Bonny Warner

Last updated

Bonny Warner (now Bonny Simi; born April 7, 1962, in Mount Baldy, California [1] ) is an American luger who competed from the early 1980s to the early 1990s. [2] She later competed in women's bobsleigh from 1999 to 2002. [2] She was a pilot for United Airlines [2] from 1990 to 2004, when she quit United and went to work for JetBlue Airways. [3] In December 2020 she left Jet Blue and went to work for Joby Aviation as the Head of Air Operations and People. [4] [5] [6]

Contents

Luge career

Warner's career in luge began when she was a torchbearer for the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York, while as a freshman from Stanford University. [2] While watching the luge competitions in Lake Placid, she became hooked on the event. [2] This would lead Warner to travel to West Germany and follow luge activities over there. [2] Warner would then learn to speak fluent German while over there. [2] While at Stanford, Warner switched her major from civil engineering to broadcast journalism after earning an athletic scholarship to play field hockey. Competing in three Winter Olympics, she earned her best finish of sixth in the women's singles event at Calgary in 1988. [7] Warner also organized Luge camps throughout the United States, which made a huge contribution to the growth of the sport in this country.

Broadcasting career

Following the 1992 Winter Olympics, Warner retired and served as a color commentator for CBS Sports during their coverage of the Winter Olympics in 1994 and 1998. [2] Prior to that, she had been a television sports reporter for the San Francisco area during the mid-1980s. [2]

Airline career

After the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Warner earned a 10,000 USD scholarship and earned her aviator's license. [2] Prior to joining United in November 1990, she worked as a flight instructor and a corporate pilot. [2] One of Warner's clients as a corporate pilot was the late promoter Bill Graham. [2]

Personal life

Warner married Tony Simi, a firefighter and paramedic who was in one of her classes in 1996. [2] A daughter was born in 1998. [2]

Bobsleigh career

After a 1999 vacation to Park City, Utah, Warner went over to bobsleigh and competed from 1999 to 2002. [2] While searching for a brakeman, she discovered Vonetta Flowers, who would go on to win the gold medal in the two-woman event at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. [2] [8] Warner's best seasonal finish in the Bobsleigh World Cup was third overall in 2000–1. [9] During the 2001-2 Bobsleigh World Cup, Warner carried on her sled a memorial to the victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York and Washington, D.C. [2] She tried out for the 2002 US team, but did not qualify though Flowers did. [2] She also participated in simulation for bobsleigh starts prior to the 2002 games. [10] Because she did not qualify for the 2002 Winter Olympics, she worked for NBC Sports during their television coverage of the games.

Life since the Winter Olympics

Since her retirement from bobsleigh, Warner was a pilot for JetBlue Airways, eventually moving up the ranks to senior management in the company. She eventually became President of JetBlue's Venture Capital arm, JetBlue Technology Ventures. Currently, she continues her work in the aviation industry for Joby Aviation. [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bobsleigh</span> Olympic team winter sport

Bobsleigh or bobsled is a winter sport in which teams of 2 to 4 athletes make timed runs down narrow, twisting, banked, iced tracks in a gravity-powered sleigh. International bobsleigh competitions are governed by the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gregor Stähli</span> Swiss skeleton racer (born 1968)

Gregor Stähli is a Swiss skeleton racer who has competed since 1989. He won two bronze Winter Olympic medals in the men's skeleton, earning them in 2002 and 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maya Pedersen-Bieri</span> Swiss-Norwegian skeleton racer

Maya Pedersen-Bieri is a Swiss-Norwegian skeleton racer who has competed since 1995. She won the gold medal in the women's skeleton event at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. She retired from the sport in 2010 before returning to compete for Norway in 2016, becoming at the oldest woman to start a World Cup race when she returned to the top level of skeleton in 2017. She is listed in the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation athlete registration system as Maya Pedersen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gerda Weissensteiner</span> Italian bobsledder and luger

Gerda Weissensteiner OMRI is an Italian luger and bobsleigh pilot who competed from the late 1980s to 2006. Competing in six Winter Olympics, she won the gold medal in the women's singles luge event at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, and together with Jennifer Isacco she won the bronze in Turin in the two-woman bobsleigh at the 2006 Winter Olympics. She was the first Italian sportsperson to win Olympic medals in two disciplines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Kuske</span> German bobsledder (born 1979)

Kevin Kuske is a former German bobsledder who competed from 1999 to 2018. Competing in five Winter Olympics, he is the most successful Olympic athlete in bobsledding, winning four gold medals and two silver medals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandra Kiriasis</span> German bobsledder (born 1975)

Sandra Kiriasis is a German former bobsledder who has competed from 2000 to 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silke Kraushaar-Pielach</span> German luger (born 1970)

Silke Kraushaar-Pielach is a German luger who competed from 1995 to 2008. In June 2008, she was named sports manager for the luge section of Bob- und Schlittenverband für Deutschland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Regan Lauscher</span> Canadian luger (born 1980)

Regan Lauscher is a Canadian luger. Competing in three Winter Olympics, she earned her best finish of tenth in the women's singles event at Turin in 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Noelle Pikus-Pace</span> American skeleton racer

Noelle Pikus-Pace is an American retired skeleton racer who began her career in 2001. She won five medals at the FIBT World Championships, competed in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, and won the silver medal in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Susi Erdmann</span> German bobsledder and luger

Susi-Lisa Erdmann is an East German-German luger and bobsledder who competed from 1977 to 1998 in luge, then since 1999 in bobsleigh. She was born in Blankenburg, Bezirk Magdeburg. Competing in five Winter Olympics, she won two medals in the women's singles luge event with a silver in 1994 and a bronze in 1992, and a bronze at the inaugural two-women bobsleigh event in 2002. She is one of only two people to ever win a medal in both bobsleigh and luge at the Winter Olympics; Italy's Gerda Weissensteiner is the other.

Michelle Kelly is a Canadian former skeleton racer who competed from 1994 to 2013. A two-time Olympian, Kelly is largely considered to be one of the pioneers of the sport of Women's Skeleton. Originally an elite gymnast, she was recruited for her explosive power to the Canadian Women's National Bobsleigh Team as a brakeman, competing from 1994 to 1999. In 1995 Kelly started sliding Skeleton and competing in both sports. When Women's Skeleton and Bobsled were both named to make their debut at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Kelly chose Skeleton. She finished 10th at those 2002 Games, and went on to earn the Olympic alternate position at the 2006 Torino Olympics, and another Olympic birth at the 2010 Winter Olympics, finishing 13th. Kelly won a complete set of medals at the FIBT World Championships with a gold in 2003, a silver in 2008, and a bronze in 2005, as well as taking the women's Skeleton World Cup overall title in 2002-3.

Germán Glessner is an Argentine/German Olympian who represented Argentina in the Winter Olympic Games of Salt Lake City 2002, in the ice sport of Skeleton. Glessner is a multilingual businessman who speaks Spanish, English, German, Italian, and French, and shares his sports and business experiences as a keynote motivational speaker around the world. He holds a bachelor's degree in International Business.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexandra Rodionova</span> Russian bobsledder and former luger (born 1984)

Alexandra Vasiliyevna Rodionova is a Russian bobsledder and former luger who has competed since 2003. Competing in two Winter Olympics, she earned her best finish of sixth in the women's singles event at Vancouver in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FIL World Luge Championships 2009</span>

The FIL World Luge Championships 2009 ran on 1–8 February 2009 at the bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track in Lake Placid, New York, United States for the second time after having hosted the event in 1983. They were awarded the event at the 2006 FIL Congress in Berchtesgaden, Germany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mt. Van Hoevenberg Olympic Bobsled Run</span> United States historic place

The Mt. Van Hoevenberg Olympic Bobsled Run is a venue for bobsleigh, luge and skeleton in the United States, located at the Lake Placid Olympic Sports Complex in Lake Placid, New York. This venue was used for the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics and for the only winter Goodwill Games in 2000. The track hosted both the first FIBT World Championships and FIL World Luge Championships held outside of Europe, doing so in 1949 and 1983. The third and most recent version of the track was completed in 2000. In 2010 the bobsled track was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Utah Olympic Park Track</span> Winter Sports Track near Park City, Utah

The Utah Olympic Park Track is a bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track in the United States, located in the Utah Olympic Park near Park City, Utah. During the 2002 Winter Olympics in nearby Salt Lake City, the track hosted the bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton events. Today the track still serves as a training center for Olympic and development level athletes and hosts numerous local and international competitions. It is one of two national tracks; the other is at Mt. Van Hoevenberg near Lake Placid, New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canada Olympic Park bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track</span>

The Canada Olympic Park bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track is a bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track located in Calgary, Alberta. Part of Canada Olympic Park, it hosted the bobsleigh and luge competitions at the 1988 Winter Olympics. This track is one of only two of its type in the world to be featured in a non-documentary film when it was part of the 1993 American film Cool Runnings which loosely followed the Jamaican Bobsled Team during their competition in bobsleigh at the 1988 Games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Venues of the 1980 Winter Olympics</span>

For the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York, United States, a total of seven sports venues were used. All five of the venues used for the 1932 Winter Olympics were also used at the 1980 Winter Games with adjustments. These adjustments included electronic scoreboards, increased refrigeration, and the addition of a separate luge track. This was the last Winter Olympics where there were separate bobsleigh and luge tracks. The closest finish in Olympic history in cross-country skiing led skiing officials to time future events in hundredths of a second rather than tenths of a second. This would also apply to biathlon events. Eric Heiden won five gold medals at the speed skating oval while the "Miracle on Ice" took place between Americans and Soviets at the Olympic Center. In the late 1990s, the luge track was demolished and a new combination track was constructed in time for the only Winter Goodwill Games held. The sliding venue was named to the American National Register of Historical Places in February 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marina Gilardoni</span> Swiss skeleton racer and bobsledder

Marina Gilardoni is a Swiss skeleton racer and former bobsleigh brakewoman. After starting her sporting career in heptathlon at the club level, Gilardoni began racing bobsleigh in 2007 and earned a place on the Swiss national team. She won gold medals at the Junior World Championships in 2008 behind driver Fabienne Meyer and in 2010 with Sabina Hafner driving. After the 2009–10 season, she switched from bobsleigh to skeleton. In 2018, Gilardoni was selected to represent Switzerland in the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang after the Dutch Olympic Committee refused one of their two entries and it was reallocated to Switzerland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laura Nolte</span> German bobsledder (born 1998)

Laura Nolte is a German bobsleigh pilot, who began competing for the national team in 2015 and won the gold medal in the two-woman bobsleigh event at the 2022 Winter Olympics, becoming the youngest in bobsleigh history to win the title. In 2023 she has become the first European to win the Monobob World Champion title at the Sankt Moritz World Championships, while being also the winner of the 2023 European Monobob Champion title in Altenberg, Germany. In 2021, she won the gold medal in the two-woman event at the IBSF European Championships 2021 held in Winterberg, Germany. In the same season, she also won the gold medal in the two-woman event at the IBSF Junior World Championships 2021 held in St. Moritz, Switzerland.

References

  1. ↑ Brainyhistory.com profile - accessed October 25, 2007
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Air Line Pilots Association profile on Warner's bid for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City Archived December 15, 2007, at the Wayback Machine - accessed October 25, 2007
  3. ↑ "Bonny Simi: Navigating from Olympian to Pilot to Venture Capitalist". 12 December 2023.
  4. ↑ "Management Team". 2023.
  5. ↑ "Bonny Simi - Joby Aviation | LinkedIn".
  6. ↑ "People to Watch in Commercial Aviation in 2022 | Aviation Week Network".
  7. ↑ "Luge Women Singles Olympic Games 1984 Saraevo (YUG) - Sunday 12.02". www.todor66.com.
  8. ↑ May 18, 1999 issue of The Stanford Daily featuring Warner and her bobsleigh pursuits [ permanent dead link ] - Accessed October 25, 2007.
  9. ↑ "sports123.com". www42.sports123.com. Archived from the original on November 5, 2011.
  10. ↑ American Society of Mechanical Engineers story on Warner's participation on a bobsleigh simulator prior to the 2002 Winter Olympics Archived April 7, 2007, at the Wayback Machine - accessed October 25, 2007
  11. ↑ Speakers Platform featuring Warner Archived December 25, 2007, at the Wayback Machine - access October 25, 2007.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.