Todd Brooker (born 24 November 1959) is a former alpine ski racer member Crazy Canucks and a ski commentator on television.
World Cup career Todd Brooker was born on 24 November 1949 in Paris, Ontario. He learned to ski and race at The Toronto Ski Club at Blue Mountain, near Collingwood and made the Canadian national team in 1977; he competed on the World Cup 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 Hahnenkamm in Kitzbühel, Austria, is widely regarded as one of the most challenging races on the downhill skiing World Cup circuit. The Streif course is known for its difficulty and demands both physical skill and mental focus from racers. Winning at Kitzbühel is considered a significant achievement in a skier’s career. Between 1980 and 1983, Canadians Ken Read, Steve Podborski, and Brooker helped break the European streak of victories at this event.
After returning from a knee injury, Brooker's ski racing career ended with a crash in Kitzbühel at the top of the Zielschuss in January 1987. When asked about the video, Brooker has remarked that everyone remembers his Kitzbühel fall, except for him. The crash in the Friday training run ended his season and racing career.
Brooker finished his World Cup career with three victories, seven podiums, and 15 top ten finishes, all in downhill.FIS-ski.com - race results - Todd Brooker
World Cup results
Season standings Season Age Overall Slalom Giant Slalom Super-G Downhill Combined 1982 22 32 — — not run 14 — 1983 23 27 — — notawarded 9 — 1984 24 25 — — 9 — 1985 25 29 — — 7 — 1986 26 83 — — — 33 — 1987 27 71 — — — 26 —
Race podiums 3 wins – (3 DH) 7 podiums – (7 DH) SeasonDateLocationDisciplinePlace 1982 6 March 1982 Aspen, CO, USA Downhill 2nd 1983 22 January 1983 Kitzbühel, Austria Downhill 1st6 March 1983 Aspen, CO, USA Downhill 1st 1984 9 December 1983 Val d'Isère, France Downhill 2nd18 December 1983 Val Gardena, Italy Downhill 2nd 1985 12 January 1985 Kitzbühel, Austria Downhill 3rd2 March 1985 Furano, Japan Downhill 1st
World championship results Year Age Slalom Giant Slalom Super-G Downhill Combined 1982 22 — — not run 13 — 1985 25 — — 9 —
Olympic results Year Age Slalom Giant Slalom Super-G Downhill Combined 1984 24 — — not run 9 not run
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 America. 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.Sonic Relief.com - Todd Brooker
Crabbe Mountain Speed Camp Brooker also made an appearance at the 2011 Crabbe Mountain Speed Camp, a camp where kids from across Atlantic Canada go to learn the discipline known as Super G.
See also Crazy Canucks
References
External links
Canadian Ski Hall of Fame – Todd Brooker – inducted 1991