Penguin Power! One of ’s first and most successful clubs was created in entirely by, and for, women. RHODA EAVES COLLECTION EAVES RHODA Members of the Penguin Ski Club monitoring a schoolgirl race on the slopes at Mont Saint-Sauveur in 1941. Founded in 1932 by a group of young Montreal women, the club’s first recorded meeting and ski meet were held in the winter of 1934.

BY CARA ARMSTRONG AND LORI KNOWLES

ki clubs have played an important role in gional halls of fame; and have been awarded some the growth of Quebec’s Laurentians as a of Canada’s highest honors. major North American ski hub, as well In the 1933 edition of the Canadian Ski Club An- as in the development of world-class Ca- nual, the Penguin’s founder and first president, nadian racers. And few clubs have been Betty Sherrard—born in Mexico City, raised in Sas successful as the Penguin Ski Club, founded Montreal and educated in England—said the club’s in 1932 by a group of young Montrealers—a group mission was: “to help its members enjoy ski- consisting entirely of women. In the decades since ing to the fullest, and to advance the standard of then, Penguins have won alpine and nordic med- ski proficiency amongst women.” To begin, she als at the Olympic, World Cup, Master’s and recruited fellow female skiers from the Junior national level; been inducted into national and re- League of Montreal and the Canadian Amateur

18 | May-June 2018 HISTORY Ski Association. She also worked closely with the all-male Red Birds Ski Club of McGill University, founded in 1928. While inspired by the Red Birds, the Penguins opted for broader membership criteria. As noted in the club’s official his- tory, The Penguin Ski Club: 1932–1992, the women elected to found their group outside the university as an “important opportunity for young Montreal women to travel, socialize, and stay together [as well as] offer the first ski instruction and com- petition specifically for women.” Membership was by invitation, and the first recorded meeting was held on March 29, 1934. Members COLLECTION EAVES RHODA could make nominations and the Above: Penguin member Rhona executive committee would discuss Wurtele, friends Elizabeth each one. One “blackball” meant “Libby” Elder and Nancy the nomination was referred to McKean, and Hermann Gadner the committee, and two meant the (far right), an influential ski nominee was out. instructor who coached and the Wurtele twins. MAKING HEADLINES Right: The Penguin clubhouse The Penguins began making head- officially opened in January lines almost immediately after being 1939 on land donated by the formed. Olympic track-and-field Molson family. gold medalist-turned-journalist, RHODA EAVES COLLECTION Myrtle Cook, began featuring the club in her sports column, “Wom- en in the Sportlight,” on a regular member Percival Ritchie. “They moved to a house on the “station basis for the Montreal Star. In 1933, were soon outlawed,” she said. “We road” that had three small bed- the Boston Herald featured a story on would start from the top of a steep, rooms, four cots per room and one this unique all-female group. Both uncleared hill and race straight to bathroom. Members claimed they newspapers were fascinated by the bottom. I ended up in a barbed could “lean out one side of a cot to Duke Dimitri von Leuchtenberg’s wire fence, tore my pants and brush their teeth and out the other work with the club. As a graduate cut my knee. This made me very side to cook bacon for breakfast!” of Hannes Schneider’s Ski proud. I still have the scar.’” Desperate for more space, the School and former director of the In 1935, the Penguins joined the club moved the following year ski school at Peckett’s-on-Sugar Hill Canadian Amateur Ski Association to a house in Piedmont, Quebec, in New Hampshire, von Leuchten- and began competing in women’s but soon determined it was too berg had taken on the task of im- races. In that first year, they par- far away from the ski action. A proving the Penguin’s skiing skills ticipated in eight ski races and won permanent home was needed. Ac- and honing their racing technique. every single one of them. Members cording to the official history, John They practiced at Mont Saint- of the group continued to either and Herbert Molson of beer fame Sauveur, and held their first meet win or place in the top five of the stepped in as Penguin patrons in during the winter of 1934. The early Canadian Championships from 1936 late 1938. The Molsons donated competitions included downhill, to 1939. land three-quarters of a mile from cross country, jumping, slalom Saint Sauveur, as well as the funds and a bushwhack race. Laurentian PENGUIN HOUSE: A HOME IS for construction of a building for ski pioneer Herman “Jackrabbit” BUILT BY THE MOLSONS “the fine women who were doing Johannsen organized the festivities During their early years, the Pen- a lot for the Canadian sport (of ski- and set up the bushwhack course guins led a peripatetic existence. In ing) and for the enjoyment of the down an unmarked slope. From 1933, club members used two rooms outdoors.” The Penguin Ski House the club history: “‘I remember the above the Banque National in Saint opened officially on January 1, 1939. bushwhack races,” said Penguin Sauveur as their base. In 1934, they Designed by Alexander Tilloch www.skiinghistory.org May-June 2018 | 19 Galt Durnford of the Montreal ar- Founding member Betty Kemp placed second among the women chitecture firm Fetherstonhaugh and Maxwell, who was studying at the and ninth overall. The twins’ ski- Durnford, the house had a stone École des Beaux-Arts de Montréal, ing (and ) talents received foundation, square log construction had created a Penguin logo, and it a lot of attention in the Canadian that weathered to a silvery gray, was inscribed over the fireplace. A press. In 1947, Rhona and Rhoda pink gables, and a black Mansard unique chandelier with ski tips pro- were joint runners-up for the Lou roof. The front door opened onto jecting from a pewter center made Marsh Trophy, given by the Cana- a ski room that sported racks for the Penguin House extraordinary. dian Press to Canada’s Most Out- 24 sets of , a workbench, and a Nine years later, in 1948, the Red standing . All of it lent to small stove for waxing. Seven bunk- Birds built a clubhouse just a few Penguin prestige. rooms housed 24 built-in bunks. hundred yards away, on land also Additional items provided by donated by the Molsons. Penguins THE PENGUINS AND THE the Molsons, including mattresses, attended many weekend Red Birds WINTER OLYMPICS pillows, blankets, furniture, and parties, leading to several marriages World War II caused the cancel- coal for three years—even 24 tooth- over the years. lation of two Olympics, but the brushes in their holders in the Penguins were finally able to com- bathroom—kitted out the house. THE PENGUINS’ WAR EFFORT pete on the world stage at the 1948 Despite the planning that went into Olympic Winter Games in St. its design, Penguin House did not Moritz, Switzerland. It didn’t go so get the start its members hoped for. well. The Wurtele twins were the Within its first year, Canada de- only two members of the Canadian clared war on Germany and entered Women’s Alpine Team. Rhoda World War II. The club joined in cracked her anklebone six days the war effort as part of Operation before the Games, and Rhona had Pied Piper, a mass evacuation plan an accident during her run…leaving born out of British fear of air attack Canada without medals. from German bombers. More than The Penguins returned to the 20 British refugee children aged five international arena in 1952 for the to 14, plus two English nannies, Winter Games in Oslo, Norway. spent the summer of 1940 at Pen- Rhona was pregnant and unable to guin House. compete, but Rhoda was joined in RHODA EAVES COLLECTION EAVES RHODA Many Penguins also joined the Oslo by fellow Penguins Rosemary Rhona and Rhoda Wurtele with Lucile war effort. Seven became members Schutz and Joanne Hewson, as well Wheeler (center) in Lake Placid in 1946. of the Canadian Women’s Trans- as Penguin Lucile Wheeler. The port services. Others took over the four competed as the first complete, jobs local men vacated to serve four-woman alpine ski team Canada overseas. Penguin Patricia Paré, for had ever sent to the Olympics. example, became the first female In 1956, Wheeler was joined professional ski instructor at Que- by Penguin on bec’s Mont Tremblant. Canada’s Olympic Alpine Ski Team at Cortina d’Ampezzo. Wheeler NEW DIRECTIONS: won a bronze in downhill, becom- THE WINNING WURTELE TWINS ing both the first Penguin and the With many of its original members first North American to medal in occupied with the war effort, the the downhill. She followed this with club set out to attract new interest a spectacular performance at the by hosting novice races and recruit- 1958 World Championships in Bad ing. Among the new members Gastein, Austria, where she won were Westmount-raised identical both the downhill and the giant twins Rhona and Rhoda Wurtele, slalom and came very close to win- who, fresh out of high school, be- ning the combined…ultimately taking came Penguins in 1942. the silver. She was the first North It wasn’t long before the Wur- American to win a World Cham- teles were winning nearly every pionship downhill. Wheeler won race they entered, from Quebec the as Canada’s COURTESY JOSEPH GRAHAM COURTESY During World War II, Penguin member to California. Rhoda won Trem- most outstanding athlete of 1958, and Patricia Paré became the first female blant’s Taschereau downhill by a was later inducted into the Canadian professional ski instructor at Quebec’s convincing 24 seconds, beating both Olympic Hall of Fame and the Ca- Mont Tremblant. the women and the men. Rhona nadian Ski Hall of Fame, and made

20 | May-June 2018 SKIING HISTORY a member of the Order of Canada, as they reached adulthood. tion. “This definitely had an impact, among other honors. At least seven Ski Jays were but we stayed positive,” says Bev named to the Canadian national ski Waldorf, a Penguin since 1953. Bev FORMATION OF THE SKI JAYS team in the 1960s, including Nancy has remained active in the Penguins Despite the Penguins’ success, the Holland, Janet Holland, Faye Pitt, since the house closed, working 1950s were a time when resources Barbie Walker, Garrie Matheson, Jill with her friend Margie Knight to for Canadian skiers were extremely Fisk and Diane Culver. With the plan reunions, organize an annual limited. Even while winning races Wurteles at the helm of the club fall luncheon and publish an occa- and medals, the members remained throughout the 1970s, membership sional newsletter. true to part of the Penguin Club peaked at more than 1,000. While the official club no longer founding mission: “To advance the exists, the spirit of the original Pen- standard of ski proficiency amongst THE END OF AN ERA guins continues. Forty-five members women.” Penguins Bliss Matthews In 1972, increasing costs contributed of the club celebrated the Penguins’ and Ann Bushell hatched the idea to the need to sell Penguin House. It 75th anniversary in 2007, and 19 for the Ski Jay Club in 1957 for was later destroyed by fire. Found- members—including five Olympi- Montreal teenage girls, envisioning ing member Betty Kemp sang its ans—gathered to celebrate its 85th the Jays as a “nonprofit organization, praises: “Without the house, we anniversary in 2017. founded, sponsored, and at all times wouldn’t have become and remained backed by the Penguin Ski Club.” friends,” she said. “Without the This article was originally prepared for the Rhoda Wurtele was head instructor house, we wouldn’t have had any Canadian Ski Museum and Hall of Fame at the ski school for 21 years. responsibility to each other or the by Cara Armstrong, with subsequent re- Ski Jay Nancy Holland was the sport. Bonding. From the house, we search and updates by Lori Knowles and first to make the Canadian ski team learnt the responsibility of maintain- Nancy Robinson. Knowles is a Canadian in 1960. Holland was joined by ing it and the club. From the club, writer and editor whose work appears in Penguin Anne Heggtveit. That same we learnt to work together, to orga- SNOW Magazine and the travel sec- year, Heggtveit won Canada’s first- nize races, and to give school girls tions of The Toronto Sun and The ever Olympic skiing gold medal in and others, the opportunity for the Globe and Mail. Robinson served as Squaw Valley, California. Her victo- young to learn to ski.” researcher and developer for Byron Rem- ry in the Olympic slalom event also The loss of Penguin House pel’s biography of the Wurtele twins, No made her the first non-European marked the end of an era. By the Limits. Special thanks to Penguin member to win the FIS world champion- early 1980s, the Penguin Ski Club Bev Waldorf, who vetted this article for ship in slalom and combined. In had cancelled its formal incorpora- accuracy. Canada, Heggtveit’s performance was recognized by Canada’s highest civilian honor when she was made a member of the Order of Canada. She was awarded the Lou Marsh Trophy as Canada’s outstanding athlete of 1960. These achievements were instrumental in increasing the popularity of skiing in Canada, and particularly in Quebec.

THE PENGUINS DEVELOP GRASSROOTS As the Laurentians began to thrive as a major ski destination, Penguin alumnae began spending more time recruiting and coaching new talent. Penguins Sue Boxer and Liz Dench started the Polar Bear Club in 1961 and taught four- to eight-year-olds to ski for the next 20 years. Rhona Wurtele founded the Ski Chicks in 1961 for nine- to 11-year-olds, At a Penguins reunion in 2017. Front row, left to right: Penguin Olympians Rosie Asch, and the Ski Jay program continued Linda Crutchfield, Rhoda Eaves, Lucile (Wheeler) Vaughan, and Rhona (Eaves) Gillis. throughout these years for teens. Center row: Caroline Emblem, Karin Austin, Andrea Winlo. Back row: Helen Wiegand, All of these clubs groomed young Claudia Graham, Joan Baxter, Jane Schissler, Audrey Staniforth, Joan Meyer, Bev girls to become Penguin members Waldorf, Margaret McGarth, Fran Williams, Frances Hodge and Barbara Barbeau. www.skiinghistory.org May-June 2018 | 21