Buddy Werner

Skier

• Born: February 26, 1936
• Birthplace: Steamboat Springs, Colorado
• Died: April 12, 1964
• Place of death: Samedan, Switzerland

Sport: Skiing

Early Life

Wallace Jerold “Buddy” Werner was born on February 26, 1936, in Steamboat Springs, located in northwestern Colorado at the western edge of the mountains. In the heart of ranching country, Steamboat Springs was also near Howelson Hill, where Buddy learned to ski. Buddy was the second of three children born to Ed and Hazel Werner. Buddy, his sister Skeeter, and his brother Loris all became Olympic skiers. The Werners lived on a ranch until 1942, when they moved to town to be close to school.

Family activities were important and included skiing in the winter and fishing and picnicking in the summer. Buddy’s first skiing experience was on a family outing before he was two years old. Buddy’s father was his first ski instructor and the most important influence in Buddy’s life. Buddy’s ski competition began at the age of six during the Steamboat Winter Carnival.

The Road to Excellence

Love of skiing and instruction in a junior program started Buddy’s skiing career. Junior skiing was a program sponsored by the local ski club to provide instruction and competition for schoolchildren from first to twelfth grades. At the age of nine, Buddy soared 72 feet in the air off the Howelson Hill jump; at ten years old, he won his first regional championship in ski jumping; and at eleven years old he earned first place in the alpine events—downhill, slalom, and giant slalom—at the Junior Championship Meet in Steamboat.

When Gordon Wren became the juniors’ coach, he recognized several qualities in Buddy that help make champions. Buddy had perseverance: When he broke his arm, he skied in a cast. Buddy was never satisfied with himself; he always worked to improve his performance. In a race, he studied the course and planned his strategy. Wren influenced Buddy by teaching that success comes with hard work, discipline, and mastery of fundamentals.

As a member of the Colorado junior team, Buddy won the Junior National Alpine Championship in 1952. In 1953, he earned the distinction as the greatest junior jumper in the United States, jumping 160 feet.

There were other important activities in Buddy’s life too, and the drive and desire to be best was distinct in all of them. He played first chair coronet in the high school band, was a sprinter in track, and lettered three years in football.

The Emerging Champion

Buddy joined Skeeter in representing the United States in international ski competition. At the age of seventeen, Buddy was the youngest man on the team. Buddy’s fearlessness, love of speed, and determination contributed to his excellent performance in the 1954 competitions. Racing against the best skiers in the world challenged Buddy’s fierce competitiveness, and within the next six years, he was called the “best American skier ever.”

Winning the “Nosedive Race” in Vermont earned Buddy a place on the 1956 Olympic team, but taking nosedives was his downfall during the Olympics. Buddy fell in all three events, yet finished 11th in the downhill on one ski. Crouching into an “egg position” in the downhill was Buddy’s technique to increase speed, but the wooden skis of the time made stability over the bumps difficult.

The years 1958 and 1959 were the height of Buddy’s skiing career. The first American to win the Lauberhorn Trophy of Switzerland, he set several course records in the downhill event throughout Europe and the United States. In U.S. competition, Buddy dominated all alpine events. He seemed to be in a class by himself and on the path toward an Olympic medal in 1960.

However, Buddy’s Olympic hopes plummeted when he fell in practice and broke his leg. Many competitors would have gotten discouraged and given up, but not Buddy. In a toboggan with his leg in a cast, he coached, encouraged, and cheered his friends.

Continuing the Story

Breaking his leg made Buddy realize there were other things in life besides skiing. College, marriage, and business, added to skiing, made Buddy’s life busy. In 1960, he enrolled at Colorado University, and in June, 1961, he married Vanda Norgren, a teacher who also loved the outdoors. Vanda helped Buddy become more understanding toward others, which made him a good team leader. A family ski shop in Steamboat Springs put him into business.

By 1962, Buddy was in peak condition. His best event changed from the downhill to the slalom, through Bob Beattie’s skillful coaching. At the Olympic training camp, Buddy emerged as top man; he had another chance at an Olympic gold medal.

Success in pre-Olympic events was encouraging, and fans again believed Buddy was a top contender. Once again, however, bad luck struck during the Olympic events when he fell again. Disappointed by his eighth-place finish in the slalom, seventeenth place in downhill, and disqualification in the giant slalom, Buddy nevertheless maintained his smile and self-discipline to cheer on his teammates to silver and bronze medals. In March of 1964, Buddy announced his retirement from racing following a superb demonstration of skill in the National Championships.

International fame and skiing expertise took Buddy to Switzerland in April, 1964, to film a ski movie. A last, courageous race with an avalanche abruptly ended Buddy’s life when he fell again, just 20 feet from safety, and was buried under 10 feet of wet snow.

Summary

Buddy Werner was great because he was an example to fellow skiers and others who knew him. What mattered most was the quality of effort he gave in skiing and in his life. Buddy went all out in his effort to win, but when he fell and failed to achieve the world championship or Olympic gold medal, he lived by his own words: “I never look back. If I crash this week … there’s another race coming up next week. If I ski as hard as I can maybe I’ll win it.”

Bibliography

Burroughs, John Rolphe. “I Never Look Back”: The Story of Buddy Werner. Boulder, Colo.: Johnson, 1967.

‗‗‗‗‗‗‗. The Story of Buddy Werner: As Authorized by His Family. Steamboat Springs, Colo.: Author, 1965.

Fry, John. The Story of Modern Skiing. Hanover, N.H.: University Press of New England, 2006.