Wendall "Chummy" Broomhall (December 3, 1919 – December 30, 2017) was an American
cross-country skier who competed in the 1948 and 1952
Winter Olympics
The Winter Olympic Games (), also known as the Winter Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were held i ...
. He finished 65th in the 18 km event at the
1948 Winter Olympics
The 1948 Winter Olympics, officially known as the V Olympic Winter Games (; ; ; ) and commonly known as St. Moritz 1948 (; ), were a winter multi-sport event held from 30 January to 8 February 1948 in St. Moritz, Switzerland. The Games were the ...
in
St. Moritz
St. Moritz ( , , ; ; ; ; ) is a high Alpine resort town in the Engadine in Switzerland, at an elevation of about above sea level. It is Upper Engadine's major town and a municipality in the administrative region of Maloja in the Swiss ...
, and finished 57th in the same event at the
1952 Winter Olympics
The 1952 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VI Olympic Winter Games (; ) and commonly known as Oslo 1952, were a winter multi-sport event held from 14 to 25 February 1952 in Oslo, the capital of Norway.
Discussions about Oslo hosting ...
in
Oslo
Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...
. He was a member of the
United States Ski Team
The U.S. Ski Team, operating under the auspices of U.S. Ski & Snowboard, develops and supports men's and women's athletes in the sports of alpine skiing, freestyle skiing, cross-country, ski jumping, and Nordic combined. Since 1974 the team and ...
from 1947 to 1954.
Biography
Broomhall was born in
Mexico
Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
,
Maine
Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...
, and became a member of the Chisholm Ski Club in the 1930s. During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, he served in the
10th Mountain Division
The 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) is a light infantry division (military), division in the United States Army based at Fort Drum, New York. Formerly designated as a mountain warfare unit, the division was the only one of its size in ...
.
Broomhall is the designer for the cross-country trails for both the
1960 Winter Olympics
The 1960 Winter Olympics (officially the VIII Olympic Winter Games and also known as Squaw Valley 1960) were a winter multi-sport event held from February 18 to 28, 1960, at the Squaw Valley Resort (now known as Palisades Tahoe) in Squaw Valley ...
at
Squaw Valley, California, and the
1980 Winter Olympics
The 1980 Winter Olympics, officially the XIII Olympic Winter Games and also known as Lake Placid 1980, were an international multi-sport event held from February 13 to 24, 1980, in Lake Placid, New York, United States.
Lake Placid was elected ...
at
Lake Placid, New York
Lake Placid is a Administrative divisions of New York#Village, village in the Adirondack Mountains in Essex County, New York, Essex County, New York (state), New York, United States. In 2020, its population was 2,205.
The village of Lake Placid ...
, and also served as chief of competition both times. In 1960, Broomhall was the first to use mechanized equipment to groom the trails, a job previously performed by feet and handheld rakes. This was made necessary because of the icy conditions caused by afternoon sun melting the snow followed by cold nights.
Broomhall has donated of land to the Chisholm Ski Club, used to create skiing facilities in the Rumford area after returning from World War II. These efforts culminated in the formation of
Black Mountain of Maine
Black Mountain of Maine is a ski resort in Rumford, Maine, which is most famous for its Nordic skiing facilities, and has hosted several national cross-country skiing championships on its of trails.
The downhill skiing area was expanded in 200 ...
, which opened in 1962. He designed the cross-country trails there as well, now named Broomhall Stadium. The site has since hosted numerous national cross-country skiing championships, and Broomhall remained involved until his death.
Broomhall was inducted into the
National Ski Hall of Fame
The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame and Museum is located in Ishpeming, Michigan, the birthplace of organized skiing in the United States. Located in the state's Upper Peninsula, the building includes the hall of fame and museum, as well as a ...
in 1981, and was an inaugural member of the Maine Ski Hall of Fame when it was founded in 2003.
In 2007, Black Mountain started a new annual tournament for Maine collegiate skiers, named the Chummy Broomhall Cup in his honor. Broomhall died in December 2017 at the age of 98.
Maine skiing legend ‘Chummy’ Broomhall dies at 98
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See also
* Bucky Broomhall
References
External links
National Ski Hall of Fame profilePhotographs of Broomhall
{{DEFAULTSORT:Broomhall, Chummy
1919 births
2017 deaths
American male cross-country skiers
Olympic cross-country skiers for the United States
Cross-country skiers at the 1948 Winter Olympics
Cross-country skiers at the 1952 Winter Olympics
People from Rumford, Maine
Cross-country skiers from Maine
United States Army soldiers
People from Mexico, Maine
20th-century American sportsmen