.
The final team scores showed Denver first with 580.4 points, Middlebury second with 571.7, and Dartmouth third with 569.7, followed by New Hampshire, 554.4; Vermont, 511.3; McGill, 510.8; Maine, 503.7; Syracuse, 475.5; and M.I.T., 395.7.
A few minutes later the Denver team had another reason to cheer as it was revealed that four-event ace Paul Wegeman had won the coveted Skimeister trophy.
Another Carnival meet was over and as the skiers and officials gathered for the Competitors' Banquet in Thayer Hall, all agreed that it had been one of the closest and most hotly contested meets in Carnival history.
While the Saturday morning cross-country race was in progress, some of the top collegiate skaters in the nation were competing in the North American Intercollegiate Speed Skating Races at Occom Pond. Al Broadhurst, a Northeastern University student, displayed the power that gained him an Olympic berth by garnering a first place in the 220, 880 and 2-mile events, a second place in the mile race and a third in the 440 to win the meet. In the runner-up spot was James Hawkins of St. Louis University, who captured the mile race and placed second in the 880 and 2-mile events. Ray Harrington of Syracuse was third and Dartmouth's Martin Lindenauer, who took a second in the 440, finished in fourth place.
IN TEN-BELOW WEATHER the Carnival cross-country racers had to keep going or freeze. In this action shot at Oak Hill, Co-Captain Wes Blake (45), top Green performer, is seen overtaking Schmidt of Vermont.
SKIMEISTER: Paul Wegeman of Denver, who won individual honors in the Dartmouth Carnival meet, shown running the slalom course at Moosilauke.
