International Sports Hall of Fame Gala
The Reno-Tahoe region has a proud history of producing world class athletes including dozens of Olympians, Paralympians and Sport Pioneers. Many of them still make the region their home and continue to carry on the tradition of sport legacy by helping develop the next generation of talent.
It is the commitment of the Reno Tahoe Winter Games Coalition (RTWGC) to honor these premiere sport figures and their endeavors by creating The International Sports Hall of Fame. This gala event will honor their career achievements as well as their contribution to our communities.
The Dinner Gala will be held Friday, November 18th, at the Atlantis Resort & Spa in Reno. This formal and festive evening will proudly induct 7 of the regions finest in competitive sport. They are:
Alex Cushing
As the principal in Squaw Valley Ski Corporation, Cushing persuaded Olympic leaders to hold the 1960 Winter Games at Squaw Valley and put not only Squaw Valley USA but Lake Tahoe on the map. Cushing died in 2006 at age 92.
Lynette Davis
A longtime Elko High School girls basketball coach, she started her career in 1971 (Carlin High School) before the passage of Title IX in 1972. Career highlights include: an overall record of 580-165, won a combined eight state basketball titles and became one of two female athletic directors in the Northern 4A in 2004.
Shane McConkey
The Squaw Valley-based skier began his career as a competitive ski racer and later moved on to extreme skiing. He is also known for his contributions to ski design and construction, specifically for the camber (or rocker) design, and the Volant Spatula and the K2 Pontoon skis. In 2009, the charismatic 39-year-old was died while ski-BASE-ing in Italy’s Dolomite Mountains.
Tamara McKinney
The alpine skier grew up in Squaw Valley and competed for the U.S. for 14 years on the World Cup circuit and in three Olympic Games. She was the first American woman to win the overall World Cup title and had 18 individual World Cup wins as part of her 99 podium finishes. McKinney retired from professional skiing in 1989.
Wayne Poulsen
The Pan Am pilot and skier bought 640 acres of what became Squaw Valley Ski Resort from Union Pacific Railroad in the 1940s. In 1948, he and Cushing formed the Squaw Valley Development Corporation. The iconic resort would host the Winter Olympics just 12 years later. Poulsen was also the founder and first coach of the University of Nevada ski team in 1937. He died in 1995.
Daron Rahlves
The Truckee resident has 28 World Cup podiums, seven U.S. National Titles, a 2001 World Championship in Super G and additional alpine skiing accomplishments that include four Olympic appearances. He retired from World Cup racing at the end of 2006, but competed in the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games in ski cross.
Franz Weber
An Olympian, six-time consecutive World Speed Skiing Champion and former world record-holder, Weber retired in 1985, but returned seven years later to compete in the 1992 Winter Olympics. Feeling he had achieved his speed skiing goals, he permanently retired from the sport following the 1992 Olympics.
