A Williams Lake couple enjoy sponsoring their teenage granddaughter who is a competitive skier.
Zoe Greze-Kozuki, 16, of Campbell River won silver at a Canada Cup Series free style competition in Ontario held March 10 to 13 and is competing in Calgary March 23 to 27 at the junior nationals.
Her grandparents Ed and Midori Kozuki could not be prouder.
Even when an injury delayed the start of her season this year, the Kozukis decided she needed to be at Sun Peaks with her team and arranged to meet her there.
“We had her there with us and she was able to volunteer and be spend some time with her team mates,” Ed said. “That was good to see for us.”
Zoe went skiing for the first time when she was three years of age at Mount Timothy Recreation Resort near Lac la Hache with her mom Kim Kozuki, her brother Thomas and her grandparents.
Kim recalled how her parents wrangled up some winter clothes and ski wear because she and her children had shown up at the airport wearing flip-flops.
“They were living in Hawaii at the time and were home for a visit on Christmas holidays,” Ed said.
“She wasn’t afraid,” Midori recalled of Zoe’s first time on skis.
By the time Zoe was five she was skiing at Mount Washington near Campbell River on the weekends and joined the Nancy Greene racing program.
“I joined freestyle skiing when I was 10 and started competing when I was 12 in provincial competitions,” she said. “This year was my first Canadian Open competition.”
She competed at junior nationals at 13 years of age, winning first place in big air.
While training in Whistler, she has been living with Anita Fawcett, who grew up in Williams Lake and is good friends with her mom Kim Kozuki. Fawcett took Zoe to the competition in Ontario recently.
To train Zoe skis six days a week, and is doing online schooling for her Grade 11 courses.
“I love so much about skiing,” she said. “It’s my happy place. The mountains are so pretty and free-styling is just so fun because you can be super creative with all the different tricks you do and show your style and stuff.”
She has two older brothers Thomas and Andrew, both born in Williams Lake and an older sister Surya.
Her dad Gilles Greze is originally from France and works in home care and Kim works for the school district as a school psychologist.
The family was living in Honolulu, Hawaii because of Kim’s work when Zoe was born.
“I was three-and-a-half when we moved to Canada,” Zoe said.
This season was off to a slow start for her as she dislocated her shoulder in September 2021 while training in Quebec at a dry slope.
She could not compete for the first few months, so the competition in Ontario was her first this season.
Aside from skiing she plays soccer, school basketball and she likes to run.
Once the season ends she will return to school in person at Carihi Secondary School in Campbell River.
Eyeing her future, she said she will take all the opportunities that skiing offers her, but will keep it fun.
“When I have fun, that’s when I ski the best.”
Kim said Zoe would not be where she is at without the help of Ed and Midori.
“They talk about a village and she has a pretty big village around her. Anita and Jeff help too having them live with her in Whistler. My parents have taken her to two competitions this year, competitions I would have not been able to go to. I only went to one.”
Kim said her parents meet Zoe there, put her up in a hotel and are there to support her.
Ed and Midori, both 84, still hit the slopes.
They started cross-country skiing when they were raising their children in the Williams Lake area at Riske Creek, Deep Creek at the old ski hill and at Bull Mountain.
“We followed them around the hill and that’s how we learned to ski and then we had the grandchildren follow us around,” Ed recalled.
He transitioned from skiing to snowboarding when he was 60. Last weekend they were at Mt. Washington and Ed said their family is fortunate to be on the same page as far as recreational things are concerned.
“We just enjoy having family time together doing these things.”
The week of March 21 Ed is doing a workshop with older skiers for the Vancouver Island Society of Adaptive Snowsports based out of Mt. Washington.
There are hardly any 84-year-olds skiing so the hill decided her parents deserved a free lift ticket on Saturday.
“Having her grandparents as role models to guide her, has inspired Zoe,” Kim added.