Erlon "Bucky" Broomhall

Erlon "Bucky" Broomhall (born December 7, 1931, in Rumford, Maine) is a Vermont skier, former junior olympic ski coach, and advocate of youth skiing. He is responsible for bringing the first girls' team to the Junior Olympics in 1968.

Life and career

Originally from Rumford, Maine, Broomhall dedicated his career to giving opportunities to young skiers in Southern Vermont. He was the 12th of 15 children, and began skiing early on as a child, following in the footsteps of older brothers Chummy Broomhall, Ray and Charlie (Slim) -- each a member of the Maine Ski Hall of Fame as well. He is a veteran of the Korean War, serving in the United States Navy from 1951 to 1955.

Broomhall attended Western State College in Colorado from 1955–59, where he competed for the ski team for four years. There he concentrated on cross country and jumping competing for four years for the Mountaineers and in 1956 and 1957 helped the team to the NCAA championship. Based on his performance, he was invited to compete in the 1960 Winter Olympics trials in Squaw Valley, California, where he finished 24th in the event.

Returning to Maine in 1962, he taught and coached at Fryeburg Academy, and still found time to compete in jumping and cross country events, earning first place as the State of Maine Nordic Combined Champion. Two years later, four of his skiers finished in the top 10 in the junior nationals.

In 1966 he and his wife Frances moved to Bennington, Vermont to head a total ski program for kids of all ages, kindergarten through high school. He coached cross country, jumping and downhill, winning 5 Vermont State High School championships and helping at least 25 skiers to the Junior Olympics.

He was one of the first in the nation to coach a girls' team, bringing the first women's team to Junior Olympics in 1968. winning five state championships.