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 bindings, unlike other types of skiing ( cross-country, Telemark, or ski jumping), which use skis with free-heel bindings. Whether for ...

, competing in that sport from 1933-42.

Personal life

Roy Mikkelsen was born at Kongsberg in Buskerud, Norway and emigrated to the United States in 1924, settling in Chicago where he joined the Norge Ski Club which had been formed by Norwegian immigrants nearby in

Fox River Grove Fox River Grove (FRG) is a village in Algonquin Township, McHenry County and Cuba Township, Lake County, Illinois, United States. As per 2020 census, the population was 4,702. In 1919, the village of Fox River Grove was officially incorpor ...

Career

He competed in ski jumping 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 ...

in Lake Placid, and at the

1936 Winter Olympics The 1936 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IV Olympic Winter Games (german: IV. Olympische Winterspiele) and commonly known as Garmisch-Partenkirchen 1936 ( bar, Garmasch-Partakurch 1936), were a winter multi-sport event held from 6 to 16 ...

Garmisch-Partenkirchen Garmisch-Partenkirchen (; Bavarian: ''Garmasch-Partakurch''), nicknamed Ga-Pa, is an Alpine ski town in Bavaria, southern Germany. It is the seat of government of the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen (abbreviated ''GAP''), in the O ...

. 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. 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 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 Vall ...

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 – up the newly paved

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

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 on ...

. Mikkelsen died in 1967 at 60, three years after being elected to the National Ski Hall of Fame 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)
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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mikkelsen, Roy 1907 births 1967 deaths American male ski jumpers Sportspeople 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 People from Auburn, California

Personal life

Career

References

Related Reading

External links