Tamara McKinney

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 first American woman title holder for a quarter century. McKinney's other three season titles were in giant slalom (1981, 1983) and slalom. She was a world champion in the combined event in 1989, her final year of competition.

Her half-brother Steve McKinney was a world-record holding speed skier, setting seven world records and breaking his own record twice.

Life and career Born in Lexington, Kentucky, the diminutive McKinney (, ) grew up in Squaw Valley, California, the youngest of seven children.

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. 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. Slow to recover, she announced her retirement in November 1990 at age 28 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, was a realtor in the Lake Tahoe area, and is now coaching skiing at the Aspen Valley Ski Club in Aspen, Colorado for Johno McBride.

World Cup results

Season standings Season Age Overall Slalom Giantslalom Super G Downhill Combined 1979 16 25 21 13 notrun — — 1980 17 14 10 24 — — 1981 18 6 7 1 — 12 1982 19 9 12 4 — — 1983 20 1 2 1notawarded(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

Race victories 18 wins - (9 GS, 9 SL) 45 podiums Season Date Location Discipline1981 20 Jan 1981 Haute-Nendaz, Switzerland Giant slalom 24 Jan 1981 Les Gets, France Giant slalom 8 Mar 1981 Aspen, CO, USA Giant slalom 1983 5 Dec 1982 Limone Piemonte, ItalySlalom 9 Jan 1983 Davos, SwitzerlandSlalom 23 Jan 1983 St. Gervais, France Giant slalom 8 Mar 1983 Waterville Valley, NH, USA Giant slalom 9 Mar 1983 Giant slalom 13 Mar 1983 Vail, CO, USAGiant slalom 20 Mar 1983 Furano, JapanSlalom 1984 10 Mar 1984 Waterville Valley, NH, USA Giant slalom 11 Mar 1984 Slalom 21 Mar 1984 Zwiesel, West GermanyGiant slalom 24 Mar 1984 Oslo, NorwaySlalom 1985 5 Jan 1985 Maribor, YugoslaviaSlalom 16 Mar 1985 Waterville Valley, NH, USA Slalom 1987 18 Dec 1986 Courmayeur, ItalySlalom 11 Jan 1987 Mellau, AustriaSlalom

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.

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