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| Dr. Don, the Flying Dentist! |
STORY No. 64
DON HURST
Age 81
Marquette, MI
Ishpeming Ski Club
First of all, I was commonly known as “Dr. Don, the flying dentist”. I am Don Hurst, age 81, still living in Marquette, MI, where I was born, and practiced dentistry for over 33 years. I am still active in biking and cross-country skiing marathons, but of all the sports I have experienced in my long lifetime, ski jumping was far and away the most challenging and satisfying. My greatest years were spent in the Veteran’s Class, from 1967-1973.
Those were the days when, to start a tournament, the call went out . . .”Vets to the top!!!” If we survived the current conditions of the hill, the rest of the field was sent up. Sometimes, the conditions were much less than ideal, and I remember one day on Pine Mountain the scaffold was raked smooth but no track was set before it froze. Coming out of the shack at the top, from an angle off of the picnic table, I slid sideways half way down to the takeoff, and was relieved when I was finally airborne where I had some control.
Another memory is of Ed Brisson, but I don’t remember which hill it was. Anyway, there was a grab bar across the exit of the top start. Ed, with his usual exuberance, grabbed it, gave a huge kickoff, and the bar hit him across the forehead, knocking him out! He slid down the inrun and, fortunately, stopped before the takeoff.
Another story involved Jacque Charland, of Canada on old Suicide Hill. Just as he kicked out of the start, one of his bindings popped open. We yelled to him, and he immediately squatted down, dragged his hands, and went off the side into the woods.
In closing, I sometimes wonder if ski jumping is easier now than in the old days. With the wide, light skis, the cables holding the heels of the boots so you don’t have to spend all your energy holding the tips up on takeoff, it must really feel like a free ride! But, I’ll never know . . . I have no plans to come out of retirement!
Cheers . . . Dr. Don
1 Comment
Don is the son of my grandmothers brother. I learned about him while trying to put together a family tree. I hope to call him soon even though he won’t know who I am personally. I feel very proud to know of both his accomplishments and his fathers. Dean Luttrell (grandson of Lona Hurst)