Scandinavian American. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1945-1958, 1951-02-09
Spotlight on
Norwegian
Americans
BY A. BJERkESETH
Skiers : Good And Bad Publicity
Miniature replica, Souvenir Postal Cards OF Norway
Center Suggested - Werner Was Big Hit
BY A. BJERKESETH

This IS the time or the year that
Norway receives lot of free pub
lcity because Of the ability of her
sons as ski-jumpers. Every Mon
day morning sports pages in the
country feature reports from tour
naments where Norwegians (many
of them exchange students) plac-
ed first, second and third and OF
course it makes us feel pretty
good. although our own skiing
days are years and years behind us.
Not all publicity is good. In one
or two instances this winter, we've
had occasion to read accounts
from tournaments where (Norwe-
gian-American) judges are accus-
ed Of favoring the boys from Nor
way and even some American-born
skiers have voiced the opinion that
they We're robbed From q typi-
cal American standpoint it admit
tedly looks bad that the American
Championship in jumping for the
last 43 years, has been won ~
times by ski jumpers from Nor
way who have been invited to par
ticipate. On the other hand Amer
lean ski jumpers can at any time,
compete in Holmenkollen or any
other big tournament in Norway.
Occasionally they have done so but
not very successfully Americas
so-called champion" Art Devlin
not so long ago. in big Ameri-
can magazine, accused Peter
Hugsted of stealing" the Ameri
can championship from him two
years ago when Hugsted ca m e
late to the tournament and was
allowed to start last. Hugsted won
and Devlin raised the devil about
it afterwards, claiming that Hug
sted should not have been allowed
TO compete. The judges ruled that
Hugsted was not to blame for be-
ing late tthe plane was delayed
in a snowstorm}. Furthermore he
was invited and the public must
y also be considered Hugsted was
at that time and still is the Olym-
pic Champion and consequently
the biggest drawing card
This year we have with us
Torbjorn Falkanger. twice winner
of Holmenkollen and undoubtedly
one of the best ski jumpers in the
world. He is at present exchange
student at Washington State Col
lege and the big attraction every
time he enters a tournament. His
participation in Seattle Ski Club
tournament at Snoqualmie two
weeks ago was widely advertised
but Falkanger did not show up.
The public was disappointed to say
the least, and Seattle's P.-I was
very sarcastic in their Monday
morning report. 1t was plain that
from reading between the lines we
We're to understand that Falkan-
ger had acted like a spoiled prima
donna One week later one or two
lines in the same paper told that
Falkanger ten days before the
tournament had notified Seattle
Ski Club that he could not partici-
pate as he was behind in his stud
les and felt that he must use the
weekend to catch up. Nothing
wrong in a stand like that, but
as late as the day before the tour
nament Falkanger's name was
used as the big drawing card ana
not a word uttered about his not
coming. OF course it Is easy TO
understand why Seattle Ski Club $
tournament committee kept its
mouth shut. but it was very un-
fair to the young student from
Norway who innocently received
somebody else's share Of bad pub
LEFTY.
Unfortunately. skiing as most
any other sport in this country, is
fast becoming big business"
The FIRST r,saatinp of the Sons