The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-01-07
SKI SPORT IS
 TAKING NATION
 BY POPULARITY
Madness to Some, Great Fun to Thousands; Sport
 Is 6O,OOO Years Old
BY ERNEST BARCELLA United Press Staff Correspondent


 United Press Staff Correspondent Boston, Jan. 7.-CUP)-Some call it madness. Its adherents call it swell fun.
 But which ever way you view ski ing, Americas most recently adopted sport rates today as the nations No. outdoor winter diversion. Ger tainly, there is nothing to equal it in this particular section of the country.
 It is to winter what baseball is to summer and football is to autumn. From standpoint of adult par ticipation, it>probably surpasses even those two favorite standbys, for in skiing you have sport out of which the grownup derives a certain sense of accomplishment. That is because skiing is a participating rather than a spectator sport.
 Though it is only in the past half dozen years that skiing has wit messed a phenomenal growth in in- terest, it was extant long before man ever thought of going places on wheels. AS a mode of transporta- tino, it is as old as anything you can think of. In fact, some histor- ians claim skiing is 6O,000 years old originating in the Scandinavan countries.
 It was these same Scandinavians who introduced the sport into this country during the middle of the last century. Scattered ski clubs were formed. But its universal ap- peal lay dormant until the turn of the current decade.
 Ther why the sudden and tremen- dous growth in the sport? Well, it's difficult to put your finger on any one reason, because it was really a progressive growth helped along by any number of contributing factors.
 The foundation for skiing interest in this section really was built by the Dartmouth Outing club slightly more than a quarter century ago. Perhaps the next factor was the World War and the resultant chang ing conditions and modes of living.
 Following the war, skiing soldiers stationed in the Tyrolean Alps re- mained there for want of something better to do. They passed along the intricacies of skiing to American tourists who, when they came home, talked of the sport enthusiastic cally.
 An important development fol- lowed about 1924. Up to that time, skiing in this country was primarily spectator sport because it was limited ot cross-country and jump ing. Then the slalom and downhill races were introduced. Skiing now became a participating sport.
 Interest rose gradually. More peo- pie were talking about it. They'd heard of the excellent skiing grounds around New England-in New Hampshire and Vermont; in Maine; in western Massachusetts; in northern Connecticut. But how to get there? Along came the Boston & Maine Railroad in 1881 with a revolutionary idea-the "snow train.
 Now ski enthusiasts really were whooping it up. The Joneses were telling their initiated neighbors what grand thing skiing was. So the neighbors took up skiing to keep up with the Joneses-an continued it because they liked it!
 With the aid of publicity, an out door winter sports consciousness was taking a firm hold. The idea of get ting away for the weekend with friends for bit of wholesome win ter fun had a treemndous appeal. There was something courageous about the bite of the Arctic atmo- sphere. There was something ex- hilarating in the thought of athletic accomplishment. And there was the shorter work week with itsFimport- ant contribution-more time for re- creation.
 So, by simple progression, you now have this thing called ski mad ness.