Snowball's Chance: The Story of the 1960 Olympic Winter Games

The story of the 1960 Olympic Winter Games is the saga of the highly improbable that became the wildly successful. Within it are compelling personal stories of underdogs that become unlikely champions, American ingenuity and heroism for team and country. The inspiring story includes a promise kept to a dying loved one, brash stars that falter in the glare of a world spotlight and risky strategies that payoff with golden results. Snowball’s Chance – The Story of the 1960 Olympic Winter Games contains the only complete account of the preparations, pageantry, ceremonies, competitions and epilogues of the historic VIII Olympic Winter Games at Squaw Valley and Lake Tahoe.

We see elaborate Olympic pageantry in the ceremonies and venue decorations instilled by the creative force of Pageantry Chairman Walt Disney. The “Miracle of Squaw Valley” astonishes spectators during the opening ceremonies. For the only time in Olympic history, the venues and athlete residence halls are located in a compact intimate setting that encourages sportsmanship and socializing among nations. The underdog American ice hockey team becomes the “Team of Destiny” by fighting to capture their country’s first gold medal. American figure skaters Carol Heiss and David Jenkins sweep gold in the individual events. Well-trained Soviet and Scandinavian athletes dominate the speed skating and cross-country events. German skiers make surprise upsets in the Nordic combined and ski jumping contests. Read “you are there” accounts of all events and official results. CBS-TV is there to capture the most exciting moments and make groundbreaking live broadcasts to American audiences.

Included are 80-plus photographs by official photographer Bill Briner and others showing historic Olympic venues and athletes in the heat of competition.

Author David C. Antonucci has a passion for winter sports and the history of the VIII Olympic Winter Games. He lives at Lake Tahoe near the site of the VIII Olympic Winter Games cross-country skiing and biathlon venue. He frequently lectures on the 1960 Winter Olympics, Mark Twain at Lake Tahoe and Lake Tahoe natural history.