National Ski Patrol System
Patroller Profiles
Meet your 2009-10 Awards Review Board – Stan King
Quote from Great Falls Tribune 2009 “Under that tough-guy, ex-Marine
exterior, Stan King has a heart of gold and he stands tall among his peers in
the Great Falls Ski Patrol.
Hobbit" is the term of endearment that most in the Ski Patrol use
when referring to King, but this "Hobbit" is no softy. “
Great Falls Ski Patrol records list the date of Stan’s commitment to the NSP organization as January 1961. In 1971 Stan King was recognized by fellow National Appointment Number Patrollers and the National Office with a National Appointment Number. The amount of energy put into NSP at the National, Divisional and local Patrol is impossible to tally and is unsurpassable by most patrollers throughout the nation but the following are some Stan’s attributes:
1975, 1976- Gr. Falls Patrol Director
1980, 1981, 1982- N. Division Section Chief
1983- N. Division Section Chief/Division Lift Evac.
1984, 1985, 1986- N. Division Regional Director/Training and Testing Advisor Gr. Falls Ski Patrol
1987, 1988- N. Division Regional Director
1989, 1990, 1991, 1992- N. Division Director
1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997- N. Division Section Chief
1998- N. Division Section Chief/Regional T & T
1999- N. Division Regional S & T Alpine
2001, 2002- N. Division Section Chief/Regional S & T Alpine
National Awards= 1975 Purple Merit Star and Nordic Basic Award, 1995 Blue Merit Star and Anchor Award
Division and Gr. Falls Awards= 1985 Outstanding Patroller; 1999 Mike Bell Long Time Service Award; 1994, 2002 Wayne Ellington Bed Pan Award (Bill Lay will have to explain this one). Stan has also been a National Awards Judge several seasons throughout his NSP career.
1988 Patroller, Winter Olympic Games
1989 Patroller, International Special Olympics
Stan currently represents Northern Division as National Awards judge. He is an Alpine Senior with current attributes of OEC Instructor, Mountain Travel and Rescue Instructor, Alpine Instructor, Alpine Toboggan IT. Stan is a constant resource of information to aid local patrollers and patrollers in Northern Division. Stan has been honored by the Showdown Ski Hill management with a run on the ski hill named after him, King’s Ridge.
Many an accident victim has been the recipient of Stan’s excellent NSP skills and care. The man is a legend in his time. The short guy with the grey beard can be found on the Showdown hill during the week as a pro patroller and on the weekend in volunteer patrol ranks. NSP members are honored to have Stan with his commitment to the NSP organization and his friendship of many years.
Meet your 2010-11 Awards Review Board – Bill Bucher
Bill earned his Senior Patrol Status at Snow Bowl Ski Resort near Missoula, Montana. Since joining the patrol, Bill has stepped up to bat fulfilling many positions on his patrol. He was recognized by fellow National Appointment Holders for his extra ordinary efforts in 2006 by receiving his National Appointment. He is and has been an OEC and S& T Instructor for several years and is currently an IT in both facets. Bill has taken classes in Mountain Travel and Rescue and Avalanche to advance his skills. Bill is the Region 1 (Western) Director and Advisor for the Young Adult Program. If you attend a Senior Class or the OEC refresher at the Northern Division Meetings you know you can always count on Bill to be part of the critiquing or instruction group. In 2008 Bill was awarded a Blue Merit Star for his assistance to his wife, Penny (a Sr. Ski Patroller), for providing medical skills to save the life of a young car accident victim. *Bill is currently the Northern Division Young Adult Program Advisor and the Northern-Western Region Director.
Bill and Penny are the proud parents of 2 upcoming skiers (AJ and Abbey). Be sure and watch for Bill’s articles in the Northern Division Polaris.
Bill’s quote: “Dust On Crust” and “Happy Turns To You, Until
We Ski Again”
Meet your 2010-11 Awards Review Board – Judy Handstede
Member of Eagle Creek Ski Patrol since 1990. I ski at Bear Paw located 29 miles s. of Havre, MT. We moved from Alberta, Canada to the US in 1979. I was a professional Figure Skater in Canada and had only skied a few times prior to our move. With no Ice Arena in Havre at that time and tired of traveling to Gr. Falls for my daughters’ lessons and competitions, our family decided to get serious about skiing. My husband (Herman) and my daughter Riki-Lynn became patrollers in 1983. In our family we never do anything half way and it didn’t take long before my husband was teaching WEC and took EMT boards to help our local patrol. I became a patroller because I was always at the ski hill with my husband and our patrol needed more recruits. I became WEC/OEC Instructor quite by accident (I have always been interested in 1st Aid). I attended a Divisional Meeting in Big Sky a couple years after I joined. My husband represented our patrol at the business meeting and I went to the 1st aid meeting. Little did I know but when I had finished attending during which I put on part of the 1st aid class by impromptu that I would become an instructor.
I have assisted/organized with my husband many OEC classes/refreshers and American Red Cross CPR /1st aid training over the years for our patrol/ N. Division and our local community. I feel that by being an NSP OEC Instructor and Instructor Development Instructor that both have sharpened my skills. I enjoy the Division refreshers as a chance to learn from other instructors/patrollers and patrols. Division Meetings are also a good promotion of comradeship. I was appointed Division sec. for Bob Short (Division Director). I currently serve as N. Division Awards Advisor, under Bill Cathey (current Division Director). I am privileged to work for Northern Division with 5 Review Board Members and 2 National Judge Reps. who are very acknowledgeable and competent. Serving as Awards Advisor has expanded my appreciation for the patrollers and advisors in our Division (who have been wonderful at assisting me with my position).
I feel good when I can assist others on and off the ski hill and realize the importance of on-going learning. I enjoy watching my family (husband, daughters and their families) enjoy the Montana Winter Outdoor Season. I am proud to be part of my ski patrol “Eagle Creek”, proud to work for you as advisor for Awards for Northern Division and grateful for your many friendships.
Meet your 2010-11 Awards Review Board – Martin (Marty) Merwin
I was born and lived in Spokane, WA. In November 1980 I moved to Great Falls, MT where I accepted a position at Columbus Hospital. In 1984, Denis James, a member of the Great Falls Ski Patrol, suggested I take the first aid courses and try out for that patrol. Under his, and so many others, tutelage, I became a basic patroller. In 1988 I became a WEC Instructor. I have taught WEC,now OEC, ever since. In January 1997 I moved to Missoula, MT where I started working for the Western Montana Clinic. I also transferred to the Marshall Mtn Ski Patrol. I was a member of that patrol and it's last patrol director till 2004 when due to many years of poor snow the ski area closed.
In 2004 I transferred to the Snowbowl Patrol where many of the members took it on themselves to work with me to improve my ski skills. Because of all their hard work my ski and OEC skills have greatly improved. In the Spring of 2010 I successfully passed the Senior Patroller program.
Currently, I am the OEC adviser for the Snowbowl Ski Patrol.
Lastly, I would like to say thank you to two special people who really spent a great deal of time and effort with me over the last few years and inspired me to again try out for my Senior. These two are from the Snowbowl Patrol. I know what they did for me (and countless others) they didn't do for praise or because of the great pay and benefit package they receive as Volunteer Patrollers, they did it because they could! Like all those who give of their time and efforts they do it for the joy of it and because they can!
Here is to another Great Ski Season. And to borrow from Showdown, lets have fun, be safe and "keep going down hill".
Marty
Meet your 2010-11 Awards Review Board – Ann Brendel
Ann Brendel: Huff Hills Ski Patrol I have been a member of the Huff Hills Ski Patrol since 2001 and I have to say I thoroughly enjoy it. My unofficial duty has been raising funds through grants, solicitations and silent auctions/awards banquet and currently a raffle drawing. Over the years the funds were used to fill the propane tank for the patrol hut or for education for the patrol members. However the last couple of years our goal has been to raise money for a new patrol hut and I am happy to say that we have realized our dreams. It was out of necessity that we moved into the lower level of our new patient care area the weekend of February 19, 2010 which was received with great enthusiasm by the crew that worked on the 20th. Their sense of pride and professionalism shined through as they treated patients in an area with plenty of light, comfort, room for family and a clean and sterile environment. As Steve Thompson told me ‘an aid room shouldn’t be a location where your medical condition gets worse.’ This brings me to how our new Patient Nirvana Experience Station came to be; Volunteers – ‘A person who gives of their own free will and offers themselves up for service or duty’. If it weren’t for volunteers things wouldn’t get done. If it wasn’t for the patrollers on the hill the construction couldn’t have progressed as well as it did. We are an eclectic group of volunteers with numerous skills and talents that have shined through and stepped up to the plate when we needed them the most, from Allen Rabbit reminding us that ‘We aren’t building a piano!’ to our framers, rockers, mudders, painters and fund raisers just to name a few. There are days however when the wind is howling and the temperature dips below zero and you wonder what in the *^%@ am I doing out here! I still haven’t figured that part out yet, but I know why I am on the patrol. It is the people – hands down! They are a group that you can depend on. I was awarded Candidate of the year in 2002 and was awarded Patroller of the year on October 30, 2010. I am also an instructor in training for OEC. I am married with one son who just turned 21 and is a junior at NDSU. We raise Black Angus cattle and I am a Credentialing Support Specialist at St. Alexius Medical Center. My hobbies are of course skiing, gardening, bird hunting and running.
Mel Carnahan,
Mel is owner of Carnahan & Sons, a Towing and Repair Company in Great Falls. He is married with a son and daughter plus 2 grandchildren. Mel is starting his 24th year of patrolling at Showdown Ski Area as a member of the Great Falls Ski Patrol. He obtained his Senior status in March of 1996 and is both an OEC and S & T Instructor. He can be reached at gfsptrauma@qwestoffice.net or 406-799-0938.
Mel is known within the GFSP for his hands-on training. He has run the local refresher for several years, stressing maximizing hands-on with minimizing lecturing. With the local refresher being completed a month ago, he is already starting on next years and that is a fact. He has also used patrollers from other duty teams to help organize the refresher. Each duty team is responsible for ¼ of the refresher and must run through their portion prior to the actual refresher. He lives for this as well as setting up practical stations during OEC classes and especially at the OEC Final. He practices when he teaches and has used his skills on the mountain and off the area. This can be seen in his nickname of “TRAUMA” as well as the (2) Blue Merit Stars he has been awarded.
Mel has given his time and energy to his family, work, and GFSP. This was recognized in 2001 with his National Appointment of 9448. He has been the Outstanding GFSP Patroller three times, but could be it any year if he wanted. He is always willing to help with OEC or S & T skills, all you need to do is ask and he is there. For his service to GFSP and as well as the 2010 year Northern Division Out-Standing Instructor he has been (3) Yellow Merit Stars.
