Sarah Burke facts for kids
Burke in 2010
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| Birth name | Sarah Jean Burke | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | September 3, 1982 Barrie, Ontario, Canada |
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| Died | January 19, 2012 (aged 29) Salt Lake City, Utah, US |
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| Country |  Canada |
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Medal record
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Sarah Jean Burke (born September 3, 1982 – died January 19, 2012) was a famous Canadian freestyle skier. She was a true pioneer in the exciting sport of superpipe skiing. Sarah won five gold medals at the Winter X Games. She also became a world champion in the halfpipe event in 2005.
Sarah Burke worked hard to get superpipe skiing added to the Olympic Games. Thanks to her efforts, it became an official event for the 2014 Winter Olympics. Many people thought she would win a medal there. Sadly, Sarah passed away after a training accident in Utah in 2012.
Contents
Who Was Sarah Burke?
Sarah Burke was born in Barrie, Ontario, Canada. Her parents, Jan Phelan and Gordon Burke, were both artists. Sarah and her sister, Anna Phelan, grew up in Midland. They both went to Midland Secondary School.
Sarah's Skiing Journey
When Sarah was a teenager, she was a mogul skier. Mogul skiing involves skiing over bumps on a slope. She often secretly practiced on the snowboard halfpipe after her training. Sarah was seen as a leader in superpipe skiing. She often competed against male skiers, showing her amazing skills.
Early Wins and Milestones
In 2001, Sarah won first place at the US Freeskiing Open in the half-pipe event. She also took second place in slopestyle. At that time, she was one of the only women competing against men. In 2004, Sarah convinced ESPN to create a special division for women skiers at the Winter X Games. The next year, in 2005, women's freeskiing was officially added to the X-Games.
When halfpipe skiing was first introduced at the 2005 World Championships, Sarah became the very first world champion. She also won four gold medals at the Winter X Games for freestyle skiing. Sarah was the first woman to successfully land a jump with a 1080-degree rotation in a competition. This means she spun around three full times in the air!
Awards and Influence
Sarah won ESPN's "Female Skier of the Year" award in 2001. In 2007, she was voted "Best Female Action Sports Athlete" at the ESPY awards. She also appeared in skiing films, like Propaganda. In these films, she showed off her incredible tricks, like sliding on rails and doing back-flips.
Sarah was a big supporter of superpipe skiing. She worked hard to get it included in the Olympic Games. She didn't succeed in time for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. However, she successfully convinced the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to add both slopestyle and halfpipe events for the 2014 Sochi Games. Many believed she would win a gold medal at those games.
Sarah's Personal Life
Sarah Burke met fellow freeskier Rory Bushfield when she was 14 years old. They met at a ski camp in Whistler, British Columbia. On September 25, 2010, Sarah and Rory got married in Pemberton, British Columbia. They lived together in Squamish, British Columbia.
Accident and Passing
On January 10, 2012, Sarah was seriously injured during a training session. This happened on the superpipe at Park City Mountain Resort in Park City, Utah. People who saw the accident said that Sarah landed a trick well but then fell onto her head. The fall did not look very serious at first.
However, moments later, Sarah's heart stopped while she was still on the ski slope. She was given emergency medical help and then flown to the University of Utah Hospital in Salt Lake City. There, doctors put her into a special coma to help her brain. The next day, she had surgery to fix a problem in an artery in her neck. Sadly, Sarah passed away from her injuries on January 19, 2012.
Her publicist explained that Sarah's brain had been badly damaged because it didn't get enough oxygen and blood after her heart stopped. Sarah had wanted to donate her organs and tissues, and her wishes were carried out after her death.
Because the training event was not an official competition, Sarah was not covered by her usual insurance. After her passing, her agent set up a website to raise money. This money was to help pay her hospital bills and to start a foundation in her honor.
On February 23, 2014, Sarah's ashes were spread in the mountains over Sochi, Russia, during the 2014 Winter Olympics. Her former coach, Trennon Paynter, spread them at the highest point of the Rosa Khutor complex and in the halfpipe.
Sarah Burke's Legacy
Sarah Burke left a lasting impact on the world of skiing.
Honors and Tributes
- On June 12, 2012, the Canadian Olympic Committee announced that Sarah Burke was added to the 2012 Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame. This was for her important role in getting ski halfpipe into the Olympic Games.
- In 2014, Sarah was also inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame.
- In February 2014, Canada Post created special stamps to honor Sarah Burke. These stamps also honored curler Sandra Schmirler and figure skater Barbara Ann Scott. They were all recognized as "pioneers of winter sports."
- Sarah was honored on National Flag of Canada Day on February 15, 2014. The Canadian flag was then given to her family as a tribute.
- At the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, the IOC did not allow snowboarder Torah Bright to wear a tribute sticker for Sarah. However, before the halfpipe finals began, volunteers paid tribute to Sarah by skiing in a heart shape.
- In March 2014, the Government of Ontario announced that Highway 93 would be named the "Sarah Burke Memorial Highway." This highway is in Simcoe County, near her birthplace of Barrie, Ontario.
- On October 17, 2016, Sarah Burke was inducted into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame.
- On October 21, 2022, Sarah was inducted into the Springwater Sports Hall of Fame.
The Sarah Burke Foundation
Rory Bushfield and Sarah's family started the Sarah Burke Foundation in 2012. This foundation helps young winter athletes by giving them money for scholarships. Seven athletes who received these scholarships competed at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
See also
In Spanish: Sarah Burke para niños
