A success on and off the slopes
Broadcast Date: Oct. 11, 1985
Nancy Greene wins the gold (giant slalom) and the silver (slalom) at the 1968 Olympics in Grenoble, France. Her excellence on the slopes coupled with her fresh-faced look makes her an international darling, earning her the nicknames "Nice Nancy," "Mary Poppins," and "everybody's favourite babysitter." But Greene's teammates call her "Tiger," a more appropriate moniker for the tough, aggressive and ambitious athlete.Greene retires after her Olympic medal performances but the young champion proves she's a tiger off the mountain as well. The steady control she demonstrates on the slopes carries over into her business ventures. Greene is one of the first female athletes to benefit commercially from her sport. She tells CBC Radio about the importance of maintaining control over the use of her name and image.
A success on and off the slopes
• Nancy Greene was born May 11, 1943, in Ottawa, Ont.• Greene comes from a skiing family. She put on her first pair of skis at age three.
• She became a serious competitor at 14 when she stepped in at the last minute for some injured players on the British Columbia ski team.
• Some of her entrepreneurial finesse includes a lucrative deal to promote Mars chocolate bars, as well as owning a ski resort at Whistler Mountain with her husband, Al Raine.
• Greene was part of the federal task force to investigate the future of amateur sport in Canada in 1969. She was also the vice-president of the Canadian Ski Association.
• In 2000, she was named Canada's female athlete of the century by the Canadian Press.
A success on and off the slopes
Medium: Radio
Program: Arts National
Broadcast Date: Oct. 11, 1985
Guest(s): Nancy Greene
Duration: 2:07
Last updated:
May 13, 2003
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- Ambassador off the ice: Olympic hockey champ Cassie Campbell
- Grads star centre Noel MacDonald recalls the team's glory days
A success on and off the slopes.
The CBC Digital Archives Website.
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Last updated: May 13, 2003.
[Page consulted on Feb. 16, 2012.]