Through his efforts, Kinch was able to race at the 1980 Lake Placid Olympic Games, as the first athlete to do so from a tropical country.
His participation predates the Jamaican Bobsled team that was featured in highly fictionalized film, Cool Runnings.
Born the seventh child in a family that would grow to a total of eleven and the son of missionary parents in Costa Rica, Kinch moved to the US and then enrolled at Rockmont College (now Colorado Christian University) in 1974 on a soccer scholarship.
His roommate invited Kinch to try out skiing to stay in shape, where he discovered his natural affinity for the sport.
Kinch would score the most points on the ski team competitions, despite his inexperience, spurring coaches to encourage him to continue with the sport.