Hank Kashiwa

Hank Kashiwa
Kashiwa in 1970
Personal information
Born (1949-05-26) May 26, 1949 (age 75)
Old Forge, New York, U.S.[1]
OccupationAlpine skier
Height5 ft 6.5 in (1.69 m)[1]
Skiing career
DisciplinesDownhill, giant slalom, slalom
Olympics
Teams1 – (1972)
Medals0
World Championships
Teams2 – (1970, 1972)
Medals0
World Cup
Seasons5 – (19681972)
Podiums0 – (6 top tens)
Overall titles0 – (34th in 1971)
Discipline titles0 – (19th in GS, 1970)

Hank Charles Kashiwa (born May 26, 1949) is an American former World Cup alpine ski racer who competed in the 1972 Winter Olympics.[2]

Kashiwa learned to ski on McCauley Mountain in his hometown of Old Forge, New York.[3] He raced for the University of Colorado and was then a member of the U.S. Army ski team for two years. From 1967 to 1972, he was on the U.S. Ski Team, and won a national title in 1969. He was an alternate on the U.S. team at the 1968 Winter Olympics at Grenoble, France. Kashiwa skied the World Cup circuit from 1968 to 1971, where he posted six top ten finishes.[1]

After racing for the U.S. Olympic team in 1972 at Sapporo in downhill and giant slalom, Kashiwa joined the pro circuit,[4][5] and starred from 1972 to 1981, winning the World Pro Title in 1975.[1]

After retiring from competitions Kashiwa had a long career as a ski commentator on TV. He also became the President of Volant skis, a Colorado ski manufacturer. After that he served as vice-president of marketing for the Yellowstone Club, near Big Sky, Montana.[1]

  1. ^ a b c d e Hank Kashiwa at Olympics at Sports-Reference.com (archived)
  2. ^ Blagden, Nellie (January 26, 1976). "On the slopes and in the kitchen, speed skier Hank Kashiwa is a champ". People. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
  3. ^ Johnson, Phil (February 1994). The Kingdom of Ahs. Skiing.
  4. ^ Kadleck, Dave (March 6, 1972). "'Rookie' Kashiwa tops pro skiers". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). p. B6.
  5. ^ "Pro skiing felt tougher". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). Associated Press. March 6, 1972. p. 18.