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Lack of communication First ski queen almost missed coronation
Posted: Saturday November 27, 1999 04:32 PM
BEAVER CREEK, Colo. (AP) -- Talk about a lack of communication. The World Cup's first ski queen almost didn't make it to the coronation. The World Cup of ski racing began in 1967, the idea being that all the races of the season would be combined under one banner, with points awarded to determine a true season champion. Canada's Nancy Greene got off to a great start that season and was on the way to winning the overall title as best skier in the world when a previous commitment almost ended her run. "In those days, they didn't have e-mails or faxes, so the Canadians didn't know the World Cup was happening, and we had actually scheduled some international races in Canada during that period," Greene said. "We had a commitment to major Canadian sponsors to go back to Canada for those races, so I missed ... three [World Cup] races." While she was back in Canada, Marielle Goitschel of France scored enough points to take the overall lead from Greene by the time the series moved to the United States for the climax of the season. After failing to score in a downhill at Franconia, N.H., Greene figured the first World Cup title was gone. "So I said, 'Forget about the World Cup. Just try to win all the races,'" Greene said. "And then I put together a string right until the end." It came down to the final race of the season, a slalom at Jackson Hole, Wyo. The math was simple: Greene had to win or Goitschel was the champ. "After the first run, I was four-hundredths of a second behind Florence Steurer of France, and Marielle was three-hundredths of a second behind me, so we were close," Greene said. While waiting for her second run, Greene listened as the public address announcer primed the crowd by saying this was the most important moment in the skier's life. "I started to laugh inside," she said. "I thought, this isn't the most important moment in my life. There's a lot of life to live." The episode took any pressure off her. She was relaxed and ready. "As I got into the gate, Marielle said, "Good luck, Nancy, may the best one win." And I said, "Thanks, I -," and I almost said, "Thanks, I will" because I just felt like I was so loose and happy inside, and I took off out of the gate. "I wound up beating Marielle by seven-hundredths of a second." The title that almost got away was duplicated in 1968 and embellished with an Olympic gold medal in giant slalom, making Greene the most famous sportswoman in Canada. Fame endured after she retired from racing and it helped when she and husband Al Raine opened a hotel at Mount Whistler, British Columbia, helping launch the site into a world-class ski destination. Greene also oversaw the Nancy Greene Ski League for youngsters that helped develop some of Canada's top World Cup racers over the years. Accomplishments like that contributed to her being named Canadian woman athlete of the century and winner of the Halva International Skiing award this week for lifetime achievement in the sport.
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