Part 5: Honorary Member Awards, Historical Trophies, and Perpetual Race Trophies
In the past, many trophies and awards have been donated, used, and sometimes lost in the Carter Lake Sailing Club to recognize deserving club members in racing as well as non-racing contributions. While details on many trophies and honorary awards are lost, information compiled from histories and LOGs provide some details on Honorary Member Awards, Historical Trophies—1953 to 1970, and Perpetual Race Trophies—1970 to Present.
Honorary Member Awards:
Vice-Commodore Award: Also called the Spirit Award, this award is given yearly in honor of Jim Vance, a happy-go-lucky guy who was always around the sail club and always made people feel welcome. Jim Muchow, in the late 1990’s, proposed this trophy to honor a person whose attitude and general demeanor has positive effects on the CLSC. The brass bell that is part of the trophy belonged to Nance and was donated to the club by his widow. Major Jim Nance was given the bell by his troops when he left Vietnam. It hangs above the door to the deck in the clubhouse.
Commodore Award: (Donated by Commodores Don Waldburger and Scott Williams in 1989.) This award is a large ship’s wheel that hangs in the clubhouse. Awarded yearly, it was designated to have a non-racing criteria and is awarded for service to the club that is above and beyond duty or what is expected of a club member.
Lifetime Contribution Award: (Donated by Mike Morgan in 2011.) This award is given at the request of the Executive Board and recognizes a club member who has made substantial contribution to the club. It hangs in the clubhouse.
Life Membership: This membership award is granted by the Executive Board or membership. It is granted to those individuals who by virtue of their distinguished devotion and service influence the development of the Carter Lake Sailing Club. This award has been given only four times in the Club’s seventy-year history. Commemorative plaques hang in the clubhouse.
Otto and Emmy Koehler: As a founder of the Denver Sailing Club, Otto was instrumental in securing the site at Carter Lake and encouraging the membership to relocate. Emmy served as the first Recording Secretary and wrote the original records. They were awarded Life Membership in 1963.
Roy and Marvene Clark: Roy and Marvene were not sailors, but their daughter was. She joined the Carter Lake Sailing Club and they began spending time at the lake working on many projects and helping for years with the Open Invitational Regatta. They were awarded this in 1985.
Lynn and Bill Keiser: After joining in 1956, Lynn and Bill spent over 50 years participating in leadership positions. As Commodore, Bill coordinated the clubhouse building and signed the first written lease with Larimer County. He brought the first Star to the lake and raced in the Star Fleet to years. Lynn started the Junior Sailing program, served on race committee, and was active in many Club projects. They were awarded Life Membership in 1997.
Don Waldburger: As Commodore in 1986, Don negotiated the Larimer County lease that detailed the gradual transition from moorings to slips. He has been a Club member since mid-1980’s, raced in numerous Regattas, and supported the Club in many projects.
Historical Trophies—1953 to 1970:
At one of the very first meetings of the Denver Sailing Club in the fall of 1953, discussions centered on the “acquisition of trophies, pennants for the oats, racing and general plans for the future.” On March 29, 1954, members approved a Good Sports Cup for “unselfish contribution to the club.” The Grand Lake Yacht Club had originated a Good Sports Cup in 1953 and it was felt that we needed one as well. It was first presented to Otto Koehler, an originator of the club, at the October 24, 1954 Fall Banquet. Over the next ten years, the collection of trophies grew. In the minutes from the end of 1962, these trophies were listed as Perpetual Trophies:
Summer Series:
Corinthian Trophy for 1st place. (Created and donated by Otto Koehler.)
Denver Trophy for 2nd place. (Also donated by Otto Koehler.)
Colorado Cup for 3rd place. (Purchased by the Denver Sailing Club.)
Labor Day Race:
Brooks-Parker Trophy for 1st place. (Donated in memory of two sons who drowned at Sloan’s Lake.)
The Commodore’s Cup for 2nd place. (Donated by Don Hughes, who had won it from the Mile High Boats Association.)
The Columbine Cup for 3rd Place. (Purchased by the DSC.)
Invitational Regatta:
The Adolph Coors Cup Trophy. (Donated by Coors.) This trophy stood about three feet tall. The Invitational was know at that time as the
“Adolph Coors Cup Invitational Regatta.” Unfortunately, this Cup was stolen from the clubhouse many years later.
Perpetual Race Trophies—1970-Present:
Columbia Cup is a large silver trophy with a sailboat on top. While there is no mention of how this trophy came to the Club, later notes indicate it was donated by the Columbia Savings and Loan to commemorate the clubhouse construction loan payoff. First mentioned in 1971, this trophy remains in use today. It now recognizes the best performance by a CLSC member in the Columbia annual spring regatta.
Bill Keiser Award is a wooden boat hull. Originally a silver platter called the Clark Trophy, it recognizes the best performance by a Carter Lake Sailing Club member (as helmsman) in the annual Carter Lake Open Regatta. In 2012, the trophy was filled with names and was retired to be replaced by the current Bill Keiser Award. Bill, a Star racer who had won the Clark Trophy many times, passed away in February, 2012.
McGann Cup is a silver coffee pot donated by the Carter Lake Star Class as a traveling award. It goes to the overall winner of the McGann Cup Race, usually the last race of the season.
Cruiser Cup is intended to recognize the overall Carter Lake Sailing Club sailing Champion. This trophy is a large open cup that in the past held a bottle of champagne. The sailing events used to determine the Cruiser Cup recipient include all club racing series (SPRING, SUMMER, FALL), THE Columbia Cup, and the McGann Cup. The Open Regatta is not included. The winner must be in good standing and be primary helmsman in the races.
Night Race Trophy: This trophy honors the winner of the annual Night Race.
McDonald Cup: (Donated by Junior Sailing instructor Joellyn Newcomb in 1997 in honor of her parents.) This large silver ice bucket is awarded to the winner of the Junior Sailing Regatta.
Junior Sailing Plate: Recognizes the outstanding Junior Sailor of the year. This perpetual trophy was lost for may years. Actually, it was not lost, but tucked away in the attic of the Keiser cabin, having been won by Kristie Keiser in 1975. It was found in 2000 and returned to use in the club.
Commodore Cup: (Donated by Carrie Pfister in 2004.) This large glass vase honors the winner of the Commodore Race, which stipulates that the crew must include children from the family or junior sailing.
Wilson Lady Victory Cup: (Donated by Mike Wilson in the early 1990’s and renamed to include his name after his death.) This award recognizes the female helmswoman winner of the Lady Victory Race.
These trophies are displayed in the clubhouse display cabinet. More qualifications and past winners for racing trophies are detailed on the sailcarter.org website under Racing and Annual Races.