Greg
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Sarah Burke RIP
http://espn.go.com/action/freeskiin...-sarah-burke-dies-due-injuries-sustained-utah
SALT LAKE CITY -- Canadian freeskier Sarah Burke died Thursday,nine days after crashing at the bottom of the superpipe during a training run in Utah.
Burke,who lived near Whistler in British Columbia, was 29. She was injured Jan. 10 while training at a personal sponsor event at the Park City Mountain resort.
Tests revealed Burke suffered "irreversible damage to her brain due to lack of oxygen and blood after cardiac arrest," according to a statement released by Burke's publicist.
A four-time Winter X Games champion,Burke crashed on the same halfpipe where snowboarder Kevin Pearce suffered a traumatic brain injury during a training accident Dec. 31,2009.
Burke was the best-known athlete in her sport and will be remembered for the legacy she left for women in freeskiing.
As a result of her fall,Burke tore her vertebral artery, which led to severe bleeding on the brain,causing her to go into cardiac arrest. CPR was performed on the scene,according to the statement by publicist Nicole Wool.
Burke's organs and tissues were donated per her wishes,according to Wool.
"The family expresses their heartfelt gratitude for the international outpouring of support they have received from all the people Sarah touched," the statement said.
"Our hearts go out to Sarah's husband Rory and her entire family," said Canadian Freestyle CEO Peter Judge. "It's difficult for us to imagine their pain and what they're going through. Sarah was certainly someone who lived life to the fullest and in doing so was a significant example to our community and far beyond. She will be greatly missed by all of us at the CFSA and the entire ski community.
A four-time Winter X Games champion,Burke will be remembered as much for the hardware she collected as the legacy she left for women in superpipe skiing, a sister sport to the more popular snowboarding brand that has turned Shaun White,Hannah Teter and others into stars.
Aware of the big role the Olympics played in pushing the Whites of the world from the fringes into the mainstream,Burke lobbied to add superpipe skiing to the Winter Games program,noting that no new infrastructure would be needed.
Her arguments won over Olympic officials and the discipline will debut at the Sochi Games in 2014. Burke likely would have been a favorite for the gold medal at her sport's Olympic debut.
"Sarah,in many ways,defines the sport," Judge said before her death. "She's been involved since the very, very early days as one of the first people to bring skis into the pipe. She's also been very dedicated in trying to define her sport but not define herself by winning. For her,it's been about making herself the best she can be rather than comparing herself to other people."
She was,Judge said,as committed to the grass roots of the sport -- giving clinics to youngsters and working with up-and-coming competitors -- as performing at the top levels.
"She was a great,positive person for the whole team, the whole sport," said David Mirota,the Canadian team's high performance director. "She enlightens the room,and she's great."
Burke's death is also sure to re-ignite the debate over safety on the halfpipe.
Pearce's injury -- he has since recovered and is back to riding on snow -- was a jarring reminder of the dangers posed to these athletes who often market themselves as devil-may-care thrillseekers but know they make their living in a far more serious,and dangerous,profession.
(Use link for full report)
http://espn.go.com/action/freeskiin...-sarah-burke-dies-due-injuries-sustained-utah
SALT LAKE CITY -- Canadian freeskier Sarah Burke died Thursday,nine days after crashing at the bottom of the superpipe during a training run in Utah.
Burke,who lived near Whistler in British Columbia, was 29. She was injured Jan. 10 while training at a personal sponsor event at the Park City Mountain resort.
Tests revealed Burke suffered "irreversible damage to her brain due to lack of oxygen and blood after cardiac arrest," according to a statement released by Burke's publicist.
A four-time Winter X Games champion,Burke crashed on the same halfpipe where snowboarder Kevin Pearce suffered a traumatic brain injury during a training accident Dec. 31,2009.
Burke was the best-known athlete in her sport and will be remembered for the legacy she left for women in freeskiing.
As a result of her fall,Burke tore her vertebral artery, which led to severe bleeding on the brain,causing her to go into cardiac arrest. CPR was performed on the scene,according to the statement by publicist Nicole Wool.
Burke's organs and tissues were donated per her wishes,according to Wool.
"The family expresses their heartfelt gratitude for the international outpouring of support they have received from all the people Sarah touched," the statement said.
"Our hearts go out to Sarah's husband Rory and her entire family," said Canadian Freestyle CEO Peter Judge. "It's difficult for us to imagine their pain and what they're going through. Sarah was certainly someone who lived life to the fullest and in doing so was a significant example to our community and far beyond. She will be greatly missed by all of us at the CFSA and the entire ski community.
A four-time Winter X Games champion,Burke will be remembered as much for the hardware she collected as the legacy she left for women in superpipe skiing, a sister sport to the more popular snowboarding brand that has turned Shaun White,Hannah Teter and others into stars.
Aware of the big role the Olympics played in pushing the Whites of the world from the fringes into the mainstream,Burke lobbied to add superpipe skiing to the Winter Games program,noting that no new infrastructure would be needed.
Her arguments won over Olympic officials and the discipline will debut at the Sochi Games in 2014. Burke likely would have been a favorite for the gold medal at her sport's Olympic debut.
"Sarah,in many ways,defines the sport," Judge said before her death. "She's been involved since the very, very early days as one of the first people to bring skis into the pipe. She's also been very dedicated in trying to define her sport but not define herself by winning. For her,it's been about making herself the best she can be rather than comparing herself to other people."
She was,Judge said,as committed to the grass roots of the sport -- giving clinics to youngsters and working with up-and-coming competitors -- as performing at the top levels.
"She was a great,positive person for the whole team, the whole sport," said David Mirota,the Canadian team's high performance director. "She enlightens the room,and she's great."
Burke's death is also sure to re-ignite the debate over safety on the halfpipe.
Pearce's injury -- he has since recovered and is back to riding on snow -- was a jarring reminder of the dangers posed to these athletes who often market themselves as devil-may-care thrillseekers but know they make their living in a far more serious,and dangerous,profession.
(Use link for full report)
my soon to be brother in law just broke his neck about a week ago snowboarding