Acton retires from Canadian Ski Team

Two-time Olympian Brigitte Acton (Mont-Tremblant, QC) is retiring from the Canadian Alpine Ski Team.
 
Acton, who made her national team debut in 2003, was GMC Canadian slalom champion that same year and a medalist in super-G in 2003 and giant slalom in 2005 at the FIS Alpine World Junior Ski Championships.
 
Acton placed 17th in the slalom at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Whistler, BC last February. She also finishes her ski racing career with two top 10 Worlds Cup results.
 
“I love what skiing has brought me,” said the 24-year-old Acton. “The thing that I am going to miss the most is my relationships with my coaches, teammates and supporters. I want to thank them all for believing in me. This was a difficult decision but one where I felt it was the right time.”
 
Acton had suffered a few injuries in recent years, including a broken sacrum – a triangular bone at the base of the spine — in 2007 that kept her out of action for almost the entire 2007/2008 season. She returned to form, with numerous top 20 World Cup slalom results after the injury.
 
Acton was born in Sault Ste. Marie, ON and grew up skiing at nearby Searchmont Ski Resort before joining the Mont-Tremblant Ski Club in Quebec. Her parents, Gordon and Diane (Pratte) Acton are national team alumni along with her sister Lise-Marie Acton, uncles Raymond and Michel Pratte as well as aunt Claude Pratte.
 
Acton said she intends to pursue post-secondary education in the fall. She and fiancée Mike Smith, a goaltender with the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning, also plan to get married next month in Aspen, Colo.