Donna Weinbrecht was greeted with a parade when she came home from the Olympics.
The atmosphere of the People’s Republic of China Winter Olympics 2022, is far different from 1992, when the people of West Milford honored their hometown girl. She went to France and brought home a Gold.
Every Olympic year since, people have continued to share memories about Donna Weinbrecht. She was the first person from New Jersey to win a Winter Olympics gold medal after skater Dick Button in 1952.There were more than 100 of Donna’s closest friends and family members who traveled with her when she won the first mogul skiing gold medal in Olympic history, at the 16th Winter Olympics in Albertsvlle France 30 years ago.
The Weinbrecht home at High Crest Lake remains in the family, and many neighbors are still in the community too, after that magnificent event so long ago. The 26 year-old American made a thrilling run that beat the race favorite - two cup champion fan favorite Raphaelle Monod, of France.
Later in the day Donna and her entourage gathered to celebrate at a place called the Wobbly Rabbit. Some said the name was ironic since Donna was certainly not unbalanced on the slopes of the French Alps earlier in the day.
Weinbrecht’s West Milford influence
It was seven years earlier that Weinbrecht became interested in the relatively new sport of mogul skiing that involves fast skiing smoothly between bumps on a 250-meter track and completing two acrobatic leaps. The competitors are judged on their speed and style. Mark Payne, ski instructor, quoted by the press at the time, said Donna was always the quiet one, hiding in the back, all wrapped up in a scarf. He said she really could ski when she took to the slopes.
Peggy Kurlander, who owned and managed Hidden Valley at the time, said it was Weinbrecht and her friend Julie Ann Warill, also of West Milford, who lobbied for the ski area to hire a freestyle instructor. Back home in West Milford the excitement was equal to that of those celebrating in France.
Among the celebrants were members of the West Milford High School Ski Team that Donna had started 11 years earlier. Ellen Gonzalez, a West Milford junior at the time, while on the slopes of Vernon Valley ski resort, told a reporter that Donna brought the township, “considered an inky-dink town,” to the forefront. She was excited when she heard West Milford being mentioned on national television.
Newspaper reports from the time estimated that 20,000 people had lined the mogul course to witness Weinbecht’s skillful navigation. Charlie Pressor, then West Milford Chamber of Commerce president, told a reporter that his phone was “ringing off the hook” with calls from people who wanted to know what type of celebration was being planned, and they wanted to help.
Ski hero’s homecoming
Although Donna won the race early in the day, and word of her victory had been spread throughout the township, it was not shown on television until 8:30 p.m., during CBS Prime Time coverage. Valley View Pub, no longer open, was a popular gathering place in those days, and there was a crowd with eyes glued to the big screen at the end of the bar as they watched West Milford’s Golden Girl perform.
Donna’s homecoming, accompanied by the crowd from town who had gone to France with her, drew a lot of attention when they returned home. When she walked into the original High Crest Lodge building, old friends and many unfamiliar faces were there to greet her. New Jersey Governor Jim Florio sent her a telegram and a citation from the New Jersey Assembly. West Milford Mayor Tom Parisi read a proclamation, and she was a guest on television shows.
Those who were in France were filled with national pride, and after she won the race she was lifted onto shoulders of fans who carried her after the medal was awarded. Her crowd from the United States were singing “God Bless America.” A Welcome Home parade featured township emergency vehicles, clubs and organizations, vintage vehicles, and marchers from children to senior groups. It’s a sure bet that every organization that existed in the town at the time was represented. The parade began from Our Lady Queen of Peace Church parking lot in Hewitt and proceeded along Union Valley Road to the bank/ShopRite parking lot where there was a reviewing stand with township officials and Donna’s family.
Chamber of Commerce President Charlie Presser was master of ceremonies while speakers praised a beaming Donna. It was a special time in West Milford.
Olympics 2022 that begins today is the first time that China has hosted the Olympics. The estimated cost in US money is about $3.9 billion. The schedule includes a record 109 events with over 15 disciplines in seven sports. US diplomats have boycotted this year’s games. The Biden administration will not send an official delegation as a statement against “China’s ongoing genocide and crime against humanity in Xingang,” published reports said. US athletes are still allowed to compete.