A little more than a decade ago, a Montana Standard sportswriter set out to pick the greatest athlete in the history of the Mining City.

That was a monumental task since Butte has such a rich sports history. It seemed like a crazy project for a writer who just moved into the state.

To make a long story short, I disagree with just about everyone selected in his countdown to No. 1, which was based on a very unscientific poll. I didn’t necessarily agree with the people he had in the top spots. It was just their order that I took issue with.

The writer’s choice for the top spot almost made legendary Butte historian Pat Kearney blow a gasket because he picked a speedskater, and that speedskater was not named Dave Silk. Pat went full-on Kermit The Frog when telling people about it.

Immediately, anyone who knows speedskating in Butte knew the list was not right. There is no question, in my mind anyway, which speedskater was the best in Butte history, and we’ve had a lot of accomplished speedskaters over the years.

Dave Silk was the best. He was an alternate in the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo. He competed in the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary. Dave, who first rose to speedskating fame while racing around the oval that is now hole No. 8 on the par 3 course at the Highland View Golf Course in Stodden Park, won the World Cup overall championship in the 5,000-meter race in 1986.

My money is still on Bob O’Billovich as being the best athlete to ever come out of Butte. But Dave is still the best speedskater.

Dave is a member of the Butte Sports Hall of Fame and U.S. Speedskating Hall of Fame.

He was also instrumental in keeping the once-thriving sport alive in Butte. He is the president of the U.S. High Altitude Speedskating Center, which very well could have gone away if it was not for the work of the Silk family.

In a few years, however, Dave might no longer be the greatest speedskater to ever come out of Butte. He might no longer be the best speedskater in his family. That title could very well belong to his son, Will.

The younger Silk placed second in the all-around at the U.S. Junior Speedskating Championship recently in Roseville, Minnesota. He won that junior all-around title last season, and missed winning this year by .22 of second.

At the recent event, Will won the 5,000 meters, took second in the 1,000 and 1,500, and placed fourth in the 500.

That performance earned Will a spot on the U.S. team for the Junior World Speedskating Championships in Collalbo, Italy, Feb. 7-9. Silk placed 16th in the Junior Worlds last February in Japan.

The 2024 Butte High graduate very well could be representing the United States in the 2026 Olympic Games in Italy. The 2030 games are in play for Will, too.

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