FIFTY YEARS AGO…
Fallsburg Skiers Continue Winning Ways
by John Conway
February 2021
SOUTH FALLSBURG—It was February of 1971, and the Fallsburg High School boys and girls ski teams were in the midst of another very successful year.
The Fallsburg boys, who had not been on the losing end of a meet the previous season, had already beaten arch-rival Monticello in January when they took to their home slopes at the Pines Hotel on Thursday, February 4 to host an always tough Liberty team in a DUSO League match-up.
Despite Liberty capturing the top two spots, the Comets came away with their sixth straight league win, and eighth victory overall on the year against a single loss, by a score of 182.35 – 188.4.
Liberty’ standout senior, Gary Allees took top honors in the meet, traversing the Pines course in 34 seconds flat. Teammate Kevin Mullen finished second at 34.3. But Fallsburg took the next five spots to seal the win. Wayne Griffin, Bruce Perlstein, Al Greenblatt, Jay Shapiro, and Pete Stangel were the Fallsburg skiers who took third through seventh place in the meet.
In the girls’ competition, Liberty was able to enter only three skiers, two fewer than the five necessary to compete, and lost by forfeit. Fallsburg girls turned in the five best times before Toby Goodman of Liberty was able to break the string. Sheila Klein led the way for Fallsburg, finishing with a time of 42.35, just ahead of teammate Pat Hinckley.
Both Fallsburg teams would face upsets just two weeks later, when Valley Central of the Orange County League travelled to Holiday Mountain Ski Area in Bridgeville for a non-league encounter and scored twin victories, despite the Comets Sheila Klein turning in the best time in the girls’ competition with a run of 36.539. Ray Smith led the Fallsburg boys, but his 33.745 was good for no better than fourth place overall.