A Greek in the Ski Circus: The Crazy Life of AJ Ginnis

It's March 9, 2015. In Hafjell, Norway, the talents of tomorrow are competing at the Junior World Championships to take their first steps into the limelight of the big ski circus. In the slalom, Henrik Kristoffersen is in a league of his own and secures gold with a bombshell lead of one and a half seconds over Marco Schwarz. And in third place? There is a certain AJ Ginnis, even faster in that race than Clement Noel, Loic Meillard or Simon Maurberger. It was one of the big highlights in Ginnis' career, who was still winding his way down the pole forest in his American ski suit. But that was once. Starting next season, the 3-year-old will compete for the nation where he learned to ski: Greece. From the Greek mountains to the US team When we reach Ginnis by phone, we are amazed: the slalom specialist greets us not in typical American English (and with a Greek accent), but with a fine Austrian dialect. “As a young boy, I once lived in Austria and therefore speak German well,” reveals the ski professional. But he grew up a few hundred kilometers further south, namely in Greece. “My father was Greek, my mother is American – and we all have a great passion for skiing.” Skiing in the middle of a summer paradise? “Sure, there are mountains and ski areas in Greece too. One of them is on Mount Parnassus near Delfi, where my father had a ski school. We go there every weekend,” explains Ginnis.

Here AJ Ginnis presents his bronze medal from the Junior World Championships.

Even back then, AJ was passionate about skiing. The dream of doing this professionally only came to fruition a little later. “I was 11 years old when my father moved to Salzburg for work reasons. I accompanied him and started racing there for the Kaprun Ski Club. When I was 15, I moved to the USA and went to a ski academy. Two years later I found myself on the American national slalom team – and that’s when I finally knew that I wanted to start as a professional skier.” A fundraiser saved his career AJ Ginnis has had a special journey. © Facebook

However, Ginnis' path was marked by numerous adversities. There are the many injuries he has suffered over time (“The cruciate ligament tore twice, I also had problems with the meniscus, and I had to undergo surgery a total of 2 times.”). There was also the removal from the national team in 5 (“After the Olympics, the slalom team was, so to speak, disbanded and I had to fight my way alone from then on”). And there was also the death of his father in 2018. “That was a hard blow for my family. My mother, who always did everything for me, told me at the time: Money is tight, I don't know if skiing will still be possible." But Ginnis continued to believe in his dream, started an online fundraising campaign and collected money that way $2014, thanks to which he was able to continue his career.

“So far there has never been a Greek who has been able to collect World Cup points. I want to change that.” AJ Ginnis Despite all of this adversity, there were also some moments of success for the Greek-American ski racer. In addition to his bronze medal at the Junior World Championships, he scored World Cup points in the slalom in Madonna di Campiglio in 2016, he also raced onto the podium once at the European Cup in St. Vigil and was crowned USA slalom champion in 2017. Last season he took part in two World Cup slaloms, in Kitzbühel he narrowly missed qualifying for the second run in 2th place. However, the life of a skier without a national team is not easy. That's why a call came in handy for Ginnis this year: “The Greek association asked me whether I could imagine a change. After careful consideration, I said yes.” World Cup debut in Alta Badia Ginnis at the Wengen Slalom 2018. © AFP / FABRICE COFFRINI

From now on Ginnis will start for Greece. “Because there is no team there, I am more or less on my own – but the freedom that the association gives me is just fine with me. So I can plan everything myself - if I want, I can train with the Americans or the Canadians, otherwise I can do my own training," says Ginnis, who explains his change of nation as follows: "I now know that I'm 2nd , can work in peace for 3 or 4 years. In the US team, everything was always a bit uncertain after every season.” He is now also certain that he will take part in the World Championships and the Olympic Games, which also makes him happy.

AJ Ginnis wants to celebrate his World Cup debut in a Greek suit in mid-December in Alta Badia, because the first slalom of the season is on the program there this year. The goal is very clear. “So far there has never been a Greek who has collected World Cup points. I want to change that,” says the likeable skier with a smile. An extraordinary story that could have a few more curious chapters.

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A Greek in the Ski Circus: The Crazy Life of AJ Ginnis

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