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Dorothy Copus Brush Get set for the biggest winter extravaganza of all Here we are in the first week of the very
short month of February and we already know the groundhog has
pronounced six more weeks of winter and the winners of Super
Bowl XXXVI have been crowned. The magnificent snow covered pinnacles of
the Wasatch Mountains will become a familiar sight on TV screens,
and I will be glad I enjoyed seeing them during the warm months.
In the mid-1990s I attended several conferences in the Salt Lake
City area and one in Park City where 16 days of events will be
held. My last trip was in 1996, and we were presented T-shirts
emblazoned with the message the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt
Lake City. Our newspaper host transformed us into walking press
releases as we returned to homes across the nation. These Olympics will be of interest because
I'm familiar with the territory, but beyond that is a human interest
story which heightens my interest in the games. Jordan Breighner
from Harbor Springs, MI, is now 16 years old, but the only time
I met him he was several months old. His mother is a young, but
old friend who worked for me as a beginning journalist, and she
stopped in our town to introduce me to her new baby. Kathie has
been one of those "other" daughters I have found over
the years, and we exchanged newsy Christmas letters and pictures
faithfully every year. In the spring of 1999 Kathie sent a news article
which told of Jordan's accomplishments. He had competed against
89 boys in the 11-12 age group at the Junior Olympics . Three
spots were open and Jordan had been successful and made the U.S.
J4 ski team comprised of nine boys in the various age brackets.
He was selected to take part in the U.S. Ski Team Development
program and be mentored by U.S. Ski Team coaches. His coaches
told his parents, "Jordan is part of the next generation
of top skiers." I have saved every annual letter from Kathie
since 1984, and as I reread them, the news of 1999 seemed inevitable.
From his earliest years he was described as full of daring with
a strong competitive spirit. He was curious, stubborn and exuberant. In 1990, she wrote, "Jordan is really
a special child and must be here for some reason." She explained
that while they were on vacation in Florida her husband, older
son - a lifeguard - and she and Jordan were swimming when the
tide changed suddenly and they were all being swept out to sea.
All but Kathie with Jordan on her back made it to a tiny island.
But for a dramatic rescue at the last minute they would have
been lost. The story was carried on the front page of both Florida
and Michigan papers. In 1991, Jordan learned to ski in February
and, within weeks, he entered a racing competition in a national
race program, and by March he was rated third in the nation in
his age group. In 1992 Ski magazine listed him as No. 5 in the
nation in the 5- to 6-year-old group. At that time the coaches
said Jordan has "it" in skiing and he has better technique
than the older kids in the racing academy. They said he had the
desire to take risks, was coachable and loved being coached.
He was listed No. 1 in the nation in 1993 in the 10-12 age group.
Kathie described him as bubbly, happy, loving and he was a good
student. Jordan was ranked No. 1 in his age group by
NASTAR in 1995. That announcement led to finding sponsors to
help with getting him better equipment. Kathie wrote , "We're
told Jordan has the potential to be a world-class athlete and
we should plan accordingly. I don't know quite what that means
but it scares me. The coaches are urging we get better coaches
and enter higher ranking competitions." This was Jordan's path to being named to the
U.S. Ski Team in the spring of 1999 but in December of that year
he suffered a knee injury. Kathie wrote, "At the ripe old
age of 13 Jordan has gone from the absolute top to the absolute
bottom." Surgery was done by the "best knee guy in
the world" in March 2000 and was successful. The surgeon took Jordan because of his ski
status and because he was the youngest to have this surgery and
he can be followed. His hospital roommate was NFL Chicago Bear
Blake Brockmeyer, and Jordan has a friend for life. He worked
hard in physical therapy, and by December he was back on skis.
That year, Kathie wrote, "He's a good student and in my
opinion too smart to be a skier. This is his dream so we'll support
it and just hope it leads to college and not the U.S. Ski Team." The 2001 letter said, "Jordan is in Park City happily skiing eight hours a day, six days a week and being tutored." By the next winter Olympics Jordan's name may be listed as a competitor but this year he and his team are assisting at the Park City events. Dreams of medals and what may lie ahead will certainly be spinning in their heads. · · · |