| Downhill for Paralympics Skier |
 Bonnie St John is in her own words ‘a one-legged, African-American girl from San Diego with no money and no snow who went to the Olympics as a ski racer’. This is her storyWhen I began to ski I used special pieces of equipment made for amputees called ‘outriggers’. As the name suggests, outriggers are short, steel forearm crutches modified with small, specially designed ski tips on the ends instead of the rubber stoppers you usually find there. They’re kind of a combination of ski poles and crutches. Unlike ski poles, I could lean on outriggers for balance and support while I skied. Bonnie St John is in her own words ‘a one-legged, African-American girl from San Diego with no money and no snow who went to the Olympics as a ski racer’. This is her story When I began to ski I used special pieces of equipment made for amputees called ‘outriggers’. As the name suggests, outriggers are short, steel forearm crutches modified with small, specially designed ski tips on the ends instead of the rubber stoppers you usually find there. They’re kind of a combination of ski poles and crutches. Unlike ski poles, I could lean on outriggers for balance and support while I skied. When I first prayed as a child, I leaned on God the way I had leaned on those outriggers. ‘Fix my life, God!’ I begged. I wanted all my problems to go away. I wanted a certain boy to like me. I wanted our family to have more money. I prayed hard. I bargained with God. And, like leaning on the outriggers, it wasn’t pretty. When I tried skiing with normal ski poles, I was trying to be cool, to succeed in the world without the right support. Not by faith and prayer, but by fitting in, looking good, and competing socially. I permed my kinky hair straight, earned money for contacts instead of glasses, and struggled to find my balance in a two - legged world. I was frustrated that no matter how hard I prayed, but God didn’t wipe out all my problems. I gave up on God and I figured I could do better on my own. It was like trying to ski without outriggers, no support at all. Once I qualified for the U.S. team, the coaches with the U.S. Disabled Ski Team not only wanted me to race using outriggers, they wanted me to stop skiing with poles at all – cold turkey. They knew that amputees could finish more races without falling when they used outriggers instead of poles. Outriggers allow the little mistakes to be forgiven; poles don’t. I hated it, but I did it. Coming back to prayer and being supported by my faith was a similar experience. Some people may feel that going to church, striving to be obedient to that small voice you hear inside, and not just doing whatever you want to do every day is heavier and more limiting – like skiing with outriggers. The spiritual journey isn’t always fun and games. But having that support there when you stumble allows you to go full-out. To live with faith is to be able to risk more for what you believe in and are passionate about. You can rely on more than your own strength and balance. I began to appreciate the value of outriggers. They were heavier and less graceful in  some ways, but in the end, I was a better, faster skier who would win three medals at the Paralympics in 1984. Me and the outriggers were a winning combo. It wasn’t enough to just turn everything over to God and wait for happiness to miraculously show up. Nor did it work to carry all my burdens alone. With God as my outrigger, I was able to step out in faith, use my skills and talents to their limits, and then even push myself a little beyond anything I thought possible. By leaning further into my relationship with God, I move closer to my true, God-given potential. For me, that is the meaning of winning the race… the human race of life. Stacking all the building blocks for joy – my hard-won wisdom – on a foundation of faith, freed me to live a greater joy that goes past my own understanding. God and me together… quite a combo! The Paralympic Games are a multi-sport event for athletes with physical and visual disabilities. The Paralympic Games are held every four years, following the Olympic Games, and are governed by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). The Paralympic Games are sometimes confused with the Special Olympics World Games, which are only for people with intellectual disabilities. The Winter Paralympics were first held in 1976. The 2010 Winter Paralympics will take place in Vancouver 12-21 March. The sports included are Alpine skiing, Ice sledge hockey, Nordic skiing, Biathlon, Cross-country skiing and Wheelchair curling. |
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