Nordic

Women's Ski Jumping Pioneer Passes

by
USSA
2015-03-01 23:28
 

PARK CITY, UT (March 1, 2015) - The U.S. Ski Team mourned the loss Sunday of women's ski jumping pioneer and former Mayor of Salt Lake City Deedee Corradini. As the city's Olympic mayor, Corradini played a vital role in the successful organization of the Games and was a key face of the Utah Olympics. A few years later, she adopted the cause of women to join the Olympic program for ski jumping, working tirelessly on Olympic inclusion and in establishing Women's Ski Jumping U.S.A. as a supporting body for the sport.

According to her family, Corradini died at her Park City home after a battle with lung cancer at the age of 70.

"Deedee Corradini brought great passion and perseverance to her pursuits," said U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association President and CEO Tiger Shaw. "She was a difference maker for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City and later instilled a pioneering spirit into women’s ski  jumping that led to its successful Olympic debut and international success of U.S. athletes."
 
Women's ski jumping made its Olympic debut in Sochi. Since its debut as a global sport within the International Ski Federation, American athletes have won two of the four World Championships held. Lindsey Van (Park City, UT) won the initial Championship in 2009, with Sarah Hendrickson (Park City, UT) taking gold in 2013. Hendrickson also won the season-long World Cup title in 2012. The women just competed in the World Championships in Falun, Sweden where Hendrickson and Jessica Jerome were in the top 10.
 
Corradini worked closely with the USSA, the sport's national governing body in America, to help pursue Olympic status and in the continuing quest to provide funding to ski jumping.
 
She was the past president of the distinguished International Women’s Forum. She was a Senior Distinguished Fellow in Urban Studies at The Richard W. Riley Institute of Government, Politics and Public Leadership at Furman University, and senior vice president of Prudential Utah Real Estate. Corradini is the only female mayor of Salt Lake City, serving from 1992-2000, and former president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
 
Details about the celebration of her life will be released soon. Friends and supporters are urged to email their thoughts and condolences to Women's Ski Jumping U.S.A at wsjusainfo@wsjusa.com for inclusion on a public memorial page at //wsjusa.com. 
 
 
 
Deedee Corradini took great pride in her work with women's ski jumping, shown here sharing the spotlight with ski jumpers Alissa Johnson, World Champion Lindsey Van, Corradini and Jessica Jerome at a Women's Sports Foundation awards event in New York City in 2011. (Getty Images)
 
QUOTES
Family Statement
Our amazing mother, wife, sister, aunt, friend, and mentor, died today at her home in Park City, surrounded by the light, love, and gratitude of her loved ones. She fought a fierce six-month battle with stage 4 metastasized non-small cell lung cancer (the non-smoking type).  
 
Our lives will never be the same without her, yet we celebrate her legacy with such JOY. We feel her grace, and know she will continue to guide us deeply though her courageous spirit and extraordinary light that lives within us all.
 
Tiger Shaw, President and CEO, U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association
Deedee Corradini brought great passion and perseverance to her pursuits. She was a difference maker for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City and later instilled a pioneering spirit into women’s ski jumping that led to its successful Olympic debut and international success of U.S. athletes.
 
Lindsey Van, World Champion
Deedee pushed me, she pushed us all to do more than we ever thought we were capable of. She taught me to be more than an athlete – that I had a responsibility to stand up and make a difference.
 
Perer Jerome, Founder, Women's Ski Jumping U.S.A.
There’s no one else who could have led us and made the difference she did. She was a force. She was amazing to watch. We will deeply miss her, but also are profoundly grateful that we knew her and experienced this great journey with her at the helm.
 

Memorial services to honor the life of Deedee Corradini have been planned for March 9, 2015. Details are as follows:

Memorial Service
Date: Monday, March 9
Time: 12-1 PM
Place: Wasatch Presbyterian Church, 1626 South 1700 East, Salt Lake City, Utah 84108

A reception will follow at Log Haven, 6451 E Millcreek Canyon Road, Salt Lake City, Utah 84109 from 2 to 4:30 PM.

Condolences and Tributes
If you would like to express your condolences, you may send a message to wsjusainfo@wsjusa.com to share your thoughts. Messages are being published on an ongoing basis public Memorial Page on the Women's Ski Jumping USA web site.

Donations
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to one of the following organizations in honor of Deedee's memory:
Women's Ski Jumping USA: //www.wsjusa.com/donate/
American Community School in Beirut, Lebanon: //www.acs.edu.lb/page.cfm?p=721
Huntsman Cancer Foundation: //healthcare.utah.edu/huntsmancancerinstitute/giving/huntsman-cancer-foundation/

 

 


 


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