Katrina Diane Radke Gerry (born December 17, 1970) is a former competitive
swimmer
Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water (e.g., in a sea or lake). Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic ...
who represented the United States at the
1988 Summer Olympics
The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and officially branded as Seoul 1988 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. 159 nations were represe ...
in
Seoul, South Korea
Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...
.
Early life and career
Radke was born December 17, 1970. She was raised in
Morris, Minnesota
Morris is a city and the county seat of Stevens County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 5,105 at the 2020 census.
Morris is surrounded by some of the nation's richest agricultural land, and agribusiness is important to the local ...
. She broke all of the Minnesota Age Group State Records, except breaststroke. In 1982 and 1983, her family lived in
Adelaide
Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...
, Australia, where she swam for the Burnside Southside Swim Club, breaking several State Age Group Records.
At the age of 13, she and her family moved to
Emmaus, Pennsylvania
Emmaus ( ) is a borough in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. census, it had a population of 11,652. Emmaus is located in the Lehigh Valley, the third-largest metropolitan area in Pennsylvania and 68th-largest metrop ...
. By the time she was 14, she landed a spot on the U.S. National Swim Team, where she was its youngest member.
Radke won gold medals at the
Seoul Olympics
The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and officially branded as Seoul 1988 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. 159 nations were represe ...
, recording a time of 2:11.55.
During this time, she was also a member of the swim team at her high school,
Germantown Academy
Germantown Academy, informally known as GA and originally known as the Union School, is the oldest nonsectarian day school in the United States. The school was founded on December 6, 1759, by a group of prominent Germantown citizens in the ...
in
Fort Washington, Pennsylvania
Fort Washington is a census-designated place and suburb of Philadelphia in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. The CDP, as of 2020, is entirely in Upper Dublin Township. The population was 5,446 at the 2010 census.
History
Prior ...
, where she swam for Hall of Fame Coach Dick Shoulberg. At Germantown Academy, she was a member of a swimming team that won the team national title, and Radke broke two national prep school records.
In 1990, Radke won two more international gold medals and broke national records in Italy. She was captain of the
USA Swimming
USA Swimming is the national governing body for competitive swimming in the United States. It is charged with selecting the United States Olympic Swimming team and any other teams that officially represent the United States, as well as the overa ...
in 1991.
College years
Upon graduating from Germantown Academy in 1989, she enrolled at the
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...
, where she broke school records and was All American each year, while swimming for their
varsity team
A varsity team is the highest-level team in a sport or activity representing an educational institution. Varsity teams train to compete against each other during an athletic season or in periodic matches against rival institutions. At high schools ...
. During her time in college, she also continued swimming for Team USA, winning two more gold medals along the way, while becoming a national champion swimmer in the 200-meter butterfly at the 1990 U.S. Long-Course Championships, where she competed alongside other swimmers, including
Janet Evans
Janet Beth Evans (born August 28, 1971) is an American former competition swimmer who swam from 1989 to 1992 for Stanford University and specialized in distance freestyle events. Evans was a world champion and world record-holder, and won a to ...
. Radke also was a co-captain on Team USA. She graduated Berkeley with a Bachelor's degree in International Business and Ethics, and a Minor in Russian Language, and then earned a Master's degree in Marriage and Family Therapy at
Southern Connecticut State University
Southern Connecticut State University (Southern Connecticut, Southern Connecticut State, SCSU, or simply "Southern") is a public research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Part of the Connecticut State University System, it ...
, and completing part of her internship through Yale School of Medicine.
Health issues
While still in high school, Radke contracted
mononucleosis
Infectious mononucleosis (IM, mono), also known as glandular fever, is an infection usually caused by the Epstein–Barr virus (EBV). Most people are infected by the virus as children, when the disease produces few or no symptoms. In young adu ...
. Despite this, she continued to compete in swim meets even at the highest level. In 1991, she learned that she had
chronic fatigue syndrome
Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a disabling Chronic condition, chronic illness. People with ME/CFS experience profound fatigue that does not go away with rest, as well as sleep issues and problems with memory ...
, which forced her to sit out the 1992 Olympic trials. Soon, her condition got so bad, that she found herself bedridden and had to use handicapped parking spaces when driving. In 1993, she retired from competitive swimming due to her ongoing bout with CFIDS. After 12 years of battling the disease, she finally felt well enough to attempt a comeback in Olympic swimming. She participated in the 2004 Olympic trials, thus enabling her to re-enter the world rankings after more than a decade of retirement.
In 2012, Radke authored and released a book on her life story and struggles with CFIDS, entitled ''Be ''Your'' Best Without the Stress''.
''Survivor''
''Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers''
On August 30, 2017, it was announced that Radke was one of 18 competitors on '' Survivor: Heroes v. Healers v. Hustlers'', the 35th season of the US version of ''
Survivor
Survivor(s) may refer to:
* one who survives
Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities
* Survivors, characters in the 1997 KKnD series#Armies, ''KKnD'' video-game series
* ''The Survivors'', or the ''New Survivors Foundation'', a fictional ...
''. She was part of the Levu (Heroes) tribe. Radke became the first person voted out of Season 35, due to her being the oldest person on that season, according to the editing done by CBS.
Personal life
Radke is married to former
Stanford University
Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...
and Olympic swim coach Ross Gerry. They reside in
Excelsior, Minnesota
Excelsior ( ) is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States. A western suburb of the Twin Cities, Excelsior is about southwest of downtown Minneapolis. Its population was 2,414 as of the 2020 census.
Excelsior's commercial district ...
and have two children.
Later career
Radke works as a
marriage and family therapist
Family therapy (also referred to as family counseling, family systems therapy, marriage and family therapy, couple and family therapy) is a branch of psychotherapy focused on families and couples in intimate relationships to nurture change and ...
(MFT), and an online professor for
Foothill College
Foothill College is a public community college in Los Altos Hills, California. It is part of the Foothill–De Anza Community College District. It was founded on January 15, 1957, and offers 84 Associate degree programs, 2 Bachelor's degree p ...
in
Los Altos Hills, California
Los Altos Hills (; ''Los Altos'', Spanish for "The Heights") is an incorporated town in Santa Clara County, California, United States. The population was 8,489 at the 2020 census. The town is known for its affluence and expensive residential ...
Twin Cities
Twin cities are a special case of two neighboring cities or urban centres that grow into a single conurbation – or narrowly separated urban areas – over time. There are no formal criteria, but twin cities are generally comparable in stat ...
, called WeCoach4U. In addition, she is a contributing writer to ''Swim Swam'' magazine; and in 2016, she was elected president of the newly-formed
Minnesota
Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...
chapter of the United States Olympians and Paralympians Association.
Bibliography
*''Be Your Best Without the Stress''; Motivational Press, Inc. (2012),
See also
*
List of University of California, Berkeley alumni
This page lists notable alumni and students of the University of California, Berkeley. Alumni who also served as faculty are listed in bold font, with degree and year.
Notable faculty members are in the article List of University of California, B ...