Spider Sabich
Personal information | |
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Born | 1969 ) | January 10, 1945
Vladimir Peter 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 late 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]
Early life
The grandson of
The three Sabich children (Mary, Spider, and Steve) learned to ski at Edelweiss ski area, about a dozen miles (20 km) up the highway, a mile past Twin Bridges. They attended a one-room school in Kyburz, Silver Fork Elementary, and went to class in the summer and skied during the winter, frequently arriving in their father's patrol car.
Spider and Steve were altar boys at the Catholic church across the highway from the ski area (Chapel of Our Lady of the Sierras), and would often strap 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 the 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 ski area closed in the early 1960s after a poor snow year; the location is now called Camp Sacramento.
Despite their outdated equipment, Spider and Steve established themselves as top junior ski racers in northern California in the early 1960s. After graduation from
Olympics and World Cup
Sabich skied on the
Sabich reached the World Cup
Sabich had 18 top ten finishes in Olympic and World Cup competition: two in downhill, three in giant slalom, and 13 in slalom.
World Cup results
Season standings
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 scoring system).
Race podiums
Season | Date | Location | Discipline | Place |
---|---|---|---|---|
1968 |
7 Apr 1968 | Heavenly Valley, USA | Slalom | 1st |
1969 |
12 Jan 1969 | Wengen, Switzerland | Slalom | 2nd |
26 Jan 1969 | Megève, France | Slalom | 3rd | |
1970 |
21 Dec 1969 | Lienz, Austria | Slalom | 3rd |
World Championship results
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 alpine skiing.
At the World Championships from 1954 through 1980, the combined was a "paper race" using the results of the three events (DH, GS, SL).
Olympic results
Year | Age | Slalom | Giant Slalom |
Super-G | Downhill | Combined |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1968 | 23 | 5 | 14 | not run | — | not run |
World Pro Ski Tour
Sabich turned professional after the
The attractive and charismatic Sabich helped popularize
in 1971.With his brother's help, Sabich built a house in 1971 in the gated Starwood area northwest of Aspen, near the home of singer
While chasing Jean-Claude Killy for the 1973 pro title, Sabich incurred a back injury (compressed vertebra)[10] on the final weekend of the season at Aspen Highlands. In the semifinals of the giant slalom, he hurtled over the second jump at 50 mph (80 km/h) and caught his arm on a gate, and somersaulted onto the back of his neck in an explosion of snow and skis. He struggled to stand up, but was too stunned to walk and was hospitalized. Sabich was out of the next 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 last victory on the pro circuit was in early January 1974 at Mount Snow, Vermont.[13] A few months later he hurt his knee in Sun Valley, and finished fifth on the money list in 1974 at $25,100,[14] with Killy sitting out the season.[15] Sabich had knee surgery in August, and was featured on the cover of GQ magazine in November as "pro skiing's richest racer," holding his tri-color K2 skis,[16] but sat out the 1975 season.[17][18] He returned to the circuit in 1976 but qualified for only two races, with just $800 in earnings.[10]
Death
Late in the afternoon on Sunday, March 21, 1976, Sabich returned from a training session at Aspen Highlands and a brief visit with Bob Beattie, whom he planned 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 at a pro-celebrity event four years earlier in 1972 in Bear Valley, California. She claimed the gun discharged accidentally, when he was showing her how it worked. Sabich was hit by a single gunshot in the abdomen and lost a significant amount of blood before an ambulance arrived. He died on 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 the shooting. At the trial, Longet repeated the claim that the gun had accidentally fired when Sabich was showing her how to use it.
The Pitkin County Sheriffs, who made the arrest, made two procedural errors that aided Longet's defense: without warrants, they took a blood sample from her and confiscated her diary. According to prosecutors, the sample showed the presence of a trace amount of cocaine in her blood, and her diary reportedly contradicted her claim that her relationship with Sabich had not soured. In addition, the gun (which had a defect requiring multiple trigger pulls before discharging)[citation needed] was mishandled by non-weapons experts. As they were unable to cite any of the disallowed material, prosecutors did use the autopsy report to suggest that when Sabich was struck, he was bent over, facing away, and at least 6 feet (1.8 m) from Longet,[1] which would be inconsistent with the position and relative distance of someone demonstrating the operation of a firearm.
The jury convicted her of a lesser charge—misdemeanor criminal negligence—and sentenced her to pay a small fine and spend 30 days in jail.[20] The judge allowed Longet to choose the days she served, believing that this arrangement would allow her to spend the most time with her children, and she chose to work off most of her sentence on 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 later married and still live in Aspen.)
After the criminal trial, Sabich's parents filed a civil lawsuit against Longet in May 1977.[21] The case was eventually resolved out of court in September 1979,[22][6] with the provision that Longet never tell nor write about her story.
Burial
Sabich is buried in northern California at Westwood Hills Memorial Park in Placerville, where he attended high school. His hometown of Kyburz, 25 miles (40 km) east and upstream, did not have a cemetery in 1976. Kidd delivered the eulogy at the brief service, with former coach Beattie and former teammates as pallbearers.[23][24] The presence of Longet and her supporters, including ex-husband Andy Williams and their children, at Sabich's memorial service in Aspen two days later was awkward for the Sabich family.[25]
Sabich is buried next to his older sister, Mary Frances Sabich, a
Media portrayals
TV Series Dominick Dunne's Power, Privilege, and Justice aired an episode on the case in Season 6, Episode 5, "The Starlet And The Skier".
References
- ^ a b Meyers, Charlie (September 2006). "Spider Sabich: a tale larger than life". Skiing Heritage: 22–25.
- ^ a b c McHale, Terence (Spring 2005). "Spider Sabich - An Ideal Life" (PDF). California Conversations. pp. 13–23. Retrieved April 9, 2014.
- ^ Dominick Dunne's Power, Privilege, and Justice episode "The Starlet and the Skier", original airdate 13 February 2006
- ^ "Heavenly Valley races end". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Associated Press. April 8, 1968. p. 17.
- ^ FIS-ski.com – World Cup - 1968 results - Heavenly Valley - slalom
- ^ a b Fennessey, Sean (February 6, 2014). "'Downhill Racer' and the baffling absentee legacy of Winter Olympics movies". Grantland. Retrieved April 9, 2014.
- ^ Brown, Gwilym S. (December 20, 1971). "The Spider who finally came in from the cold". Sports Illustrated. p. 92.
- ^ "Vladimir "Spider" Sabich". Croatia.org. Retrieved April 9, 2014.
- ^ a b Meyer, John (October 27, 2009). "Spider Sabich should be remembered as a great racer, charismatic personality". Denver Post. Retrieved April 9, 2014.
- ^ a b "Skier slain, singer booked". Milwaukee Journal. press dispatches. March 22, 1976. p. 1, part 1.
- ^ Brown, Gwilym S. (April 16, 1973). "Goodby, Broadway, hello, Schranz". Sports Illustrated. p. 66.
- ^ "Killy pro champion". Montreal Gazette. April 9, 1973. p. 18.
- ^ "Sabich wins slalom at Mt. Snow". Schenectady Gazette. (New York). Associated Press. January 7, 1974. p. 28.
- ^ "Top pro Hugo Nindl wins in final slalom". Montreal Gazette. Associated Press. April 4, 1974. p. 23.
- ^ Moss, Marv (October 25, 1974). "Fully-fit Killy set for season". Montreal Gazette. p. 26.
- ^ "Spider Sabich - "Pro Skiing's Richest Racer"". GQ. November 1974. Retrieved April 9, 2014.
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ignored (help) - ^ Slocum, Jim (November 27, 1975). "Injuries can't crack Sabich". Milwaukee Sentinel. p. 8, part 2.
- ^ "Sabich back in pro skiing". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. December 21, 1975. p. D2.
- ^ "Andy Williams' ex-wife arrested in skier's death". Miami News. March 22, 1976. p. 1.
- ^ "Answers - the Most Trusted Place for Answering Life's Questions". Answers.com.
- ^ "Longet...Spider's parents sue". Sarasota Journal. UPI. May 18, 1977. p. 13A.
- ^ "Singer settles with parents of slain skier". Montreal Gazette. UPI. September 27, 1979. p. 67.
- ^ "Clauding Longet not at rites for her slain ski-slope lover". Miami News. Associated Press. March 26, 1976. p. 1A.
- ^ "'Spider' Sabich had full life at age 31". The Dispatch. Lexington, NC. UPI. March 26, 1976. p. 10.
- ^ Burns, Bob (March 1996). "Tribute to Spider Sabich". 20th anniversary. Retrieved April 9, 2014.
- ^ "Steve Sabich". Auburn Journal. death notice. April 14, 2004. Retrieved April 9, 2014.
External links
- Spider Sabich at the International Ski and Snowboard Federation
- Spider Sabich World Cup standings at the International Ski Federation
- Spider Sabich at Ski-DB Alpine Ski Database
- AP photo – c. January 1974 – Claudine Longet (age 32) & Spider Sabich (29), archived 20 December 2016.
- Colorado Snowsports Museum – Hall of Fame – Spider Sabich