Page 27 - Jan_14

charlIE MagIll reader athlete

age: 77 | residence: williston | Family: wife, Ruth; three adult children; elizabeth, Marion, and stephen | occupation: Clergy, retired from iBM

Primary sport: skiing

MAyBe ChARLie MAGiLL is A LATe BLooMeR, BuT AT 77, he

BeLieves he’s sKiinG BeTTeR ThAn AT Any TiMe in his LiFe.

The ChieF oF sKi PATRoL AT CoChRAn’s, MAGiLL hAs A son on

The MAd RiveR vALLey PATRoL squAd And hoPes To sKi LonG

enouGh ThAT AT LeAsT one oF his GRAndChiLdRen wiLL don

The uniFoRM FoR ThRee GeneRATions oF voLunTeeRs.

Vs: how long have you been skiing?
from Smuggs, I started volunteering at led several construction projects for skiing with a group. It wasn’t exactly a
CM: I didn’t start until I was 30 years Cochran’s, and this year, I became the Habitat for Humanity, including three- powder day, but I always say that condi-
old. I was working the second shift at chief patroller. It’s different from my and-a-half years in Guatemala and 18 tions are either great or they’re interest-
IBM in Poughkeepsie and some co- days at Smuggs because often on the months in Guyana with Ruth. About ing. I don’t want to be bogged down in
day that I’m there, I’m the only patrol- eight or nine years ago, we looked at finding ways not to enjoy myself. If you
workers invited me to ski with them
during the day. I really enjoyed it and ler, which means when I come across an our lives and saw that that was the only say something is awful, you’ll stop ski-
started going more and more often. Af- accident, I sometimes need to direct by- thing we were doing so we searched for ing, but if you say it’s interesting, you
ter a short time, my wife Ruth looked at standers to help out.
other alternatives and began doing di- can look at it in a different light. I really
our finances and told me that my new saster relief work with United Method- do enjoy all conditions.
Vs: how has your skiing changed as
hobby was getting expensive. I told her ist Volunteers in Mission. We helped out
to give it a try, and if she didn’t like it, you’ve gotten older? after Hurricane Katrina and Ike and up Vs: and patrolling has been handed
I’d quit. When I saw her at the moun- CM: I’ve gotten much better, in part be- here after Tropical Storm Irene. We still down from father to son?
tain, she had fallen off the T-bar so I cause I want to keep up with my grand- do some Habitat for Humanity work, CM: My son patrols at Mad River. I
like to join him there, but part of what
thought that was the end of it, but when children and in part because of the new but it’s not our whole life anymore. [Ed-
I came home from work at 2 a.m., she equipment. I’m a much better skier now itor’s note: Magill is still on the board I enjoy is that his children—his son just
was waiting up for me, which was un- than I was even 10 years ago. There are of directors of Green Mountain Habitat turned 12 and his daughter will be 14
usual. She told me that I should invest some excellent role models for people in for Humanity].
in March—are on the Mad River Free-
my age group. At Smuggs, we had Jim style Team, so I can ski with all of them.
in my own ski equipment, which would
make things less expensive. She hadn’t Thompson, who only quit skiing at 93 Vs: you’ve spoken about the camara- Sometimes his wife joins us too, and
looked like she was enjoying herself, because he had trouble driving to the derie of ski patrol. do you have a group that camaraderie is even better than the
but she did, and we both stuck with it.
mountain.
of skiers to ski with these days? 55-plus club. One of my goals is to keep
CM: I’m part of the 55-plus club at patrolling long enough so that when my
Vs: how do you keep in shape for the
Vs: when did you first sign up for ski Smugglers’ Notch, and I really enjoy grandkids are old enough, we can have
patrol? winter? skiing with company. Last week the three generations of patrollers.
CM: In 1972, I saw someone get hurt CM: I guess I keep my lungs in shape group didn’t want to ski as long as I did,
and was troubled because I didn’t know from playing French horn in the Willis- but I left when they did because I don’t —Phyl Newbeck
enjoy skiing alone nearly as much as
what to do, so I signed up for a first- ton Town Band. I also walk all the time,
aid class. There were two teenagers in and I’m active with Habitat for Human-
the class who told me they were taking ity hammering nails. Somebody told me
the course so they could become junior that when you get to the age I am, you
ski patrollers. It turned out the local ski don’t get in shape, you have to stay in

area needed someone to patrol on Fri- shape; it’s too hard to get back after you
day nights so I volunteered.
lose it.

Vs: and you continued patrolling after Vs: you missed an entire season after
you moved to Vermont? heart surgery, but your first run back

CM: IBM wanted to transfer me out of was down a black diamond trail. I
Poughkeepsie, and I said I would only guess you don’t believe in warm-ups?
accept a transfer to a place that had CM: I never could see the point of a
mountains. I was born in Idaho and warm-up run. Why go down Chilcoot

grew up in California so I would have [a blue square trail at Smuggs] when
liked to go west, but I accepted Ver- you really want to go down FIS [a black
mont. We got here in 1976, and I spent diamond trail]? My cardiac rehab work
three years patrolling at Bolton before was wonderful for getting back to ski-

moving to Smugglers’ Notch, where I ing. I wanted to get back as quickly as
patrolled until about eight years ago.
possible.
I really enjoy doing it. I like running the
toboggans and knowing that I can help Vs: tell us about your work with habi-
tat for humanity?
people. I enjoy the camaraderie, but
the biggest thing is being able to help CM: I actually do two different kinds
people when they need it. After I retired
of construction volunteer work. I’ve

FEbruary/March 2014
VtsPorts.coM 27