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Snow-Bound for Success

Lots of people ski. Lots of people can do that. But not too many people get into a hall of fame of sorts – unless you’re Truckee resident Glenn Jobe.

On Oct. 19, Jobe was inducted into the University of Nevada, Reno’s Wolf Pack Hall of Fame as part of the halftime festivities during the Nevada/San Jose State game. Nevada won 52-24.

“The induction was great,” Jobe said. Nevada athletic director Chris Ault gave the introduction speech during the induction dinner at the El Dorado Hotel and Casino. “It made me really proud to ski for UNR and the United States. It was one of those inspirational introductions.”



He was inducted into the Wolf Pack Hall of Fame because of his time as a skier starting in 1971 until graduation in 1973. He lettered in alpine skiing in 1971 and 1972, but his reputation was made in nordic skiing. He was the team captain in 1972 and 1973 and won the Pacific Coast Intercollegiate cross-country skiing championship in 1973. In the 1972-73 season, he went undefeated against Western Collegiate competition and was named the Western Collegiate Racing champion and he also qualified for the 1973 NCAA racing championships.

“For me, this was just a great honor,” Jobe said. “First cross-country skier to ever be inducted into the University of Nevada Hall of Fame.”



Jobe grew up on a cattle ranch in Alturas, Calif. He spent his first year in Gunnison, Colo., at Western Colorado University, but the town and school were too small and too far from home. So he came to Nevada, only two hours and 30 minutes from home and made a name for himself.

After graduation, Jobe entered the world of U.S. nordic skiing competition. He was a U.S. National biathlon ski team member from 1976 to 1981.

“I wasn’t the best marksman and I wasn’t the best skier, but I was able to put the two sports together and make them work,” Jobe said.

Then, of course, there’s the point you reach in your career where you’re the best of the best at your sport and you need to do something big and great and all that. Like represent your country in the Olympics. He did that in the 1980 Lake Placid, N.Y., games but finished 38th in a field dominated by Scandinavian skiers. He placed 14th at the Pre-Olympic meet in Lake Placid in 1979, which is still one of the top American scores in international competition.

In 1981, he earned the U.S. National Biathlon title in the 20-kilometer.

After graduation, Jobe had moved to Kirkwood where he worked in the cross-country program until 1985, when he moved to Truckee to head up the cross-country program at Tahoe-Donner. In 1991, his own home appraisal business became full-time, which he had started in ’73. He has been active in coaching with Far West Nordic ever since. His business and skiing has found a good place here in Truckee.

“For me the enjoyment out of it is all the friends and all the support you get and you live here in Truckee,” Jobe said. “Truckee’s a great place. It makes it all the better.”

All the skiing and coaching landed him as a forerunner for the 2002 Salt Lake City Games, which meant he had the job of skiing the nordic courses at Soldier Hollow and making sure they were in good condition before the races began. He lived in the athletes’ village, housed between the Americans and the Canadians. The Olympics were a great experience for Jobe, save for the steroid scandal that marred “the best job in the Olympics.”

“The big wave through the athletes compound was when the athlete that got caught using blood enhancing (drugs),” Jobe said. “It’s too bad, I had a chance to ski with Johann Muehlegg (the cross-country skier for Spain that was stripped of a gold medal) a couple of times during the Olympics just when we were out training and he was jus the nicest guy, but you know, he was cheating, so you lose all your respect for those guys. It’s not fair.


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