Vic Emery
Encyclopedia
Victor Emery is a Canadian
businessman, gold medallist at the Olympic Winter Games and a world champion bobsledder. He was born in Montreal, Quebec.
Involved in athletics from a young age, Emery was a graduate of the University of Western Ontario
and the Harvard Business School
where he earned an MBA
. After attending the bobsleigh competition at the 1956 Winter Olympics
in Cortina d'Ampezzo
, Italy
, Emery decided to give the sport a try with the idea of achieving enough competency by 1959 to qualify for the World Bobsled Championships
in St. Moritz
, Switzerland
. He and his brother John Emery
helped establish the Laurentian Bobsleigh Association and recruited Peter Kirby
and Doug Anakin
to make up a four-man bobsled team. Although Canada had no bobsled training facilities or practise track and no organizations to support or train them, Emery's team performed dry-land runs in a Montreal gym
nasium and practised a few times at the Lake Placid, New York
bobsleigh run built for the 1932 Winter Olympics
.
Emery was the driver of the four-man bobsleigh team representing Canada at the 1959 world championships
where their performance was less than stellar. Given guidance and coaching by the great Italian
champion Eugenio Monti
, Emery and his teammates set a goal of being the first Canadian bobsleigh team to compete in the Winter Olympic Games
.
At the 1964 Winter Olympics
in Innsbruck, Austria, the team realized their dream but without corporate or government sponsorship had to pay their own way. Given little chance against the superior Italian team and the heavily favored Austria
ns, in their first run, the Canadian team astonished competitors and spectators alike by setting a track record. However, their sled's axle was damaged in the process and they would have been disqualified had not rival Eugenio Monti
and his mechanics come to the rescue. Their sled was repaired and after the third of four runs the Canadian team was already far ahead of their competition and they went on to easily win the Gold medal. Emery and teammate Peter Kirby paired in the two-man bobsled competition and earned a fourth place finish.
The following year, Emery's crew of Michael Young
, Gerald Presley
and Peter Kirby won the 1965 world bobsled championship
in St. Moritz. Emery and Young finished third in the two-man event. Emery gave up the sport a few years later and returned to the business world in Canada. Today, he is retired and living in London
, England
.
Emery was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame
in 1964 and the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame in 1971.
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...
businessman, gold medallist at the Olympic Winter Games and a world champion bobsledder. He was born in Montreal, Quebec.
Involved in athletics from a young age, Emery was a graduate of the University of Western Ontario
University of Western Ontario
The University of Western Ontario is a public research university located in London, Ontario, Canada. The university's main campus covers of land, with the Thames River cutting through the eastern portion of the main campus. Western administers its programs through 12 different faculties and...
and the Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School is the graduate business school of Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts, United States and is widely recognized as one of the top business schools in the world. The school offers the world's largest full-time MBA program, doctoral programs, and many executive...
where he earned an MBA
Master of Business Administration
The Master of Business Administration is a :master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the United States, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and companies sought out...
. After attending the bobsleigh competition at the 1956 Winter Olympics
1956 Winter Olympics
The 1956 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. This celebration of the Games was held from 26 January to 5 February 1956. Cortina, which had originally been awarded the 1944 Winter Olympics, beat out...
in Cortina d'Ampezzo
Cortina d'Ampezzo
Cortina d'Ampezzo is a town and comune in the southern Alps located in Veneto, a region in Northern Italy. Located in the heart of the Dolomites in an alpine valley, it is a popular winter sport resort known for its ski-ranges, scenery, accommodations, shops and après-ski scene...
, Italy
Italy
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...
, Emery decided to give the sport a try with the idea of achieving enough competency by 1959 to qualify for the World Bobsled Championships
FIBT World Championships 1959
The FIBT World Championships 1959 took place in St. Moritz, Switzerland for the record ninth time. The Swiss city had hosted the event previously in 1931 , 1935 , 1937 , 1938 , 1939 , 1947, 1955, and 1957....
in St. Moritz
St. Moritz
St. Moritz is a resort town in the Engadine valley in Switzerland. It is a municipality in the district of Maloja in the Swiss canton of Graubünden...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. He and his brother John Emery
John Emery (bobsleigh)
John Emery is a Canadian bobsledder who competed in the mid 1960s. He won a gold medal in the four-man event at the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck. He was born in Montreal, Quebec....
helped establish the Laurentian Bobsleigh Association and recruited Peter Kirby
Peter Kirby
Peter Kirby was a Canadian bobsledder who competed in the mid-1960s. He won a gold medal in the four-man event at the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck. He was born in Montreal, Quebec....
and Doug Anakin
Doug Anakin
Competitor for CanadaDouglas Thomas Anakin is a former Canadian bobsleigh competitor. He was born in Chatham, Ontario and was selected by Vic Emery as a member of Canada's gold medal-winning four-man bobsleigh team at the 1964 Winter Olympics. Anakin was also one of the driving forces behind the...
to make up a four-man bobsled team. Although Canada had no bobsled training facilities or practise track and no organizations to support or train them, Emery's team performed dry-land runs in a Montreal gym
Gym
The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...
nasium and practised a few times at the Lake Placid, New York
Lake Placid, New York
Lake Placid is a village in the Adirondack Mountains in Essex County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the village had a population of 2,638....
bobsleigh run built for the 1932 Winter Olympics
1932 Winter Olympics
The 1932 Winter Olympics, officially known as the III Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1932 in Lake Placid, New York, United States. The games opened on February 4 and closed on February 15. It would be the first winter olympics held in the United...
.
Emery was the driver of the four-man bobsleigh team representing Canada at the 1959 world championships
FIBT World Championships 1959
The FIBT World Championships 1959 took place in St. Moritz, Switzerland for the record ninth time. The Swiss city had hosted the event previously in 1931 , 1935 , 1937 , 1938 , 1939 , 1947, 1955, and 1957....
where their performance was less than stellar. Given guidance and coaching by the great Italian
Italy
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...
champion Eugenio Monti
Eugenio Monti
Eugenio Monti was an Italian bobsledder. He is one of the most successful athletes in the history of this sport, with ten World championship medals and 6 Olympic medals, but is known also for an act of sportsmanship during the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria that made him the first...
, Emery and his teammates set a goal of being the first Canadian bobsleigh team to compete in the Winter Olympic Games
Winter Olympic Games
The Winter Olympic Games is a sporting event, which occurs every four years. The first celebration of the Winter Olympics was held in Chamonix, France, in 1924. The original sports were alpine and cross-country skiing, figure skating, ice hockey, Nordic combined, ski jumping and speed skating...
.
At the 1964 Winter Olympics
1964 Winter Olympics
The 1964 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Innsbruck, Austria, from January 29 to February 9, 1964...
in Innsbruck, Austria, the team realized their dream but without corporate or government sponsorship had to pay their own way. Given little chance against the superior Italian team and the heavily favored 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...
ns, in their first run, the Canadian team astonished competitors and spectators alike by setting a track record. However, their sled's axle was damaged in the process and they would have been disqualified had not rival Eugenio Monti
Eugenio Monti
Eugenio Monti was an Italian bobsledder. He is one of the most successful athletes in the history of this sport, with ten World championship medals and 6 Olympic medals, but is known also for an act of sportsmanship during the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria that made him the first...
and his mechanics come to the rescue. Their sled was repaired and after the third of four runs the Canadian team was already far ahead of their competition and they went on to easily win the Gold medal. Emery and teammate Peter Kirby paired in the two-man bobsled competition and earned a fourth place finish.
The following year, Emery's crew of Michael Young
Michael Young (bobsleigh)
Michael Young was a Canadian bobsledder who competed in the 1960s. He won two medals at the 1965 FIBT World Championships in St...
, Gerald Presley
Gerald Presley
Gerald Presley was a Canadian bobsledder who competed in the mid-1960s. He won a gold medal in the four-man event at the 1965 FIBT World Championships in St. Moritz....
and Peter Kirby won the 1965 world bobsled championship
FIBT World Championships 1965
The FIBT World Championships 1965 took place in St. Moritz, Switzerland for the record tenth time. The Swiss city had hosted the event previously in 1931 , 1935 , 1937 , 1938 , 1939 , 1947, 1955, 1957, and 1959....
in St. Moritz. Emery and Young finished third in the two-man event. Emery gave up the sport a few years later and returned to the business world in Canada. Today, he is retired and living in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Emery was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame
Canada's Sports Hall of Fame
Canada's Sports Hall of Fame is a hall of fame established in 1955 to "preserve the record of Canadian sports achievements and to promote a greater awareness of Canada's heritage of sport." It is located at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary, Alberta...
in 1964 and the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame in 1971.