TAD LANGLOIS
Newport Nordic Club
tadlanglois@hotmail.com
Like many young, new, anxious, excited athletes that have tried (and loved instantly) the sport of ski jumping, Roland Tremblay was my first coach in the sport. ‘Coach’ isn’t the right description for what he did for all of us. Ski Jumping was simply the tool Roland used to do what selfless people do for community…. He shared himself through the sport. Countless hours at the hill, preparing, advising, judging events, or simply providing a pat on the shoulder when it was required. There is no doubt that Roland loved ski jumping as much as any person I’ve ever known, and like a child loves something, he had a desire to share his joy of it with as many people as possible, if you had interest in it and he would become your friend.
I will miss Roland- I’m glad he was part of my journey in life, and that we shared this passion for Ski Jumping together. I’m sure he’s got his rake in one hand and is teaching angels how to fly right now.
Your “Friend in Flight”
Tad Langlois
DAVE LANTZ
Newport Nordic Club
dlantz@mjharrington.com
I would like to extend my condolences to the family of Roland Tremblay, the ultimate advocate for ski jumping. Roland guided high school teams, national team members, and Olympians based upon his experience as a former high school state ski jumping champion and devoted most of his life to coaching aspiring young jumpers in the Newport, New Hampshire Nordic Club. Roland also worked as ski jump official in the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid and devoted many years to judging local and national competitions.
Three of my fondest memories were weight training in Roland’s cellar, using weights Roland had created with number ten cans full of concrete. We never really knew the exact weights, but we knew they were heavy. Second, his support as my personal coach at the Big Nansen in Berlin, New Hampshire during my final competition there in the mid-1970s, where he guided me to my most successful visit to one of the most intimidating hills that I ever skied. His encouragement led me to a second-place finish in that competition and I have many other fond memories of his guidance throughout the years. He became my local coach when I was not under the watchful eye of John Bower, former Olympian, Middlebury College coach and US Ski Team Olympic coach. Roland’s commitment to the sport led our community in Newport, New Hampshire to name the ski jumping complex in his honor. Roland remained active in his support of ski jumping and Nordic Combined into his nineties and everyone who met him loved the gentle, calming, kindhearted, thoughtful influence he brought to the table. And finally, reminiscing over breakfast at Denny’s in West Lebanon, New Hampshire with Bill McCrillis and Roland, and hearing of Roland’s many experiences from helping a junior skier fly off “the bump” for the first time, to coaching a three-time Olympian. A true unsung hero, he will be missed.
BILL McCRILLIS
Newport Nordic Club
wmccrillis@gmail.com
Earlier this month I was saddened to learn the news that Roland Tremblay, my Newport Nordic Club and Newport High School ski jumping coach, passed away on November 30th at the age of 94. Roland grew up in a large ski jumping family in Lebanon, NH and jumped with the Lebanon Outing Club, for Lebanon High School, and for Kimball Union Academy (KUA). He was a loving husband, father, and grandfather and will be dearly missed.
Those of us in the ski jumping community knew him as a passionate and dedicated coach, club leader, and judge. In the early 1970’s he founded the Newport Nordic Club along with Jim Lantz, Bob Rollins, John C. McCrillis, and Carl Merritt. The genesis of the Newport Nordic Club went from 0 to 60 in no time at all it seemed, much to the dedication and leadership of Roland and the others. Roland always seemed to be at the jump when not working, whether it be maintaining the jumps or coaching at the twice weekly practice sessions. At high school practices Roland would coach not only the Newport High School jumpers, but also the jumpers from Claremont, Sunapee, Kearsarge or any other school or individual that would show up. Roland had the most knowledge and experience of any of the high school coaches, and the high school jumpers loved coming to Newport to be coached by Roland. It was not unusual for Roland to be coaching 20 to 30 jumpers on a given practice night. Roland coached some good teams at Newport High School over the years and his team in 1978 took the New Hampshire High School State Championship in a close victory that year over Bernie Dion’s Lebanon High School team at Cannon Mountain.
Roland had a successful jumping career himself and won the New England Prep School Championships while attending KUA. Roland told my father, John, that he and Bernie Dion jumped Berlin one day and got in 23 jumps. That was 23 times walking up the large landing hill and huge trestle as there was no tow, lift, or car to take them up the jump! Back in those days, Roland and Bernie had to earn and work hard for each and every jump they took on the “Big Nansen.” The last time Roland jumped was in the Newport Winter Carnival when he was 48 years old. Dave Lantz reminisces about this occasion and remembers what a fantastic telemark landing Roland had that day!
Over the past 8 years, I was able to reconnect with Roland which was fantastic. Roland joined us for most of the “Flying Further” golf outings, ski jumping reunions, and BBQ’s. He also came to the “Track Setting” event at Proctor 3 years ago when we celebrated the year-round ski jumping initiative with the Andover Outing Club and Proctor Academy. Roland truly loved the ski jumping community and would do everything he could to stay connected and be involved.
Roland was an incredible mentor and coach to those that knew him. In many ways, he became a ski jumping legend to those that knew him because of his dedication to the sport of jumping for the nine plus decades of his life. Like the previous Story Projects that mentioned John Denny, Al Merrill, and Paul Hastings, Roland has made an impact on ski jumping as an athlete, coach, judge, and leader. His impact will be felt for decades and generations to come. Roland, thank you for all that you did selflessly for so many in the ski jumping community.
