Todd Brooker
Encyclopedia
Todd Brooker is a former alpine ski racer
from Canada
and is a ski commentator on television.
circuit from December 1981
to January 1987
. A younger member of the Crazy Canucks
(Canada's downhill team) of the early 1980s Brooker won two World Cup downhill races at (Kitzbühel
& Aspen
) in 1983
finishing ninth in the season's overall downhill standings
. Two years later he won the downhill race in Furano
, Japan
finishing seventh in the 1985 downhill standings
.
Brookers rise to world class prominence placed him 13th at the 1982 World Championships
, ninth in the downhill in both the 1984 Winter Olympics
and the 1985 World Championships
.
The Hahnenkamn is arguably the most physically and mentally demanding race on the downhill skiing world cup circuit. This course is one of the most respected and feared courses by all FIS skiers. A victory is a badge of honor, if not a bragging right to even the most seasoned and decorated racer. From 1980 to 1983 Canadians Read, Podborski and Brooker broke the European dominance of victory at Hahnenkamm, Kitzbühel.
After returning from a knee injury Brooker's ski racing career ended at at the top of the Zielschuss with the most gut wrenching spectacular ragdoll head-over-heels cartwheeling fall ever captured on film, at Kitzbühel
, Austria
.
When asked about the video Brooker remarked that everyone remembered his 1987 Kitzbühel fall, except for him.
Brooker finished his World Cup career with three victories, seven podiums, and 15 top ten finishes, all in downhill.
. He has covered alpine skiing for numerous Winter Olympics for U.S. television, and currently provides commentary and analysis on CBC
in Canada during the World Cup ski season. Brooker covered alpine skiing
at the 2010 Winter Olympics
for NBC
in the United States.
Brooker lives on a farm in rural Ontario near Thornbury, with his wife and three daughters.
Speed Camp, a camp where kids from across Atlantic Canada go to learn the discipline known as Super G.
Alpine skiing
Alpine skiing is the sport of sliding down snow-covered hills on skis with fixed-heel bindings. Alpine skiing can be contrasted with skiing using free-heel bindings: Ski mountaineering and nordic skiing – such as cross-country; ski jumping; and Telemark. In competitive alpine skiing races four...
from Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and is a ski commentator on television.
World Cup Career
Brooker learned to ski and race at Blue Mountain in Ontario and made the Canadian national team in 1977; he competed on the World CupAlpine skiing World Cup
The FIS Alpine Ski World Cup is the top international circuit of alpine skiing competitions, launched in 1966 by a group of ski racing friends and experts which included French journalist Serge Lang and the alpine ski team directors from France and the USA...
circuit from December 1981
1982 Alpine Skiing World Cup
The 16th World Cup season began in December 1981 in France and concluded in March 1982, also in France. Phil Mahre of the U.S. repeated as overall champion, the second of his three consecutive titles. Erika Hess of Switzerland won the women's overall title....
to January 1987
1987 Alpine Skiing World Cup
The 21st World Cup season began in August 1986 in Argentina, resumed in late November, and concluded in March 1987 in Sarajevo. The overall champions were Pirmin Zurbriggen and Maria Walliser, both of Switzerland....
. A younger member of the Crazy Canucks
Crazy Canucks
The Crazy Canucks was a group of Canadian alpine ski racers who rose to prominence in the World Cup during the 1970s and 80s. Dave Irwin, Dave Murray, Steve Podborski, Jim Hunter and Ken Read earned themselves a reputation for fast and seemingly reckless skiing....
(Canada's downhill team) of the early 1980s Brooker won two World Cup downhill races at (Kitzbühel
Hahnenkamm, Kitzbühel
The Hahnenkamm is a mountain in Austria, directly south of Kitzbühel, in the Kitzbühel Alps. The elevation of its summit is above sea level.The Hahnenkamm is part of the ski resort of Kitzbühel, and hosts the annual World Cup alpine ski races, the Hahnenkammrennen...
& Aspen
Aspen Mountain
Aspen Mountain may refer to*Aspen Mountain - a mountain in Colorado, USA*Aspen Mountain - a ski resort on the mountain of the same name outside Aspen, Colorado*Aspen Mountain - a mountain in North Carolina, USA...
) in 1983
1983 Alpine Skiing World Cup
The 17th season of World Cup competition began in December 1982 in Switzerland and concluded in March 1983 in Japan. For the first time, the overall titles were won by two Americans, Tamara McKinney and Phil Mahre, who won his third consecutive overall title...
finishing ninth in the season's overall downhill standings
1983 Alpine Skiing World Cup - Men's Downhill
Men's Downhill World Cup 1982/1983-Calendar:-Final point standings:In Men's Downhill World Cup 1982/83 the best 5 results count. Deductions are given in .- Men's Downhill Team Results:...
. Two years later he won the downhill race in Furano
Furano Ski Resort
, also known as Furano Ski Area, is a resort in Furano, Hokkaido, owned and operated by Prince Hotels. One of the leading ski areas in Hokkaido, the resort became famous for its long-standing relationship with the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup. In more recent years, it has held the mid-February...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
finishing seventh in the 1985 downhill standings
1985 Alpine Skiing World Cup - Men's Downhill
Men's Downhill World Cup 1984/1985-Calendar:-Final point standings:In Men's Downhill World Cup 1984/85 the best 5 results count. Deductions are given in .-References:*...
.
Brookers rise to world class prominence placed him 13th at the 1982 World Championships
FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1982
The FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1982 were held in Schladming, Austria, between January 31 and February 7, 1982. The women's races were held in Haus im Ennstal....
, ninth in the downhill in both the 1984 Winter Olympics
Alpine skiing at the 1984 Winter Olympics - Men's downhill
The men's alpine skiing downhill event was part of the alpine skiing at the 1984 Winter Olympics programme. It was the tenth appearance of the event which was established in 1948. The competition was held on Thursday, February 16, 1984 and started at 12 noon....
and the 1985 World Championships
FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1985
The FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1985 were held in Bormio, northern Italy between January 31 and February 10, 1985.These were the first world championships held in an odd-numbered year, and the last without the Super-G event....
.
The Hahnenkamn is arguably the most physically and mentally demanding race on the downhill skiing world cup circuit. This course is one of the most respected and feared courses by all FIS skiers. A victory is a badge of honor, if not a bragging right to even the most seasoned and decorated racer. From 1980 to 1983 Canadians Read, Podborski and Brooker broke the European dominance of victory at Hahnenkamm, Kitzbühel.
After returning from a knee injury Brooker's ski racing career ended at at the top of the Zielschuss with the most gut wrenching spectacular ragdoll head-over-heels cartwheeling fall ever captured on film, at Kitzbühel
Hahnenkamm, Kitzbühel
The Hahnenkamm is a mountain in Austria, directly south of Kitzbühel, in the Kitzbühel Alps. The elevation of its summit is above sea level.The Hahnenkamm is part of the ski resort of Kitzbühel, and hosts the annual World Cup alpine ski races, the Hahnenkammrennen...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
.
When asked about the video Brooker remarked that everyone remembered his 1987 Kitzbühel fall, except for him.
Brooker finished his World Cup career with three victories, seven podiums, and 15 top ten finishes, all in downhill.
World Cup podiums
| Season | Date | Location | Race | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 1982 Alpine Skiing World Cup The 16th World Cup season began in December 1981 in France and concluded in March 1982, also in France. Phil Mahre of the U.S. repeated as overall champion, the second of his three consecutive titles. Erika Hess of Switzerland won the women's overall title.... |
March 6, 1982 |  AspenAspen Mountain (ski area) Aspen Mountain is a ski area located in Pitkin County, Colorado, just outside and above the city of Aspen. It is situated on the north flank of Aspen Mountain and the higher Bell Mountain at an elevation of 11,212 ft just to the south of Aspen Mountain... , CO Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains... , USA |
Downhill | 2nd |
| 1983 1983 Alpine Skiing World Cup The 17th season of World Cup competition began in December 1982 in Switzerland and concluded in March 1983 in Japan. For the first time, the overall titles were won by two Americans, Tamara McKinney and Phil Mahre, who won his third consecutive overall title... |
January 22, 1983 |  KitzbühelHahnenkamm, Kitzbühel The Hahnenkamm is a mountain in Austria, directly south of Kitzbühel, in the Kitzbühel Alps. The elevation of its summit is above sea level.The Hahnenkamm is part of the ski resort of Kitzbühel, and hosts the annual World Cup alpine ski races, the Hahnenkammrennen... , Austria Austria Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the... |
Downhill | 1st |
| March 6, 1983 | Aspen, CO, USA |
Downhill | 1st | |
| 1984 1984 Alpine Skiing World Cup The 18th World Cup season began in December 1983 in Kranjska Gora, Yugoslavia , and concluded in March 1984 in Oslo, Norway. The overall champions were Pirmin Zurbriggen and Erika Hess, both of Switzerland.... |
December 9, 1983 |  Val d'Isère, FranceFrance The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... |
Downhill | 2nd |
| December 18, 1983 |  Val Gardena, ItalyItaly Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and... |
Downhill | 2nd | |
| 1985 1985 Alpine Skiing World Cup The 19th World Cup season began in December 1984 in Italy and concluded in March 1985 in the United States. The overall champions were Marc Girardelli of Luxembourg and Michela Figini of Switzerland.... |
January 12, 1985 | Kitzbühel, Austria |
Downhill | 3rd |
| March 2, 1985 |  FuranoFurano, Hokkaido is a city in the prefecture of Hokkaido located in the southern reaches of Kamikawa Subprefecture, under whose jurisdiction it resides. Well-known throughout Japan as a tourism destination, it is famous for its lavender fields, the television drama Kita no Kuni kara and the Furano Ski Resort, which... , Japan Japan Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south... |
Downhill | 1st |
Post-racing career
Brooker has been a ski commentator on television for a number of years, and has worked for most of the major networks in North AmericaNorth America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. He has covered alpine skiing for numerous Winter Olympics for U.S. television, and currently provides commentary and analysis on CBC
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
in Canada during the World Cup ski season. Brooker covered alpine skiing
Alpine skiing at the 2010 Winter Olympics
Alpine skiing at the 2010 Winter Olympics was held at Whistler Creekside in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada. The ten events were scheduled for February 13–27, 2010; weather delayed the first event, the men's downhill, two days until Monday, February 15....
at the 2010 Winter Olympics
Alpine skiing at the 2010 Winter Olympics
Alpine skiing at the 2010 Winter Olympics was held at Whistler Creekside in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada. The ten events were scheduled for February 13–27, 2010; weather delayed the first event, the men's downhill, two days until Monday, February 15....
for NBC
NBC Sports
NBC Sports is the sports division of the NBC television network. Formerly "a service of NBC News," it broadcasts a diverse array of programs, including the Olympic Games, the NFL, the NHL, MLS, Notre Dame football, the PGA Tour, the Triple Crown, and the French Open, among others...
in the United States.
Brooker lives on a farm in rural Ontario near Thornbury, with his wife and three daughters.
Crabbe Mountain Speed Camp
Brooker also made an appearance at the 2011 Crabbe MountainCrabbe Mountain
Crabbe Mountain is a Canadian alpine ski hill in New Brunswick.New Brunswick's highest vertical at 853 feet offers challenging terrain for skiers of all abilities. Crabbe Mountain has a wide-open beginner area with a pony lift for those just starting out. There's a wide variety of groomed,...
Speed Camp, a camp where kids from across Atlantic Canada go to learn the discipline known as Super G.
External links
- Ski-db.com - Todd Brooker
- Canadian Ski Hall of Fame - Todd Brooker - inducted 1991
- Sports-Reference.com - profile - Todd Brooker
- TSN.ca - Todd Brooker: Blast from the Past - March 2008