State of Vermont hopes to make snowboarding an official sport
The state flower of Vermont is the red clover. The sugar maple is the official tree of the Green Mountain State. And within the next year, several legislators hope to make snowboarding the official sport of Vermont.
How awesome would it be if every state had its own official sport and one day out of the year was designated a state holiday just for that sport. Hawaii could claim surfing while Californians take a day for kiteboarding. The official sport in Idaho could be cow-tipping. Florida might make swimming the official sport. Rhode Island could adopt sailing.
The bill currently sitting in the Vermont legislature cites the importance snowboarding plays in the economic and historical well-being of the state.
Colorado has skiing and snowboarding as its state sports and some Vermont legislators would like to see the dual sports designated as official sports in their state. With competing pieces of legislation sitting in committee, lawmakers do not expect to tackle the state sport issue until the 2010 session.
Both options make sense since skiing and snowboarding have a long history in Vermont:
In 1934, the country’s first ski area opened outside of Woodstock when the first rope tow ski lift was installed, leading to the nation’s first ski race on Mount Mansfield the same year.
Four years later, C. Minot Dole founded the National Ski Patrol in Vermont, using his model to convince the U.S. Army to activate a division of soldiers on skis.
The Suicide Six Resort in Pomfret was the first American resort to allow snowboarding in 1982. Vermont was also the first state to host a snowboard park.
Additionally, Vermont resident Jake Burton Carpenter founded the first snowboard company in 1977 and perfected the technology to build the boards.
A number of Vermonters have excelled in the Winter Olympic games as well, from skier Barbara Ann’s gold medal in 1972 to the first-place snowboarding victories by Hannah Teter, Ross Powers and West Dover’s Kelly Clark.
While we wait to see what happens in Vermont, what do you think should be the official sport in your state?
