This is the kind of thing that gets me fired up about
social media.
I posted this on Twitter today: "RT @: U-Ice-A? Colbert Report sponsorship of US Speedskating raised $202k in its first week. '"," which updated my Facebook (FB) status, where my old friend Clay Snider saw it and sent me this message:
I'm pleased to see that Colbert's sponsorship has benefited the speed skating team so much so fast. This story brings up a point that I am personally passionate about.
As you might know Sarah and I lived in Steamboat Springs, which is a huge youth training town for various winter sports, and is the first town in America to have skiing be part of the curriculum in their school system. This has been promoting many kids to strive for the Olympic level ever since. I had the priveledge of working and being neighbors with Olympic coach Greg Rawlings, the man in charge of the U.S. Paralympics cross country ski team. He's one of the best men I've had the pleasure of knowing, as well as an amazing dad to two little mini-speed demon skier prodigies. I've never met someone more compasionate and dedicated to others, and he does all of this on top of working a 50 hour work week doing construction!
As you would imagine, the Paralympics don't get a fraction of the attention that traditional winter Olympic teams do, and even though there's a ton of available funding, the U.S. Ski Team's policies state that no program can be funded more than another. All of that funding disapears and they are forced to operate on the shoestring budget in a field that requires very expensive gear and accessories to compete at a global level.
They do their best to deal with what they have to work with, and manage to put a few athletes on the podium every year. But because this is a Para-problem, it doesn't receive as much attention as it deserves. Quite a few of the athletes are disabled veterans, which is why I am prompted to write this today of all days.
Sounds like these folks need some sponsors for Vancouver!
