Scott Macartney
Encyclopedia
Scott Macartney is an alpine ski racer
with the U.S. Ski Team
.
, where his parents were public school teachers. He skied at the Crystal Mountain ski area, located 76 miles (122.3 km) southeast of Seattle, where his parents were members of the volunteer ski patrol
on weekends. Macartney did not attend a ski academy, but graduated from Redmond High School in 1996 while working his way up through regional teams in the Northwest
with limited funding. He attended Dartmouth College
in Hanover
, New Hampshire
, where he earned a bachelor's degree
in economics
.
Macartney competed at the 2002 Winter Olympics
in Salt Lake City and was the first racer on the course in the downhill event at Snowbasin
, eventually finishing in 29th position. He reached his first World Cup podium finish on January 29, 2006
, when he placed second at the Super G
in Garmisch-Partenkirchen
, Germany
.
The following month he competed in the 2006 Winter Olympics
in Torino
, where he finished 16th in the men's combined
,
15th in the downhill and 7th in the Super G at Sestriere
.
, Macartney competed in the Hahnenkamm
downhill
in Kitzbühel
, Austria
. The second racer on the course, he had an excellent run going until he suffered a spectacular fall just five seconds from the finish line. After descending the high-speed Zielschuss section and reaching a speed of 87.7 mph (141.2 km/h), Macartney was challenging for a top ten finish. At the final jump (Zielsprung), he was twisted left while airborne and could not recover. During the high-speed crash he impacted hard on his right side; his skis released, as did his protective helmet after a direct impact with the icy course. He lost consciousness, then twisted and spun on the hard snow. Macartney came to a stop just across the finish line, arriving boots first and face down with his body quivering, ski pole straps still attached to his wrists. He received immediate medical attention and was airlifted by helicopter
to a hospital in Innsbruck
. He is said to have suffered bruising to the brain but did not require surgery at the time and was put into an induced coma
. The next day he recovered more quickly than expected, regained consciousness, joked, and had doctors expecting a full recovery. Despite the crash and unconscious slide across the finish line without his skis or helmet, Macartney did not miss a gate, so he finished the race in 33rd place with a time of 1:55.91, 3.16 seconds behind the winner, Didier Cuche
.
Macartney's speed at the end of the Zielschuss (87.7 mph (141.2 km/h)) was the highest of the race. The next closest speed was 86.5 mph (139.2 km/h) by Bode Miller
, who came in tied for second.
Macartney recovered from his injuries and was named to the top team ("A Team") of the U.S. Ski Team
for the 2008-09
World Cup
season.
Alpine skiing
Alpine skiing is the sport of sliding down snow-covered hills on skis with fixed-heel bindings. Alpine skiing can be contrasted with skiing using free-heel bindings: Ski mountaineering and nordic skiing – such as cross-country; ski jumping; and Telemark. In competitive alpine skiing races four...
with the U.S. Ski Team
United States Ski Team
The United States Ski Team, operated under the auspices of the United States Ski and Snowboard Association , develops and supports men's and women's athletes in the sports of alpine skiing, adaptive alpine, freestyle skiing, cross country, adaptive cross country, ski jumping, and nordic combined....
.
Biography
Macartney grew up in the Seattle area, in RedmondRedmond, Washington
Redmond is a city in King County, Washington, United States, located east of Seattle. The population was 54,144 at the 2010 census,up from 45,256 in 2000....
, where his parents were public school teachers. He skied at the Crystal Mountain ski area, located 76 miles (122.3 km) southeast of Seattle, where his parents were members of the volunteer ski patrol
Ski patrol
A Ski Patrol is an organization that provides Emergency Medical and rescue services to skiers and participants of other snow sports, either at a ski area or in a back country setting. Patrollers are trained in Basic or Advanced Life Support to stabilize and transport patients to definitive care,...
on weekends. Macartney did not attend a ski academy, but graduated from Redmond High School in 1996 while working his way up through regional teams in the Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
with limited funding. He attended Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
in Hanover
Hanover, New Hampshire
Hanover is a town along the Connecticut River in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 11,260 at the 2010 census. CNN and Money magazine rated Hanover the sixth best place to live in America in 2011, and the second best in 2007....
, New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
, where he earned a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
.
Macartney competed at the 2002 Winter Olympics
Alpine skiing at the 2002 Winter Olympics
Alpine skiing at the 2002 Winter Olympics consisted of ten events held near Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.A. The downhill, Super G, and combined events were held at Snowbasin, the giant slalom at Park City, and the slalom at Deer Valley...
in Salt Lake City and was the first racer on the course in the downhill event at Snowbasin
Snowbasin
Snowbasin Resort is located northeast of Salt Lake City, in Weber County, Utah. Opened in 1939, as part of an effort by the city of Ogden, Utah to restore the Wheeler Creek watershed, it is one of the oldest ski resorts in the United States. Over the next 50 years Snowbasin grew slowly...
, eventually finishing in 29th position. He reached his first World Cup podium finish on January 29, 2006
2006 Alpine Skiing World Cup
The 40th World Cup season began in October 2005 and concluded at the World Cup finals in Åre, Sweden, in March 2006. The schedule included a nearly month-long break in February for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy....
, when he placed second at the Super G
Super Giant Slalom skiing
The Super Giant Slalom is an Alpine skiing discipline. It is usually referred to as Super G and is a "speed" event, along with the faster Downhill event; the Giant Slalom and Slalom events are known as the "technical" disciplines.-History:...
in Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Garmisch Classic
Garmisch Classic is an alpine ski resort in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Bavaria, Germany. The resort is in the Bavarian Alps, and its maximum elevation is 6726 feet above sea level, with a vertical drop of 4429 feet...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
The following month he competed in the 2006 Winter Olympics
Alpine skiing at the 2006 Winter Olympics
Alpine skiing at the 2006 Winter Olympics consisted of ten events, held at Sestriere and Cesana-San Sicario, Italy. The races were held from February 12-25, 2006.-Medal table:- Men's events :- Women's events :-Course Information:...
in Torino
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
, where he finished 16th in the men's combined
Alpine skiing combined
Combined is an alpine skiing event. Although not technically a discipline of its own, it is sometimes referred to as a fifth alpine discipline, along with downhill, super G, giant slalom, and slalom.-Traditional & Super-Combined:...
,
15th in the downhill and 7th in the Super G at Sestriere
Sestriere
Sestriere is an alpine village in Italy, a comune of the Province of Turin. It is from the French border. Its name derives from Latin: ad petram sistrariam, that is at sixty Roman miles from Turin....
.
Injury at Kitzbühel
On his 30th birthday in 20082008 Alpine Skiing World Cup
The 42nd World Cup season began in October 2007 in Sölden, Austria and concluded on March 15, 2008, at the World Cup Finals in Bormio, Italy....
, Macartney competed in the Hahnenkamm
Hahnenkamm, Kitzbühel
The Hahnenkamm is a mountain in Austria, directly south of Kitzbühel, in the Kitzbühel Alps. The elevation of its summit is above sea level.The Hahnenkamm is part of the ski resort of Kitzbühel, and hosts the annual World Cup alpine ski races, the Hahnenkammrennen...
downhill
Downhill
Downhill is an alpine skiing discipline. The rules for the Downhill were originally developed by Sir Arnold Lunn for the 1921 British National Ski Championships....
in Kitzbühel
Kitzbühel
-Demographic evolution:-Personalities:*Karl Wilhelm von Dalla Torre , entomologist and botanist*Alfons Walde , expressionist painter and architect*Peter Aufschnaiter , mountaineer and geographer...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. The second racer on the course, he had an excellent run going until he suffered a spectacular fall just five seconds from the finish line. After descending the high-speed Zielschuss section and reaching a speed of 87.7 mph (141.2 km/h), Macartney was challenging for a top ten finish. At the final jump (Zielsprung), he was twisted left while airborne and could not recover. During the high-speed crash he impacted hard on his right side; his skis released, as did his protective helmet after a direct impact with the icy course. He lost consciousness, then twisted and spun on the hard snow. Macartney came to a stop just across the finish line, arriving boots first and face down with his body quivering, ski pole straps still attached to his wrists. He received immediate medical attention and was airlifted by helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
to a hospital in Innsbruck
Innsbruck
- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...
. He is said to have suffered bruising to the brain but did not require surgery at the time and was put into an induced coma
Induced coma
A barbiturate-induced coma, or barb coma, is a temporary coma brought on by a controlled dose of a barbiturate drug, usually pentobarbital or thiopental...
. The next day he recovered more quickly than expected, regained consciousness, joked, and had doctors expecting a full recovery. Despite the crash and unconscious slide across the finish line without his skis or helmet, Macartney did not miss a gate, so he finished the race in 33rd place with a time of 1:55.91, 3.16 seconds behind the winner, Didier Cuche
Didier Cuche
Didier Cuche is a Swiss alpine ski racer. He primarily competes in the speed disciplines of downhill and Super-G, along with the technical discipline of giant slalom...
.
Macartney's speed at the end of the Zielschuss (87.7 mph (141.2 km/h)) was the highest of the race. The next closest speed was 86.5 mph (139.2 km/h) by Bode Miller
Bode Miller
Samuel Bode Miller is an American alpine ski racer. He is an Olympic and World Championship gold medalist, a two-time overall World Cup champion in 2005 and 2008, and is generally considered the greatest American alpine skier of all time...
, who came in tied for second.
Macartney recovered from his injuries and was named to the top team ("A Team") of the U.S. Ski Team
United States Ski Team
The United States Ski Team, operated under the auspices of the United States Ski and Snowboard Association , develops and supports men's and women's athletes in the sports of alpine skiing, adaptive alpine, freestyle skiing, cross country, adaptive cross country, ski jumping, and nordic combined....
for the 2008-09
2009 Alpine Skiing World Cup
The 43rd World Cup season began in late October 2008 in Sölden, Austria, and concluded in mid-March 2009, at the World Cup finals in Åre, Sweden.Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway won the overall title by two points over Benjamin Raich of Austria. Svindal returned from a season-ending injury in December...
World Cup
Alpine skiing World Cup
The FIS Alpine Ski World Cup is the top international circuit of alpine skiing competitions, launched in 1966 by a group of ski racing friends and experts which included French journalist Serge Lang and the alpine ski team directors from France and the USA...
season.
World Cup Top Ten Finishes
| Season | Date | Location | Race | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 2003 Alpine Skiing World Cup The 37th World Cup season began in October 2002 on Sölden, Austria, and concluded in March 2003 at the World Cup finals in Lillehammer, Norway. The overall winners were Stephan Eberharter of Austria and Janica Kostelić of Croatia.... |
19-Jan-2003 |  WengenLauberhorn The Lauberhorn is a mountain in the Bernese Alps of Switzerland, located between Wengen and Grindelwald. Its summit is at an elevation of 8110 feet above sea level.... , Switzerland Switzerland Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition.... |
Combined Alpine skiing combined Combined is an alpine skiing event. Although not technically a discipline of its own, it is sometimes referred to as a fifth alpine discipline, along with downhill, super G, giant slalom, and slalom.-Traditional & Super-Combined:... |
8th |
| 2006 2006 Alpine Skiing World Cup The 40th World Cup season began in October 2005 and concluded at the World Cup finals in Åre, Sweden, in March 2006. The schedule included a nearly month-long break in February for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy.... |
16-Dec-2005 |  Val Gardena, ItalyItaly Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and... |
Super-G Super Giant Slalom skiing The Super Giant Slalom is an Alpine skiing discipline. It is usually referred to as Super G and is a "speed" event, along with the faster Downhill event; the Giant Slalom and Slalom events are known as the "technical" disciplines.-History:... |
7th |
| 29-Jan-2006 |  GarmischGarmisch Classic Garmisch Classic is an alpine ski resort in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Bavaria, Germany. The resort is in the Bavarian Alps, and its maximum elevation is 6726 feet above sea level, with a vertical drop of 4429 feet... , Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
Super-G | 2nd | |
| 2006 Winter Olympics Alpine skiing at the 2006 Winter Olympics Alpine skiing at the 2006 Winter Olympics consisted of ten events, held at Sestriere and Cesana-San Sicario, Italy. The races were held from February 12-25, 2006.-Medal table:- Men's events :- Women's events :-Course Information:... |
||||
| 2007 2007 Alpine Skiing World Cup The 41st World Cup season was scheduled to begin on October 28, 2006, but cancellation of the opening races in Sölden delayed the season's start by two weeks. A very poor snowpack in the Alps, along with stormy weather in January, caused numerous races to be moved and rescheduled throughout the... |
01-Dec-2006 |  Beaver CreekBeaver Creek Resort Beaver Creek Resort is a major United States ski resort near Avon, Colorado, run by Vail Resorts. The resort comprises three villages, the main Beaver Creek Village, Bachelor Gulch, and Arrowhead to the west... , CO Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains... , USA |
Downhill | 8th |
| 2008 2008 Alpine Skiing World Cup The 42nd World Cup season began in October 2007 in Sölden, Austria and concluded on March 15, 2008, at the World Cup Finals in Bormio, Italy.... |
15-Dec-2007 | Val Gardena, Italy |
Downhill | 3rd |
External links
- FIS-ski.com - results - Scott Macartney
- FIS-ski.com - World Cup season standings - Scott Macartney - 2002-10
- Ski-db.com - results - Scott Macartney
- Sports-reference.com - Olympic athletes - Scott Macartney
- Scott Macartney.com - official site
- wcsnblogs.com - Macartney official blog
- NBC Olympics.com - profile - Scott Macartney
- Ski Racing.com - 29-Dec-2003
- U.S. Ski Team.com - bio - Scott Macartney
- Video of Macartney's fall
- YouTube video - crash at the Zielsprung at Kitzbühel, takes 33rd - 19-Jan-2008
- YouTube video - Scott Macartney narrates the Lauberhorn course in Wengen (footage from 2007 race)
- Full story with pictures
- Seattle Times - "Seattle-area skier recovers from crash, ready to race" - 28-Nov-2008
- Seattle Times - "Kirkland skier Scott Macartney fighting for spot on his third U.S. Olympic team" - 13-Jan-2010