A Squaw Valley memorial skiing sculpture carved out of wood

Winter sport activities in Squaw Valley, California, are celebrated and memorized in various ways. According to a Squaw Valley Olympic Winter Games brochure, “The Ⅷ Olympic Winter Games propelled Squaw Valley USA into the world spot light and spurred a tremendous growth on winter sports—especially in alpine skiing.” To coach young skiers between the ages of 5 and 10 in developing strong fundamental skiing skills, the Squaw Valley Ski Team offers its Mighty Mites program, giving kids their first slides, turns and jumps of world-cup experience. The Mighty Mites not just ski the mountain slopes, they also race and phrase their ambitions via twitter.

The junior skiers are memorized by a 1995 wooden sculpture in front of the Event Service building east of the Base Camp's exhibition/searchlight chair lift: little skiers enjoy their sport on four levels around a towering wood-carved column. Interestingly, the little girls and boys—looking somewhat like children adapted from a fairy tale—do not focus much onto a ski trail, but are gazing at Squaw Valley's surroundings; maybe in admiration of this wonderful, magic winter sport paradise or in hope of a future gold medal.

Many of  the “snow mites” made it to the national ski team. The inscription at the base of the 1995 sculpture for the young winter athletes says:

To remember all of our Squaw Valley Athletes, who advanced from our Might Mites Program through the Squaw Valley Junior Ski Program, to make it to the U.S. Ski Team.

The successful Mighty Mites are: Greg Brockway, Paul Buschmann, Eric Conner, Wendy Fisher, Ron Fuller, Crystal Hager, Bradley Holmes, Jim Hudson, William Hudson, Jimmy Huega, Greg Jones, Todd Kelly, Kristin Krone, Erik Lapin, Todd Loveless, Mike McDougal, Sheila McKinney, Steve McKinney, Tamara McKinney, John Moseley, Rick Moseley, Cory Murdock, Dick Neilsen, Robert Ormsby, Eric Poulsen, Lance Poulsen, Sandra Poulsen, Daron Rahlves, Andreas Rickenbach, Rachel Savitt, Jarrod Semmens, Lee Sevison, Becky Simming, Lane Spina, Barabara Standteiner, Hans Peter Standteiner, Heidi Standteiner, Toni Standteiner, Barry Thys, Edith Thys, Curtis Tischler, Eva Twardokens, Kevin Wolf, Scott Young.

Do you recognize some familiar athlete names?

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