Torger Tokle – The Babe Ruth of Ski Jumping
In February 1942 Torger Tokle retired the famed Harris Hill Winged Trophy for the first time by winning the Harris Hill ski jump three years in a row. Torger Tokle was a Ski Jumper originally from Norway who had emigrated to the United States. His nickname was “the Babe Ruth of ski jumping”. He won 42 of the 48 ski jumping tournaments in which he took part and set 24 hill distance records. Tokle won Harris Hill in 1940, 1941, and 1942 to become the first to retire the Winged Trophy. In October 1942 he joined the U.S. Army and was assigned to the ski troops of the 10th Mountain Division during World War 2. His regiment served in Italy and he taught many soldiers how to ski for the first time. Tokle’s fame grew in the Army as his cheerful, unassuming teaching style made him a hero to many, not because of his ski […]