NASTAR Founder John Fry Passes.
The ski industry lost one of its most treasured pioneers and founder of NASTAR with the passing of John Fry over the weekend. A longtime supporter of the U.S. Ski Team and ski racing, he is also credited with starting the Nations Cup to recognize the top country each season in the sport.
Fry was inducted into the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame in 1995.
Fry devoted much of his life to ski journalism, serving on the staffs of SKI LIFE, SKI, Snow Country, Skiing Heritage (now Skiing History), and Ski Area Management (SAM) Magazine. His in-depth knowledge and unparalleled passion for skiing brought the sport to life through the thousands of pages he created over his lengthy career.
However, John’s passion for the sport of skiing also ran far beyond the written word as evidenced by his creation of NASTAR (National Standard Racing) in 1969 when he was editor-in-chief of SKI Magazine. He was driven by the idea of creating in skiing the equivalent of par in golf. He adapted the French percentage-of-time system to a program he called the “National Standard Race,” using the acronym NASTAR that we all know today.
The nationwide recreational alpine racing series has engaged thousands of resort visitors for decades, and continues to embrace the passion for alpine ski racing under the management of U.S. Ski & Snowboard. Fry also developed the Nations Cup of alpine skiing, ranking the worlds’ national ski teams based on World Cup points.
“John’s legacy and passion for ski racing will live on through NASTAR, where many U.S. ski racers first enjoyed their taste of the sport,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard President and CEO Tiger Shaw. “He set the bar for commitment to skiing and ski racing as both a journalist, and visionary."
Source: US Ski and Snowboard
Fry was inducted into the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame in 1995.
Fry devoted much of his life to ski journalism, serving on the staffs of SKI LIFE, SKI, Snow Country, Skiing Heritage (now Skiing History), and Ski Area Management (SAM) Magazine. His in-depth knowledge and unparalleled passion for skiing brought the sport to life through the thousands of pages he created over his lengthy career.
However, John’s passion for the sport of skiing also ran far beyond the written word as evidenced by his creation of NASTAR (National Standard Racing) in 1969 when he was editor-in-chief of SKI Magazine. He was driven by the idea of creating in skiing the equivalent of par in golf. He adapted the French percentage-of-time system to a program he called the “National Standard Race,” using the acronym NASTAR that we all know today.
The nationwide recreational alpine racing series has engaged thousands of resort visitors for decades, and continues to embrace the passion for alpine ski racing under the management of U.S. Ski & Snowboard. Fry also developed the Nations Cup of alpine skiing, ranking the worlds’ national ski teams based on World Cup points.
“John’s legacy and passion for ski racing will live on through NASTAR, where many U.S. ski racers first enjoyed their taste of the sport,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard President and CEO Tiger Shaw. “He set the bar for commitment to skiing and ski racing as both a journalist, and visionary."
Source: US Ski and Snowboard
