“Count Rinaldo”, as Gerry enjoyed referring to himself in later years, dedicated a lifetime to the sport of Alpine Skiing. He passed away peacefully in his sleep on Monday. January 9th at the age of 72 in his adopted hometown of Kelowna, although he never really left the town of his youth, Kimberly BC. A product of the Northstar Racers training on the infamous Dreadnaught Downhill, Gerry went on to the Canadian Ski Team in the late 60’s. He proceeded to land himself in 10th place on the famed Hahnenkamm in January of 1969 bested only by the likes of Jean-Claude Killy, Karl Schranz and Guy Perrilat.
What Gerry did in skiing might be simpler answered with what he didn’t do, however here is a brief history:
- Olympian in Grenoble 1968
- Canadian Ski Team:
- Athlete
- Domestic Program Director
- Federation International de Ski
- Technical Delegate #121 (1989 – 2014, 25 years)
- TD for the Hahnenkamm 2005
- Canadian representative for various FIS sub-committees including the Sub-Committee for Alpine Courses
- TD Examiner
- FIS Inspector
- North American FIS TD Working Group
- Canadian Western TD Co-ordinator (15 years)
- Coach and Mentor to athletes, coaches and Technical Delegates
As a long-time member of the FIS TD community, he was always relied upon to put the absurd into perspective, apply his quick wit to a scenario and of course, arrive in his blazer and turtleneck at the annual awards dinner to anoint the new and fresh TD’s with real time experiences gathered from around the globe.
Gerry was an admired and respected Technical Delegate. His was respected by his peers, coaches and Race Organizers across Canada, in Europe and in the United States. When he retired in from FIS in 2014, the elders of the FIS Family attended and spoke. LR: Mike Delich FIS TD, Lorne O’Connor Emeritus TD, Bruce Crane USA, Dr. Peter Andrews Emeritus TD, Gerry Rinaldi, and Bruce Goldsmid BC Alpine.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Gerry’s son and daughter and their families and with Gerry’s many close friends. A celebration of Gerry’s life will be held at a later date. Details will be distributed once they are available
Also read story in the Kimberley Daily Bulletin