Thomas Grandi is one of the good guys. Even though he has officially retired, I say this in the present tense.
The fact that he will no longer carry the flag for Canada on the World Cup Ski circuit doesn't change a thing.
He hung up his ski boots for good on Monday for a variety of reasons. It would be easy to say that it's because the results weren't there, and that would be true for the 37-year old.
Playing catch up at the elite level after taking a year off is tough enough at a young age, but there's a whole lot more to it than that.
And that's where the good guy comes in.
He told me a turning point came in preparations for the World Championships earlier this year. There was an internal competition to determine who would get Canada's coveted and limited number of spots on the start list in the slalom. In the end, Grandi narrowly beat 26-year old Patrick Biggs for the final spot.
Grandi said that it just didn't sit right with him, knowing he deprived a much younger man a spot on the team, when his own future was cloudy. Part two is this. His wife, Sara Renner is preparing for her third Olympic Winter games in Cross Country Skiing. As they have a little one in the fold, Grandi determined his wife would have a better chance of success knowing she could prepare properly with Thomas around and able to give her and their daughter his full support and undivided attention.
And so for now it's Mr. Mom for Canada's best ever technical skier. But there's no question there's a role for him in the sport. There has to be. He's got too much to offer for that not to happen.
