VIII WINTER OLYMPIC PLAYGROUND 1960

what is the greatest sport in the world ask any of these skiers and what do you think they'll say these people are some of a growing Army of winter sports fans the world over who think there's nothing quite so good as a fast downhill or a long high flight from the 80 meter jump to make life worth living or sometimes it's the Finesse and precision of figure skating that appeals most to the participant and The Spectator too for that matter [Music] but whatever the event in winter sports there's fun and excitement for everyone the doers and the Watchers alike here or anywhere in the world [Music] so widespread is the interest in winter sports all five continents now have them in some form or other [Music] [Music] not all the practitioners are champions of course but many of them are very very good and some like Stein Erickson are among the best in the world [Music] the almost unbelievable skill and Artistry of the serious students of the sport reaches its peak in the Olympic Games which for over 35 years now have included winter sports in the regular card of events in the winter games too as in those classic contests of ancient Greece the idea is to compete for the honor of competing not merely to win Pierre de cupertan founder of the modern Olympic Games expressed this idea well when he said the important thing in the Olympic Games is not winning but taking part the essential thing in life is not conquering but fighting well and in this respect the coming eighth Winter Games will be no different but in almost every other way they will for the eighth Olympic Winter Games of 1960 the eyes of the world will focus on a hitherto little-known spot lying almost on the border between California and Nevada by air 23 hours from Paris 32 from Rio and 29 from Tokyo [Music] this is historic Territory full of the Romance of the early West The Comstock load in Virginia City Lake Tahoe and Snowshoe Thompson himself one of the first skiers of the new world and of course Reno Nevada only 40 or so miles away Reno's nightlife known the world over will be a glamorous part of the visitors off-duty hours with the city planning International celebrations and with important Show Business personalities on hand to perform for the Olympic spectators from Reno a short hours drive and we are at Valley an oblong saucer over 6 000 feet above sea level in the heart of the Sierra Nevada what brings this most exciting and colorful of all the Olympic competitions to this place known up to now to just a few local skiers the chain of events began as an idea in the mind of Alexander Cushing one of the owners and operators of Valley Lodge he and the local people have long known that it is one of the finest natural amphitheaters in the world for winter sports it has a valley floor 6200 feet above sea level that's half a mile wide by a couple of miles long it has three principal Peaks kt-22 and Papoose each one an excellent spot for skiing average snow depth in February 96 inches average temperature 26 degrees the setting and the climate add up to a wonderful spot for the games the story of the selection of Valley is a drama in itself but the decision was reached on June 7 1955 and then the real work began organizing so complicated a project requires a home base so in San Francisco over 200 miles away the organizing committee for the eighth Olympic Winter Games establishes headquarters and soon detailed plans get going in earnest [Music] for the buildings there are only a few at Valley to start with later a three-dimensional model of the Valley and the complete complex of buildings is constructed criticized and revised we do have one thing already a large double chair lift going part way up Peak a ride on it would convince any skeptic that all the natural beauty and endowments one could ask for are here [Music] but time being short work must begin well before the snow melts we are building from scratch almost this is good because nearly everything that's needed will be custom built for its own specific function and never before has this been entirely possible for the winter games it will be hard slow going all the way up here it's a struggle you can own a job when you start changing terrain like this this Valley which is laying here for centuries while the slow but Relentless processes of natural events have shaped it rounded off as sharp corners and Jagged edges covered the peaks with trees this Valley seems to fight back at any impudent effort to rearrange things [Music] Appropriations from both California and Nevada and from the federal government and it takes a lot of money three and a half million dollars from the federal government are going into the construction of the Ice Arena when completed this dramatic and unusual structure will be the nerve center and theme building of the entire Valley complex [Music] the design has achieved professional recognition the progressive architecture award in 1958. [Music] no longer just a design it takes shape as we watch these odd-shaped forms are supports for the metal fingers which suspend the cables holding up the roof [Music] south of the Arenas the 400 meter speed skating OVO this oval is a plumber's dream or nightmare as the case may be it's the first artificially refrigerated one ever used in Olympic competition there are 70 miles of pipe and tubing here nineteen thousand separate joints welded into one continuous Network [Music] with all the natural snow and ice which winter brings to Valley it certainly seems strange that there's any need for an artificially refrigerated outdoor skating service but the carefully controlled temperature maintained by elaborate heat transfer equipment assures an even and uniform quality of ice and maintains constant conditions for all the contestants no matter what the time of day [Music] gradually our Arena takes shape and as the steel work goes into place the originality and functional beauty of the building become more apparent and with a framework all completed the ingenious support system for the roof is easily seen it reminds us of San Francisco's suspension bridges this is no small building it will seat 9 000 Spectators around an inside ice rink used for figure skating and ice hockey competitions it also contains dressing rooms offices guest lounges and facilities for the Press radio and TV core The Opening Ceremonies will be held here just outside with the South End thrown open to create a large Amphitheater there are three other Rings refrigerated also one is near the dormitories the others are at either end of the oil these will also be used for ice hockey games more figure skating events and for practice and for the spectator's comfort and convenience two odd star-shaped spectator centers containing restaurants and lounges through the giant Windows they can look out onto the contest areas while they thaw out rest or Dine The Spectators will still have front row seats what will they do in the evenings where will they stay Lake Tahoe's 90 miles of Shoreline will accommodate thousands of Olympic visitors In First Class accommodations as for entertainment it is both abundant and unique on the South Shore of the lake at Stateline glamorous casinos such as Harrah's Club are open 24 hours a day the year round featured here are the top performers of the entertainment World [Music] a new multi-million dollar theater restaurant will present the brightest names in show business [Music] when you have a thousand athletes from many countries to house feed and entertain you plan their quarters to be if possible in one compact and convenient place such a place is Olympic Village four dormitories the athlete Center for dining or Recreation and a Reception Center primarily for the administrative matters concerning the visitors and there are even sauna baths and an International Bank here again the climate and geography although wonderful for the games are not exactly the best for the Builder construction work during the winter months has to be protected smudge pots keep the concrete foundations from freezing [Music] countries are expected to send more than 800 contestants to take part in the winter games it will take all of this 300 room housing compound to house and feed and provide Recreation space for them and it's all within a five-minute walk of the Arena the attractiveness of these accommodations plus the concern for comfort and convenience may be considered in the category of morale boosters but significant morale boosters all the same for the first time in the history of the Winter Olympics the old friends and new friends alike will live eat and relax in one Center no little norways or little germanies or little Americans but one world [Music] The Village has already been put to use in housing the athletes of the North American ski Championships in February of 1959. like aficionados of any sport shared interests have drawn these athletes together though many of them have not met before even the newcomers will not feel like strangers sharing the strong bond of Interest [Music] played host to the Champions and near champions from all over the world Russians fins British Japanese austrians Americans Norwegians and so on and on this man is truly International a Polish boy representing India and attending an American School [Music] it seems that nothing comes easily at Valley roads exist but they must be greatly improved both California and Nevada are speeding up Highway construction which was already planned or already in progress we commonly admire the pioneering Spirit of our forefathers and sometimes wonder in country like this how the early settlers ever made it foreign [Music] blasts later a fine Highway which will soon be carrying traffic the like of which it has never dreamed [Music] since many people will drive automobiles to Valley their automobiles must be parked but the Navy knows how to do something about this the naval civil engineering laboratory has been experimenting for some time with snow compaction snow and sawdust are tightly pressed together to produce a firm and safe surface first a layer of snow and then sawdust then another layer of snow and more sawdust and so on [Music] our parking lots will be good but will cost only a fraction of what might have been the case the United States Forest Service controls all the land on which the games will be staged it's all within the Tahoe National Forest but the land some of it very valuable has been leased to the state of California for the winter games and for a state park to be enjoyed by all when the contests are finished meanwhile the forest service continues to concern itself with safety and constantly improves its fire prevention and control programs another job of the forest service is the continuous measurement of wind snowfall and temperature the weather bureau will make forecasts both long and short range based on these records this will reduce the chances of last minute changes in plans triggering Avalanches before they become dangerous is one of the precautions they take [Music] some of the most important skills in know-how are brought to bear on the courses themselves teams of technical experts like Willie sheffler Denver University ski coach have literally spent months clambering around the slopes of Valley and nearby McKinney Creek selecting the best course for the Alpine events the cross country the biathlon courses which will meet the Olympic standards for instance for the slalom races at least one-fourth of the course must be on slopes greater than 30 degrees gradient some of the terrain presents a rather Grim picture in the summertime and makes it hard to believe that when winter comes the snow will transform this brutal Granite into the fast exciting courses which have already been praised by Champions like Andro molterer and Tony Seiler some of the most intensive work of the experts has gone into the preparation of the 80 meter 60 meter and 40 meter jumps the outrun is not far from the speed oval and a full view of the jumps as possible from the arena [Music] the climb to the top of the jump takes a lot longer than the trip down [Music] foreign foreign [Music] foreign additional ski lifts have been added to the one already in existence another double lift constructed during the summer of 1958 goes nearly to the top of Papoose one of the Three Peaks surrounding the valley [Music] once the lift is in place it all looks so easy but seeing it in the process of construction again makes one realize how much must be done here just to achieve the simplest objectives thank you foreign [Music] still another lift to the top of kt-22 has been completed and is already in use this could well be the most breathtaking view in the whole valley [Music] one more small lift is yet to come [Music] the entire site for the eighth Olympic Winter Games can be seen from here near the top of KT 22 which also marks the starting point for the giant slalom and the ladies downhill course [Music] thank you as is customary at any Olympic event elaborate timing devices clock the official results of all the events where time is a factor but probably never before has such an elaborate Network been employed the electric starting gate for the downhill run for instance immediately sets in motion the timing devices at the Finish including the splashing clock mounted on the judge's stand as The Spectators watch for the appearance of a contestant they know second by second what his accumulating time is [Music] and as he flashes across the Finish Line electric eyes stop the clocks and instantly communicate the results to the recording stations [Applause] or added Insurance however a parallel system of Records is kept with conventional devices in a small group of buildings near the arena are modest but well-equipped headquarters for the press and other news media it has the advantage of the most advanced electronic equipment not only to print out official results but to supply biographical and historical information previously stored in it all the Machinery of modern data processing is put to use punched cards Random Access Memories high-speed predators and a computer from the center word can be speeded instantly to almost all corners of the world a newly installed network of outgoing and incoming channels links Valley with every communication system on the globe in spite of all safety precautions accidents do sometimes happen it is for this purpose that the national Ski Patrol is on hand with doctors and nurses using the most modern Communications equipment furnished by the army all the courses and all the possible danger points are tied together in an efficient first aid Network so that on a moment's notice if a contestant suffers a spill which could result in injury members of this Corps can know of it and be ready to go to the scene instantly fortunately as in this case their services are rarely put to the test the courses themselves need attention constantly here the cross country and biaflon course is prepared heavy machinery first packs the snow after which tracks are cut into it by men on skis but suppose during the night after a slight thaw a freeze leaves a hard crust over this carefully prepared course here at Valley specialized Machinery will chop it up into a fine powder very much like the fine Pottery snow skiers all hope for and again the tracks are cut into the new Surface [Music] both the biathlon and cross-country events will take place at McKinney Creek a few miles away from the center of action in the valley it takes 15 or 20 minutes to get there and is the only course not near the center of things the biathlon by the way is a new event in the winter games which combines cross-country racing and rifle Marksmanship in this event for every Target missed two minutes are added to the contestants total racing time foreign special equipment conditions the ice and makes possible world record performances in all the ice events thank you in speed and distance skating the contestants alternate Lane so that each one travels the same total distance over a similar ice surfaces even before facilities were completed Valley had already become identified with championship form in winter sports competition in the minds of spectators as these scenes from the North American ski championships testify Valley already transformed will be ready for the eighth Olympic Winter Games in 1960. and will provide the newest and in many ways the best planned of facilities it will be a truly great day for this Splendid Valley when the nations of the world send their best to these greatest of all amateur athletic contests a day when the work is finished and the valley is ready to fulfill its purpose the best from many countries of the world will meet here and strive against each other and against nature for the honor of being the best of all and once again the Eternal Restless Spirit of man the one thing above all which makes this planet a thing apart spawn to the best within it and if in the doing the place is the better for it or if in the doing the man is the better for it it is good [Music] thank you [Music]