Sun Peaks Celebrating 50 Years With Nancy Greene Raine

February 15th marks 50 years since Sun Peaks' Director of Skiing, Nancy Greene Raine, thrilled the country with her gold medal win at the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France. Canada's Female Athlete of the 20th Century is celebrating her golden anniversary with friends, family, former teammates and the community of Sun Peaks.

The celebrations commenced at the top of the Sunburst chairlift where everyone was invited to join Greene Raine for a morning ski, enjoying superb snow conditions and a beautiful bluebird day. At noon, she gathered with local students outside Sun Peaks Elementary School to lead a flag parade to the village where a crowd had gathered for the official 50th anniversary presentations.

"We are so grateful to have Nancy as part of the resort," commented Aidan Kelly, Chief Marketing Officer at Sun Peaks Resort, as he addressed the crowd. "In the past, in the present, and in the future".

Starting with a cheer of 'Go Canada Go', Greene Raine thanked everyone for their support and for being in Sun Peaks to help celebrate her milestone.

Looking back to her 1968 win, she explained, "the biggest emotion I had was standing on the podium, singing 'O Canada' and watching the flag go up. I stood there singing and trying not to cry, I was just so happy."

To commemorate the occasion, Sun Peaks Resort announced a new fundraising initiative, aptly named Nancy's Dream Fund, presenting a cheque of $2,000. The fund will be managed by the Sun Peaks Foundation, providing financial assistance to help youth achieve their goals in sport.

"The first winter I went to Europe to race, the Red Mountain Ski Club raised the money for the trip, going door to door in Rossland and asking for donations. I could not have done it without the support I received and have never forgotten this. I am really pleased that the Sun Peaks community will now have a fund  to support children in reaching their dreams," commented Greene Raine.

The celebrations continued at the public reception and Olympic celebration at Masa's Bar + Grill in Sun Peaks. The evening ran from 7:00 to 9:00pm.