Let us now praise a newly famous woman: Sue White, gold medalist in the giant slalom at the World Winter Special Olympics in Austria.
Yes, White isn’t famous in the traditional sense. She’s famous as an athlete with intellectual and developmental disabilities who nevertheless overcome great struggles. The 47-year-old from Steamboat Springs, like other athletes who inspire with their grit and good nature, reminds us all of the purity of sport and the importance of a life well lived.
As reported by The Denver Postap John Meyer, . She’s a charmer. A bagger at the local City Market grocery store for 17 years, White is a favorite in the close-knit, breeding ground for dozens and dozens of world champions, Steamboat Springs. Flags in honor of those great athletes hanging in Olympian Hall at the Steamboat Spring Winter Sports Club now include one honoring White.
Local resident Mary Marovich said it well. “White has overcome a lot – mentally, emotionally,” Marovich told Meyer. “Working in Steamboat, pushing grocery carts in the winter is a rough job. It can be very frustrating at times. For her to have the spotlight on her for winning a gold medal, thatap pretty amazing.”
White dedicates her win to that community and her co-workers. “They love me,” she told Meyer. “I wanted to bring home the gold medal for these people to be proud of me.”
So many aspects of White’s story are laudable. We offer praise for businesses who not only employ those with disabilities, but who include them front-and-center as representatives of the enterprise. White and so many of her peers all over Colorado and other states remind us of the importance of community in wonderful ways.
In saluting White, we should all also offer our gratitude to organizations like the Horizons Specialized Services that help White and others live meaningful lives.
Obviously, praise is also due to organizations like the Special Olympics who make these opportunities possible. Organizers of the latest winter games treated Olympians to some awesome treats, like a cable-car ride to panoramic views atop the Dachstein Glacier, a tour of a chocolate factory and a castle. Meyer reports that 2,000 athletes from 103 countries competed in alpine and nordic skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, hockey, figure and speed skating.
Americans looked on in dismay this summer as champion swimmer Ryan Lochte and three teammates embarrassed themselves and U.S. Olympians in fabricating an armed robbery against them to cover vandalism they engaged in while in Rio de Janeiro. Sadly, itap become accepted that multimillionaire sports stars and other celebrities too often act like their lives are all that matters.
White’s story reminds us that sport still matters even when it doesn’t come with wall-to-wall coverage, big-money endorsements and celebrity status.
To her and the many people who make such stories possible, we all owe a tremendous debt.
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