Paralympic Roundup: Lauren Woolstencroft

Hey all. A busy couple of weeks here on the OWL blog has meant we haven’t talked nearly enough about the Vancouver 2010 Paralympics. For shame! The Games closed last night, and Canada finished a best-ever third place in medal count.

Here are a couple of my favourite [related] facts from these Games:

1) Five of Canada’s 10 Paralympic gold medals were won by para-alpine skier Lauren Woolstencroft (pictured above);
2) Those five golds are the most won by any Canadian athlete at any Olympic or Paralympic Games.

What’s most amazing about this, to me, is how many obstacles Woolstencroft had to overcome — not just to become one of the most decorated athletes in Canadian history, but to ski at all in the first place. Here’s a third fact for you:

3) According to the Paralympics website, Woolstencroft was born “without legs below the knee and without her left arm below the elbow.”

These past couple of weeks, Woolstencroft has become one of my newest heroes — an inspiration to all of us. And, as if that wasn’t enough of a legacy, this YouTube clip suggests she is also very funny.

Let me know what you guys think — about Lauren, the Paralympics in general, or any of the other inspiring athletes involved — in the comments below!

Craig, owlblog@owlkids.com