Good Morning POU!
With the Winter Olympics coming up next year in Sochi, Russia, I thought it would be a good time to look at some athletes of color in the winter sports, both past and present.
Andre Horton – Skier
Horton, from Anchorage, was one of the best-known and successful African-American skiers until his retirement. He was the first black skier to be on the US Alpine Ski Team in 2001. When he was asked for his proudest accomplishment, he told Ski Racing Journal, “I’ve made some black people cry because they couldn’t believe I was racing down a course at a world-class level. Because they could never do it when they were growing up. That’s my quiet smile, as I call it.”
The following is taken from a 2001 article on Andre by Skimag.com:
Anchorage, AK, April 2, 2001–An easy-going giant of skiing talent, Andre Horton races internationally on a scholarship from the National Brotherhood of Skiing (NBS). Andre, 21, along with sister Suki, 18, hail from Anchorage, Alaska, are both the top African-American ski racers in the US Ski Team’s development program and the country.
The NBS, founded in 1973, is the nation’s largest ski club. Their objectives include “identifying, selecting and financing training of potential Olympic caliber youth.” At 6’1″ and 230 lbs Andre Horton leads the NBS team of 15 sponsored athletes.
“Most athletes in the Brotherhood grow up in the organization,” said Horton. “I didn’t know about it until I was about a JII (age 15). I saw two other black-American racers at a FIS race in Oregon. That was totally amazing to me – I’d never seen another black ski racer. They were on scholarships from NBS and told me about the program. So I guess you could say I found them, they didn’t find me.”
As a speed skier, this winter marked Andre’s best season to date. Horton won his first downhill at Sella Nevea, Italy among a field of predominately Italian racers who knew the course.
He wrote to the NBS website about the win, “Today was a spiritual victory for me. For the 100 or so Italians watching the race, they witnessed the first ever black-American to win a FIS race in Europe! I just want you all to know without your financial support, spiritual support, letters of encouragement, and your prayers…today’s victory may not have been possible.”
In addition to the NBS support, Horton has sponsorships from Salomon skis and Stewart Sports.
Awards: Alaska State Champion, 1998; first African-American skier selected to the U.S. Ski Team Development Program, 2000; 9th place overall finish in the U.S. Alpine National Championships, 2001; first African-American to win an FIS race in Europe, 2001; 4th place, NorAm Competition, 2001; 1st place, Mt. Bachelor’s Northwest Cup Finals, 2001.
Today, Horton is the national youth director of the National Brotherhood of Skiers, a nonprofit organization that offers scholarships and skiing programs to black skiers.