RIP KREG LLYEWELLYN

When I first met Kreg, it was in a ski shop in FL during my first ever trip to the US. There was an excited discussion between a bunch of skiers I was with, prior to entering the store, knowing he was going to be in there. As I was a little kid I didn’t know who he was at the time. If you ever met him though, like I did that day, you know there was something about Kreg. The way he was with people, his charisma, and his modest demeanor. Kreg was a cool guy, without knowing it. When he talked to me, there were plenty of other skiers wanting his attention but he took the time to say hi to the only kid in the room. He asked me about my skiing that at the time, was just starting to really build.

He spoke confidently about what I could do with my skiing, using it with focus and persistence. The places it could take me. He didn’t have to do any of that, and it stuck with me. I saw Kreg a few more times throughout the years, and he seemed to always have an eye on scores and know how I was doing, asked me about certain events, etc. It was awful to hear about his too-early passing last week. My heart goes out to Jaret, Britta and all of the Llyewellyn crew. Not only the Water Ski Canada, but the worldwide ski community lost someone who was a great ambassador for our sport during his time here. I’m really happy I got to meet him and hope he knows he had a positive affect on that kid who just wanted to ski.