Ken Read
Template:Short description {{#invoke:other uses|otheruses}} Template:Infobox alpine ski racer Kenneth John Read Template:Post-nominals (born November 6, 1955) is a former World Cup alpine ski racer from Canada. He was a specialist in the downhill and a two-time Olympian.<ref name=sref>Template:Cite Sports-Reference</ref> He won five World Cup races during his ten-year international career, all in downhill.
Read grew up in Vancouver, Kingston, and Calgary, and currently resides in Calgary and Canmore. He is the father of World Cup alpine racers Erik and Jeffrey Read.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Ski racingEdit
Read was a member of the Canadian alpine ski team from 1973 to 1983, competing for nine seasons on the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup. He competed in two Olympic Winter Games and two FIS Alpine World Ski Championships. A lifelong Calgary resident, Read was part of the "Crazy Canucks", the Canadian downhill team of the late 1970s and early 1980s, that consistently challenged the Europeans with a daring racing style.<ref name=si>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name=kmkecnd>Template:Cite news</ref> Canadian Corner, a section of the Lauberhorn near Wengen in Switzerland - the heavily twisting curve at the left-hand transition to the Alpweg is named after the Crazy Canucks, as both Dave Irwin and Ken Read fell here in 1976.
Read's first World Cup top ten finish came in his first season on the World Cup Tour in January 1975 in a combined event at Kitzbühel.
The following season, he achieved a Canadian first, becoming the first Canadian male to win a World Cup event in any sport - summer or winter.
On December 7, 1975, in the opening downhill of the 1975-76 World Cup Tours, he placed 1st in the Criterium de la Premiere Neige at Val-d'Isère, France. This was also a competition for North American men, as a first win in World Cup downhill. Read led four Canadians to finish in the top ten.<ref name="si" /><ref name="fcdhtc">Template:Cite news</ref>
Read went on to win four more World Cup downhill races and his point total for the 1980 season placed him second in the downhill final standings. He was the first non-European to win both the Austrian downhill Hahnenkamm at Kitzbühel,<ref name="rvofdhc">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and the Swiss race Lauberhorn at Wengen.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="rcwiw">Template:Cite news</ref> These two victories complemented his 1978 win at Les Houches near Chamonix, France,<ref name="ramgc">Template:Cite news</ref> in the Arlberg-Kandahar, ski racing's oldest classic event. Another victory in January 1979 at Morzine was disallowed because of a non-conforming suit due to a manufacturing flaw.<ref name="krlgm">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="iscrtlw">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="spvihaic">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> His outstanding season in 1980 was marred by an unfortunate binding release, just fifteen seconds into the Olympic downhill where he was considered the gold-medal favourite.<ref name="mrwbbad">Template:Cite news</ref>
HonoursEdit
Read was named Canada's Athlete of the Year in 1978 (Northern Star Award, formerly the Lou Marsh Award) and Canadian Male Amateur Athlete of the Year in 1980. In 1991 he was made a Member of the Order of Canada Canada's highest civilian honour. He was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 1985, into Canada's Skiing Hall of Fame (Honour Roll of Canadian Skiing) in 1986, and to the International Ski Racing Hall of Fame in 2010. Along with his four teammates, the Crazy Canucks were inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame in 2006.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
After racingEdit
In his post-competitive years, Read has had an enormous impact on sport in Canada and worldwide. A testament to this continued work to advance Canadian sport was recognized by The Globe and Mail naming Read to their "Power List" for three successive years in 2005, 2006 and 2007.
Following his retirement from competition in 1983, Read became a broadcaster with CBC TV Sports and a columnist. He also launched the "Breath of Life" Ski Challenge, which, over the next 23 years raised over $3.8 million for cystic fibrosis research. Two movies have been produced covering the careers of the Crazy Canucks: the documentary "The Dream Never Dies" (1980)<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/{{#if:
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From June 2002 to July 2008 he served as President & CEO of Alpine Canada Alpin, the National Sport Organization for alpine and para-alpine skiing in Canada. Under his direction, the organization was transformed with athletic results (record performances in 2007 and 2008), strong financial performance and innovative strategies. Canada attained the highest ranking on the FIS World Cup from 14th (2002) to 6th (2008), fully integrated the alpine skiing disabled program (Canadian Para-Alpine Ski Team), which was ranked #1 in the world, secured the finances of the organization including a substantial reserve fund for future athlete development, created a long-range athlete development plan (Aim-2-Win) and published a long-range strategic plan. Over this six-year period, under his leadership Alpine Canada established three National Training Centres, worked closely with Winsport Canada to establish a new glacier training venue (Camp Green at Farnham Glacier), established a snow testing lab, was a key leader within the group of sports leaders than established "Own the Podium" which enabled Canadian winter sport to take top spot (by gold medal ranking) at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games (Note: Own the Podium was the phrase used by Alpine Canada in the development of their Strategic Plan in 2003 and was loaned to the founding group) and established numerous athlete development programs to create a high-performance stream for athletes at all levels.
After resigning from Alpine Canada in July 2008, he moved to the Alberta Alpine Ski Association to work with younger athletes and athlete development programs, between September 2008 and May 2010. In May 2010 Read was named director, Winter Sport for Own The Podium (OTP), Canada's high-performance program supporting athletes and National Sport Organizations in the Olympic and Paralympic Games, resigning in April 2013. In this period, Canadian winter sport moved into the #1 position for two years in both gold medal and total medal count, topping out with 19 gold medals and 37 total medals in 2012 as ranked by World Championship results.
Read has been active within Canadian and international sport for over 40 years, initially as the founding chair of the Canadian Olympic Association Athletes Council and subsequently, a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Athletes' Commission (1985–1998). He served as Chef de Mission for the 1992 Canadian Team to Barcelona, where the Canadian Team won 18 medals including a record 7 gold medals. In 1988, Read was named to the International Ski Federation's (FIS) Alpine Committee Executive Board, overseeing the discipline of alpine skiing. In 2007 he was nominated to chair the FIS Youth and Children's Coordination Group and Alpine Youth and Children's committee, to re-organize youth development programs for the International Ski Federation. This included Chairing the annual FIS Youth Seminar, attending FIS Alpine Junior World Ski Championships and codifying rules and organization for children's events world-wide. In June/2022, Read retired from all FIS committee work and was named an "Honorary Member" of both the Alpine Executive Board and the Youth and Children's committee, in recognition for exemplary work on behalf of athletes and the FIS.
Between October 2006 and July 2014, Read was a member of the ownership group of the Mount Norquay ski resort in Banff National Park.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He resides in Calgary with his wife Lynda (née Robbins, a former racer with Canadian Alpine Ski Team)<ref name=rcbplsc>Template:Cite news</ref> and three sons, all of whom competed in alpine skiing. Two are members of the Canadian Alpine Ski Team, Erik Read and Jeffrey Read. team.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He is an alumnus of the Ottawa Ski Club and Lake Louise Ski Club. The Read family are members of the Banff Alpine Racers, located at Banff Mount Norquay, Alberta.
Popular cultureEdit
The National Film Board produced several short films and features about the Crazy Canucks, shot during the 1975-76 season.
His World Cup season in 1979-80 was profiled in William Johnston's Genie Award-nominated documentary film The Dream Never Dies.<ref>Ken Becker, "No cup for this race". Maclean's, December 8, 1980.</ref>
In the 2006 episode of Corner Gas titled "Physical Credit", Oscar meets with Ken Read to try to persuade him to create an Olympic medal category higher than gold. Read responds that the other countries wouldn't agree to it. Oscar says the old Ken Read would have done it, the Crazy Canuck Ken Read. Read responds that he's not crazy anymore, with Oscar acknowledging it and then claiming that he is now useless.<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/{{#if:
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A made for TV movie about the Crazy Canucks was produced by Randy Bradshaw of Alberta Film Works. It aired on the CTV Network in February 2010.
World Cup resultsEdit
Season standingsEdit
| Season | Age | Overall | Slalom | Giant Slalom |
Super G | Downhill | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 19 | 49 | — | — | not run |
24 | |
| 1976 | 20 | 24 | — | — | 9 | 11 | |
| 1977 | 21 | 58 | — | — | — | not awarded | |
| 1978 | 22 | 11 | — | — | 4 | ||
| 1979 | 23 | 22 | — | — | 4 | ||
| 1980 | 24 | 11 | — | — | 2 | — | |
| 1981 | 25 | 38 | — | — | 12 | — | |
| 1982 | 26 | 17 | — | — | 6 | — | |
| 1983 | 27 | 23 | — | — | w/ GS | 8 | 26 |
- Points were only awarded for top ten finishes (see scoring system).
Race podiumsEdit
| Season | Date | Location | Discipline | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 7 Dec 1975 | Template:Flagicon Val-d'Isère, France | Downhill | 1st |
| 1978 | 11 Feb 1978 | Template:Flagicon Les Houches, France | Downhill | 1st |
| 1979 | 10 Dec 1978 | Template:Flagicon Schladming, Austria | Downhill | 1st |
| 10 Dec 1978 | Template:Flagicon Val Gardena, Italy | Downhill | 3rd | |
| 14 Jan 1979 | Template:Flagicon Crans-Montana, Switzerland | Downhill | 3rd | |
| 1980 | 12 Jan 1980 | Template:Flagicon Kitzbühel, Austria | Downhill | 1st |
| 18 Jan 1980 | Template:Flagicon Wengen, Switzerland | Downhill | 1st | |
| 19 Jan 1980 | Downhill | 2nd | ||
| 1981 | 7 Dec 1980 | Template:Flagicon Val-d'Isère, France | Downhill | 2nd |
| 1982 | 21 Dec 1981 | Template:Flagicon Crans-Montana, Switzerland | Downhill | 3rd |
| 15 Jan 1982 | Template:Flagicon Kitzbühel, Austria | Downhill | 3rd | |
| 16 Jan 1982 | Downhill | 3rd | ||
| 1983 | 10 Jan 1983 | Template:Flagicon Val-d'Isère, France | Downhill | 2nd |
| 22 Jan 1983 | Template:Flagicon Kitzbühel, Austria | Downhill | 3rd |
- A victory in 1979 on January 6 was disallowed after a protest due to a nonconforming racing suit.<ref name=krlgm/><ref name=iscrtlw/><ref name=spvihaic/>
World championship resultsEdit
| Year | Age | Slalom | Giant Slalom |
Super-G | Downhill | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 20 | DNF1 | DNF2 | not run | 5 | — |
| 1978 | 22 | — | DNF | 22 | — | |
| 1980 | 24 | — | — | DNF | — | |
| 1982 | 26 | — | — | 14 | — |
From 1948 through 1980, the Winter Olympics were also the World Championships for alpine skiing.
Olympic resultsEdit
| Year | Age | Slalom | Giant Slalom |
Super-G | Downhill | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 20 | DNF1 | DNF2 | not run | 5 | not run |
| 1980 | 24 | — | — | DNF |
See alsoEdit
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
- Template:Sports links
- Canada's Sports Hall of Fame Template:Webarchive – Ken Read
- Canadian Ski Hall of Fame – Ken Read