Nancy Greene
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The Honourable Nancy Greene Raine OC, OBC, OD |
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| Senator from British Columbia | |
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Assumed office January 2, 2009 |
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| Nominated by | Stephen Harper |
| Appointed by | Michaëlle Jean |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
May 11, 1943 Ottawa, Ontario |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse(s) | Al Raine |
| Medal record | ||
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| Women’s alpine skiing | ||
Representing  Canada
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| Olympic Games | ||
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1968 Grenoble | Giant slalom |
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1968 Grenoble | Slalom |
| World Championships | ||
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1968 Grenoble | Combined |
Nancy Catherine Greene Raine, OC, OBC, OD (born May 11, 1943) is a Canadian Senator for British Columbia and a champion alpine skier voted as Canada's Female Athlete of the 20th Century. She was born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Greene moved with her family to Rossland, British Columbia before she was 3. Rossland is a mountainous area and the site of the first ski competition ever held in Canada in 1897. The child of avid skiers, Greene began schussing at a young age and while in high school she competed in the Canadian Junior Championships. She would go on to become Canada's most decorated ski racer, male or female, in her day with 14 World Cup victories by 1975.
Nicknamed "Tiger" because of her 'go for it' attitude and her aggressive style of skiing, she won the Canadian ski championship nine times and the United States championship three times. In 1967, Greene broke the European domination of the sport, winning the inaugural World Cup. That year she won seven of 16 events, taking the over-all title with four giant slalom victories plus two in slalom and one in downhill. Her accomplishment earned her Canadian "Athlete of the Year" honours.
In 1968 she won the World Cup title again plus, at the Winter Olympic Games in Grenoble, France, she captured a gold medal in the giant slalom, by one of the largest margins in Olympic history, and a silver medal in the slalom. For the second time, she was named Canada's "Athlete of the Year."
Following her retirement from competition, she made a major contribution to Canadian sport by accepting an appointment to the federal Government's "Task Force on Sport For Canadians." During this period Greene also did promotional work for various companies including Rossignol, Pontiac and Mars Inc. In a 1970s television commercial for the latter product she was seen to discard the wrapper onto a ski slope in the course of consuming the product. This minor act, coming at a time of nascent environmental sentiment, appears to have entered the public memory as references to it have dogged her over the years.
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