“I saw Europeans skiing down mountains with rifles across their backs and in white uniforms. They were soldiers. I thought then I would love to ski like that,” he said.
As a black man in 1958 Chicago, though, he didn’t get much encouragement when he decided to try the sport.
“I couldn’t find any blacks that skied,” he said. “Nowhere.”
“Then, they said, ” ‘Blacks don’t ski.’ “
Stateof.com: I recall the first time I hit the slopes as a snowboarder, in 1997. A teenage white girl approached me as I was coming down that mountain and said, “Wow. I’ve never seen a black snowboarder before!” I said, “I can swim too.” Skiing is tremendous fun, and it’s good to hear that more blacks are taking advantage of this recreational bliss.
Filed under: Uncategorized
