Nancy Greene, Olympic gold medal around her neck, leads a group of skiers down the Sun Peaks run to begin celebrations.
When Nancy Greene raced down the slopes of Chamrousse, France to win the women’s Olympic giant slalom on Feb. 15, 1968 it wasn’t just Canada’s first-ever gold medal in alpine skiing, and the culmination of a dream for a 24-year-old from Rossland, B.C.
It was the spark, and a huge one, that ignited the skiing passion in generations of Canadians and did, as she predicted later that spring, ultimately push Canada to become one of the great ski nations of the world.
That monumental moment that changed the future of ski racing in Canada was celebrated on Thursday at Sun Peaks Resort north of Kamloops to mark the 50th anniversary of that victory. Today she is Nancy Greene Raine, having married Al Raine after her career ended. And she is Sun Peaks' Director of Skiing.
Named Canada's Female Athlete of the 20th Century, Greene Raine celebrated her golden anniversary with friends, family, former teammates and the community of Sun Peaks.
The celebrations commenced at the top of the Sunburst chairlift where everyone was invited to join Greene Raine for a morning ski, enjoying superb snow conditions and a beautiful bluebird day. At noon, she gathered with local students outside Sun Peaks Elementary School to lead a flag parade to the village where a crowd had gathered for the official 50th anniversary presentations.
"We are so grateful to have Nancy as part of the resort," commented Aidan Kelly, Chief Marketing Officer at Sun Peaks Resort, as he addressed the crowd. "In the past, in the present, and in the future".
Starting with a cheer of 'Go Canada Go', Greene Raine thanked everyone for their support and for being in Sun Peaks to help celebrate her milestone.
Looking back to her 1968 win, she explained, "the biggest emotion I had was standing on the podium, singing 'O Canada' and watching the flag go up. I stood there singing and trying not to cry, I was just so happy."
To commemorate the occasion, Sun Peaks Resort announced a new fundraising initiative, aptly named Nancy's Dream Fund, presenting a cheque of $2,000. The fund will be managed by the Sun Peaks Foundation, providing financial assistance to help youth achieve their goals in sport.
"The first winter I went to Europe to race, the Red Mountain Ski Club raised the money for the trip, going door to door in Rossland and asking for donations. I could not have done it without the support I received and have never forgotten this. I am really pleased that the Sun Peaks community will now have a fund to support children in reaching their dreams," commented Greene Raine.
Following the noon presentations, those gathered shared a 3-D cake featuring a ski hill with a racing course and trees and an exact replica, made out of fondant of Greene Raine’s gold medal, including the same marks as on the actual medal. The celebrations concluded with a public reception and Olympic celebration in the evening.
