Gretchen Fraser at the Finish Line
Congratulations to Idaho snowboarder Sage Kotsenberg for winning the slopestyle, opening the Winter Olympics with risk, flair and a 1620 Japan (4.5 rotations and a grab.) Hockey player Hilary Knight from Sun Valley scored a goal and an assist as the women’s team stopped Finland 3-1 in their opener. Hailey skier Jasmine Campbell carried the flag for her native-born U.S. Virgin Islands team during the opening ceremonies.
In The Valley, the politics of the Olympics have always taken a deep back seat to the celebration of sport and athlete. Dozens of Olympic competitors make the Wood River Valley their home, both home-grown and adopted, and the Valley unites in cheering on the newest competitors. We all wish great good luck to all our athletes and coaches at the Games this year.
Our Regional History Library and main stacks have many stories of the Winter Olympics and Olympians–Gretchen Fraser and Dick Durrance, Betty (Bell) Weir and Chuck Ferries, the Patterson clan, the Crist clan, the Corrock clan, Christin Cooper, and multiple medal winner Picabo Street. Search our Photo archives for many iconic images of Olympians past and present (or contribute some photos of your own!)
Picabo Street
One of our most popular and enduring books this last year is The Boys in the Boat: nine Americans and their epic quest for gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics / Daniel James Brown. Holds are still accumulating on this title. Politics and issues wax and change, but stories that celebrate the innate spirit of teamwork in sport, the quest of the athlete and the powerful draw of the Games do stand the test of time.
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