“You can never snowboard again.” Unimaginable. Not in a million years would I know how to respond to such a definitive and life-as-you-know-it-ending prognosis — especially as a professional athlete coming off one of the highest highs possible. But this was the prognosis doctors handed Kaitlyn Farrington. And now, for the first time since she issued the shocking public statement two week ago, the Olympic gold medalist opens up about the discovery of her rare spine condition and being told she needed to “keep both feet on the ground,” effectively forcing her into early retirement.
This entire episode of her career is heartbreaking to say the least, but she has shown true spirit and strength in standing tall as she deliberates each stride forward from this point on. The most daunting call to order has to be figuring out what to do next. For the sake of the sport, I hope it is something to do with snowboarding… a sentiment I know most (if not all) people in the industry share.
