Sondre Norheim
, born
Sondre Auverson
, (10 June 1825 – 9 March 1897) was a
Norwegian
skier and pioneer of modern
skiing
. Sondre Norheim is known as the father of
Telemark skiing
.
[1]
[2]
Background
[
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]
Sondre Auverson was born at Øverbø, a little
cotter
's farm and raised in
Morgedal
in the municipality of
Kviteseid
in
Telemark
, Norway. Skiing was a popular activity in Morgedal. Sondre took to
downhill skiing
as a recreational activity, rising to local fame for his skills. He made important innovations in skiing technology by designing new equipment, such as different
bindings
and shorter skis with curved sides to facilitate turns. He also designed the
Telemark ski
, which is the prototype of all those now produced. Sondre Norheim was regarded by his contemporaries as a master of the art of skiing. He combined ordinary skiing with jumping and slalom. In 1868 he won the first national skiing competition in
Christiania
, beating his younger competitors by a large margin. His reputation grew, and eventually made
Norwegian
words like
ski
and slalam (
slalom
) known worldwide.
[3]
Personal life
[
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]
On 15 January 1854 Sondre Norheim married Rannei Amundsdotter from a cotter's farm at
Øyfjell
, a neighbouring village. In March 1854 their first daughter, Ingerid, was born. The next year little Hæge came, but she died at 15 weeks old. The next year Olav was born, and then another daughter they called Hæge, then Anne, Auver, Amund and Talleiv. Sondre and Rannei lost a second child when Auver died at age 12. The family moved around to different places in Morgedal. Their last place was called "Norheim", which Sondre took as a new family name.
[4]
Emigration
[
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]
On 30 May 1884 Sondre and Rannei left Norway together with three of their children? Anne (21), Amund (14) and Talleiv (12). Their son Olav and daughter Hæge had left home previously, and their eldest daughter Ingerid decided to stay back home. Norheim followed in the footsteps of many of his neighbors in Morgedal and emigrated from Norway to the
United States
. After having first settled in Minnesota, they moved to
North Dakota
, near
Villard
in
McHenry County
. He continued to ski when he could, though the climate and flat topography of the Dakota prairie offered few opportunities for downhill skiing. It was said he always had a pair of skis placed outside his door. Norheim grew more religious with age and helped build a
Lutheran
church in Villard. He died in 1897 and was buried in
Denbigh
,
McHenry County, North Dakota
.
[5]
Legacy
[
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]
Sondre Norheim was honored during opening ceremonies at the
1952 Winter Olympics
in Oslo, at the
1960 Winter Olympics
in
Squaw Valley, California
and at the
1994 Winter Olympics
in
Lillehammer, Norway
.
His grave was originally unmarked, but a memorial stone now marks its spot. During the week of
Norsk Høstfest
, held in
Minot, N.D.
, groups visit the grave site and hold a commemorative service in memory of Sondre Norheim.
[6]
The movie,
Frikaren pa ski ? The history of Sondre Norheim, the Father of Modern Ski Sport
was produced by
NRK
in 1970.
[7]
In 1984, Norheim was inducted into the
Scandinavian-American Hall of Fame
as the first class of inductees. A statue of Sondre Norheim by Norwegian sculptor Knut Skinnarland (1909-1993) was unveiled in 1987 in the
Scandinavian Heritage Park
, in
Minot, North Dakota
. During 1988, an identical statue was unveiled in
Morgedal, Norway
by
King Olav V
. During 1993, the Sondre Norheim Eternal Flame Monument was added to the
Scandinavian Heritage Park
. Lars Berge Haugan, a skier representing
Morgedal
, lit the flame.
[8]
Ski jumping world record
[
edit
]
Set on the first ever official ski jumping competition.
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Rolf Bryhn (March 26, 2014).
"Sondre Norheim"
. Store norske leksikon
. Retrieved
August 16,
2015
.
- ^
Kjetil Steinsholt.
"Sondre Norheim, Skiløper"
. Norsk biografisk leksikon
. Retrieved
August 16,
2015
.
- ^
The Cradle of Skiing
Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. February 1993
Archived
2010-02-18 at the
Wayback Machine
- ^
"Sondre Norheim"
. Norsk Høstfest
. Retrieved
August 16,
2015
.
- ^
"
Sondre Norheim: Folk Hero to Immigrant
by John Weinstock (Norwegian-American Historical Association. Volume 29: Page 339)"
. Archived from
the original
on 2020-04-12
. Retrieved
2010-01-20
.
- ^
Curtis Eriksmoen (December 19, 2004).
"The Inventor of Modern Skiing, Sondre Norheim, Later Became a Farmer in North Dakota"
. Fargo (ND) Forum
. Retrieved
August 16,
2015
.
- ^
"
Frikaren pa ski ? The history of Sondre Norheim"
. Vest-Telemark Museum
. Retrieved
August 16,
2015
.
- ^
"
A Torch for the XVII Olympic Winter Games
(Lillehammer, Norway, 1994)"
. Archived from
the original
on 2011-07-20
. Retrieved
2010-01-20
.
Further reading
[
edit
]
- Blikom, Anne-Gry and Eivind Molde (2003)
Sondre Norheim - The Father of Modern Skiing
(North American Heritage Press. Minot, ND)
ISBN
978-0942323351
- Steinsholt, Kjetil and Knut Høihjelle (1993)
Sondre Nordheim fra Morgedal
(Tapir Akademisk Forlag: Trondheim)
ISBN
9788251911443
External links
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]
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