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| SALT LAKE CITY -- Sarah Burke was an X Games star with a grass-roots mentality -- a daredevil superpipe skier who understood the risks inherent to her sport and the debt she owed to it. The pioneering Canadian freestyler, who helped get superpipe accepted into the Olympics, died Thursday after a Jan. 10 crash during a training run in Park City, Utah. Burke was 29. Tests revealed she sustained "irreversible damage to her brain due to lack of oxygen and blood after cardiac arrest," according to a statement released by her publicist, Nicole Wool, on behalf of the family. "Our hearts go out to Sarahs husband Rory and her entire family, Canadian Freestyle Ski Association CEO Peter Judge said in a statement. "Its difficult for us to imagine their pain and what theyre 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." Wool said Burkes organs and tissues were donated, as she had requested before the accident. "The family expresses their heartfelt gratitude for the international outpouring of support they have received from all the people Sarah touched," the statement said. 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, where Burke likely would have been a favourite for the gold medal. "Sarah, in many ways, defines the sport," Judge said before her death. "Shes been involved since the very, very early days as one of the first people to bring skis into the pipe. Shes also been very dedicated in trying to define her sport but not define herself by winning. For her, its been about making herself the best she can be rather than comparing herself to other people." She was, Judge said, as committed to the grassroots 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 teams high performance director. "She enlightens the room, and shes great." News of Burkes death spread quickly through the action-sports world, where the Winter X Games are set to start next week in Aspen, Colo., without one of their biggest and most-beloved stars. "Shes probably one of the nicest people Ive known in my life, and thats about the only thing I have to say about it," said American superpipe skier Simon Dumont, a multiple X Games medallist . Jeremy Forster, the program director for U.S. Freeskiing and U.S. Snowboarding, said freeskiers would remember Burke "first, as a friend, and then as a competitor who constantly inspired them to do greater things." "She was a leader in her sport, and its a huge loss for the freeskiing community," Forster said. "Shocked and saddened," former freestyle Olympian Jeremy Bloom said on Twitter. "Sarah was a true champion in everything that she did." Burkes death is also sure to re-ignite the debate over safety on the halfpipe. She crashed on the same halfpipe where snowboarder Kevin Pearce sustained a traumatic brain injury during a training accident on Dec. 31, 2009. Pearces 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. The sports leaders defend the record, saying mandatory helmets and air bags used on the sides of pipes during practice and better pipe-building technology has made this a safer sport, even though the walls of the pipes have risen significantly over the past decade. They now stand about seven metres high. Some of the movement to the halfpipe decades ago came because racing down the mountain, the way they do in snowboardcross and skicross, was considered even more dangerous -- the conditions more unpredictable and the athletes less concerned with each others safety. But there are few consistent, hard-and-fast guidelines when it comes to limiting the difficulty of the tricks in the halfpipe, and as the money and fame available in the sport grew, so did the tricks. In 2010, snowboarding pioneer Jake Burton told The Associated Press that much of this was self-policed by athletes who knew where to draw the line. "If the sport got to the point where halfpipe riding became really dangerous, I think riders would do something about it," Burton said. "It wouldnt be cool anymore." His opinion is shared by many. "There are inherent risks in everything," Judge said. "Certainly, freestyle skiing has one of the greatest safety records of almost any sport. Freestyle is a very safe sport in large part because we had to build a safe sport in order to get into the Olympics." In 2009, Burke broke a vertebra in her back after landing awkwardly while competing in slopestyle at the X Games. It was her lobbying that helped get the X Games to include womens slopestyle -- where riders shoot down the mountain and over "features" including bumps and rails. It wasnt her best event, but she felt compelled to compete because she pushed for it. She came to terms with her injury quickly. "Ive been doing this for long time, 11 years," she said in a 2010 interview. "Ive been very lucky with the injuries Ive had. Its part of the game. Everybody gets hurt. Looking back on it, Id probably do the exact same thing again." She returned a year after that injury and kept going at the highest level, trying the toughest tricks and winning the biggest prizes. A native of Barrie, Ont., who grew up in nearby Midland before moving to Squamish, B.C., Burke won the ESPY in 2007 as female action sports athlete of the year. In her interview with The Associated Press two years ago, Burke reflected on the niche shed carved out in the action-sports world. "I think were all doing this, first off, because we love it and want to be the best," she said. "But I also think it wouldve been a great opportunity, huge for myself and for skiing and for everyone, if we couldve gotten into the (Vancouver) Olympics. Its sad. I mean, Im super lucky to be where I am, but that wouldve been pretty awesome." A little more than a year later, with Burkes prodding, her sport was voted in for the next Winter Games. Nike Air Max 2015 Scontate .Willett, who won the Nedbank Challenge in South Africa two weeks ago, is at No. 51 in the world in this weeks ranking. The Dubai Open on the Asian Tour ended Sunday as the final official golf tournament of the year. Air Max 2016 Nere . The Bulls brought back James on Wednesday with Kirk Hinrich sidelined by a hamstring injury. http://www.airmax2016.it/nike-air-max-2015-outlet.html. -- From the moment Phil Mickelson set foot at TPC Scottsdale early Thursday morning, it was clear that the back pain that sidelined him last weekend was gone. Moncler Cappotti Uomo . LOUIS -- Cardinals cleanup hitter Allen Craig says hes recovered from a foot injury and ready to be put on St. Nike Air Max 2016 Donna . Mackays position at the Premier League club looked doomed earlier this week after Malaysian owner Vincent Tan sent the manager an email requesting him to stand down or be fired. But Mackay, who insisted he would not resign, has been handed a reprieve with the hierarchy wanting to heal the rift.TORONTO - Tyler Bozak is out at least 7-10 days with what the team is calling a lower-body injury. The Leafs centre went for an MRI and could be out longer than that initial timeline. Bozaks injury is yet already missing wingers Joffrey Lupul (bone bruise in foot) and Nikolai Kulemin (bone chip in ankle), and defenceman Mark Fraser (knee). The centre played 15:03 in Friday nights 5-2 loss at the Columbus Blue Jackets, recording an assist. Bozak has three goalss and three assists in 11 games this season.dddddddddddd The results of Lupuls CT scan showed he suffered no fracture to his right foot, just a bruise. He will travel with the team out west and could play in Edmonton on Tuesday. Forward Carter Ashton was recalled from the American Hockey Leagues Toronto Marlies, while winger Josh Leivo was sent down after playing Friday. Bozaks injury means Ashton and Troy Bodie, a healthy scratch against Columbus, were both set to be in the lineup. cheap nfl jerseys cheap jerseys cheap jerseys cheap jerseys cheap nfl jerseys wholesale jerseys ' ' ' |
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posted on: 12/03/2015 03:32:29 AM
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