Yesterday, 15 March 2014, over a hundred gathered for the official retirement event for two Williams College ski coaches, Ed Grees and Bud Fisher. Beyond having a larger crowd of 160+ show up for a combination of ski races, dinner, reception, and slideshow, which was awesome, the evening was remarkable for two speeches by members of the classes of 1955 and 1957. Certainly, there were congratulatory remarks of all sorts, photos of ridiculous neon suits and former ski areas, and talk of some of Bud's "Bud-isms" and all the other aspects of both coaches- personally and professionally- that will be remembered for a long time.
But the discussion of skiing at the College under Ralph Townsend was extra special in terms of building a ski community and the continuation that Ed and Bud provided. Ralph "built" the ski program at Williams and was crucial in transforming the team into a varsity program with real coaching, facilities, and introducing the skiing lifestyle to Williams. And the days of ski jumping, wooden skis, packing runs and track setting are what we love to hear and think about. But it was Bud (and Ed) who began to specialize the teams, work tirelessly to introduce women to the sport, and continue skiing as one of few D1 sports at Williams, which is dominated by academics and liberal arts. Their tenure, alumni success, and performance at the alumni races speak to their success in building a program, a family, and a lifestyle. We can only hope their predecessors can continue this trend in a changing climate.
But the discussion of skiing at the College under Ralph Townsend was extra special in terms of building a ski community and the continuation that Ed and Bud provided. Ralph "built" the ski program at Williams and was crucial in transforming the team into a varsity program with real coaching, facilities, and introducing the skiing lifestyle to Williams. And the days of ski jumping, wooden skis, packing runs and track setting are what we love to hear and think about. But it was Bud (and Ed) who began to specialize the teams, work tirelessly to introduce women to the sport, and continue skiing as one of few D1 sports at Williams, which is dominated by academics and liberal arts. Their tenure, alumni success, and performance at the alumni races speak to their success in building a program, a family, and a lifestyle. We can only hope their predecessors can continue this trend in a changing climate.
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