The oldest competitive club sport on campus, the Vandal Ski Club (now called the Alpine Ski Club) was established by Don Hayes in 1937. Originally formed to compete in both downhill and jumping, the team now competes in three disciplines: Slalom, Giant Slalom and Dual Slalom. In 1949, one member of the team, Sverre Kongsgaard, a Norwegian exchange student, attracted national attention when he broke the North American ski jumping record on Olympian Hill at Hyak, Washington with a jump of 290 feet. The old distance of 289 feet was set by the late Torger Tokle, also of Norway. Kongsgaard’s comment was, “I made a good jump. It may never happen again.”

Sources

PG 2_165-2 Sverre Kongsgaard, skier, 1949; 1949 Gem of the Mountains yearbook; Ski Club Website