Arturo Kinch

Who is Arturo Kinch?

Arturo Kinch is a customer service representative for United Airlines who has won fame for his inspiring performances as Costa Rica's one of three skiers in Winter Olympic Games history, most recently as a 49-year-old cross-country skier in the 2006 XX Olympic Winter Games.

Born the seventh child in a family that would grow to a total of thirteen and the son of missionary parents in Costa Rica, Kinch enrolled at Rockmont College in 1974 on a soccer scholarship. There Kinch also played basketball to keep in shape but became a seldom-used reserve, so he turned to downhill skiing for more playing time. He would score the most points on the ski team in spite of his inexperience, spurring coaches to encourage him to continue with the sport.

After his graduation from the College in 1979 with degrees in biblical studies and camping and recreation, Kinch kept racing. In 1978 he founded the Costa Rica Ski Association to qualify for the 1980 XIII Olympic Winter Games after learning that eligibility for international competition required belonging to a national ski association. In Lake Placid Kinch competed as Costa Rica’s first and only Olympic skier before competing in the 1984 XIV Olympic Winter Games, 1988 XV Olympic Winter Games, 2002 XIX Olympic Winter Games, and XX Games. In 2004 Kinch was inducted into Colorado Christian University's Hall of Fame.