Read takes care of business
Erik Read pushed out of the start gate at the first World Cup race of 2016-17 with the lofty goal of reaching the top-30 twice all season long.
On Sunday, the son of Crazy Canuck Ken Read posted a career- best seventh- place finish on the most terrifying slalom course of them all, Hahnenkamm Mountain in Kitzbuhel, Austria.
It wasn’t a podium, but the latest of four top-10 results suggests the younger Read has the potential to join his father in the conversation surrounding elite Canadian skiers.
Ken Read became t he first North American to win a World Cup downhill in 1975. He retired after 10 seasons with five downhill victories, including one at Kitzbuhel.
Now it’s his son’s turn to chase greatness on cragged mountains all over the world.
“Kitzbuhel is the Super Bowl of our sport,” Erik Read said this week. “Austria has the best and the craziest ski fans. To see that crowd from the start gate is one of the coolest experiences you can ask for. It’s pretty cool because of all the history there and having my dad there watching me in the finish.”
But Read’s attentions are divided. He needed to retreat to his hotel and finish up some group work that was due for a class at the University of Denver. The Calgary native is a business major with a specialization in finance.
“It can be a good thing,” he said. “If you have a bad day on the hill, it doesn’t consume you, because you have to take your mind away and focus on something else. It can be challenging, especially when a lot of tests and assignments are due at the same time. But I realize the finish line is close. I’m almost a senior, so that’s also motivating.”
After heading into this season with humble expectations, Read is ranked 25th overall on the World Cup circuit, 20th in slalom, 26th in giant slalom, and 14 th in super combined. Those numbers are even more impressive given he must pass on some World Cup races to compete for the University of Denver.
If he stays on this trajectory, Read is a dark horse for a medal in the technical events at the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, and a definite prospect for the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing.
Not bad for a guy who was cut by t he national team just two years ago.
NOTE: Former sledge hockey captain Todd Nicholson will be Canada’s chef de mission at the 2018 Paralympics in Pyeongchang. The native of Dunrobin, Ont., played for Canada from 1989 to 2010, winning gold, silver and bronze during that span. The chef de mission acts as the face and spokesman of the team during the Games. Canada won 16 medals at the 2014 Paralympics in Sochi, including seven gold, two silver and seven bronze.