Book signing on Dec. 22 to feature Olympic athlete

GAYLORD — Winter Vinecki, who was a member of the U.S. ski team that competed at the Olympic Games in China earlier this year, will be in Gaylord for a book signing.

Born in Grand Rapids, Vinecki grew up in Gaylord and Salem, Oregon. She is scheduled to autograph copies of her book, "Winter's Rise," from 4-7 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 22 at White Birch Outfitters, 302 W. Main St.

After losing her father at the age of 9 to prostate cancer, Vinecki formed TeamWinter.org a nonprofit to raise money for prostate cancer research and awareness. She has raised over $500,000 toward that effort and counting.

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​Vinecki began racing triathlons at the age of 5 and completed her first Olympic triathlons at 9. She went on to become the Ironkids National Champion for 2010 and 2011 and spent three years as the official ambassador of the sport.

​Vinecki was also the 2011 recipient of the Annika Inspiration Award. At age 12, she was invited to an aerial skiing camp by two-time Olympian Emily Cook. After completing the week-long camp, Winter moved to Park City, Utah to train and compete for the next three years on the Fly Freestyle elite development team. During that time, she set a world record by becoming the youngest person to run a marathon on all seven continents, the youngest person to run 26.2 miles on Antarctica and the first mother/daughter duo to run a marathon on all seven continents.

​Vinecki was first named to the U.S. Ski Team in 2016 after winning the North American Tour. She is now going on her sixth year on the U.S. Ski Team and has garnered results such as the gold medal at the 2021 Moscow World Cup. After Beijing 2022, she also became the first "Winter" to compete in the Winter Olympics.

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Book signing on Dec. 22 to feature Olympic athlete