Whether she?s skiing down mountains at 65 mph or scaling them by foot, Sandy Dukat said dreaming big while maintaining a good attitude is important.
This mantra was difficult at times for Dukat, who was teased growing up for having only one leg, she told Phelps Luck Elementary School fifth-graders Thursday.
When Dukat was born, her right femur did not grow, and she had to have her leg amputated above the knee.
“I had to start challenging people to not make fun of me, and it?s hard because you really want to fit in,” said Dukat, 35, of Vail, Colo.
“When somebody puts a roadblock in front of you, you step up to the plate and show them you can do it.”
Dukat learned to excel in sports, and, in her mid-20s, she decided to become a professional skier. It took her almost three years to finish a race with good results.
“You either play the game ? which is school, friends, sports or family ? or you don?t,” she said.
She won two bronze medals at the 2002 Winter Paralympic Games in Salt Lake City and another bronze at the 2006 Winter Paralympic Games in Torino, Italy.
She recently completed a six-day climb up Mount Kilimanjaro, a 19,341-foot mountain in Tanzania.
“I thought it was amazing how you can be able to run, ski and jump all with one leg ? I can?t even jump, and I have two legs,” said Caitlyn Kirby, 10.
Cody Ford, 10, said it was “really cool” how Dukat could be disabled and still win medals.
“It made me feel like I can do anything,” he said.
Principal Pamela Akers said the children were engaged in the motivational presentation.
“We were telling them about goal-setting and raising a C to a B or a B to A, so this really tied into the presentation,” she said.
Dukat is in Howard this week as one of the featured speakers in this year?s DisABILITY Awareness program, a partnership of the school system, businesses, local government, community organizations and parents.
Today, she?ll speak at Centennial High School.
After retiring from professional competition last year, she speaks at schools and organizations to raise awareness about disabilities as a representative of The Hartford, an investment and insurance company and founding sponsor of the U.S. Paralympics.
Fast fact
» Sandy Dukat was also a world-class swimmer. In 1998, she set a U.S. record in the 800-meter freestyle at the Disabled Swimming World Championships and was elected co-captain of the U.S. team.
Source: U.S Paralympics
