The Prince George Citizen — Saturday, December 5, 1987 — 13 MARK ALLAN S p o r t s Sports editor Boyd progressing on road to top Skiing offered most glory to rising downhill racer by MARTIN CLEARY as Switzerland’s Pirmin Zurbriggen, Pe­ for Southam News ter Mueller and Franz Heinzer. He im­ OTTAWA — The road to athletic glory, proved his international ranking to fame and fortune was laced with intri­ eighth, which put him in the first seed guing temptations for Rob Boyd. midway through last season. In the past two years, Boyd has beenBoyd’s fifth-place finish in his first the chief noisemaker on the Canadian world championship last January in men’s alpine ski team — the one some Crans Montana, Switzerland, cemented hope will be the heir to the successes ofhim as Canada’s only real medal threat the Crazy Canucks and Todd Brooker. in the men’s alpine races. But it took Boyd a few years to realize“The one thing that keeps me going is he wanted to be an alpine skier. Before the feeling of winning,” Boyd said. “See­ he discovered the sport, there were oth­ing the No. 1 in the books is a break­ ers that intrigued him. through. It’s a hard feeling to explain.” While he found a degree of success in It’s almost as hard explaining why each, he always met a roadblock. ButBoyd won at Val Gardena almost a year Boyd drew something from each sportago. that has helped him become a winner. “I started 26th and I was still exper­ In Vernon, B.C., Boyd would flyimenting with my mood; whether to be through the air as 10-year-old doing relaxed or go for it,” Boyd explained. freestyle skiing tricks. "At Val d’Isere (France), I tried to be He was daring, loved challenges and all hyped up and it didn’t work. I got would have loved to have been a followerscrewed up.” of the World Cup freestyle circuit. But The 49th-place finish reflected his state for Boyd, the ballet aspect of the three-of mind. part sport left him shaking his head. “At Val Gardena, I was mad about the As a minor hockey player, Boyd wasweek a before. I was joking a bit with the local hero. In his final year, he was team starting coach. I was trying to be really captain and on the travelling all-star relaxed, but I was quite aware of every­ team. thing around me. I had the energy. It all While he loved hockey, the out-of-town fell into place. That’s the feeling I want­ tournaments began to interfere with his ed and I was able to transfer it to the alpine racing. rest of the season.” Before he made the national ski team, Boyd moved into the prestigious first Boyd bounced and roared through seedthe (top 15) for the first time at the B.C. woods on his motocross bikeworld in championships. endurance races. He reached the point in “Peter Wirnsberger (of Switzerland) the early 1980s where he was the top jun­shook my hand and said welcome to the ior in British Columbia. first seed,” Boyd said. “It relaxed me a He was faced with a dilemma. lot. Michael Mair (of Italy) was the “I asked a friend if I should ski or dosame way. The others looked at me as motocross racing? another punk in the first seed.” Canada's male “He said ‘Go skiing. There’s more glo­Boyd was a relative late comer into skidownhill hopes: ry.’” racing (11 years old), but he made a above, Jim Read Boyd took the advice. good connection early in his career. Dur­ After working his way through the de­ing the winter, Boyd shovelled the drive­tries to‘equal his velopment ranks in the mid 1980s, Boyd, way of B.C. alpine coach Glen Wurtele. older brother's who turns 22 the day after the Olympic In return one summer, he received a success; (right) downhill Feb. 15, has been a hit on thefree trip to a ski camp and was loaned World Cup circuit. skis by the B.C. team. Rob Boyd is By winning the 1984 overall Fleisch- It was the push that got Boyd moving. poised at the mann Cup circuit for domestic racers, In 1981, he was invited to a national de­ brink of great­ Boyd earned start numbers in his first velopment team camp in search of po­ness. two World Cup races in Western Canada. tential 1988 Olympic team members. He During the 1985-86 season, Boyd pro­was named to the national alpine devel­ duced single-digit results on three differ­ opment group in 1984, before jumping to ent circuits. He tied for first place over­the main team under the command of all in downhill on the North American Wurtele, who became men’s head coach Ski Trophy Series, a stepping stone tothree years ago. the World Cup circuit. On the parallel Boyd’s victory in Val Gardena was Europa Cup series, he scored a fifth and worth about $25,000 from sponsors for his a sixth in back-to-back races in France. trust fund. An Olympic gold medal would His first three races on the World Cup be “worth tons.” circuit were more learning experiences “I can’t remember what all the con­ before Boyd struck — a tie for 10th tractsin add up to.” Val Gardena, Italy; and a sixth in Are, But Boyd isn’t concerned about money Sweden. He improved his international and pressure now. He has skied the Na­ ranking in downhill to 29th from 91st. kiska Olympic course, competed in Can­ In his first World Cup season, Boyd ada several times, successfully dealt had put an unwavering foundation to hiswith a world championship and won a skiing future. race. * . Despite another slow start, the 1986-87 “I want to ski the best I can in the season hit an unexpected high in Val Olympics,” Boyd said. “I want to be at Gardena with his first World Cup victo­my peak physically, mentally and in ry. Although it was his only win, Boydterms of my skiing, I want to be con­ kept scoring World Cup points (top 15)fident in myself. and became a consistent threat — Gar- Slalom races were misch-Partenkirchen, West Germany, “Ten of the first 15 skiers could win sixth; Wengen, Switzerland, 11th; Kitz- the race. All have the ability and have run this week buhel, Austria, 11th; Furano, Japan, won before. Then there’s the odd guy on Mount Allan, fifth; and a fifth on the Nakiska Olympic who starts 26th.” but only on runs run on Mount Allan. He was eighth on the World Cup points (Martin Cleary is a sports reporter covered by the snow list in downhill and in the same circles with the Ottawa Citizen.) making machine. Young Read seeks success of sibling CANMORE, Alta. (CP) - More than a “We’re close, real close . within se­ decade after his older brother Ken won conds,” said Read with a look of deter­ his first World Cup downhill ski race, mination. Jim Read is looking for a similar break­Villiard, who won the first of two through. men’s slalom races this weekend, agreed Read, now 25, finished 24th in giant a breakthrough could be closer than slalom at the 1984 Olympics, but he’smany people think. looking for better results when the 1988“Every year we’ve been improving Games are held in February in Calgary. and they (Canadian Ski Association) put Read is the top-ranked skier outside a lot more time in the slalom and GS the alpine nations — Austria, Switzer­ now than they used to. But it’s hard for land, Italy, Sweden and Germany — but us to break the ice because no one has his start number for World Cup races isever won a World Cup like the downhill. still in the 20s. N a k is k a passes final test But Read, here for several slalom and “We have to be patient.” giant slalom test races on Mount Allan’s Patience has been one of Read’s big­ CANMORE, Alta. (CP) — Rating liberately planned by course design­ this fall and none of the mountain Olympic runs, said he’s confident ofgest assets. He has overcome numerous on the final Olympic course to be ers. resorts are fully opened. As well, some top-10 finishes “and once you injuries,move an uncaring public and more tested at Mount Allan, the giant Former World Cup downhill win­ daytime temperatures have been critics than he cares to remembes. slalom, was held Monday and the ner Ken Read, assistant chief of unseasonably high, hampering up your start number, you can really snowmaking efforts. And always ahead of him, chuckling feedback was the familiar — the safety for the Alpine events in Feb­ think about winning.” Organizers remain confident, over their success and the struggling of skiers loved it. ruary’s Winter Olympics, said orga­ Canada’s downhillers entered the win­ however, that they’ll have the the persistent Canadians, are talented “It’s a good challenging hill, I nizers wanted to avoid a course ner’s circle in dramatic fashion, but courses ready in time for Olympic Europeans. like it,” Alain Villiard of Ste-Adele, that was too constant; either steep acheiving that goal for the more techni­ training in early February. cal slalom events is harder. Read and Villiard realize they proba­ Que., who praised the oft«maligned all the way or with too many flats.