Alpine Canada extends Gartner's deal through 2010

Max Gartner, the chief athletics officer of Alpine Canada Alpin, has agreed to guide the Canadian Alpine Ski Team and ACA’s participation in “Own The Podium 2010” through the 2010 Winter Olympics, ACA Chief Executive Officer Ken Read announced Monday.
MAX GARTNER, the chief athletics officer of Alpine Canada Alpin, has agreed to guide the Canadian Alpine Ski Team and ACA’s participation in “Own The Podium 2010” through the 2010 Winter Olympics, ACA Chief Executive Officer Ken Read announced Monday.
    Gartner, the successful ski coach noted for guiding wife Kerrin Lee-Gartner to Olympic downhill gold in 1992, left  retirement to join Read during the rebuilding of Canada’s alpine ski racing programs in 2003.
    “The passion, leadership and expertise of Max Gartner is a key reason for the momentum of Canada’s alpine ski racing programs: the national team and our athlete development system,” said Read, noting the chief athletics officer will also lead ‘top secret’ 2010 research projects to provide Canada’s athletes with the best possible technical advantage at the Vancouver/Whistler Olympics.
    “His decision to continue in a leadership role pushes forward our goal to make Canada a world-leading racing nation,” Read added.
    With a coaching staff lead by Canadian Team Alpine Director Dusan Grasic, Canadian Para-Alpine High Performance Director Jean-François Rapatel and National Technical Directors Mark Sharp and Benoit Lalande, Gartner said he is fully committed to achieving the continuously improving results required in the Alpine Canada Alpin strategic plan.
    “With increased financial, technical and human resources, we have momentum and are making solid progress,” said Gartner. “I want to contribute to Alpine Canada Alpin and our athletes achieving the stretch goals established for the Olympics.”
    When Gartner joined Alpine Canada Alpin, Canada’s teams, especially the men's side, had struggled with a string of disappointing World Cup and Olympic results at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. Last season the Canadian alpine team had its best World Cup season to date with a record 14 World Cup podiums and one World Championship medal.
    Gartner, an Austrian native, has coached in Canada for 20 years. In addition to working with Lee-Gartner, he helped develop some of Canada's top male talent from the past including Thomas Grandi, Edi Podivinsky and Cary Mullen.