19th Hole: The Readers Take Over

Sirs:
As a former UCLA student and eternal UCLA fan, I had to chuckle at the USC football players' contention that UCLA has "the best team your taxes can buy." This would mean that USC, being a private institution and therefore not relying on limited public funds, has the best team its money can buy!
RON COLLINS
San Carlos, Calif.

Sirs:
Stanford, which USC Coach John McKay refers to as "Radcliffe of the West," must pick athletes who are also scholars. There are a few prerequisites to get into Stanford, John. Also, he must be saying that a girls' school (Radcliffe was once all female) beat USC those last two years.
DAVE HICKS
Salem, Ore.

NATE AND THE WARRIORS
Sirs:
A standing ovation to Peter Carry for the long-awaited article on the Golden State Warriors (Could Have Been, Now May Be, Nov. 27). Last year all I read about was the Lakers. Bucks and Knicks. With the additions of Rick Barry and newly acquired Mahdi Abdul-Rahman, the Warriors should keep pace with the Lakers and maybe even go all the way to the NBA championship. But special thanks go to Pete, from me and all Warrior fans, for finally giving Nate (The Great) Thurmond the credit he deserves.
RICK SPEARS
Quincy, Calif.

OLD ALTA
Sirs:
We were delighted and happy to read your article about Snowbird in your Nov. 20 issue (The New Snowplaces Are Showplaces) and the long overdue recognition of our former Alta-ite (though we still consider him part of our community), Ted Johnson. We feel that your article really got to the essence in describing how wonderful Snowbird is.

Some minor corrections are in order, however. Poor "unassuming, shambling old Alta" has five lodges, not four, with 600 beds (vs. Snowbird's 350), and the lodges in Alta, with their new additions, are nationally recognized as being among the best and most modern in the nation. While we are still the Mecca of powder skiers, we also have two relatively new double-chair lifts serving beginners and novices in one of the finest and biggest machine-packed beginning areas to be found anywhere, as well as a new area for intermediate skiers.

A more serious omission in the article, and perhaps even more significant than ours and Snowbird's facilities, great snow and convenient location, is the unique fact that two ski areas, side by side, have established a rapport and a cooperative, harmonious relationship—a coming-together that probably cannot be found anywhere else in the world. We have arranged a package ticket, allowing people to ski in both areas, as well as in nearby Park City, with which we enjoy the same cooperative relationship. Indeed, we in Utah like to think that people who come here enjoy this harmonious spirit as much as the beautiful skiing and the wonderful ambiance.
WILLIAM H. LEVITT
Mayor
Town of Alta
Alta, Utah

UGANDA'S OLYMPIAN
Sirs:
Although Kenny Moore finished fourth in the Olympic marathon, it is glaringly apparent that he deserves a gold medal in journalism for his unveiling of Uganda's John Akii-Bua in A Play of Light and Shadow (Nov. 20). To borrow from Moore's prose, one finds the article to be "eminently worth" reading. With grand and precise strokes that are not unequal to the elegance of the Ugandan sky at sunset, Moore gives a wondrous account of a genuine and likable fellow. Further, one is presented with another and perhaps more important insight from this excellent commentary. That is, in a small country like Uganda, which is torn apart internally, the Olympics take on special significance, for they create not only heroes, but also national spirit.

You did very marvelous, Kenny Moore.
JOHN E. ROBINSON
Needham, Mass.

Sirs:
One had to be at the Munich Olympic Games to really appreciate Kenny Moore's article about John Akii-Bua of Uganda. Despite the tragedies and bizarre happenings, the 400-meter-hurdle event brought together three of the finest athletes: Dave Hemery, 1968 Olympic champion; Ralph Mann, the leading contender; and Akii-Bua. In winning, Akii-Bua was superb in establishing an amazing world record of 47.82. But his victory lap was most expressive of his elation, as was his acceptance of the gold medal on the victory stand. As Kenny Moore put it, "Akii-Bua most symbolized what the Olympic Games might have been."

John Akii-Bua, a humble, well-conditioned and disciplined athlete, is truly the Sportsman of the Year.
EDWARD E. BRUNNER
Middletown, Pa.