Former Bemidjian Greg Spaulding headed for Snowmobile Hall of Fame

THIEF RIVER FALLS — Greg Spaulding fell in love with snowmobiles when he was 8 years old. This weekend, the former Bemidjian will be inducted into the Snowmobile Hall of Fame.

Spaulding, 67, has made a career out of his passion that began when his father, Buster, and a friend took him deer hunting in the fall of 1963. Buster’s buddy brought two new Ski-Doo snowmobiles to the hunting shack to use for dragging deer out of the swamp.

“From that point on, all I could think about was snowmobiles,” Spaulding said.

In 1965 his dad started selling snowmobiles out of his Spaulding Motors car dealership. Spaulding, a 1973 graduate of Bemidji High School, remembers working at the shop after school and on weekends.

“Getting through a day of school seemed like an eternity until it ended and I could take the city bus as far as it would go and walk the remaining mile or so to the dealership just to be around the snowmobiles,” Spaulding wrote in his Hall of Fame nomination resume. “I would buy and study every snowmobile magazine that came out, and it was nothing for me to walk four or five miles just to get a look at some new snowmobile model that I had heard about in town.”

That led to a lifelong career in the industry. He has worked for Arctic Cat, Ski-Doo, Decker Enterprises and Bombardier plus numerous racing teams. His most recent work centers around vintage racing snowmobiles.

“I have always focused on modifying, improving, building and fabricating two-stroke snowmobile engines for high performance,” he said, “whether it be for consumer use or race engines.”

He became one of the most revered engine designers, builders and mechanics in the snowmobile industry. His efforts created World Championship and class championship power for numerous Snowmobile Hall of Fame racers

Still, he was shocked to receive that call that announced his selection for the Hall of Fame.

“I joked to many of my friends that I think they made a mistake,” Spaulding said. “But nobody’s called me yet, so I’m going with it. I was surprised, very humbled, because it is a big honor. I’ve just been fortunate enough over the years to have opportunities that let me do what I’ve always loved to do.”

Spaulding and his wife, Nikki, will attend the weekend ceremonies at St. Germain, Wis. The Hall of Fame induction banquet is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 18.