Wayne Wong

Between Wayne Wong and the river bank lay a wide inviting pool. Streams of water spilled from it. A few German Browns schooled near the bottom -- eight - and ten--inchers they looked like -- hanging still in the cold lower layer. Beer cans glinted through the depths. Wayne, comfortable in his fly-fishing vest, stood in the cool water under high-cut banks lined with overhanging cottonwoods, waiting for a flash and a strike.

"There is more than art to casting a fly," Wayne explains. "Like the time I was fishing with a friend and teasing him about all the fish that I was catching" I told him that I had mental telepathy with the fish. When he approached, I called out, "Here fishy fishy. Immediately, a 3 pound trout savagely attacked my fly. He couldn't believe it! Timing is everything!"

At present the World Champion freestyler is more concerned about the beer cans sitting in the bottom of a mountain stream than reciting a tall tale. Ignoring the Orvis zingers dangling down his front, he reaches for his laminated landing net and becomes more intent on retrieving the sunken trash. After netting the mess a corona of happiness trundles once more about his face, so radiant it reminds you of a 4-year-old's drawing of the sun.

When Wayne Wong enters a room its space becomes different, not greater perhaps, but warmer. One recognizes his vibes as instantly as one would the sunrise. The simple truth is he has the sweet happiness of an adolescent who has just been given his first major kiss. And so he glows, and one's reminded of a Joe Namath or an Ali, not because they are the least alike in features, but because they are luminous when one meets them and Wong has something of that light.

Over the past two decades, Wong has outdone most other skiing emissaries, using his fame toward consistent good ends - and doing so with an intelligence rarely seen among marquee athlete activists.

"In 1986 I was asked to be a ski celebrity at the American Airline Celebrity Ski benefiting the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation," says Wong. "This event had a deep impact on me when I met the children affected by the disease. Upon arriving at home, I took one look at my healthy children and realized how fortunate we were to not have to overcome the obstacles that the C F children and families had to endure everyday. I made a commitment to dedicate myself as a professional to help find a cure not only to Cystic Fibrosis, but also to other children's diseases."

Raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, Wong first visited nearby ski slopes when eleven years old. At age 16 he attained his Level 1 Ski Instructor's Certification. By 1972 he achieved his Level 4 Certificate, the highest level attainable, and was chosen as a member of the Canadian Ski Instructor's Alliance's Inter-Ski Demonstration Team. That same year he won three freestyle events at Waterville Valley, Vail, and Sun Valley, and podiumed with two thirds and a second. His outstanding results earned him the first ever title as "Freestyle Skier of The Year."

"When I "cabled up" my first skis in 1961 skiing quickly turned into a passion. I lived, breathed, and dreamed about skiing. I realized that skiing was more than just sliding down the hill. It is sharing special moments in time with friends, interacting with natural elements, and discovering more about yourself," explains Wayne.

Blessed with cat's feet and unbridled and bright on the snow as day-glo orange, Wong excited skiers and spectators like no other during the 1970's. Creating tricks that still look fresh today, his trademark bandanna tied around the knee became the insider dress code for those turning straight down the fall-line. Influenced by freestyle pioneers Doug Pheiffer and Art Furrer, Wong built a freestyle library of original stunts equal to no other. The international freestyle champion and high priest of hot dogging electrified the ski world with his fun, hip innovative style.

"I was skiing down a slope when all of a sudden my ski tips ran into an abrupt transition in the snow. It threw me forward, and to prevent the obvious face plant, I stuck my poles out in front of me and did a somersault (flip) and landed on my feet." he recalls. "The Wong Banger had been born."

Other tricks followed such as the "Worm Turn," the "Slow Dog Noodle," and "Wongmill."

"Wayne was the one who broke the mold," says "Wild" Bill O'Leary, who once directed South Lake Tahoe's World Freestyle Training Center from 1973-80. "Before freestyle came along everything was geared towards racing and was restricted to the gates. Wayne, more than anybody, broke away from traditions and put freestyle on the map."

"Those were really exciting times. I would try anything," Wong explains about inventing his maneuvers. "Fall down, keep on moving, and get back on my feet. There was a real freshness to what we were doing and a real spirit. There were better technical skiers out there, but my personality and name was easily identified. I think people appreciated my approach, and the fun they saw me having. More than anything, skiing became a way of life. It gave me confidence and self esteem."

Wong's pioneer style continues to influence skiers around the world. Besides earning full medal status at the Winter Olympics, freestyle competitions are regaining their popularity as witness to the X-Games, Bumps and Jumps, and pro mogul frenzies such as Heavenly's "Top Gun" on Gunbarrel. The remarkable ability that also made Wong a three-time World Powder Figure 8 Champion, Japan International Champion, and European Champion, shows no sign of age. He loves free skiing more than ever. He still spends over 100 days a year in his ski boots, bridging his sport with activism, entertainment, with the ability to make people care about each other. He seques from one realm to the next so gracefully that he hardly seems to be trying. But like everything else about freestyle tricks, it's all about perception.

"I was once told that everyone knows on average at least 250 people," says Wong who resides in Reno, Nevada with his wife Karen and two daughters, Vanessa and Serena. "You have an opportunity to influence more than just one person. Since skiing is a very social sport it is important to try and make a positive impression on everyone you meet."

Wong's commitment to worthy causes is reflected each spring at his annual Wayne Wong World Hot dog Skiing Festival and Championship at Alpine Meadows, California. A fund-raiser for juvenile diabetes, the two-day event is a recreation of the glory days of hot dog skiing that draws once legendary freestyling household names and big-name sponsors.

"For me, it was never about trying to prove that I was the best. It was about sharing the joy and excitement. It was about entertaining people while showing the possibilities of what can be done on skis. Most importantly, skiing is about camaraderie and family," Wayne says.