Betsy Shaw (born December 20, 1965) is an American

snowboarder Snowboarding is a recreational and competitive activity that involves descending a snow-covered surface while standing on a snowboard that is almost always attached to a rider's feet. It features in the Winter Olympic Games and Winter Paralympic ...

who competed in the

1998 Nagano Olympics The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially known as the and commonly known as Nagano 1998 (), were a winter multi-sport event held from 7 to 22 February 1998, mainly in Nagano, Nagano Prefecture, Japan, with some events taking place i ...

Early life

Shaw was born in

Bennington, Vermont Bennington is a New England town, town in Bennington County, Vermont, United States. It is one of two shire towns (county seats) of the county, the other being Manchester (town), Vermont, Manchester. As of the 2020 United States Census, US Cens ...

in 1965. She began

skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow for basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International S ...

at the age of three with her father and siblings in

Manchester, Vermont Manchester is a New England town, town in, and one of two shire towns (county seats) of, Bennington County, Vermont, United States. The population was 4,484 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Manchester (village), Vermont, Mancheste ...

. She skied competitively, and was a member of the Burr and Burton ski team. In college, at age 20, she began snowboarding instead. She originally enrolled in the

University of New Hampshire The University of New Hampshire (UNH) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Durham, New Hampshire, United States. It was founded and incorporated in 1866 as a land grant coll ...

, but eventually transferred to the

University of Vermont The University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, commonly referred to as the University of Vermont (UVM), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont, United States. Foun ...

. She was sponsored by Burton, a snowboard manufacturer.

Snowboarding career

Pre-Olympics

Shaw won the 1991 US Open Slalom. In 1995 she won the Giant Slalom, receiving the World Title, and that same year she received the bronze and silver medals for the ISF World Championships, held in Switzerland, and the snowboarding Alpine world title.

Olympics

Before the Olympics, Shaw described herself as feeling burned out and considering retirement, but said the announcement of the addition of snowboarding to the Olympics reignited her competitive spirit. She qualified for and competed in the 1998 Olympics snowboarding competition, along with American teammates Sondra Van Ert,

Rosey Fletcher Gabrielle Rose "Rosey" Fletcher (born 30 November 1975, in Anchorage, Alaska) is an American three-time Olympian snowboarder. She competed at the 1998 Winter Olympics, the 2002 Winter Olympics, and the 2006 Winter Olympics. Fletcher won ...

, and Lisa Kosglow. She was predicted to medal in the competition, but was disqualified for falling and missing a gate, and did not receive a score. Shaw's teammate Fletcher explained that the snow was full of hard ice chunks, or "death cookies", which the US athletes were not used to. Shaw later said of the competition, "I just felt like I was hanging on for dear life all the way down."

Post-Olympics

Shaw retired from snowboarding a year after the Olympics. In a 2014 interview she explained that "it was all getting a bit too serious." Shaw was inducted to the Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum's Hall of Fame in 2014. She said of the award, “That was a real honor. I really identify with being a Vermonter.”

Personal life

Shaw now lives in

Middletown Springs, Vermont Middletown Springs is a town in Rutland County, Vermont, United States. The population was 794 at the 2020 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 22.9 square miles (59.2 km2), a ...

with her husband and two daughters. Career-wise, she is now a blogger and editor at the website

Babycenter BabyCenter is an online media company based in San Francisco, New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles that provides information on conception, pregnancy, birth, and early childhood development for parents and expecting parents. BabyCenter operate ...

, and teaches skiing and snowboarding to children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shaw, Betsy 1965 births Living people Snowboarders at the 1998 Winter Olympics Olympic snowboarders for the United States American female snowboarders 20th-century American sportswomen