Kiki Cutter
Christina "Kiki" Cutter (born July 24, 1949) is a former World Cup alpine ski racer from the United States. She was the first American to win a World Cup event, a slalom race in Oslo, Norway, on February 25, 1968.[1] Although Cutter competed on the World Cup circuit for less than three years, her five career victories led the U.S. alpine team for eleven years,[1] surpassed by Phil Mahre in 1979.
Kiki Cutter | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 24, 1949 |
| Occupation | Alpine skier |
| Height | 5 ft 3 in (1.60 m) |
| Skiing career | |
| Disciplines | Giant slalom, slalom, Downhill, combined |
| Club | Bend Skyliners |
| World Cup debut | March 1967 (age 17) |
| Retired | February 1970 (age 20) |
| Olympics | |
| Teams | 1 – (1968) |
| Medals | 0 |
| World Championships | |
| Teams | 2 – (1968, 1970) includes Olympics |
| Medals | 0 |
| World Cup | |
| Seasons | 3 – (1968–70) |
| Wins | 5 – (4 SL, 1 GS) |
| Podiums | 12 – (10 SL, 2 GS) |
| Overall titles | 0 – (4th in 1969) |
| Discipline titles | 0 – (2nd in SL, 1969) |
Early years Edit
Born in central Oregon in Bend, Cutter learned to ski and race at Mount Bachelor, known as "Bachelor Butte" until 1983. She was one of six children of Dr. Robert Cutter and Jane Cutter, who relocated to Bend from the Midwest in 1948, and Kiki was the first in the family born in Oregon.[2] Cutter was a junior racer at Mount Bachelor and gained recognition for her abilities;[3] she won the U.S. junior downhill championship in 1967 at age 17.[4]
Racing career Edit
Not originally on the World Cup or Olympic teams in 1968, Cutter, age 18, and Judy Nagel, age 16, were brought over to Europe in January, a few weeks ahead of the Olympics, to compete for berths on the U.S. Olympic team, which they both made.[5][6] Cutter competed with the team at the Grenoble Olympics in 1968 and the World Championships in 1970. In the 1968 games, she placed higher than any American woman and was the only American woman to ski in all three events—slalom, giant slalom, and downhill.[7] Following the Olympic competition, her rise to stardom continued in Norway, with her first World Cup victory at age 18.[8][9] Cutter finished ninth in the overall standings in 1968. With three World Cup wins the next year (giant slalom at Oberstaufen, West Germany,[10] and slalom victories at Mount St. Anne, Quebec, and Waterville Valley, New Hampshire), she finished fourth in the overall standings and second in slalom in 1969.[11] Cutter won her fifth and final World Cup race at St. Gervais, France, in 1970.[12][13] During her brief amateur career, Cutter had five World Cup victories, twelve podiums, and 25 top-10 finishes, all in the technical events, with one victory and two podiums in giant slalom and the rest in slalom.[12] After the 1970 World Championships in mid-February, Cutter retired from international competition at age 20.[14][15] She raced professionally on the women's Pro Tour in North America for several years.[16]
World Cup results Edit
Season standings Edit
Points were only awarded for top ten finishes (see scoring system).
Race podiums Edit
- 5 wins - (4 slalom, 1 giant slalom)
- 12 podiums - (10 slalom, 2 giant slalom)
| Season | Date | Location | Discipline | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 25 Jan 1968 | St. Gervais, France | Slalom | 3rd |
| 24 Feb 1968 | Oslo, Norway | Giant slalom | 3rd | |
| 25 Feb 1968 | Slalom | 1st | ||
| 16 Mar 1968 | Aspen, USA | Slalom | 3rd | |
| 28 Mar 1968 | Rossland, Canada | Slalom | 3rd | |
| 1969 | 3 Jan 1969 | Oberstaufen, West Germany | Giant slalom | 1st |
| 7 Jan 1969 | Grindelwald, Switzerland | Slalom | 3rd | |
| 16 Jan 1969 | Schruns, Austria | Slalom | 3rd | |
| 16 Feb 1969 | Vysoké Tatry, Czechoslovakia | Slalom | 2nd | |
| 15 Mar 1969 | Mont St. Anne, Canada | Slalom | 1st | |
| 22 Mar 1969 | Waterville Valley, USA | Slalom | 1st | |
| 1970 | 22 Jan 1970 | St. Gervais, France | Slalom | 1st |
Olympic results Edit
Personal life Edit
From 1971 to 1973, Cutter was married to Bob Beattie, coach of the U.S. Ski Team and later skiing promoter and television commentator.[17][18][19]
Cutter participated in two nationally televised women's Superstars competitions, where she placed third and fourth.[1] She helped create the Kiki Cutter World Cup Ski Racing Scholarship in 1993 to help develop careers for youth ski racers.[1] Cutter appeared in Bausch & Lomb advertisements for Ray-Ban sunglasses in the late 1980s.[20]
She lives in Oregon, in her hometown of Bend, and is the founder, publisher, and president of Bend Living magazine.[2][21]
References Edit
- ^ a b c d "Kiki Cutter 1949—Inducted into the Colorado Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame 2000". Colorado Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2009-02-10.
- ^ a b "Kiki Cutter announces the launch of a new Bend magazine". Bend Bugle. February 7, 2003.
- ^ Rice, Bill (February 1, 1986). "Unorthodox style enabled Cutter to make world Cup breakthrough". Schenectedy (NY) Gazette. p. 35.
- ^ Pauls, Terri (November 27, 1987). "Cutter's trail of success began on Mount Bachelor". The Bulletin. Bend, Oregon. p. D-1.
- ^ Ward, Bill (January 31, 1968). "Kiki not overly excited about being named to team; Olympics just a race". The Bulletin. Bend, Oregon. p. 6. Retrieved 2011-04-29.
- ^ "Beattie ducks controversy; explains dropping McCoy". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. February 1, 1968. p. 13.
- ^ Scherzer, Harmut (January 10, 1969). "Little Kiki Cutter wants to return to Oregon with World Cup". Eugene Register-Guard. UPI. p. 3B.
- ^ "Kiki startles sports world with Oslo win". The Bulletin. Bend, Oregon. February 26, 1968. p. 1.
- ^ "Skier Kiki Cutter wins in Norway". Milwaukee Journal. Associated Press. February 26, 1968. p. 11-part 2.
- ^ "Kiki Cutter, Matt capture slalom wins". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Idaho. Associated Press. January 4, 1969. p. 9.
- ^ Ward, Bill (March 25, 1969). "Kiki finishes fourth in standings". The Bulletin. Bend, Oregon. p. 8.
- ^ a b "FIS-Ski - biographie". International Ski Federation. Retrieved 2011-11-25.
- ^ "Kiki Cutter USA". Alpine Ski Database. Retrieved 2009-02-10.
- ^ "Kiki retires from international competition". The Bulletin. Bend, Oregon. UPI. February 16, 1970. p. 6.
- ^ Vertrees, Carl (June 27, 1971). "Kiki quits competitive skiing to get out of rut, easy life". The Bulletin. Bend, Oregon. p. 8.
- ^ "$40,000 'Hang Ten Cup' switched to Hunter Mountain for Jan 16-19". Schenectady (NY) Gazette. January 17, 1975. p. 24.
- ^ "Beattie-Cutter". The Bulletin. Bend, Oregon. Weddings and engagements. September 4, 1971. p. 3.
- ^ Anstine, Dennis (June 28, 1972). "Beatties keep skiing alive in June". The Bulletin. Bend, Oregon. p. 10.
- ^ Martin, Frank W. (February 18, 1980). "Coaching or Kibitzing on the Olympics, Bob Beattie Is America's Indomitable Snowman". People. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
- ^ "Ray-Ban sunglasses". SKI. (advertisement): 36. February 1989.
- ^ Kiki Cutter. . International Ski Federation. Archived from the original on 2009-01-23. Retrieved 2011-11-25.
External links Edit
- Kiki Cutter at the International Ski and Snowboard Federation
- Kiki Cutter World Cup standings at the International Ski Federation
- Kiki Cutter at Ski-DB Alpine Ski Database
- at Olympics at Sports-Reference.com (archived)
- Kiki Cutter at the International Olympic Committee
- Christina Cutter at U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame
- at Colorado Ski Museum Hall of Fame
- Kiki Cutter at Colorado Ski Hall of Fame