SALT LAKE CITY — Marvin Melville was just 20 years old when he was part of Team USA in the Downhill skiing event in Cortina, Italy in 1956.
“I was 20 years old when I went to Italy and turned 21 at the games,” Melville said. “So, now I’m 90, and in a couple of weeks, I’ll turn 91, 70 years later.”
He said the downhill competition was especially difficult that year.
“Back in the day, they didn’t have grooming, they didn’t have snow cats. It was just the army (that would) side-step the course,” Melville said. “They didn’t have enough snow, so … the Italian Army was shoveling snow and pine needles out of the forest to cover the track. And so it was a little bit tough, and it was very bumpy.”…