User:Geschichte/Sport in Gjøvik

Gjøvik Municipality consists of the city Gjøvik, the district Vardal with the hamlets Hunndalen and Bybrua, the district Biri with Biri, Biristrand and Redalen, and the the district Snertingdal.

Early history
The first organized sports clubs in the Gjøvik district were shooting associations. Biri SL was founded on 24 June 1839, and in 1861 Gjøvik og Vardalske SF was established. The first Olympian from Gjøvik was Asmund Enger, who participated as a sport shooter in the 1906 and 1908 Summer Olympics. He represented another local shooting association, Gjøvik & Brusveen SL, and recorded a nineteenth place at his best. Martin Monsen and Martinus Skarkerud later became national champions, "shooter's kings", in 1904 and 1908.

The first multi-sports club was Gjøvik IF, founded in 1886. The first sports were speed skating, in the early years practiced on natural ice at the lake Mjøsa or the pond Hovdetjernet, and Nordic skiing. Nordic combined, which was practiced at the time, consists of cross-country skiing and ski jumping. The ski jumping hill Tranbergbakken opened for races in 1888, and in 1906 the annual race Tranbergrennet had an attendance of about 2,500. The football club SK Thor was founded on 1 February 1902; soon renamed to SK Lyn.

The first national-level sportsman from the city was Henrik Lindahl, a speed skater who Norwegian champion in the 5000 metres in 1891. He also set Norwegian records in 1890 and 1891 (9:34.6 minutes) before voyeuring into professionalism. He also moved to England. Frithjof Skonnord participated in gymnastics and tennis on a regional level, but also played the first official match for the Norway national football team, a 3–11 loss to Sweden in 1908. His family migrated to the United States in 1912, returning after seven years. Ola Grimsby held the hill record in Holmenkollen from 1914, and also captained the football team.

Gjøvik-Lyn vs. Gjøvik Sport
SK Lyn was quickly nicknamed "Gjøvik-Lyn" to distinguish it from the Oslo-based club SFK Lyn, and formally adopted this name in 1949. Gjøvik-Lyn showed itself as an outfit of good national quality, and contested the 1914 Norwegian Football Cup final in Oslo. The team albeit lost 2–4 to home team Frigg. In 1916 the club reached the semi-final, losing to Ørn. In the same year, one the the clubs' best players, Ellef Mohn, moved to Oslo to study accounting and join Frigg. He was later capped three times for Norway. Lyn again lost a cup semi-final in 1924, to Odd.

In the 1920s, the labour movement made a break from the perceived "bourgeoise sport" in the Norwegian Confederation of Sports, and created their own Workers' Confederation of Sports. The local workers' club in Gjøvik, founded on 16 December 1928, was named Gjøvik AIL. In the 1930s three of its footballers played on the workers' national team. It later changed its name to Gjøvik Sportsklubb, Gjøvik SK, being nicknamed "Gjøvik Sport".

Modern arenas and venues
Gjøvik Stadion, the city's multi-use stadium, was finished in 1911. From the start, it featured a football field, an athletics track, tennis fields and possibilities for harness racing. From December 1927 it was also used as a speed skating track during the winter.

The Gjøvik Olympic Cavern Hall opened in 1993 and was built for the 1994 Winter Olympics, where it hosted 16 ice hockey matches. The structure is the world's largest cavern hall for public use, and mainly featured an ice hockey rink with a capacity for 5,500 spectators. The hall also features a 25-meter swimming pool and telecommunications installations, and cost 134.6 million Norwegian krone (NOK). In addition to Olympic hockey it has hosted the 1995 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships, matches of the 1999 World Women's Handball Championship, and is set to host short track speed skating at the 2016 Winter Youth Olympics.

In daily life the cavern hall is home to the climbing club Gjøvik KK, founded in 2003, the ice hockey club Gjøvik Hockey and the swimming club Gjøvik SK, founded on 13 August 1934. Gjøvik SK also uses Tranberghallen for training, and formerly used the outdoor venue Fastland for competitions.

Fastland ("Mainland") is a large outdoor swimming pool which also has facilities for diving, beach volleyball and tennis. Excavation of the pool started in the 1930s and was finished in 1946, when the bottom had also been cast in cement. The Norwegian swimming championships were subsequently held here in 1947, with both swimming, diving and water polo.

In conjunction to Fastland is also found the indoor tennis arena Gjøvik Tennishall, which also has facilities for squash. The tennis club Gjøvik TK, founded in 1905, is headquartered here. Outdoor tennis fields at Fastland were built in the mid-1940s.

Near Fastland is also located the hill Hovdetoppen with the alping skiing hill Hovdebakken. This is operated by the skiing club, Gjøvik SK, which is also responsible for Øverby Skiing Stadium.

Multi-sport clubs
Hunndalen IF was founded on 18 August 1918. Two years later it changed its name to Vardal IF.
 * Vardal

One of Vardal's leading athletes are Grete Rivenes, who became national pentathlon champion in 1975. She took a bronze medal in 1977 behind Hilde Fredriksen and Heidi Benserud. In 1976, Vardal IF hosted the national championships in decathlon. Vardal also has one national bronze medal in athletics; from when Mari Forberg ran the 200 metres in 1948.

Varde IL was founded on 15 May 1932. It has sections for football, handball and Nordic skiing.
 * Varde

Vind IL
 * Vind

It was common for young boys to found neighborhood clubs, especially in the 1920s and 1930s. One such club was Bakken IL.
 * Minor clubs

Skiing
The oldest skiing club in Gjøvik, and one of the oldest in Norway, is Gjøvik SK. Founded in 1886, the club today has sections for cross-country skiing, alpine skiing and Telemark skiing. It formerly offered ski jumping as well. The club has hosted the Norwegian Championships several times, last in 1990.

Olav Odden participated in two Nordic combined events in 1948. In Nordic skiing, Einar Sagstuen has been the club's premier medal collector as he took an Olympic silver medal in cross-country relay at the 1976 Winter Olympics. Guttorm Berge, who was born in Vardal and represented Gjøvik SK, most notably won an Olympic bronze medal in slalom at the 1952 Winter Olympics. During his time, Søgnhild Skaarstad became one of the first female skiers from Gjøvik with titles to her name, as she won the alpine combined at the Holmenkollen ski festival.

In recent times, Ingvild Flugstad Østberg has been the most

Gjøvik SK later became a very successful club in alpine skiing. Harald Christian Strand Nilsen took a bronze medal in his first Olympic outing, the combined event in Lillehammer 1994. Lars Elton Myhre was a two-time Olympian in 2006 and 2010. Gro Kvinlog was born in Gjøvik, but raced for Hemsedal.

Bent Tomtum represented Vardal and had a fifth place in ski jumping at the 1968 Winter Olympics to his name. Two other Olympians were born in Vardal without representing sports clubs from the area; rowers Wilhelm Hayden and Thomas Høie.

Football and handball
Gjøvik-Lyn remained the city's best football team after the Second World War. Its heyday came in 1962–63. Two players, Rolf Bjørn Backe and Erik Johansen, were capped for Norway. As a second-tier team Gjøvik-Lyn famously won the 1962 Norwegian Football Cup. The team also won promotion to contest the 1963 Norwegian First Division. Here they finished last. In their 1964 promotion campaign, the team was in close counters with Eik-Tønsberg, and when meeting Eik at home field they were probably deprived of a 2–1 victory when an Eik non-playing official interfered with the ball, blocking an almost certain goal. The incident cost Gjøvik-Lyn a promotion, and made international news. Gjøvik-Lyn reached the semi-final of the 1965 and 1966 cups, but was not promoted to the highest tier again. Instead, Gjøvik-Lyn was relegated to the third tier after the 1968 season.

In the 2000s, the football of Gjøvik was in a low conjuncture.

For men, the cooperation team Gjøvik FF was established on 8 October 2008 as a merger of the senior teams of Gjøvik-Lyn and Vardal. The clubs Vind and Redalen were asked to join, but declined. Gjøvik FF played in the 3. Divisjon for three seasons before winning promotion in 2011. On 24 September 2013 it was decided to merge Gjøvik FF back into Gjøvik-Lyn, and form a new club with the name FK Gjøvik-Lyn from 1 January 2014. FK Gjøvik-Lyn will play in the 2014 2. Divisjon and aim for promotion.

Within women's football, the amalgamation happened earlier. In 1991 the women's football sections of Vind and Raufoss in a neighboring municipality merged to form Raufoss/Vind FK. In 1996 the club changed its name to Gjøvik FK. The club played in 1. Divisjon, the second tier of women's football in Norway. After the 2009 season, however, the Gjøvik-based club had ran out of funds and faced hardships in acquiring training space. The team subsequently relocated to Raufoss.

Orienteering and athletics
Gjøvik got its own athletics club in 1918, FIG Gjøvik. In 1922 Clarin Holmen took a bronze medal for the club at the national decathlon championships. Other prominent athletes include Gunnar Erdal Aase, who worked as a physician in the city for some years. In the 1950s, the 4 x 100 metres relay team for women won national bronze medals in 1951 and 1958 as well as a silver medal in 1959. Ola Grimsby, Jr. took the national silver medal in pole vault in 1953.

The club hosted the decathlon championships in 1928, together with the national relay championships, in addition to the cross-country championships of 1921 and 1932. Gjøvik hosted the national decathlon championships in 1929 and 1948.

Gjøvik's foremost athlete is Trond Barthel. The pole vaulter took nine national titles for Gjøvik (and two for Minerva) and three national silver medals. He holds the Norwegian record with 5.72 metres, and competed at several World Championships.

Orienteering in Gjøvik started in Snertingdal, and quickly spread to Vardal and Gjøvik city. Today, Snertingdal has its own orienteering section as a part of the multi-sports club while in Gjøvik and Vardal there is one specialized club. The club Gjøvik OL was founded in 1946, but as it took in members from the Vardal district, the name was also changed to Gjø-Vard OL in 1949. The club arranges the annual race Gjø-Vard-løpet, and hosted the Norwegian Championships of 1980 and 1993.

Ice sports
Gjøvik SK

The club never had any speed skaters of international renown, but Erling Olsen won bronze medals in the 5,000 and 10,000 metres at the Norwegian championships in 1922. Arne Østby placed 8th at the 1934 European Speed Skating Championships. The club hosted the Norwegian championships in 1937 with a 5,000 attendance. In the 1950s, several Norwegian records were set here and the club was again given the national championships in 1952. The event became famous for Hjalmar Andersen's world record of 16:51.4 in the 10,000 metres.

Bandy was originally contested by the speed skating club, but broke away to form Gjøvik BK in 1936. The goaltender Gudmund Nordhagen was a squad member at the 1952 Olympics, when bandy was a demonstration sport. Other national team players include Knut Iversen and another goaltender, Arve Engebretsen. Several footballers like Rolf Bjørn Backe also played for the team. Gjøvik played in the Norwegian Bandy Premier League for a total of seven seasons, but after its last top-flight tenure ended in 1960 the club gradually faded and no longer exists.

Gjøvik Hockey The club currently languishes in the Second Division, the third tier, after many years in the First Division.

Biri
Biri IL was established on 15 August 1925 and currently has sections for association football, handball, Nordic skiing and gymnastics. Its best known member is arguably Torbjørn Løkken, who recorded a fourth and a sixth place in Nordic combined at the 1988 Winter Olympics. Helge Feiring took several top ten placements in national skiing championships in the 1940s. Biri also has one national athletics championship medalist. Atle Lunn took a bronze medal in the 400 metres hurdles in 1989. Pål Jostad, who won a long jump bronze medal in 2007 representing IL i BUL, represented Biri in his youth.

The men's football team played in the 3. divisjon until 1996, but was relegated that year.

In Biri is also found the harness racing track Biri Travbane. The 1000-metre track was opened in 1985, to replace the track Vikodden which had been operated in Gjøvik city since 1957.

Redalen IL was founded on 20 June 1945, and has sections for football, handball and Nordic skiing. The men's football team played in the 3. Divisjon from 2005 to 2010. In 2014 Redalen IL could not field a men's senior team, but saved their spot in the league system by cooperating with Raufoss IL's C team. The team Redalen/Raufoss will play in the 2014 4. Divisjon. A young player who left the club in 2007, Ole Andreas Sveen, later made his debut in the Norwegian Premier League and became league champion with Strømsgodset IF in 2013. Redalen also had a skier with top ten placements from national championships in the 1940s, Trygve Engen.

Snertingdal
The local multi-sports club Snertingdal IF has sections for handball, football, Nordic skiing and orienteering. Its best known member is arguably Olaf Hoffsbakken, who won Olympic bronze medals in the Nordic combined and cross-country relay at the 1936 Winter Olympics.

Snertingdal hosted the Norwegian Championships in cross-country running, 10 km for women and 20 km for men, in 1988. Also, in 1970 the Norwegian Championships in men's 20 km cross-country running took place here, arranged by the club IL Snertkameratene.

Equipment
Gjøvik also has a place in the world of sports equipment. The ski manufacturer Madshus was founded in Gjøvik in 1906, and is the oldest existing ski manufacturer in the world. The factory was moved to Lillehammer in 1936, but returned to Gjøvik and Biri in 1972. When Madshus moved, it was replaced by local enthusiasts with Gjøvik Skifabrikk, which existed until 1980. Another ski factory in the city was Engeliens Skifabrik. It existed from 1898 until it was bought by Gjøvik Skifabrikk in the mid-1950s.

Adidas also had their Norwegian headquarters in Gjøvik, until 2007 when they relocated to Lillestrøm. Several of Gjøvik's leading sport coaches have worked for Adidas, including the two national ski team coaches Erik Røste and Åge Skinstad.