Clarence Lloyd Servold (28 March 1927 – 4 February 2019) was a

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cross-country skier who competed in the

1956 Winter Olympics The 1956 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VII Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Cortina d'Ampezzo 1956 ( or ), were a multi-sport event held in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, from 26 January to 5 February 1956. Cortina, which ...

and in 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 ...

. He was inducted into the Canadian Ski Hall of Fame in 1984.

Biography

Source:https://skimuseum.ca/honoured-members/clarence-l-servold/ Clarence L. Servold was born on March 28, 1927, in

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. A distinguished competitor, coach, and administrator, he was actively involved in the skiing community for 35 years at local, provincial, national, and international levels. His commitment to the sport was highlighted during the

1988 Winter Olympics The 1988 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XV Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Calgary 1988 were a multi-sport event held from February 13 to 28, 1988, with Calgary, Calgary, Alberta as the main host city. This marks the m ...

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, where he was honored by the

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to light the Olympic flame at the Canmore Nordic Centre. His efforts were crucial to the success of the Nordic events at those Games. Servold gained recognition in 1948 when he won the title of Canada’s Junior Nordic Combined Champion, which included both cross-country skiing and ski jumping. He represented Canada at the 1956 VII Olympic Winter Games in

Cortina d’Ampezzo Cortina d'Ampezzo (; , ; historical ) sometimes abbreviated to simply Cortina, is a town and ''comune'' in the heart of the southern (Dolomites, Dolomitic) Alps in the province of Belluno, in the Veneto region of Northern Italy. Situated on the ...

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, finishing 19th in the 15 km Classic cross-country event—the highest finish for a North American that year. He received a second invitation to the 1960 VIII Olympic Winter Games in Squaw Valley, USA, where he competed in the 15 km and 30 km Classic events, as well as in Nordic Combined. However, he had to decline a spot on the 1964 team due to career commitments. In 1956, he also began studying at the

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. He won the 1958 NCAA University Division cross country championships, finishing four minutes ahead of his nearest competitor, and was referred to as “…the best cross-country man in college history” by the Denver Post. He claimed the championship again in 1959 and held the U.S. 15 km Cross Country title for two consecutive years in 1959 and 1960. In 2004, he was inducted into the University of Denver’s Ski Hall of Fame. Returning to Canada in 1960, he coached the Canadian Nordic Ski team at the World Ski Championships in

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. The following year, he became the first Canadian appointed to the Cross-Country Committee by the Federation Internationale de Ski (FIS). In 1964, he continued to compete successfully, finishing first at the Canadian Nordic Championships, and two years later, he coached the national team in Oslo, Norway. As a professional engineer, Servold contributed to the development of various ski facilities, including the 1971 Canada Winter Games site at

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, where he helped design the mountain and its related facilities. He also consulted on the 1975 Canada Winter Games in

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, and served as an official during the events. Servold was involved in designing and updating ski jump facilities, ski lifts, and cross-country courses in

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, and

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. Additionally, he worked with the Canadian Ski Association and

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to establish a five-year plan to boost the performance potential of Nordic Combined athletes.

Personal life

Clarence's brother, Irvin Servold, is also a former Canadian cross-country skier.

References

1927 births 2019 deaths Canadian male cross-country skiers Canadian male Nordic combined skiers Olympic cross-country skiers for Canada Olympic Nordic combined skiers for Canada Cross-country skiers at the 1956 Winter Olympics Nordic combined skiers at the 1960 Winter Olympics Nordic combined at the 1960 Winter Olympics 20th-century Canadian sportsmen {{Canada-skijumping-bio-stub