Lisa Olsen

Lisa Olsen (born October 7, 1956) is a Canadian-American skydiver.

Early life Olsen originally studied at the University of Alberta and was a music major. She considered a career as a flutist in a symphony orchestra. However, after joining the university parachuting club and making her first jump, her goals changed. She transferred to the faculty of arts and, after graduating, went into nursing as a career. She acknowledged that she found her first jump terrifying, and stated that all jumpers are terrified the first time jumping. Over time, however, Olsen came to view skydiving as a learning experience rather than a thrill seeking activity.

Career Olsen won the Gold Medal in Women's Individual Accuracy at the XIX World Parachuting Championships in Sweden in 1988. Although she had fewer jumps than some of her competitors, she edged out two women from China on the final jump. In 1982, Olsen, along with teammates Brenda Blue, Kathy Kangas, Eileen Vaughan, and Bev Watson, won the Silver Medal in Women's Team Accuracy at the XVI World Parachuting Championships in Czechoslovakia—now Slovakia-- This was the first time a team of Canadian women medaled at the world championships. By 2003, she was living in Carbondale, Colorado and working as an emergency room nurse at Valley View Hospital. By that point she had 2,500 jumps and was training for the 2003 US Nationals, despite still having fewer jumps than many of her competitors. As an emergency room nurse, she well understood the dangers of her sport, but chose to focus solely on performing optimally on every jump rather than on the risks. She also served as Chief Judge in Style & Accuracy at the 2004 US National Skydiving Championships.