Kaitlyn VESTERSTEIN

Vesty. Uses Katie as her common name. (Athlete, 5 Jun 2021)

Athlete, Student

Attended the Rowmark Ski Academy and graduated from Rowland Hall in 2017 (Salt Lake City, UT, USA).
Presently studying finance at the University of Utah (Salt Lake City, UT, USA), and racing for the Utah Ski Team. (Instagram, 7 Jun 2017)

Father, Kirk Vesterstein. Mother, Pauline Olsen. Brother, Matti Vesterstein.

English

Buck Hill Ski Team
University of Utah

Club: Erich Sailer (USA)
Club: J.J. Johnson (USA)
Club: Mary Joyce (USA)

Grandfather Paul Vesterstein (Alpine skiing): He came from Estonia to attend the University of Minnesota-Duluth (USA) in the early 1950s, where he was a star athlete on the UMD Ski Team. Nicknamed “The Count”, he is a true American success story, arriving in the United States in 1949 from a Displaced Person’s Camp in Europe after WWII, under the sponsorship of the Duluth YMCA. He became a successful businessman, founding the Continental Ski Shop and other retail, travel, and real estate ventures in the United States and abroad. (cehsp.d.umn.edu)

Great Uncle Karl Vesterstein (Ski jumping): Was a legendary Estonian ski jumping champion in the 1940s. (Athlete, 5 Jun 2021; Alpine Ski Team Estonia Facebook, 11 Feb 2021; conservancy.umn.edu)

Golf, mountain biking, dirt biking, water skiing. Began dirt biking as a teen in the mid-west and still rides competitively. (Athlete, 5 Jun 2021)

2015 FIS event at Echo Mountain (Slalom - DNF1)

None. (Athlete, 5 Jun 2021)

2018

Her family owned a ski shop, Continental Ski & Board, in Duluth, Minnesota (USA), so skiing ran in the family. It was a natural progression that she would fall in love with it. (Athlete, 5 Jun 2021)

"I like the idea of working and getting better at something, and going fast." (Athlete, 5 Jun 2021)

"To not only perform and improve on the slopes but also as a person. Growing in all aspects of my life and the way that people remember me are some of my personal goals." (Athlete, 5 Jun 2021)

Grew up ski racing in Duluth, Minnesota (USA), eventually joining the Buck Hill Ski Team located south of Minneapolis. She trained for a period of time as part of the U.S. Ski Team's National Training Group before deciding in 2018 to align with her family's native Estonia, and join the University of Utah Ski Team. (Athlete, 5 Jun 2021; duluthnewstribune.com, 8 Feb 2015)

DIRT BIKES
She has been using dirt biking as cross training to help supplement her downhill ski racing training. "It is a very tough sport mentally as it is much longer than downhill ski racing, but it helps make me become mentally tougher and builds endurance." (vabaeestisona.com, 12 Aug 2019)

Achieved National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) All-America honours with her 10th in slalom at the 2021 NCAA Championships in New Hampshire, playing a key role in the University of Utah Utes' 14th NCAA Championship. (utahutes.com, 12 Mar 2021)

Alpine skier Lindsey Vonn (USA), three-time Olympic medallist and fellow Minnesota native, who also skied on the Buck Hill Ski Team. (Athlete, 5 Jun 2021)

Erich Sailer, the highly-regarded coach at the Buck Hill Ski Team in Minnesota, who previously coached USA Olympians including Lindsey Vonn and Kristina Koznick. (Athlete, 5 Jun 2021)

None. (Athlete, 5 Jun 2021)

"Always have fun. It can be easy to get too serious about things and, in the end, it's all about the memories you make, so make sure they are full of fun." (Athlete, 5 Jun 2021)

Recognised by the University of Utah among Ute athletes who achieved all "A" grades in 2020. (utahutes.com, 21 Apr 2021)