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| Bill Polanka favored yellow p-tex bottoms for a reason. |
STORY No. 45
BILL POLANKA
Age 60
Duluth, MN
Duluth Ski Club, 1971 National Champion, 1971-1972 US Ski Team
The Story of the Special Wax…
It was 1973 at Black Hawk Ski Club Madison, Wi. It was my first time driving on a trip and taking some of the other Duluth skiers to an event.
It was cold that year, near zero wind crossing east to west from behind. Sunday tournament, we had come back from lunch and had to park in a different spot. Everyone grabbed their skies and items, headed to the take-off area except myself, this was a perfect place to set up to prepare, Grabbed my skies, cleaned and checked the bottoms, then placed them on the ski racks on the roof of the car, bottoms facing up. Lounged around the car, you know, getting all the little things started, left boot first, then right, gloves, goggles, ok let’s go.
Jumped out of the car and realized something was wrong. Was getting sprayed or hit with sleet, there were yellow icy drops all over my ski bottoms then it hit me, no pun intended. I had parked near the back tower of the in run, with the wind direction; every time someone took a squirt at the top of the jump before their ride it was dripping out the box and in the wind, and had covered my skis.
Well I never told anyone about it that day at Black Hawk’s 60 meter. Rubbed the skis off in a snow bank and jumped pretty well that day, and I’m sure I had the fastest skis on the hill that afternoon. Didn’t park in the spray wax area anymore.
