Skeeter Werner

Werner, shortly after birth, was given the nickname "Skeeter" by her grandmother because her hands flitted around like mosquitoes. She started skiing at the very young age of one and by the fifth grade was already competing. Skeeter was the oldest child in the famous Werner family.

In 1949 she received national attention by winning the West of the Mississippi Championship in Sun Valley, Idaho. She was known as the "Queen of the Junior Nationals Circuit" and in 1950 won at Alta, Utah and again in 1951 at Stowe, Vermont. In 1953 Werner became the youngest member of the U.S. FIS team and placed 10th in downhill. She became the North American Champion at the California Sugar Bowl in 1955.

After a stint in New York as a model, actress and fashion designer, she returned to Steamboat in 1962. Skeeter and her brother Buddy started the Storm Hut Ski Shop. She also started the Steamboat Ski School and served as director and owner until 1969. She was a coach for the Colorado Junior National Team from 1965-1966 and the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club from 1966-1969.

In 1969 Werner married Doak Walker, 1948 Heisman Trophy winner and a three-time All-American running back. They met when he was assigned as her celebrity student for a series of articles about learning to ski with her. They took up residence in Steamboat Springs with her mother Hazie. On the walls of the home were covers of three Sports Illustrated magazines, which featured Skeeter, Buddy, and Doak.

In 1984 Werner was inducted into the Colorado Ski Hall of Fame and in 1989 received the Hazie Werner Award. Gladys "Skeeter" Werner (Walker) passed away in July of 2001 at the age of 67.

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