Betsy Snite Explained

Disciplines:Downhill, giant slalom, slalom, combined
Birth Date:1938 12, mf=yes
Birth Place:Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S.
Death Place:Burlington, Vermont, U.S.
Olympicteams:2 – (1956, 1960)
Olympicmedals:1
Olympicgolds:0
Worldsteams:4   includes two Olympics
Worldsmedals:1
Worldsgolds:0
Show-Medals:yes

Betsy Baxter Snite (later Riley, December 20, 1938 – June 15, 1984) was an American alpine ski racer[1] [2] and Olympic medalist. She competed in the Winter Olympics in 1956 and 1960 and won the silver medal in the slalom in the latter.

Born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Snite grew up in Norwich, Vermont, and was U.S. slalom champion in 1955 at age 16, edging Olympic gold medalist Andrea Mead Lawrence.[3] She participated in the giant slalom in 1956 at Cortina d'Ampezzo, but did not finish.

Four years later at Squaw Valley, Snite won the silver medal in the slalom.[4] In the giant slalom she finished fourth, but did not finish the downhill.[5] Shortly before the Olympics, she was on the cover of Sports Illustrated.[6]

According to the Vermont Ski Museum, Betsy learned to ski on Cemetery Hill in Norwich and with the Ford K. Sayre Memorial ski program. When she got too good, she trained with the Dartmouth College ski team.

She married Bill Riley in 1964, and they resided in Vermont at Stowe.[2] She died at age 45 in 1984, after a brief battle with cancer.[7]

Olympic results

  Year    Age   Slalom  Giant
 Slalom 
Super-G Downhill Combined
17 not run not run
21

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Betsy 'swooshed' to a first and a second . Milwaukee Sentinel . Associated Press . January 10, 1959 . 3, part 2 .
  2. News: Remembering Riley's legacy . Stowe Reporter . Wolfe Stead . Nancy . Vermont . April 22, 2010 . March 2, 2015 .
  3. News: Downhill ski title event today . Nashua Telegraph . New Hampshire . March 12, 1955 . 9 .
  4. News: Anne Heggtveit wins Olympic slalom . Montreal Gazette . Sullivan . Jack . Jack Sullivan (journalist) . February 27, 1960 . 31.
  5. News: German takes Ladies' downhill, Canadians trail . Montreal Gazette . Canadian Press . February 22, 1960 . 17.
  6. News: Those pretty girls with the killer instinct . Sports Illustrated . Terrell . Roy . February 1, 1960 . 34.
  7. Betsy Snite Riley, 1938–1984 . Skiing . September 1984 . 50.