.jpeg) | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1935-01-14)January 14, 1935 (age 90) Sainte-Jovite,Quebec, Canada |
| Occupation | Alpine skier ♀ |
| Sport | |
| Skiing career | |
| Disciplines | Downhill,giant slalom,slalom,combined |
| Olympics | |
| Teams | 2 – (1952,1956) |
| Medals | 1 (0 gold) |
| World Championships | |
| Teams | 5 – (1950,'52,'54,'56,'58) includes two Olympics |
| Medals | 4 (2 gold) |
Lucile WheelerCM (born January 14, 1935) is a formeralpine ski racer fromCanada. She was a doubleworld champion in1958, the firstNorth American to win a world title in thedownhill event.[1][2][3][4]
Wheeler was born inQuebec and grew up in the village ofSainte-Jovite in theLaurentian Mountains. Her family was instrumental in promoting the sport of skiing and her grandfather George Wheeler built the famousGray Rocks ski centre atMont-Tremblant, Quebec. He had moved to Quebec fromChazy, New York in the late nineteenth century, hoping to make it rich in thelumber business, but was wiped out by aforest fire.[5]
Taught to ski at the age of two, Wheeler's skills were such that she was soon competing against older ski racers. At age 10, she finished seventh in adownhill event atMont Tremblant in a race that was open to participants of all ages. She won the Canadian junior ski championship in 1947 at age 12 and at 14 was selected to compete for Canada at theWorld Championships in1950 inAspen,Colorado, the first major alpine event held outside of Europe. However, her parents felt she was too young at age 15 to miss school and did not allow her to go.[6]
The early 1950s was still a time when resources for Canadian skiers were extremely limited.[5] There was very little in the way of government funding to cover expenses for skiers wishing to compete on the world stage or to pay for professional training. Recognizing their daughter's gifts, her parents bore the expense for her to spend several winters training inKitzbühel,Austria. It paid off when she became the firstNorth American Olympic medalist in thedownhill inalpine skiing, winning the bronze in1956 atCortina d'Ampezzo,Italy.[6] She followed this with a spectacular performance at the1958 World Championships inBad Gastein,Austria, where she won both thedownhill and thegiant slalom and took silver in thecombined.[6] Upon her return to Canada a month later, she received tumultuous receptions.[7][8]
Wheeler's breakthrough performance resulted in an increase in government funding that enabled other Canadian skiers to compete at the international level. Her achievements were also instrumental in increasing the popularity of the sport both nationwide and in her native Quebec where what was once a remote destination in the Laurentian mountains for only a limited few became a thriving ski area with an abundance of quality facilities that attracts hundreds of thousands of skiers every winter.
| Year | Age | Slalom | Giant Slalom | Super-G | Downhill | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 15 | DNS | DNS | not run | DNS | not run |
| 1952 | 17 | 26 | 27 | 27 | ||
| 1954 | 19 | DSQ2 | 18 | 7 | — | |
| 1956 | 21 | DSQ2 | 6 | 3 | — | |
| 1958 | 23 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
From1948 through1980, theWinter Olympics were also theWorld Championships for alpine skiing.
Wheeler qualified for the 1950 championships, but did not attend.
| Year | Age | Slalom | Giant Slalom | Super-G | Downhill | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | 17 | 26 | 27 | not run | 27 | not run |
| 1956 | 21 | DSQ2 | 6 | 3 |
Following her retirement from competitive racing at age 24 in 1959,[6] Wheeler, along with Réal Charette, was a ski instructor in a film made at theBanff ski resort that won theAmerican Library Association's award as the best educational sports film of 1960. In June 1960, Wheeler marriedKaye Vaughan, former player with theOttawa Rough Riders and member of theCanadian Football League Hall of Fame.[9] The couple lived for a time inOttawa, but in 1967 they moved to the village ofKnowlton, Quebec, in the heart of a ski area in theEastern Townships. The mother of two children, she organized a ski program at Knowlton High School for children aged 14 and under.
Wheeler was voted theLou Marsh Trophy as Canada's most outstanding athlete of 1958 and was inducted into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame.[6] In 1976, she was made a member of theOrder of Canada, her country's highest civilian honour, and was inducted into theCanadian Sports Hall of Fame. South of the border, Wheeler was inducted into theU.S. Ski Hall of Fame in 1976.
Glen Mountain, a small Quebec ski hill inWest Bolton, honoured her with a trail named "The Wheeler."
