Ken Read facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Ken Read

Alpine skier
Read in 2006 at Canada's Walk of Fame ceremony
Disciplines	Downhill, Combined
Club	Lake Louise Ski Club
Born	(1955-11-06) November 6, 1955 (age 69)
World Cup debut	December 6, 1974 (age 19)
Retired	March 1983 (age 27)
Olympics
Teams	2 – (1976, 1980)
Medals	0
World Championships
Teams	4 – (1976, '78, '80, '82)     includes two Olympics
Medals	0
World Cup
Seasons	10 – (1974–1983)
Wins	5 – (5 DH)
Podiums	14 – (14 DH)
Overall titles	0 – (11th in 1978, 1980)
Discipline titles	0 – (2nd in DH, 1980)

Kenneth John Read, born on November 6, 1955, is a famous former alpine ski racer from Canada. He was a specialist in downhill skiing, which is a very fast type of ski racing. Ken competed in the World Cup for ten years and went to the Olympics twice. He won five World Cup races, all in downhill.

Ken grew up in Vancouver, Kingston, and Calgary. Today, he lives in Calgary and Canmore. He is also the father of two other World Cup alpine racers, Erik and Jeffrey Read.

Ken Read's Ski Racing Career

Ken Read was part of the Canadian alpine ski team from 1973 to 1983. He raced for nine seasons in the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup. He also competed in two Olympic Winter Games and two World Ski Championships.

The Crazy Canucks

Ken was a member of the "Crazy Canucks" team. This was a group of Canadian downhill skiers in the late 1970s and early 1980s. They were known for their daring and exciting racing style. They often challenged the top European skiers. A part of the Lauberhorn ski course in Switzerland is even named "Canadian Corner" because Ken Read and another Crazy Canuck, Dave Irwin, fell there in 1976.

First Wins and Achievements

Ken's first top-ten finish in a World Cup race happened in January 1975 in Kitzbühel, Austria. The next season, he made history. On December 7, 1975, he became the first Canadian man to win a World Cup event in any sport, summer or winter. This win was in a downhill race at Val-d'Isère, France. Four other Canadians also finished in the top ten in that race.

Ken went on to win four more World Cup downhill races. In the 1980 season, he finished second overall in the downhill standings. He was the first non-European to win the famous Hahnenkamm downhill in Kitzbühel, Austria. He also won the Lauberhorn race in Wengen, Switzerland. These wins were in addition to his 1978 victory at Les Houches in France, which is part of the oldest classic ski race, the Arlberg-Kandahar.

In January 1979, Ken won another race in Morzine, France. However, this victory was later taken away because his racing suit had a small manufacturing problem. Ken was a favorite to win a gold medal at the 1980 Olympics. But, his ski binding unfortunately released just fifteen seconds into the race, ending his chance.

Awards and Recognition

Ken Read received many honors for his achievements. In 1978, he was named Canada's Athlete of the Year. In 1980, he was named Canadian Male Amateur Athlete of the Year.

In 1991, he was made a Member of the Order of Canada, which is Canada's highest award for civilians. He was also inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 1985. In 1986, he joined Canada's Skiing Hall of Fame. The International Ski Racing Hall of Fame welcomed him in 2010. In 2006, Ken and his Crazy Canucks teammates were honored with a spot on Canada's Walk of Fame.

After Ski Racing

After retiring from racing in 1983, Ken Read continued to have a big impact on sports in Canada and around the world. He worked as a broadcaster for CBC TV Sports and wrote columns. He also started the "Breath of Life" Ski Challenge, which raised over $3.8 million for cystic fibrosis research over 23 years.

Two movies have been made about the Crazy Canucks. One is a documentary called "The Dream Never Dies" (1980). The other is a TV movie called "Crazy Canucks" (2004), which was based on a book Ken wrote with Matthew Fisher called "White Circus" (1987).

From 2002 to 2008, Ken was the President and CEO of Alpine Canada Alpin. This organization manages alpine and para-alpine skiing in Canada. Under his leadership, Canadian skiers achieved record performances. He also helped make the organization financially strong. He played a key role in creating "Own the Podium," a program that helped Canadian winter sports teams succeed at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

After leaving Alpine Canada, Ken worked with the Alberta Alpine Ski Association from 2008 to 2010, focusing on developing younger athletes. In 2010, he became the director of Winter Sport for Own The Podium. He resigned from this role in 2013. During this time, Canadian winter sports became number one in gold and total medals in World Championship rankings for two years.

Ken has been involved in Canadian and international sports for over 40 years. He was the first chair of the Canadian Olympic Association Athletes Council. He was also a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Athletes' Commission from 1985 to 1998. In 1992, he was the Chef de Mission for the Canadian team at the Barcelona Olympics, where Canada won 18 medals.

He joined the International Ski Federation's (FIS) Alpine Committee Executive Board in 1988. In 2007, he led the FIS Youth and Children's Coordination Group. This group works to improve youth development programs for skiing worldwide. In June 2022, Ken retired from his FIS committee work and was named an "Honorary Member" for his excellent work.

Between 2006 and 2014, Ken was part of the ownership group for the Mount Norquay ski resort in Banff National Park. He lives in Calgary with his wife, Lynda, who was also a ski racer. Their three sons all competed in alpine skiing, and two of them, Erik Read and Jeffrey Read, are members of the Canadian Alpine Ski Team.

World Cup Results

Ken Read had a successful career in the World Cup. Here's a look at his overall performance:

• Note: Points were only given for top ten finishes in these years.

World Cup Podiums

Ken Read won 5 World Cup downhill races and stood on the podium (finished in the top three) 14 times. He also had 40 top-ten finishes in total.

• 5 wins (all in Downhill)
• 14 podiums (all in Downhill)

Season	Date	Location	Discipline	Place
1976	7 Dec 1975	Val-d'Isère, France	Downhill	1st
1978	11 Feb 1978	Les Houches, France	Downhill	1st
1979	10 Dec 1978	Schladming, Austria	Downhill	1st
	10 Dec 1978	Val Gardena, Italy	Downhill	3rd
	14 Jan 1979	Crans-Montana, Switzerland	Downhill	3rd
1980	12 Jan 1980	Kitzbühel, Austria	Downhill	1st
	18 Jan 1980	Wengen, Switzerland	Downhill	1st
	19 Jan 1980		Downhill	2nd
1981	7 Dec 1980	Val-d'Isère, France	Downhill	2nd
1982	21 Dec 1981	Crans-Montana, Switzerland	Downhill	3rd
	15 Jan 1982	Kitzbühel, Austria	Downhill	3rd
	16 Jan 1982		Downhill	3rd
1983	10 Jan 1983	Val-d'Isère, France	Downhill	2nd
	22 Jan 1983	Kitzbühel, Austria	Downhill	3rd

• Note: A victory in 1979 was disallowed because of a problem with his racing suit.

Olympic Games Results

Ken Read competed in two Winter Olympic Games.