R.I.P. Bill Johnson

Underdog Downhill Olympic Gold medalist passes .

Sad story about his later years...

I imagine there must be folks in the Mission Ridge ski community who knew him well.

This NPR story includes a video of his winning run in the 1984 Olympics:

www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/01/...l-johnson-dies-at-55

I found the following paragraph interesting in the NWTimes obit:

www.nytimes.com/2016/01/23/sports/skiing...dies-at-55.html?_r=0

[size=10pt]In 1979, Johnson received a scholarship to attend the Alpine Training Center in Lake Placid, N.Y. Wind tunnel tests there discovered that he had aerodynamic gifts that gave him a 3 to 5 percent advantage over anyone else who had taken the test. Most skiers have to work at “the tuck,” the position used by downhill skiers: torso hunched over bent knees, fists in front of the face, poles pointed straight back. But it seemed to come naturally to Johnson, who was compared to a gravity-powered rocket.[/size]

I must say, Bill Johnson is one of my biggest inspirations not only for his gold medal winning run, but even more so for his attempt to get back into the sport at 40 years of age.  It is tragic that he suffered the outcome that he did.  Many people that age would assume the prime years are over that and that high ambitions are left to the young.  If he was the man to defy the odds, it would have been him.  Sometimes, people will pay the ultimate price to defy the odds.  I respect anyone who is willing to go against the norm in regards to setting goals and living their dreams regardless of age.  R.I.P Bill, you are and will be an inspiration to many!

fucking A right Donnelly!

I remember a story about his skis and technician. The skis had the best glide and prep and there was concern for there protection , so the tech kept them under high security . There was an unusual amount of attention focused on that pair. Can't remember the techs name but he played a major role in the final result. X

The 1980 USA Hockey Team win and Bill Johnson's winning run are two of my favorite Olympic memories. He was a big inspiration for me as a young skier. He legitimized American skiing it seemed to me. As a kid all I saw on Wide World of Sports were the Europeans winning everything in skiing, and here comes Bill.

He fit the times, in an age Rocky Stallone vs. The Russian. Such USA pride back then and I was full of it up to the gills. He says he's going to Russia (remember Sarajevo, Yugoslavia?) to win a gold - and he does it!

He will always be a hero to me.