Roy Mikkelsen (September 15, 1907 – October 29, 1967) was a Norwegian born, American Olympic ski jumper. Mikkelsen was US Champion in ski jumping in 1933 and 1935, but was also a strong skier in the new discipline of

alpine skiing Alpine skiing, or downhill skiing, is the pastime of sliding down snow-covered slopes on skis with fixed-heel Ski binding, bindings, unlike other types of skiing (Cross-country skiing, cross-country, Telemark skiing, Telemark, or ski jumping) ...

, competing in that sport from 1933–42.

Personal life

Roy Mikkelsen was born at

Kongsberg Kongsberg () is a historical mining town and municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. The city is located on the river Numedalslågen at the entrance to the valley of Numedal. Kongsberg has been a centre of silver mining, arms production and fo ...

Buskerud Buskerud () is a Counties of Norway, county and a current electoral district in Norway, bordering Akershus, Oslo, Innlandet, Vestland, Telemark and Vestfold. The region extends from the Oslofjord and Drammensfjorden in the southeast to Hardanger ...

, Norway and emigrated to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in 1924, settling in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

where he joined the Norge Ski Club which had been formed by Norwegian immigrants nearby in Fox River Grove.

Career

He competed in

ski jumping Ski jumping is a winter sport in which competitors aim to achieve the farthest jump after sliding down on their skis from a specially designed curved ramp. Along with jump length, competitor's aerial style and other factors also affect the final ...

at the

1932 Winter Olympics The 1932 Winter Olympics, officially known as the III Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Lake Placid 1932, were a winter multi-sport event in the United States, held in Lake Placid, New York, United States. The games opened on February 4 ...

in Lake Placid, and at the

1936 Winter Olympics The 1936 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IV Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Garmisch-Partenkirchen 1936, were a winter multi-sport event held from 6 to 16 February 1936 in the market town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Nazi Ger ...

Garmisch-Partenkirchen Garmisch-Partenkirchen (; ) is an Northern Limestone Alps, Alpine mountain resort, ski town in Bavaria, southern Germany. It is the seat of government of the Garmisch-Partenkirchen (district), district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen (abbreviated ...

. Mikkelsen finished out of the medals in both 1932 at Lake Placid and at the 1936 games in Germany. But he was thought of so highly by the team in 1936 that he was named its captain. Mikkelsen was poised to participate in a third Olympics in 1940 but the event was cancelled because of the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. During the war, he would put his ski and snow experience to good use as an officer in the Army’s 10th Mountain Division, fighting in Italy. Mikkelsen eventually settled in

Auburn, California Auburn is a city in and the county seat of Placer County, California, United States. Its population was 13,776 during the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Auburn is known for its California Gold Rush history and is registered as a Califo ...

where he was elected mayor in 1952 and competed there for the Auburn Ski Club in Soda Springs. Active in civic affairs, Mikkelsen worked with the Bid Committee that brought the

1960 Winter Olympics The 1960 Winter Olympics (officially the VIII Olympic Winter Games and also known as Squaw Valley 1960) were a winter multi-sport event held from February 18 to 28, 1960, at the Squaw Valley Resort (now known as Palisades Tahoe) in Squaw Valley ...

to Squaw Valley. He served on the Auburn City Council, including two years as mayor in 1952 and 1953. And 24 years after his last Olympic Games as a skier, Mikkelsen was the center of attention again when he lit a torch in Auburn’s Central Square to mark the coming of the Olympics to

Placer County Placer County ( ; ''Placer'', Spanish language, Spanish for "sand deposit"), officially the County of Placer, is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was ...

– up the newly paved

Interstate 80 Interstate 80 (I-80) is an east–west transcontinental freeway that crosses the United States from San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area. The highway was designated in 1956 as one of the ori ...

at Squaw Valley. He was instrumental in the Auburn Ski Club and the development of

Boreal Mountain Resort Boreal Mountain California is a ski area in Soda Springs, near the Lake Tahoe area of California. It has six chairlifts and two surface lifts, and offers the only night skiing in Tahoe, until 8 pm. It is owned by Powdr Corporation. Located ...

. Mikkelsen died in 1967 at 60, three years after being elected to the

National Ski Hall of Fame The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame and Museum is located in Ishpeming, Michigan, the birthplace of organized skiing in the United States. Located in the state's Upper Peninsula, the building includes the hall of fame and museum, as well as a ...

in 1964. In Auburn, Mikkelsen Drive was named after him. At Boreal Mountain Resort, a statue of Mikkelsen has been erected outside the Western Ski Sport Museum.''Roy Mikkelsen — Auburn Ski Club jumper and Olympic ski jumper in 1936'' (Western SkiSport Museum)
/ref>

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mikkelsen, Roy 1907 births 1967 deaths American male ski jumpers Skiers from Kongsberg Norwegian emigrants to the United States Olympic ski jumpers for the United States Ski jumpers at the 1932 Winter Olympics Ski jumpers at the 1936 Winter Olympics Sportspeople from Auburn, California 20th-century American sportsmen

Personal life

Career

References

Related Reading

External links