Katy Rodolph
Catherine Louise "Katy" Rodolph (November 1, 1930 – September 17, 1994) was an alpine ski racer from the United States. She was a member of four world championship and Olympic teams in the 1950s.
Rodolph in 1952 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Catherine Louise Rodolph |
| Born | November 1, 1930 Denver, Colorado, U.S. |
| Died | September 17, 1994 (aged 63) Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. |
| Occupation | Alpine skier |
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) |
| Skiing career | |
| Disciplines | Downhill, giant slalom, slalom, combined |
| Retired | January 1956 (age 25) |
| Olympics | |
| Teams | 2 – (1952, 1956 (injured)) |
| Medals | 0 |
| World Championships | |
| Teams | 4 – (1950, 1952, 1954, 1956) includes Olympics |
| Medals | 0 |
At age 19, Rodolph was the top North American in two of the three races at the 1950 World Championships in Aspen, with a fifth in the downhill and eighth in the giant slalom. She also finished fifth in the giant slalom at the 1952 Olympics in Oslo, Norway, and fifth in the combined at the 1954 World Championships in Åre, Sweden. Named to the 1956 Olympic team, she incurred neck and knee fractures in downhill training at Kitzbühel on January 14, less than two weeks before the games began at Cortina d'Ampezzo.
Born in Denver, Colorado, Rodolph grew up in Hayden and learned to ski and race at nearby Howelsen Hill in Steamboat Springs. She won nine national titles and was later a race official. While on the U.S. Ski Team in the early 1950s, she resided in Sun Valley, Idaho, and worked as a waitress.
Rodolph was featured on the cover of Newsweek magazine in January 1952, and was inducted into the U.S. Ski Hall of Fame in 1966.