This is a fabulous story many Sacramentans may remember. The Mexico City Summer Olympics of 1968 called for a high elevation for American athletes to train in order to get used to the 7,000 foot Olympic venue. Echo Summit was chosen as that locale. I was 21, and my family cabin was a few miles west of Echo Summit. I vividly recall watching construction of the cinder track and all the other facilities that would accommodate American star athletes. There was a feeling of great curiosity, because it was such an unlikely, almost surreal happening. You probably drove past the site without being aware of what was going on. Just before you make the descent on Meyers Grade into the Tahoe Basin, the training camp was hidden by trees about a quarter of a mile before youd start the steep hill toward Tahoe. If you were headed east, it would be on your left. The camp was a huge success and resulted in a victorious American presence at the 1968 Games. Track star John Carlos, commenting on the Echo Summit site, said: Greatness happened here. This weekend, the ceremony marking the location as a historical site was held, and William Burg, a member of this Sacramento group, was instrumental in writing about and broadcasting the historic value of the Echo Summit camp. In attendance were Tommie Smith and John Carlos of the medal-winning track team. Both were hot topics at the Mexico Games when, during the award ceremony, they raised their black-gloved fists in protest of deep-seated racism in America. Here is the story in detail: pausatf.org/data/2013/tfechosummit.html
Posted on: Sun, 29 Jun 2014 00:09:09 +0000
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