HIGH ACHIEVERS: Ed Champagne devoted more than 75 years to alpine skiing in Canada

By Martin Cleary

When the former Canadian Ski Association office was located on 333 River Road in Vanier, the multi-skilled Edouard (Ed) Champagne worked and worked and worked some more in a bright and homey corner office.

How appropriate that he would be stationed there as he truly was a constant cornerstone of one of the most visible national sports governing bodies of the day and an integral, behind-the-scenes player in the emergence of the Crazy Canucks alpine skiing phenomenon.

There are many intriguing aspects to Champagne’s humble and obliging life, which saw him serve as a long-time pharmaceutical representative, become the first president of the Winnipeg Cycling Club and chair of the Manitoba Cycling Association, and even venture into a Roman Catholic seminary to give the priesthood a consideration.

But it was his love of the various aspects of alpine skiing, and especially the people, that energized Champagne for more than 75 years, including 21 full-service years (1969-1990) with the CSA (now Alpine Canada).

Champagne, an administrator at the national and provincial levels, a committee member who helped to develop ski sites in national/provincial parks and a one-time ski jumper who took flight off a 40-metre hill in his youth, died Friday at the Montfort Hospital. He was 96 and had been living at Cité Parkway Retirement Residence for the past two months.

Champagne requested no memorial service, but the ski community is considering a Zoom gathering in April to remember a cherished friend and colleague.

“Ed was a wonderful, warm and kind human being, who had time for everyone,” Nancy Greene Raine, who was named Canada’s female athlete of the 20th century, said in a phone interview with High Achievers.

“The coaches’ job was to push the athletes. But when athletes struggled, they’d go to Ed. He’d listen and encourage them. That’s why so many felt a bond with him. He was like a father figure.”

Crazy Canuck Ken Read of Calgary can associate with that. At 15 and probably the youngest skier in a 1970 Pontiac Cup technical race at Georgian Peaks, ON., he finished near or at the bottom of the results list.

“Ed gave me a lift (pep-talk). That’s what Ed did. He gave us all a lift. He was the co-ordinator, the glue and the consistent constant,” Read said in a phone interview.

“There was a reason he was called Mother Ed. He was reliable. He was always there. If you had a problem, you called Ed.”

Born in Ste. Anne, MB, but raised and educated in St. Boniface, Champagne brought his administrative skills to the Puffin Ski Club and the Winnipeg Ski Club in the 1940s to serve as social director, public relations director or juvenile-junior program chair.

He also was president of the Manitoba Ski Division for three years, which included being part of a committee to search for and recommend ski sites for the Riding Mountain National Park and the Whiteshell Provincial Park. The respective choices remain active today at Mt. Agassiz and Falcon Lake Ski Area.

In 1969, Canadian alpine program director Al Raine needed to hire a bilingual person for the national office, which was located in Nelson, B.C., at the time but would eventually move to Montreal. Champagne, who was fluently bilingual, was the right man for the job in the alpine division. Three years later, the national office moved to Montreal and eventually came to Ottawa, but is now situated in Calgary.

Raine stopped in Winnipeg to interview Champagne for the national office job as he made his way to Rossland, B.C., where he married Nancy Greene a few days later. Champagne was hired a month later at the CSA annual general meeting in Winnipeg.

During his 21-year career with the national team, Champagne was the business manager, team manager, administrative director and director of athlete and public relations. If necessary, he could smoothly slide into any other role to cover someone who was on vacation or ill. He often said his job description was “whatever had to be done.”

Alpine officials across Canada respected Champagne’s work and two ski resorts named runs in his honour – the Champagne Express, which was originally the Champagne T-bar in 1983 at Panorama Mountain Resort in B.C., and the Champagne Bowl at Holiday Mountain Resort in La Rivière, MB.

“Ed was loved everywhere,” wrote Ottawa’s Mike Christie, a long-time friend and former national sports administrator who made daily contact with Champagne.

“The ski run named after Ed in Manitoba is called the Champagne Bowl at Holiday Mountain. This is kind of symbolic of who Ed was. It didn’t matter if you came from a small ski area or a large ski area, he treated everyone the same.”

Champagne’s daily tasks over the years with the national team involved making travel and accommodation arrangements, finding audio-visual equipment, serving as co-ordinator for the official supplier program, raising funds and booking athletes to attend various functions.

And his entire portfolio of work didn’t go unnoticed. In 1995, he was inducted into the Canadian Ski Hall of Fame. He also was made an honorary member of the Canadian Ski Association and a life member of the Winnipeg Ski Club.

His work was so admired the CSA bent its rules to allow Champagne to become an honorary member.

“This award is normally reserved only for volunteers and never issued to staff,” the unnamed award presenter said. “Anyone who has known Ed over the years, however, will agree that Ed does not fit the model of a normal employee.

“Ed served the association as an employee since 1969. His hours, however, would constitute 50 years of service. Ed was available at the office most evenings and weekends for whoever needed something.”

Champagne was a workaholic, but he enjoyed every hour of his workday.

Before the days of the Internet and live, instant results through social media, he was media contact for race results and interviews. He’d receive requests at all hours. But he was good with that. He passed along results from World Cup races or world championships with enthusiasm, a little insight and maybe a nugget of news not found in the press releases.

In 1989, downhill racer Brian Stemmle had a serious crash on the famed, but treacherous Kitzbuhel course and suffered a broken pelvis, massive internal injuries and resulting infection. A stressed and worried Champagne told this sportswriter at the time his chances of survival were 50-50. Stemmle, 57, made a full recovery and is a TV colour commentator.

When Champagne received the day’s race results he not only shared them with the media, but also he phoned anxious parents to let them know how their son or daughter performed that day.

Champagne was a people person and for the majority of his 33-year retirement he did the same as the unofficial alpine ski team alumni co-ordinator.

He had about 2,500 people on his email list and would keep everyone abreast of what was happening on the ski team. When it was someone’s birthday or anniversary or a baby was born, Champagne would send a congratulatory note because that’s what he enjoyed doing. He cared about his extended ski family.

It wasn’t always easy when you’re in your 80s and 90s and there’s a computer problem. But he worked his way through those sticky situations to maintain his connections to people.

“He never stopped building relationships,” Greene Raine added.

During Champagne’s acceptance speech into the Canadian Ski Hall of Fame, he spoke about his connection with the skiers and their families.

“The most gratifying thing over the years has been the contact that has been kept,” he said. “I get several Christmas cards with family photos or photos of their children. Occasionally, I get phone calls from past team members. I call that keeping Family Contact.”

Dave Irwin, one of the four original Crazy Canuck downhill skiers, enjoyed mailing Champagne postcards from all the race sites. When he retired in 1983, Read volunteered to continue that team tradition that Irwin had kept silent.

“Ed gave us all a reason to pick up the phone, give a call and keep in touch because of the bond of love Ed had for us and instilled in us,” Read explained.

Champagne was able to spend so much time at his job because he was single and enjoyed his work. He also was a devout Roman Catholic and during his retirement was often the altar server during daily Mass at his neighbourhood church in downtown Ottawa.

“He often went to funerals where he was the only person there and didn’t know them,” said Greene Raine, who often visited Champagne, especially when she was a Canadian Senator for British Columbia from 2009 to 2018.

Greene Raine last visited Champagne in December, when he was in the Ottawa Hospital Civic Campus. She asked him if he wanted to send a message to his friends. Here is a part of that taped message:

“To all of you people I have known over the years, how I miss you. Tears come to my eyes.

“It really makes me feel well about all the years I was involved with the alpine team. It was really something that I am thankful for. I am very thankful for the many people I met over the years.

“I also want to say hello and warm wishes to all who shared happy memories. I wish everyone warm wishes, big hugs to each of you and keep well. God bless you all.”