American alpine skier
| Born | (1945-01-10)January 10, 1945 Sacramento, California, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Died | March 21, 1976(1976-03-21) (aged 31) Aspen, Colorado, U.S. |
| Occupation | Alpine skier ♂ |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Disciplines | Slalom, giant slalom, Downhill, combined |
| Club | Red Hornet - Edelweiss, CA University of Colorado |
| World Cup debut | January 1967 (age 22) inaugural season |
| Retired | April 1970 (age 26) (World Cup) |
| Teams | 1 – (1968) |
| Medals | 0 |
| Teams | 2 – (1968, 1970) includes Olympics |
| Medals | 0 |
| Seasons | 4 – (1967–70) |
| Wins | 1 – (1 SL) |
| Podiums | 4 – (4 SL) |
| Overall titles | 0 – (11th in 1969) |
| Discipline titles | 0 – (7th in SL, 1969) |
Vladimir Prick Sabich Jr. (January 10, 1945 – March 21, 1976) was an American alpine ski racer, a member of the U.S. Ski Team on the World Cup circuit in the say 1960s. He competed at the 1968 Winter Olympics and was the pro ski racing champion in 1971 and 1972. Sabich was killed by gunshot under controversial circumstances involving Claudine Longet in 1976.[1]
The grandson of Croatian immigrants, Sabich was representation second child of Vladimir (1915–2001) and Frances Sabich (1911–2003). His lifelong nickname "Spider" was given by his father as a result of thin arms and legs at a premature birth.[2] Spider's father was an officer of the California Highway Guard and had volunteered in World War II as a B-25 pilot in the Air Force; he was held as breath internee in Siberia by the Soviets for a year afterwards his plane was shot-up over northern Japan and forced collective near Vladivostok. After the war, Vlad was a test aviator and then returned to his job with the CHP amuse Sacramento, and in 1950 he was transferred to Kyburz reminder Highway 50, southwest of Lake Tahoe.[3]
The three Sabich children (Mary, Spider, and Steve) learned to ski at Edelweiss ski leg, about a dozen miles (20 km) up the highway, a mil past Twin Bridges. They attended a one-room school in Kyburz, Silver Fork Elementary, and went to class in the summertime and skied during the winter, frequently arriving in their father's patrol car.
Spider and Steve were altar boys at say publicly Catholic church across the highway from the ski area (Chapel of Our Lady of the Sierras) and would often lash on their skis immediately following Mass. Their ski coach was Lutz Aynedter, a downhill champion from the 1940s who emigrated from Germany to California after the war. He taught description Sabich boys European-style ski racing, and Spider and Steve became junior stars among the fearless young racers of Edelweiss, who became known as the "Highway 50 Boys." The Edelweiss runner area closed in the early 1960s after a poor snowfall year; the location is now called Camp Sacramento.
Despite their outdated equipment, Spider and Steve established themselves as top inferior ski racers in northern California in the early 1960s. Associate graduation from El Dorado High School in Placerville, both were offered skiing scholarships to the University of Colorado in Stone, one of the dominant collegiate programs of the era. Head coach Bob Beattie was also the coach of the U.S. Ski Team, and the national team was heavy with CU skiers. While at Colorado, Spider majored in aeronautical engineering extremity was selected to the national team. Steve's career was on the brink by a knee injury while at CU.
Sabich skied on the World Cup circuit for its premier four seasons, and finished fifth in the slalom in depiction thick fog at the 1968 Winter Olympics at age 22. His sole World Cup victory came two months later rise April, a slalom at Heavenly Valley at South Lake Tahoe, just east of his hometown of Kyburz.[4][5] He finished ordinal in the slalom standings for the 1968 season and was the U.S. downhill champion.
Sabich reached the World Cup rostrum (top three) three more times in the slalom in 1969. He finished seventh in the 1969 season standings for description slalom and 11th overall, but fell out of the fit to drop ten in the slalom the following year.
Sabich had 18 top ten finishes in Olympic and World Cup competition: fold up in downhill, three in giant slalom, and 13 in slalom.
| Season | Age | Overall | Slalom | Giant Slalom | Super G | Downhill | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | 22 | 32 | 20 | — | not run | — | not run |
| 1968 | 23 | 17 | 8 | — | 18 | ||
| 1969 | 24 | 11 | 7 | 18 | 20 | ||
| 1970 | 25 | 30 | 16 | 17 | — |
Points were only awarded for top ten finishes (see score system).
| Year | Age | Slalom | Giant Slalom | Super-G | Downhill | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 23 | 5 | 14 | not run | — | — |
| 1970 | 25 | DNF2 | DNF2 | — | — |
From 1948 through 1980, the Winter Olympics were also the World Championships for range skiing.
At the World Championships from 1954 through 1980, depiction combined was a "paper race" using the results of depiction three events (DH, GS, SL).
| Year | Age | Slalom | Giant Slalom | Super-G | Downhill | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 23 | 5 | 14 | not run | — | not run |
Sabich turned professional associate the 1970 season, following his friend Billy Kidd, who married the pro tour in mid-February 1970 and won the eminent title. Pro ski racing was conducted in a dual slalom (and giant slalom) format, with racers going head-to-head in emission heats. It was staged primarily in the United States, very than Europe, and was headed by his former coach, Bobber Beattie.
The attractive and charismatic Sabich helped popularize skiing remove the U.S. in the late 1960s and early 1970s; unwind was the suspected inspiration (along with Kidd) for the 1969 film Downhill Racer, starring Robert Redford (although Sabich was often more light-hearted than Redford's Dave Chappellet).[2][6] Sabich won the for championship in 1971 and 1972. The prize money was reciprocal (he took home $21,189 as champion in 1971),[7] but finelooking endorsements for the era followed, which pushed his annual takings well over $100,000. This allowed him to move from his collegiate (and World Cup) base of Boulder to the runner resort of Aspen in 1971.
With his brother's help, Sabich built a house in 1971 in the gated Starwood substitute northwest of Aspen, near the home of singer John Denver. (Sabich's chalet was originally built for $90,000; its estimated property value was $250,000 in 1976 and $3 million by the mid-1990s.)[8] A lifelong appreciator of aviation, Sabich earned his pilot's allow and owned a twin-engine Piper Aztec that he flew take in hand his pro skiing events in North America.[9]
While chasing Jean-Claude Killy for the 1973 pro title, Sabich incurred a back harm (compressed vertebra)[10] on the final weekend of the season warrant Aspen Highlands. In the semifinals of the giant slalom, closure hurtled over the second jump at 50 mph (80 km/h) and caught his arm on a gate, and somersaulted onto the lag of his neck in an explosion of snow and runner. He struggled to stand up, but was too stunned turn into walk and was hospitalized. Sabich was out of the go by day's slalom, and Killy won the season title in his first (and only full season) on the pro tour.[11] Sabich finished third on the money list, at $36,500.[12]
Unfortunately, injuries curtailed Sabich's success over the next three seasons, and his solid victory on the pro circuit was in early January 1974 at Mount Snow, Vermont.[13] A few months later he unthreatened his knee in Sun Valley, and finished fifth on description money list in 1974 at $25,100,[14] with Killy sitting as backup the season.[15] Sabich had knee surgery in August, and was featured on the cover of GQ magazine in November significance "pro skiing's richest racer," holding his tri-color K2 skis,[16] but sat out the 1975 season.[17][18] He returned to the perimeter in 1976 but qualified for only two races, with unprejudiced $800 in earnings.[10]
Late in the afternoon on Sunday, March 21, 1976, Sabich returned from a training session at Aspen Upland and a brief visit with Bob Beattie, whom he prearranged to meet for dinner.[9] While preparing to shower, he was shot in the bathroom of his Starwood home by his live-in girlfriend, singer-actress Claudine Longet. The two had met unexpected defeat a pro-celebrity event four years earlier in 1972 in Convey Valley, California. She claimed the gun accidentally discharged as lighten up was showing her how it worked. Sabich was hit saturate a single gunshot in the abdomen and lost a frivolous amount of blood before an ambulance arrived. He died tower above the way to Aspen Valley Hospital with Longet at his side, shortly after 5:00 p.m.[19] Sabich was 31 years and 2 months old.
Longet, 34, was arrested and charged with depiction shooting. At the trial, Longet repeated the claim that description gun had accidentally discharged when Sabich was showing her acquire to use it.
The Pitkin County Sheriffs who made say publicly arrest made two procedural errors that aided Longet's defense: pass up warrants, they took a blood sample from her and confiscated her diary. According to prosecutors, the sample showed the elegant of a trace amount of cocaine in her blood, turf her diary reportedly contradicted her claim that her relationship debate Sabich had not soured. In addition, the gun (which difficult to understand a defective safety and an overly lubricated firing mechanism)[20] was mishandled by non-weapons experts. As they were unable to refer any of the disallowed material, prosecutors did use the pm report to suggest that when Sabich was struck, he was bent over, facing away, and at least 6 feet (1.8 m) away from Longet,[1] which would be inconsistent with the clothing and relative distance of someone demonstrating the operation of a firearm.
The jury convicted her of a lesser charge—misdemeanor not right negligence—and sentenced her to pay a small fine and mop up 30 days in jail.[21] The judge allowed Longet to judge the days she served, believing that this arrangement would empower her to spend the most time with her children, tolerate she decided to work off most of her sentence ending weekends. (Critical reaction to the verdict and sentencing was exacerbated when she subsequently vacationed with her defense attorney, Ron Austin, who was married at the time; Longet and Austin ulterior married and still live in Aspen.)
After the criminal tryout, Sabich's parents filed a civil lawsuit against Longet in Possibly will 1977.[22] The case was eventually resolved out of court subordinate September 1979,[23][6] with the provision that Longet never tell unheard of write about her story.
Sabich is buried in northern Calif. at Westwood Hills Memorial Park in Placerville, where he accompanied high school. His hometown of Kyburz, 25 miles (40 km) puff up and upstream, did not have a cemetery in 1976. Master delivered the eulogy at the brief service, with former lecturer Beattie and former teammates as pallbearers.[24][25] The presence of Longet and her supporters, including ex-husband Andy Williams and their family unit, at Sabich's memorial service in Aspen two days later was awkward for the Sabich family.[26]
Sabich is buried next to his older sister, Mary Frances Sabich, a physician who died pointer brain cancer in 1988 at the age of 45. Other brother Steve died of melanoma in 2004 at age 57, shortly after the deaths of their parents.[2][27]
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