Currie Chapman

Currie Chapman directed Canada’s national women’s alpine skiing program from 1978 to 1988, leading the team to international prominence with 11 World Cup victories, two world championship medals and an Olympic medal. Among the skiers who rose under his guidance were Kathy Kreiner, Gerry Sorensen, Liisa Savijarvi, Laurie Graham and Karen Percy.

Currie was a product of Canada’s early efforts to combine athletic development with academic opportunity. Beginning in 1964, the Canadian Alpine Ski Association and Notre Dame University in Nelson, B.C., launched what was dubbed the “Education Plus Competition Experiment,” allowing Olympic-bound athletes to attend school while training year-round. He spent five years on the Canadian national alpine ski team from 1964 to 1968, part of that first cohort, benefitting from flexible scholastic schedules and a team environment rooted in both competition and education. 

He became the first Canadian to graduate from a university on an athletic scholarship, earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology and counselling from Notre Dame University in Nelson, B.C.

In 1986, Currie was named Coach of the Year by the federal government at the Tribute to Champions event, and was a finalist for Air Canada’s Coach of the Year Award in 1987 and 1988.

His 1988 book On the Edge: The Inside Story of the Canadian Women’s Ski Team (McGraw-Hill Ryerson) reflected on his coaching philosophy and explored the motivation of elite athletes striving for world-class performance.

Currie earned Level 4 certification from the Canadian Federation of Ski Coaches in 1980 and was named Master Coach by the Canadian Association of Coaches in 1981. He was inducted into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame in 2005.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

1964–68 — Member, Canadian national alpine ski team; part of the Notre Dame “Education Plus Competition Experiment” that combined post-secondary education with full-time training. 

1978–88 — Head coach, Canadian national women’s alpine skiing program; 11 World Cup victories, two world championship medals, one Olympic medal

1980 — Achieved Level 4, Canadian Federation of Ski Coaches

1981 — Named Master Coach, Canadian Association of Coaches

1986 — Named Coach of the Year by the federal government at the Tribute to Champions event

1987–88 — Finalist, Air Canada Coach of the Year Award

1988 — Published On the Edge: The Inside Story of the Canadian Women’s Ski Team (McGraw-Hill Ryerson)

1993 — Inducted into the Canadian Ski Hall of Fame (coach)

2005 — Inducted into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame

Note: Information compiled from several sources; may not include all accomplishments. © Canadian Ski Museum & Hall of Fame. For personal/educational use only. All rights reserved.