Whitehorse Daily Star

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Photo by Marcel Vander Wier

SIGN UNVEILED – Whitehorse Cross Country Ski Club manager Mike Gladish and Paralympic swimmer Stephanie Dixon pull the tarp off a sign honouring the 19-time medallist who has made Whitehorse her home for the last three years.

Dixon joins Yukon greats with Olympic Trail sign

It’s been a good week for Stephanie Dixon, and it’s only getting better.

By Marcel Vander Wier on October 22, 2014

It’s been a good week for Stephanie Dixon, and it’s only getting better.

The latest accolade for the Paralympic swimmer came yesterday afternoon, when the Whitehorse Cross Country Ski Club unveiled a sign bearing her name on Olympic Trail.

About 30 members of the local ski community were on hand for the unveiling ceremony.

Ski club manager Mike Gladish helped Dixon pull the tarp off the wooden sign, created by Calligraphica’s John Layman.

“Thank you so much,” Dixon said to applause. “This is such an incredible honour. I’ve been living in the Yukon now for three years, and to be so supported by this community means so much to me.

“This is pretty massive,” she told the Star later. “The more that we can get Paralympic athletes visible, the better case scenario for kids growing up with disabilities to know about the options for sporting activities.”

The signposts bearing Dixon’s name will be joined by placards bearing the names of ski siblings Graham and Emily Nishikawa later this season.

Born with one leg in Brampton, Ont., Dixon took up swimming at the age of two.

She went on to attend three Paralympic Games, including Sydney (2000), Athens (2004) and Beijing (2008), where she collected a total of 19 medals – seven gold, 10 silver and two bronze.

Last year, Dixon took up cross-country skiing using a modified sit-ski. At first difficult, she’s since come to love the sport.

The trail sign is one of many recent honours bestowed on the 30-year-old Dixon, currently Sport Yukon’s acting communications coordinator.

Yesterday morning, she was chosen as Team Canada’s assistant chef de mission for the Toronto 2015 Parapan American Games Aug. 7 to 15.

“It’s just awesome,” Dixon said of the leadership role. “This is just another way we are highlighting Paralympic sport in Canada.”

Tomorrow evening, Dixon will share her inspirational life story with the public at Whitehorse’s Rah Rah Gallery. The event coincides with Women’s History Month in a year focussed on honouring women with a disability.

Finally, Dixon will be one of nine inductees into the Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame during a gala dinner this Saturday.

Olympic Trail’s origin came in the mid-’90s following the performances of Yukon cross-country skiers Lucy Steele-Masson and Jane Vincent at the 1992 Olympic Games.

Other athletes who have been honoured include: Alain Masson, Jim Boyde, Katherine Hall, Daniel Hall, Jane Isaakson, Christine Larsen, Jeane Lassen, Owen Munroe, Zach Bell and Harvey Reti.

“It’s an honour to be on a trail sign with her,” Steele-Masson said of Dixon’s addition to the ski route. “I really see that trail as a moving story.

“I competed many, many years ago, but the values that sport brought to me are still there. It’s the whole idea that you commit to something and you’re passionate. ... The Olympics is the part at the end. Who you are is the whole process.”

Anne Kennedy, past-president of the ski club, said the trail is a special one for her.

“When I ski this trail looking at the signs, I realize ‘Wow. This is amazing for a territory this size to have so many Olympians and people of Olympic calibre from here or choosing to live here.’

“I’m happy to see Stephanie join the many other illustrious people (on the trail).”

Comments (2)

Up 91 Down 89

Ann McLeod on Oct 23, 2014 at 4:28 pm

Hello dear Stephanie,

No words can express how very proud of you I am. So well deserved my dear. Keep up the great work. And please visit soon.

Ann McLeod

Up 93 Down 86

Marg Garrett on Oct 23, 2014 at 11:11 am

I couldn't be prouder of Stephanie. As her elementary public school teacher in Brampton, Ontario, I realized her potential very early and have been a huge supporter of not only her achievements but of Stephanie the person. Congratulations to the Yukon people for celebrating her. It indeed has been a great week for Stephanie.

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