Wayne Wong (skier)

Wayne Wong
Born (1950-10-17) October 17, 1950 (age 74)
Vancouver, British Columbia

For the Hong Kong former tennis player, see Wayne Wong.

Wayne Wong (born October 17, 1950) is a Canadian pioneer of freestyle skiing, and an inductee into both the Canadian Ski Hall of Fame and the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame.[1]

Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Wong is considered one of the most influential skiers of the 20th century, according to both SKI and Powder magazines.[citation needed] He is the inventor of the famous "Wong Banger" and starred in countless skiing movies.

Wong is also the person credited with introducing future Tour de France champion Greg LeMond to the sport of cycling in 1975.[2]

Professional accomplishments

1971: 3rd place in the inaugural National Championships of Exhibition Skiing
1972: Skiing magazine Freestyle Skier Of The Year
1972: Achieved a Level 4 Certification with the Canadian Ski Instructors Alliance
1972–76: Member of the K2 and Salomon Freestyle Ski Teams
1973: Europa Cup Freestyle Champion
1973: Featured in a national TV ad for Pepsi Cola
1974: Rocky Mountain Freestyle Skiing Champion
1975: Member of the Canadian Ski Instructors Alliance Interski Team
1975: Japan International Freestyle Skiing Championships
1984; 1986; 1987: World Powder 8 Champion
1999: Recognized in Skiing Magazine's 50th Anniversary Issue as one of the 25 Most Influential Skiers Of All time
2000: Voted by Ski Magazine as one of the Top 100 Skiers Of All Time
2002: Olympic Torch Bearer for the 2002 Olympic Games
2004: Receive the Guardian Angel Award for his dedication to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
2006: Named in Powder Magazine's 35th Anniversary Issue as one of the Top 48 Greatest Skiers Of Our Time
2008: Received the Frances Williams Preston Award for his dedication to the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Research Center
2008: Appeared in Fred Ashman's Imax movie, "Proud American"
2009: Inducted into the Canadian Ski Hall of Fame[3]

References

  1. ^ "Wayne Wong among inductees to ski shrine U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame". Idaho Mountain Express. November 9, 2012. Retrieved December 19, 2012.
  2. ^ LeMond, Greg; Kent Gordis (1987). "The Greg LeMond Story". Greg LeMond's complete book of bicycling (1st ed.). New York: Putnam Publishing Group. p. 16. ISBN 0399132295. Wayne Wong taught me a lot about skiing. One thing he especially recommended as an ideal off-season exercise was cycling. As a result, I started paying attention to my bike for a change.
  3. ^ "Wayne Wong". Canadian Ski Hall of Fame. Retrieved 18 February 2019.


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