In the 1930s William Ball was arguably the best all-round skier in Canada, with him competing in Alpine and Nordic competitions. A local rating system ranked Ball as the best in all four disciplines; cross-country, ski jumping, downhill, and slalom, the only skier to achieve this feat. In 1932 he was selected to represent Canada in the Nordic combined at the 1932 Lake Placid Olympics, but he did not start the event. Four years later, however, he did compete at the Olympics, taking part in three events at the 1936 Garmisch-Partenkirchen Games. His best result came in the Nordic combined where he finished 46th. In 1937 Ball became the chairman of both the Canadian Amateur Ski Association’s Ski Instruction Committee and the Canadian Ski School Committee. Two years later he was a key contributor to the Canadian ski manual, the first of its kind to be published in Canada. For his contributions to the sport of skiing Ball was inducted into the Canadian Ski Hall of Fame in 1982.
Canada