While longtime Vail local Sarah Will remains the most decorated athlete in U.S Paralympic Alpine skiing, much has changed since she last was on the podium. And as she has transitioned from an Olympic athlete to an advocate and accessibility consultant, she’s had an opportunity to institute change and increase representation and accessibility for individuals with disabilities.
Through this, two years ago, Will was approached by Mattel with the opportunity to consult on the creation of a Para Alpine Barbie doll.
“I cried,” Will said of he initial reaction to the call. “I did, because I was very much a tomboy growing up and there were not a lot of dolls at that time that I could relate to.”
Lisa McKnight, the senior vice president and global head of Barbie and dolls portfolio at Mattel Inc., wrote in an email that working with real Paralympic Alpine skiers on the doll was essential to “ensure our representation was as authentic as possible.”
For Will, getting the equipment absolutely perfect was the most important part of the doll. When Mattel called, company officials also told her she could bring on a team member and she selected Kevin Bramble — who in addition to being a Paralympic ski racer himself is a monoskier designer and builder and designed Will’s own monoski.
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