Sarah Burke's Legacy Lives On Through a Scholarship for Young Skiers

Featured Image: Nate Abbott

When people say “you ski like a girl,” I answer “hell ya I do” because I think of all the women skiers who made me believe that I had every right to rip the mountain just as hard as men in an industry that has historically made it so hard for women to do so.

Canadian freestyle skier Sarah Burke never let gender inequality get in the way of her competitive spirit and she wore pink while doing so. Burke started freestyle skiing when there were basically no women even competing in the discipline. She often showed up at freestyle and convinced the organizers to let her compete as the only woman against the boys. It was a time when many men thought that women weren’t “strong” or “capable” enough to pull off many of the advanced tricks that make up freestyle competitions. She proved this misogynist stereotype in skiing wrong by staying persistent, working her way up to a point where she had a voice, and using her platform to advocate for women's rights in skiing. Tragically, though, in January 2012, Burke died in a training accident in Park City, Utah. By the time Burke passed, she had already won five gold medals at the Winter X-Games and won the first-ever women's halfpipe World Championship in 2005.

But this is not what her legacy is built on; it is built on her philanthropic acts in the skiing community. By actively getting out in the community and coaching young women athletes through “Girls Week” which she created at Momentum Ski Camp, running marathons to raise money for St.Jude Children's Research Hospital and fighting for equal divisions in freestyle events she built not only a name for herself in the skiing community but also in the philanthropic community. She also lobbied for the discipline itself and was part of the group that successfully secured freestyle skiing's inclusion in the 2014 Olympics.  She is a pioneer for women in the ski industry and for the freeskiing industry as a whole.

Now over 100 women compete in freestyle skiing and it's now one of the most popular events at the Olympics because of her efforts. While her medals are impressive, it is safe to say that Burke was one of the good ones, using her success and skills not just in the halfpipe but also for the broader skiing community. 

The Scholarship

To honor her legacy, the Sarah Burke Foundation created a scholarship in her name, awarded to two young winter athletes pursuing the same dreams she had. The Up and Coming Scholarship Award is a $7,500 scholarship for young athletes ages 12 to 18 who need financial assistance. They must compete in winter sports, be an amateur athlete, contribute to the community and have two references to apply. Applicants are asked to submit a short spoken essay/video ending with “I send it for Sarah because…”. There are five other questions the athletes need to answer, which can be found on the foundation's website, along with the application link. Those who want to apply have till August 15. Members of the foundation's board and committee make the decision and will notify the winner by September 3. 

In today's society, athletes need to use their platform, as Sarah Burke did and continues to do so with her legacy. While medals are part of skiing, athletes today should want to be remembered for how they use their platform and the decisions they make outside of competing, leaving a legacy for future generations to do so too. If it wasn’t for Burke being a pioneer for both women and the sport of freestyle skiing, who knows how long it would've taken for others to do what she did, creating a space where freestyle women skiers can feel they, too, have a place to compete alongside men at events like the Olympics.