When author Bob Burns approached the library wanting to do a presentation on his very timely book, I knew nothing about the topic only that part of the history was made on Echo Summit. Oh man, after hearing him speak tonight, I'm more knowledgeable and very intrigued to learn even more.

"This book chronicles the role that the high-altitude training camp and final selection meet at Echo Summit (10 miles west of South Lake Tahoe) played 50 years ago in the historic performance of the U.S. Olympic men's track and field team at the Mexico City Olympics.  Join us for a tantalizing presentation as sports journalist Bob Burns draws the curtain back sharing the incredible history of this time in Tahoe and beyond. Burns does a masterful job weaving the narratives of the men training together, vying for coveted spots on the U.S. team in an idyllic setting, a stark contrast to the turbulent events shaking the country. The book is meticulously researched with plenty of statistics and backstories to satisfy track fans, but also with a firm grasp on the sociocultural setting that gave these Olympics their place in history."
Bob gave an excellent overview of this extremely 'charged' year in our history and also these controversial olympics. He focused a great deal on the location Echo Summit, which I believe drew in the 70 attendees eager to hear more of Tahoe's incredible history. The men's trials for track and field were a two tiered event. Athletes first met for semi-final Olympic Trials in Los Angeles. The final trials were held at a specially constructed track at Echo Summit. This location was called the most bizarre location for an Olympic trials ever, and was chosen to mimic the nearly identical high altitude location for the Olympics in Mexico City.


For those who don't remember or weren't here yet, the year 1968 remains one of the most tumultuous single years in history, marked by historic achievements, shocking assassinations, a much-hated war and a spirit of rebellion that swept through countries all over the world. Occurring at the dawn of the television age, the historic events of 1968 also played out on TV screens across the country, bringing them home in a way that had never been possible before.
And this was in the height of the Civil Rights movement which was brought to the forefront when, after being awarded gold and bronze medals, U.S. athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos bowed their heads and raised their black-gloved fists in a recognized salute to the Black Power movement during the playing of The Star-Spangled Banner. Smith and Carlos were thrown off the U.S. Olympic team, but were seen as heroes in the black community, and their silent protest against racial discrimination lives on as one of the most iconic images in sports history. Wow.
This story is far more than its controversies, however. And I love this summation, "I speak for what the experts say now: more gold medals, more world records, more silver medals, more bronze medals, more American records, the greatest team in Olympic history." This accurate description was famously said by the 1968 Olympic track coach Payton Jordan when he revisited the site of the Echo Summit track in 2000.
And what I found extra cool was the fact that people who were there in 1968, witnessing it all, came tonight to share their stories and memorabilia.



What a history lesson. I can't wait to read the book!