Nikki Stone
Encyclopedia
Nicole 'Nikki' Stone (born February 4, 1971, Princeton, New Jersey
, currently residing in Park City, Utah
) is a former American
Olympic skier
.
Nikki Stone, who competed in the 1998 Winter Olympics
in Nagano, Japan, is best known for being the first American
to win a gold medal
as inverted aerial skier
. Aerial Skiing is a sport where athletes ski into a 10-foot snow jump at approximately 40 miles per hour, flip and/or twist to a height of 50-feet, and land on a 45 degree hill.
Eighteen months before this second Olympic appearance, Nikki sustained a career-threatening spinal injury in which doctors believed she would never jump again.
in 2003.
, the Today Show, Good Morning America
, CNN
Early Addition, MSNBC
Morning Line, ESPN
Magazine show, Fox News Channel
Sports Express, CNN Business As Unusual, Fox Sports News live, the Late Late Show with Tom Snyder
, and a televised commercial for Chevrolet and the Salt Lake Olympic Committee.
Sports, the United States Olympic Committee
, local newspapers, and skiing magazines. She is also a contributing author to the book “Awaken the Olympian Within: Stories from America's Greatest Olympic Motivators”.
in New York, graduating Magna Cum Laude. She earned a Master's degree in Sports Psychology from the University of Utah, graduating Summa Cum Lade. In 2008, she gave birth to a daughter named Zali.
and a sports psychology consultant for several elite and Olympic athletes. Nikki was hired by the United States Olympic Committee to work with the Winter Olympians in overcoming adversities and distractions, dealing with intense pressure, and developing confidence to compete in the 2010 Vancouver Games.
,
Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...
, currently residing in Park City, Utah
Park City, Utah
Park City is a town in Summit and Wasatch counties in the U.S. state of Utah. It is considered to be part of the Wasatch Back. The city is southeast of downtown Salt Lake City and from Salt Lake City's east edge of Sugar House along Interstate 80. The population was 7,558 at the 2010 census...
) is a former American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Olympic skier
Skiing
Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
.
Nikki Stone, who competed in the 1998 Winter Olympics
1998 Winter Olympics
The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially the XVIII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 7 to 22 February 1998 in Nagano, Japan. Seventy-two nations and 2,176 participans contested in seven sports and 72 events at 15 venues. The games saw the introduction of Women's ice...
in Nagano, Japan, is best known for being the first American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to win a gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
as inverted aerial skier
Freestyle skiing
Freestyle skiing is form of skiing which used to encompass two disciplines: aerials, and moguls. Except the two disciplines mentioned earlier Freestyle Skiing now consists of Skicross, Half Pipe and Slope Style...
. Aerial Skiing is a sport where athletes ski into a 10-foot snow jump at approximately 40 miles per hour, flip and/or twist to a height of 50-feet, and land on a 45 degree hill.
Eighteen months before this second Olympic appearance, Nikki sustained a career-threatening spinal injury in which doctors believed she would never jump again.
Career highlights
Throughout her career, Nikki earned 35 World Cup medals, eleven World Cup titles, four national titles, two year-long Aerial World Cup titles, and a World Championship title. She also became the first pure aerialist ever (male or female) to become the year-long Overall Freestyle World Cup Champion. She was inducted into the National Ski Hall of FameNational Ski Hall of Fame
The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame and Museum is located in the City of Ishpeming in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, the birthplace of organized skiing in the United States...
in 2003.
Television appearances
Late Night with David LettermanLate Night with David Letterman
Late Night with David Letterman is a nightly hour-long comedy talk show on NBC that was created and hosted by David Letterman. It premiered in 1982 as the first incarnation of the Late Night franchise and went off the air in 1993, after Letterman left NBC and moved to Late Show on CBS. Late Night...
, the Today Show, Good Morning America
Good Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
, CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
Early Addition, MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
Morning Line, ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
Magazine show, Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel , often called Fox News, is a cable and satellite television news channel owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation...
Sports Express, CNN Business As Unusual, Fox Sports News live, the Late Late Show with Tom Snyder
Tom Snyder
Thomas James "Tom" Snyder was an American television personality, news anchor and radio personality best known for his late night talk shows The Tomorrow Show, on the NBC television network in the 1970s and 1980s, and The Late Late Show, on the CBS Television Network in the 1990s...
, and a televised commercial for Chevrolet and the Salt Lake Olympic Committee.
Authored
Nikki Stone released the inspirational book, "When Turtles Fly: Secrets of Successful People Who Know How to Stick Their Necks Out" in January 2010. "When Turtles Fly" intertwines Nikki's own triumphant success story around inspirational stories from contributors like Shaun White, Tommy Hilfiger, Lindsey Vonn, Dr. Stephen Covey, and Prince Albert. Nikki and the book were highlighted on the Today Show shortly after its release. Nikki has written articles for Yahoo!Yahoo!
Yahoo! Inc. is an American multinational internet corporation headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, United States. The company is perhaps best known for its web portal, search engine , Yahoo! Directory, Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Groups, Yahoo! Answers, advertising, online mapping ,...
Sports, the United States Olympic Committee
United States Olympic Committee
The United States Olympic Committee is a non-profit organization that serves as the National Olympic Committee and National Paralympic Committee for the United States and coordinates the relationship between the United States Anti-Doping Agency and the World Anti-Doping Agency and various...
, local newspapers, and skiing magazines. She is also a contributing author to the book “Awaken the Olympian Within: Stories from America's Greatest Olympic Motivators”.
Personal life
Nikki Stone earned her undergraduate degree from Union CollegeUnion College
Union College is a private, non-denominational liberal arts college located in Schenectady, New York, United States. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents. In the 19th century, it became the "Mother of Fraternities", as...
in New York, graduating Magna Cum Laude. She earned a Master's degree in Sports Psychology from the University of Utah, graduating Summa Cum Lade. In 2008, she gave birth to a daughter named Zali.
Current career
Nikki currently works as a motivational speaker, author, and a motivational coach for the new Regional Biggest Loser program (in Wichita, Kansas). She has also worked as a Visiting Professor at the University of UtahUniversity of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
and a sports psychology consultant for several elite and Olympic athletes. Nikki was hired by the United States Olympic Committee to work with the Winter Olympians in overcoming adversities and distractions, dealing with intense pressure, and developing confidence to compete in the 2010 Vancouver Games.
,
Medals
An overview of medals won by Nikki at important championships, listing the years in which she won each:| Championships | Gold medal | Silver medal | Bronze medal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Olympics - Aerials Freestyle skiing at the Winter Olympics Freestyle skiing has been contested at the Winter Olympic Games since the 1992 Winter Games in Albertville. It was a demonstration sport at the 1988 Winter Olympics, with moguls, aerials, and ballet events. Moguls became an official medal sport at the 1992 games, while aerials and ballet were... |
1998 | ||
| World Championships - Aerials FIS Freestyle World Ski Championships The FIS Freestyle World Ski Championships is the world championship organized by the FIS for Freestyle Skiing. It was first organized in 1986 and is now held every odd year. Currently, the events included in the world championships are Moguls, Dual Moguls, Aerials, Ski cross, Slopestyle and Half-pipe... |
1995 | 1999 | |
| World Cup Freestyle Overall International Ski Federation The International Ski Federation, known by its name in French, Fédération Internationale de Ski is the main international organisation for ski sports... |
1998 | ||
| World Cup Aerial Overall International Ski Federation The International Ski Federation, known by its name in French, Fédération Internationale de Ski is the main international organisation for ski sports... |
1995 1998 |
1999 | 1993 1994 |
| World Cups International Ski Federation The International Ski Federation, known by its name in French, Fédération Internationale de Ski is the main international organisation for ski sports... |
1998/1999 (1x) 1997/1998 (4x) 1995/1996 (1x) 1994/1995 (4x) 1991/1992 (1x) |
1998/1999 (1x) 1997/1998 (3x) 1996/1997 (2x) 1995/1996 (4x) 1994/1995 (3x) 1993/1994 (2x) 1991/1992 (2x) |
1995/1996 (2x) 1994/1995 (2x) 1993/1994 (1x) 1992/1993 (2x) |
| US Championships United States Ski and Snowboard Association The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association is the national governing body for Olympic skiing and snowboarding. Founded in 1905, the century-old organization provides leadership and direction for tens of thousands of young skiers and snowboarders from over 400 member clubs who share an Olympic... |
1993 (Aerials) 1994 (Aerials) 1995 (Aerials) 1998 (Aerials) |
1997 (Aerial) 1992 (Aerial) |
1993 (Combined) 1995 (Combined) |