Duane Bridge

Cascade Ski Club's Hero
By Mae Bell, & Chris Miller 1998-1999

Duane Bridge, long time Cascade Ski Club member and currently the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Club, is the recipient of the fourth annual SGMA HEROES Award for the State of Oregon for his lengthy and devoted work with the Mighty Mites ski racing program at Mt. Hood.

The SGMA HEROES Awards program was created in 1994 by the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association (SGMA), in partnership with the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association (NSSA), to recognize and honor the true "unsung" heroes of sports. The Awards are presented annually to individuals who, through their unique commitment and humanitarian spirit, have made a lasting contribution to the pursuit of sports excellence, sportsmanship, participation and/or opportunity within their local communities and beyond.

"Duane was a co-founder (with Matt Greenslade) of the Mt. Hood Racing Team in 1965"

Duane was a co-founder (with Matt Greenslade) of the Mt. Hood Racing Team in 1965, and has devoted countless hours over thirty years in training the 2,500 young racing team enthusiasts who have participated in the MHRT winter and summer training and race activities. He is now in the process of turning the MHRT vehicle they created over to young enthusiastic coaches who will be capable of perpetuating this high caliber program for the benefit of future generations of MHRT participants.

In Duane’s words: "Alpine ski racing is a risk sport with continual improvement emphasis on individual performance conducted in a competitive atmosphere that can help enhance building of character, self esteem, confidence and personal values for benefit of all participants in this particular sports activity. There are no bench warmers in the sport of competitive alpine or nordic events. Variables involved with the ever changing ‘playing field’--ski slopes where practices and competitions are held--are never the same, presenting unique challenges which eliminate repetitive boredom of exactly duplicated arenas where tests of competitor skills take place."

Thank you, Duane!

Cascade Ski Club thanks Duane for his long term commitment to the club, for working with the club’s jumping hill, for his visions of the future goals, and ensuring that the club will be open to families, youth, and all people who have an affinity to the mountain.   Thank you, Duane!