Tamara McKinney

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Tamara McKinney
Alpine skier
DisciplinesGiant Slalom, Slalom, Combined
Born (1962-10-16) October 16, 1962 (age 59)
Lexington, Kentucky, U.S.
Height5 ft 4 in (1.63 m)
World Cup debutDecember 1978 (age 16)
RetiredNovember 1990 (age 28)[1]
Websitetamaramckinney.com
Olympics
Teams3 – (1980, 1984, 1988)
Medals0
World Championships
Teams5 – (1980–1989)
Medals4 (1 gold)
World Cup
Seasons11 – (1979–1989)
Wins18 – (9 GS, 9 SL)
Podiums45
Overall titles1 – (1983)
Discipline titles3 – (2 GS, 1 SL)
Medal record
Women's alpine skiing
Representing the
 United States
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1989 Vail Combined
Bronze medal – third place 1989 Vail Slalom
Bronze medal – third place 1987 Crans-Montana Combined
Bronze medal – third place 1985 Bormio Combined

Tamara McKinney (born October 16, 1962) is a former World Cup alpine ski racer from the United States. She won four World Cup season titles, most notably the 1983 overall, the last American woman title holder for a quarter century, until Lindsey Vonn in 2008. McKinney's other three season titles were in giant slalom (1981, 1983) and slalom (1984). She was a world champion in the combined event in 1989, her final year of competition. Her half-brother Steve McKinney was a record holding speed skier.

Life and career[]

Born in Lexington, Kentucky, the diminutive McKinney (5 ft 4 in (1.63 m), 115 lb (52 kg)) grew up in Squaw Valley, California, the youngest of seven children.[2][3]

She made her World Cup debut in December 1978 at age 16 with a podium finish in a slalom in Italy. Her first World Cup victory came at age 18 in January 1981, the first of four wins in giant slalom that breakthrough season. McKinney raced on the World Cup circuit for eleven seasons, and competed in three Olympics and five world championships. She won four medals in the world championships; bronze medals in the combined (1985, 1987) and slalom (1989), and a gold medal in the combined at Vail in 1989.

While winning the overall World Cup in 1983 at age 20, she also won the giant slalom title, which she had first won in 1981. In 1984 McKinney won the slalom title, and took fourth place in the giant slalom at the Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, behind teammates Debbie Armstrong and Christin Cooper.[4][5][6][7] McKinney participated in Prince Edward of the United Kingdom's charity television special The Grand Knockout Tournament in 1987.

While training for the upcoming 1990 season, McKinney broke her left leg (for the third time) in Saas Fee, Switzerland, in mid-October 1989.[8] Slow to recover, she announced her retirement in November 1990 at age 28[1] and completed her career with 18 World Cup victories, 45 podiums, and 99 top ten finishes.[9] Eight of her victories were in the U.S., with six at Waterville Valley, New Hampshire, which included double victories in 1983 and 1984. Along with Gretchen Fraser, Andrea Mead Lawrence, Lindsey Vonn, and Mikaela Shiffrin, McKinney is regarded as one of the top female alpine ski racers in U.S. history.

She was inducted in the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame in 2004, and is a realtor in the Lake Tahoe area.

World Cup results[]

Season standings[]

Season Age Overall Slalom Giant
Slalom		 Super G Downhill Combined
1979 16 25 21 13 not
run		 — —
1980 17 14 10 24 — —
1981 18 6 7 1 — 12
1982 19 9 12 4 — —
1983 20 1 2 1 not
awarded
(w/ GS)		 — 6
1984 21 3 1 3 — 9
1985 22 8 2 11 — 17
1986 23 24 14 20 31 — 28
1987 24 6 2 10 32 — —
1988 25 54 — 19 — — —
1989 26 11 3 13 — — 8
1990 27 injured in October, missed entire season

Season titles[]

Season Discipline
1981 Giant Slalom
1983 Overall
Giant Slalom
1984 Slalom

Race victories[]

  • 18 wins - (9 GS, 9 SL)
  • 45 podiums
Season Date Location Discipline
1981 20 Jan 1981  Switzerland  Haute-Nendaz, Switzerland Giant slalom
24 Jan 1981 France Les Gets, France Giant slalom
8 Mar 1981 United States Aspen, CO, USA Giant slalom
1983 5 Dec 1982 Italy Limone Piemonte, Italy Slalom
9 Jan 1983  Switzerland  Davos, Switzerland Slalom
23 Jan 1983 France St. Gervais, France Giant slalom
8 Mar 1983 United States Waterville Valley, NH, USA Giant slalom
9 Mar 1983 Giant slalom
13 Mar 1983 United States Vail, CO, USA Giant slalom
20 Mar 1983 Japan Furano, Japan Slalom
1984 10 Mar 1984 United States Waterville Valley, NH, USA Giant slalom
11 Mar 1984 Slalom
21 Mar 1984 West Germany Zwiesel, West Germany Giant slalom
24 Mar 1984 Norway Oslo, Norway Slalom
1985 5 Jan 1985 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Maribor, Yugoslavia Slalom
16 Mar 1985 United States Waterville Valley, NH, USA Slalom
1987 18 Dec 1986 Italy Courmayeur, Italy Slalom
11 Jan 1987 Austria Mellau, Austria Slalom

World championship results[]

  Year    Age   Slalom   Giant 
 Slalom 		 Super-G Downhill Combined
1980 17 DNF1 DNF1 not run — —
1982 19 DNF1 6 — —
1985 22 DNF DNF — 3
1987 24 DNF1 18 — — 3
1989 26 3 DNF — — 1

From 1948 through 1980, the Winter Olympics were also the World Championships for alpine skiing.

Olympic results Olympic rings.svg[]

  Year    Age   Slalom   Giant 
 Slalom 		 Super-G Downhill Combined
1980 17 DNF1 DNF1 not run — not run
1984 21 DNF1 4 —
1988 25 DNF1 DNF1 — — —

Video[]

  • You Tube.com – 1989 World Championships – gold medal in combined

References[]

  1. ^ a b "Champion skier retires". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. November 28, 1990. p. 2B.
  2. ^ Johnson, William Oscar (February 7, 1983). "To her, speed thrills". Sports Illustrated. p. 40.
  3. ^ Beech, Mark (March 18, 2002). "Catching up with: Tamara McKinney and Phil Mahre, skiers". Sports Illustrated. p. 21.
  4. ^ Nelson, John (February 13, 1984). "America discovers gold and silver on alpine hills". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). Associated Press. p. D1.
  5. ^ "USA strikes gold in Winter Games". Nashua Telegraph. (New Hampshire). Associated Press. February 14, 1984. p. 19.
  6. ^ "America cheers its first champion". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). wire services reports. February 14, 1984. p. 1D.
  7. ^ Johnson, William Oscar (February 20, 1984). "'Have fun! Have fun! Have fun!'". Sports Illustrated. p. 18.
  8. ^ "Tamara McKinney breaks leg, might miss entire World Cup". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). Associated Press. October 19, 1989. p. D5.
  9. ^ Ski-db.com - Tamara McKinney - accessed 2010-11-28

External links[]

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