THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 9, 1997 TAG: 9702070245
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 30 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DOUG BEIZER, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: 92 lines
WHEN JOHN DOBSON asked his wife, Nici Singletary, to marry him, she accepted. But under one condition.
It was a package deal. Marry Nici, marry the ski patrol.
After 13 years in the National Ski Patrol, Dobson has fulfilled his end of the bargain - and then some.
He was recently named the 1996 National Alpine Ski Patroller of the Year.
The National Ski Patrol is a 28,000-member organization comprising 10 geographic divisions. Dobson, 58, is the volunteer leader for Wintergreen ski resort's patrol. He works with a full-time, paid patroller in managing the western Virginia resort's 130 patrollers. The ski patrol tours the mountain looking for hurt thrillseekers and ways to prevent accidents. Much of Dobson's work is geared toward training the patrollers.
His award, one of two prestigious honors handed out by the patrol, was earned based on time spent on patrol, service given to the organization and time training others and himself. The alpine award is for downhill skiers, and the other, Nordic, goes to the ski patrol's smaller group of cross-country skiers.
Dobson has seen a lot of blood and broken bones during the years and even was present during a slope-side birth, but he prefers teaching prevention to providing first aid.
``One of the main purposes of the National Ski Patrol is to promote ski safety and education,'' Dobson said.
Accomplishing those ski patrol goals has been time consuming. Dobson performed 500 hours of work for the patrol last year before the ski season even started. During the season, he devoted another 300 hours.
``I probably spent more time with the Ski Patrol than at my job,'' said Dobson with a chuckle.
For the past 25 years, Dobson has lived and worked in Virginia Beach as an orthopedic surgeon, specializing in hands and foot surgery.
On top of his normal duties as the volunteer patrol leader last year, Dobson was the lead instructor for the outdoor emergency care course for 32 patrol candidates. The emergency care training that patrollers go through is comparable to that of basic courses for emergency medical technicians, except the patrollers ride on skies and not in an ambulance.
Last year, he also attained the rank of Senior Ski Patroller, which meant spending more time on his skiing and rescue toboggan skills.
The top marks are not the result of a lifetime on the slopes.
``I was a skier but not a very good skier,'' Dodson said, remembering when his wife first got him interested in joining the ski patrol. ``I enjoyed the sport, but I didn't start skiing until I was 36. And so I have had to learn the sport.''
The first step in becoming a ski patroller is taking the outdoor emergency care course, usually in the fall. Dobson found his medical skills fell a little short.
``I see and operate on people that are injured,'' he said. ``But I don't normally see them in the emergency state or put on splints. I've taken a lot splints off.''
Then a skiing skills course is required. Patrollers also learn how to take an injured person down a hill on a toboggan.
If a candidate gets through the medical, skiing and toboggan training, he becomes a Basic Ski Patroller. Patrollers at Wintergreen work at least 12 weekend days and two weekend nights a year.
The long hours of training and learning turned out to be Dobson's favorite part - except for maybe the camaraderie.
``The pay is not great,'' Dobson said with a laugh. ``Even though we get to ski for free, it's the people that bring us back each year, the people and the friendships we developed.''
Although Dobson has been able to cut back his hours somewhat this season, he and his wife still make it to Wintergreen nearly every weekend. Nici Singletary, the first in the family to become a ski patroller, is also an emergency doctor and one of the residency directors at Eastern Virginia Medical School.
She is working to become a certified patroller, which is the highest level, and one that is above her husband's grade.
``She is a better skier than I am,'' Dobson said.
Singletary said her husband's progress since they courted on the slopes at Wintergreen has been tremendous.
``I got him interested in the patrol and he just absolutely fell in love with it,'' Singletary said. ``He's put in more time than anybody I can think of from the patrol. He gradually got more and more involved.''
At the same time, Singletary also has been working on her own skills, and now is the assistant director of the Southern Division of the Ski Patrol, which makes her Dobson's boss.
Dobson said he doesn't mind. In fact, most of his pride lies in other people.
Said Dobson: ``Watching somebody that you've trained perform in either a simple or complex situation makes you feel good that you had something to do with their growth.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
John Dobson was the National Alpine Ski Patroller of the Year for
1996.