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2011 Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum Hall of Fame induction this month

Posted Tuesday, October 11, 2011
— Alpine / downhill skiing, Cross-country skiing, Ski racing

On October 23 in Killington, four skiers will be inducted into the Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum Hall of Fame. They are mogul champ
Karen Huntoon Miller, longtime ski coach Greg McClallen, nordic expert John Morton, and resort leader Preston Leete Smith.

Here is a bit about the new hall of famers from the Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum website.

Karen Huntoon, originally of Brandon / Rutland and a graduate of Rutland High School, won five world championships in mogul skiing and is now in the freestyle Hall of Fame. She won three World Women’s Moguls Championships in 1975, 1975, and 1977. She came back to win the  Colgate World Trophy Women’s Freestyle Ski Championships in 1977, held at Stratton, after  sustaining a back injury. Originally she participated in three freestyle events - moguls, ballet, and aerials - but found that moguls were her favorite. She appeared in Warren Millers’ Ski in the Sun (1981) among other iconic films.

Greg McClallen, a graduate of Mount Saint Joseph’s High School in Rutland and St. Michael’s College, started his lifelong career as a  teacher and coach in 1966. After six years at Otter Valley High School, where he got the ski team organized, he moved to Rutland High School. Beginning in 1972, he taught English and coached cross country running in the fall, skiing in the winter, and track and field in the spring. His ski team won 17 titles, and in 1976 the New England Championship for Nordic and Alpine combined. In 1987, McClallen  received the National Coach of the Year Award for skiing. He retired from teaching in 2003 and from coaching the ski team in 2008.

John Morton, a four-event skier originally from New Hampshire, skied four years on the Middlebury College ski team. There his aptitude for  cross country skiing emerged, first as Eastern Intercollegiate Champion in 1966 and 1968, then as runner-up in the 1968 NCAA Championships. A four-year assignment to the U.S. Biathlon Training Center at Fort Richardson, Alaska, was interrupted by a tour of duty in South Vietnam. Upon release from active service in 1972, he taught and coached in Anchorage before returning as head coach of men’s skiing at Dartmouth College in 1978. Since then, from his office in Thetford, Vermont, he has developed trails for municipalities and schools, resorts, as well as competition venues for major international events such as the World University Games and Biathlon World Cups while writing and commentating on skiing and outdoor recreation.

Under Preston Leete Smith’s leadership, Killington became the largest ski resort in eastern North America and to this day is recognized  worldwide as one of the big players in North American skiing. Smith’s vision led Killington to the forefront in snowmaking, grooming, innovative lift infrastructure and learn to ski. He focused on creating a better experience for the guests and growth. His accomplishments range from leadership and participation in the Vermont Ski Areas Association, the National Ski Areas Association and the United States Educational Foundation.

Related news

Earlier this year, <link http: www.skihall.org external-link-new-window of fame>Bobby Cochran of the famous Vermont family of skiers, was inducted into the US Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame. Bobby Cochran

Cochran won respect for his athleticism, his dedication and his achievements at all levels of competition from regional through to the Olympic Games. He excelled in all four of the alpine disciplines and over a four-year period, from 1969 to 1973, won seven national titles.

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