Four-time Olympian to speak to McCall Optimist Club

Hello Friends and Optimist,

I am very excited to announce this week’s speaker. We are fortunate to have four time Olympian Lyle Nelson as our guest. As many of you know, Lyle is a native of McCall and a national celebrity. Lyle is a very interesting, energetic and fun speaker and will share his message of “optimism” with us.

Here are a few of his biographies:

“Lyle Nelson competed in biathlon for the US at four Winter Olympics, and carried the US flag at the 1988 Opening Ceremony in Calgary. He won 13 US and North American championships during his career. Growing up in McCall, Idaho, Nelson captained the football, track, and ski teams at McCall High School. Nelson graduated from the US Military Academy with a degree in engineering in 1971. A US Army veteran, Nelson resigned in 1977 as a Captain, and then earned an MBA from Southern Cal and a PhD in human development from the Fielding Institute. He has since then become the Program Director for Integrative Medicine at the McCall Memorial Hospital. In his honor, the Nordic and snowshoe trail system at Tamarack Resort, near his home, was dedicated in his name.”

“The biathlon accomplishments of Lyle Nelson are founded in the sport’s demanding ingredients: discipline, dedication and determination. A native of McCall, Idaho, Lyle was a highly-acclaimed 1971 graduate of the United States Military Academy and later received a Master’s Degree in business from the University of Southern California. His biathlon skills and expertise helped advance the sport to the lofty position it enjoys worldwide. 

Nelson was a member of the U.S. Olympic Biathlon team in 1976, 1980, 1984 and 1988 and winner of 13 National and North American biathlon championships. He served as president of the United States Biathlon Association and was a national TV analyst for Nordic events during the 1994 and 1998 Olympic Winter Games. Nelson served as a sports and venue director during the Olympic Winter Games of 2002 and was founder and past president of the Soldier Hollow (Utah) Legacy Foundation.

An author and editor, Nelson was president of the Willamette Writers Association, one of the largest writers’ groups in the country.”

Come listen to Lyle speak this Tuesday, October 16th at our 0700 Breakfast Meeting at the Pancake House. Invite a friend. We hope to see you there!

Tom Crawford

Promise Yourself....To think only of the best, to work only for the best, and to expect only the best.