Andrew (Andy) Tommy

Andy Tommy was a member of a famous Ottawa, Ontario, sporting family. His father, Andy Sr., was a professional football player, while his brothers, Art and Fred were competitive skiers. Unusually, all three brothers, Andy, Art, and Fred, were members of Canada’s Alpine Ski Team. Within the framework of the sport of skiing, Andy Tommy participated successfully as a competitor, instructor, coach, and businessman.

As an instructor, he was an Examiner for the professional Canadian Ski Instructors Alliance and Head of the Ski School at Chalet Cochand, Ste Marguerite, Quebec. As a businessman, he left an indelible mark on the Ottawa ski scene and was involved in the founding and operations of the Tommy & Lefebvre ski equipment retail chain, and the Edelweiss Valley Ski and Golf Resort for which he acted as General Manager.

For much of the late 1940s and ’50s when his competitive career was at its peak, he was plagued by a frustrating pattern of injuries including six broken legs and, in 1949, was struck by another skier while waiting by the side of a racecourse in Stowe, Vermont. The incident put him in a coma for more than a week, prompting doctors to tell him he would never ski again. Although he didn’t ski for 22 months, he proved the doctors wrong with his racing successes between 1950 and 1960.

Partial Competitive Highlights

1950
Member, Canadian Team from the Ottawa Ski Club at the Internationale de Ski (FIS) Championships at Lake Placid, USA, and Aspen, USA.

1951
1st place, Taschereau Downhill, Mont Tremblant, Quebec

1952
1st place, Quebec Championship in both Downhill and Slalom

1954
1st place, Kandahar Downhill, Quebec

1955
1st place, Ryan Cup Giant Slalom, Mont Tremblant, Quebec
2nd place, Downhill and Slalom, Compulsory Eligibility Trials for the 1956 Olympic Winter Games, Cortina D’Ampezzo, Italy.
6th place, Canadian National Downhill and Slalom Championships, Mont Tremblant, Quebec

In 1956, he suffered a double fracture of his right leg which kept him from competing at the Cortina Olympic Winter Games

1960
Selected as Manager of the Canadian National Alpine Ski Team for the 1960 Olympic Winter Games at Squaw Valley, USA

Please Note: The ski information gathered here is compiled from a number of sources; it may not be inclusive of all accomplishments. Copyright © 2021, Canadian Ski Museum. For Personal/Educational use only. All Rights Reserved.