Dave Peterson was bon on March 2, 1962, in North St. Paul, Minnesota. Unlike many in the sport, Dave did not come from a ski jumping family, and did not start at an early age. He ws 14 when he left hockey for ski jumping, prompted by watching he 1976 Winter Olympics on television.

In three years Dave progressed from a small hill built in his back yard to qualifying for a spot on the Junior Olympic team.

Dave was elected president of the St. Paul Junior Ski club for the 1980-81 ski season.

Some of Dave’s junior ski jumping accomplishments include:

• 1979 Junior Olympics, Squaw Valley CA, 12th
• 1980 Junior Olympics, Winter Park CO, 5th
• 1981 Jeff Wright Memorial, Minneapolis MN, 1st
• 1981 Central Regionals, St. Paul MN, 1st

Despite being a fierce competitor, Dave was a pragmatic individual. When it came time to focus on ski jumping or his academic pursuits, he chose the latter. He graduated from the University of Minnesota with both a bachelors degree and a masters degree in business.

Once settled in his professional life, Dave returned in earnest to ski jumping. He was a proud member of the St. Paul Ski Club “Hack Team”, which ws made up of a group of members who loved to ski jump, but were not Olympic caliber jumpers.

In 1989, Dave joined the masters Class, where he had his greatest success as a jumper. He was an active participant in the camaraderie of the class, and was always competitive. Some of his accomplishments include:

• 1990 Paul Bietila Memorial, Ishpeming MI, 1st
• 1991 Ski Flying Ironwood, MI -
• 1992 Paul Bietila Memorial, Ishpeming MI, 1st
• 1993 National Championship, Westby WI, 3rd (99m)
• 1993 Outstanding Skier, St. Paul Ski Club

On February 20, 1993, Dave fell during competition at Iron Mountain, MI. He sustained injuries that led to his death. It was a shocking and tragic end to a wonderful life.

Dave had been very active in he St. Paul ski Club. He was a fixture at club work parties, and was in charge of numerous project and committees. The club will miss both his spirit and dedication for years to come. Yet, we focus on feeling very fortunate for having had Dave around for the time that we did.

As a testament to his spirit, the 30 meter ski jump, a project of which Dave was in charge, upon its completion, was dedicated as “Peterson Hill” to perpetuate the memory of Dave.