Greg Athans

Greg Athans was one of Canada’s earliest pioneers in Freestyle skiing, he had an outstanding number of victories in competition between his debut year in 1976, and his retirement in 1982.

He was born into a family of champions, his father winning Gold and Silver diving medals at the 1950 Commonwealth Games and the Canadian Diving Championships no fewer than 14 times. His older brother, George, was Canadian Water Ski Champion ten straight years, World Champion three times and is a Member of the Order of Canada. His mother was Canadian Synchronized Swimming Champion and a Canadian record holder in the breaststroke and Masters Champion while younger brother, Gary, was a Canadian alpine skiing champion and a member of the National Alpine Downhill Ski team for eight years.

Equally proficient on both snow and water skis, Greg Athans is the only athlete to win Gold medals in both Winter and Summer Canada Games (1971 alpine slalom, 1973 water skiing). He was involved in water and ski skiing most of his life, winning 8 national water ski titles, and racing on the Pontiac Cup and Can-Am circuits before he’d bring his talents to freestyle skiing in 1976. In this debut year he astonished the world of freestyle skiing by winning the Mogul, Ballet and Combined titles on the Professional Freestyle Alliance circuit. In 1978, he repeated this effort by winning both Moguls and Ballet titles and, again, in 1980 winning the Moguls title and the coveted World Cup Grand Prix Award for the Best All-Around Competitor. When he retired in 1982 with over 20 World Cup victories to his credit, he turned to coaching while advocating tirelessly for inclusion of the sport in the Olympic Winter Games.

In retirement, he was an enthusiastic fundraiser for the Vancouver Children’s Hospital Foundation. Nancy Greene Raine, Olympic Gold medallist skier and Canada’s Female Athlete of the Half-Century said, “Greg was like a pebble in a pond.

Those close to the first ripple were indeed fortunate, yet as the ripples expanded he continued to touch and influence a vast network of friends, colleagues and competitors”.

Competitive highlights
1976
1st place, Moguls event, AFSA (American Freestyle Association), Waterville Valley, New Hampshire, USA
4th place, Aerials event, AFSA (American Freestyle Association), Waterville Valley, New Hampshire, USA
2nd place, Combined events, AFSA (American Freestyle Association), Waterville Valley, New Hampshire, USA
1st place, Moguls event, AFSA (American Freestyle Association), Boyne Mountain, Michigan, USA
1st place, Ballet event, AFSA (American Freestyle Association), Boyne Mountain, Michigan, USA
2nd place, Combined events, AFSA (American Freestyle Association), Boyne Mountain, Michigan, USA
1st place, Ballet event, AFSA (American Freestyle Association),Keystone, USA
1st place, Moguls event, AFSA (American Freestyle Association), Heavenly Valley, California, USA
2nd place, Ballet event, AFSA (American Freestyle Association), Heavenly Valley, California, USA
2nd place, Combined events, AFSA (American Freestyle Association), Heavenly Valley, California, USA
AFSA (American Freestyle Association) World Mogul and Ballet Champion

1977
3rd place, Moguls event, Midas Men’s World Trophy Championships, Stratton Mountain, Vermont, USA
4th place, Ballet event, Midas Men’s World Trophy Championships, Stratton Mountain, Vermont, USA
2nd place, Combined events, Midas Men’s World Trophy Championships, Stratton Mountain, Vermont, USA
1st Ballet event, Labatt World Trophy Championships, Mont Ste Anne, QC
5th place, Moguls event, Labatt World Trophy Championships, Mont Ste Anne, Quebec
1st place, Combined events, Labatt World Trophy Championships, Mont Ste Anne, Quebec
4th place, Moguls event, Midas Men’s World Trophy Championships, Heavenly Valley, California
3rd place, Combined events, Midas Men’s World Trophy Championships, Heavenly Valley, California
Men’s Overall World Freestyle Trophy Standings, 2nd place Moguls, 5th place Ballet, 8th place Aerials, 2nd place Combined

1978
2nd place, Moguls event, World Cup Freestyle, Kranska-Gora, Yugoslavia
2nd place, Ballet event, World Cup Freestyle, Kranska-Gora, Yugoslavia
1st place, Combined events, World Cup Freestyle, Kranska-Gora, Yugoslavia
1st place, Ballet event, World Cup Freestyle, Praloup, France
3rd place, Moguls event, World Cup Freestyle, Praloup, France
2nd place, Combined events, World Cup Freestyle, Praloup, France
1st place, Moguls event, World Cup Freestyle, Isola, France
2nd place, Combined events, World Cup Freestyle, Isola, France
1st place, Moguls event, World Cup Freestyle, Kitzbuhel, Austria
2nd place, Ballet event, World Cup Freestyle, Kitzbuhel, Austria
3rd place, Combined events, World Cup Freestyle, Kitzbuhel, Austria
1st place Moguls event, World Cup Freestyle, Piancavello, Italy
3rd place, Ballet event, World Cup Freestyle, Piancavello, Italy
3rd place, Combined events, World Cup Freestyle, Piancavello, Italy
3rd place, Moguls event, World Cup Freestyle, Edelweiss, Quebec
1st place, Ballet event, World Cup Freestyle, Edelweiss, Quebec
1st place, Combined events, World Cup Freestyle, Edelweiss, Quebec
1st place, Moguls event, World Cup Freestyle, Mont Ste Anne, Quebec
2nd place, Ballet event, World Cup Freestyle, Mont Ste Anne, Quebec
2nd place, Combined events, World Cup Freestyle, Mont Ste, Anne Quebec
1st place, Ballet event, World Cup Freestyle, Vernon, B.C.
3rd place, Combined events, World Cup Freestyle, Vernon, B.C.
Men’s Overall World Freestyle Trophy Standings, 1st place Moguls, 1st place Ballet

1979
1st place, Moguls event, World Cup Freestyle, Bromont, Quebec
1st place, Moguls event, World Cup Freestyle, Saalbach, Austria
4th place, Ballet event, World Cup Freestyle, Oberjoch, Germany
1st place, Combined events, World Cup Freestyle, Oberjoch, Germany
2nd place, Moguls event, World Cup Freestyle, Bromont, Quebec
1st place, Ballet event, World Cup Freestyle, Bromont, Quebec
3rd place, Moguls event, World Cup Freestyle, Grouse Mtn, B.C.
Men’s Overall World Freestyle Trophy Standings, 2nd place Moguls, 4th place Combined

1980
1st place, FIS World Cup Moguls event, Poconos, USA
1st place, World Cup Moguls event, Poconos, USA
2nd place, FIS World Cup Ballet event, Poconos, USA
1st place, FIS World Cup Combined event, Poconos, USA
1st place, FIS World Cup Combined event, Poconos, USA
4th place, FIS World Cup Ballet event, Oberjoch, Germany
3rd place, FIS World Cup Combined event, Oberjoch, Germany
5th place, FIS World Cup Moguls event, Tignes, France
8th place, FIS World Cup Ballet event, Tignes, France
1st place, FIS World Cup Combined event, Tignes, France
4th place, FIS World Cup Moguls event, Whistler, BC
10th place, FIS World Cup Combined event, Whistler, BC
Men’s Overall World Freestyle Grand Prix Standings, 1st Moguls, 1st Combined

1981 9th place, FIS World Cup Moguls event, Livigno, Italy
3rd place, FIS World Cup Ballet events, Livigno, Italy
3rd place, Moguls Dual Format, Freestyle World Cup, Livigno, Italy
3rd place, FIS World Cup Moguls event, Tignes, France
7th place, FIS World Cup Combined event, Tignes, France
6th place, FIS World Cup Ballet event, Laax, Switzerland
4th place, FIS World Cup Moguls event, Laax, Switzerland
3rd place, FIS World Cup Combined event, Laax, Switzerland
2nd place, FIS World Cup Moguls event, Laax, Switzerland
10th place, FIS World Cup Aerials event, Seefeld, Austria
10th place, FIS World Cup Ballet event, Seefeld, Austria
2nd place, FIS World Cup Combined event, Seefeld, Austria
4th place, FIS World Cup Ballet event, Oberjoch, Germany
2nd place, FIS World Cup Moguls event, Oberjoch, Germany
2nd place, FIS World Cup Combined event, Oberjoch, Germany
3rd place, FIS World Cup Ballet event, Poconos, USA
3rd place, Ballet, Pepsi Challenge Cup
5th place, FIS World Cup Combined event, Mt. Norquay, AB
8th place, World Cup Combined event, Mt. Norquay, AB
2nd place, World Cup Moguls event, Mt. Norquay, AB
Men’s Overall World Freestyle Grand Prix Standings, 2nd Moguls, 2nd Combined
Men’s Grand Prix Freestyle Championships, 3rd place Moguls, 3rd place overall

In addition, on two occasions Greg Athans won the overall Australian Freestyle Championships by winning the Moguls and Ballet events

Please Note: The ski information gathered here is compiled from a number of sources; it may not be inclusive of all accomplishments.
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