The first women to represent Canada on an Olympic ski slope are celebrating the 70th anniversary of their barrier-breaking achievement.
Rhona and Rhoda Wurtele first took up skiing on the snowy slopes of Mount Royal, near their childhood home in the Montreal suburb of Westmount. Their mutual love for alpine sport paved the way for a generation of female athletes to ski for Canada on the world stage.
“Our father gave us skis, and we started walking down the street. Then it was, go to the park, and gradually go up the mountain, and let’s find more stuff to ski,” Rhoda told CTV Montreal on Saturday.
The spirt of competition took hold early. The girls frequently accepted athletic challenges from their brothers. Rhoda recalls marching up a hill with her sister as children to prove they could master a large jump.
“True to our word, both of us grabbed our long skis . . . here we are at the top of this giant ski jump. We just went. Who’s going first? No. Me. There was a lot of that kind of stuff.”
The twin sisters, now 96 years old, became the sole members of the Canadian Olympic women’s alpine ski team at the 1948 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz, Switzerland. Anticipation was heightened that year by the 12-year Olympic hiatus due to the Second World War.
“We were terribly excited of course,” Rhoda said. “We were the only two girls, so we joined the men’s team.”
Downhill racing was particularly dangerous at the time. The pair drew upon their years of performing jumps at home in Canada. They proved they had what it takes to keep up with the Europeans who dominated the sport, but fell short of a spot on the podium. Both were injured during training. Rhona hit a tree stump and broke her leg near the end of a run. Rhoda seriously injured her ankle.
“I flew up in the air and my right ski hit my left ankle and I heard this loud crack and it broke,” she recalled.
While their dreams of Olympic gold were dashed, they created memories and friendships that have lasted a lifetime.
“It was a beginning and it was a great honour. It was really exciting,” Rhona said.
“Of course the bobsled team was there. We’re still friends with a couple of the men,” Rhoda laughed.
The sisters have received a number of awards and distinctions for their years of international competition, including induction into the Canadian Ski Hall of Fame.
Rhona isn’t able to get on the slopes any more, but Rhoda continues to ski on a small urban hill. Seven decades after their Olympic debut, they still think like elite athlete and plan to religiously watch the 2018 Pyeongchang games.
“It’s a gathering of people from all over the world,” Rhona said. “It’s terribly exciting.”
With a report from CTV Montreal’s Angela MacKenzie
