Rod Aller
The racing career of Rod Aller epitomizes the
value of amateur sportsmanship. From cross-country skiing at age eight in 1924
to his four gold medals at The World Masters Criterium
(Abetone, Italy) in 2001 at eighty-five, Rod loved to
ski and served as an ambassador of the sport.
He formed the Princeton Ski Team in 1934 winning numerous Ivy League
alpine races. He also placed eighth in jumping at the Dartmouth Winter Festival
in 1938.
He won the first Connecticut State Slalom Championship in 1941.
As president of The Salisbury Winter Sports Association in Connecticut,
he restored the 60-meter jump, site of the 1931 Olympic Ski Jumping trials and
worked with Norwegian legend Paul Satre to establish
a Nordic training center.
During the 1986 -87 season Rod won 20 races
on the International Alpine Masters circuit including nine for nine at Bad Kleinkircheim, Bormio, Saanen, Bequera Beret, Olympic
Valley and Lake Tahoe.
He was named U.S. Masters Skier Of The Year in 1988 (Class X) and again
in 1991 (Class XI).
April 14, 1986, Sports Illustrated
– Faces In The Crowd: ÒAller, a 69-year-old
lawyer, placed first in the downhill, slalom, giant slalom and combined to
sweep the 65 -69 age group events for the second straight year at the National
Alpine Masters skiing championships in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.Ó
In the 1991 – 1992 season Rod was the
FIS International Masters Cup Champion in Class IX. He took GS gold at Kossen, AUT; GS gold in Murren
SUI; two SG gold medals and the SL at the Criterium Mondial (Gstaad/Saanen SUI); gold
in two GS races (Alpine Meadows, CA); gold in two SL races (Heavenly Valley,
CA).
He was selected to race on The U.S. Alpine Masters Team in 1997 at age 81
for the fifth time in nine years.
In over 70 years of Alpine Racing Rod accumulated more that 200 gold
medals.
Rod served on the ski patrol of Catamount for over 50 years and supported
Nordic/Alpine competition for all age levels.