Shannon Bloedel
Shannon Bloedel | |
|---|---|
| Born | c.1960 |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | University of Washington |
| Occupation | rehabilitation counselor |
| Known for | Paralympic silver Sit-skiing medalist and model |
Shannon Bloedel was an American Paralympian sit-skier. She won an Olympic silver medal in the 1992 Paralympics. Bloedel then became a model for Nordstrom.
Description
Bloedel was the last of ten Catholic children when she was born in about 1960. Her mother was a nurse and her father was a doctor.[1] The family were keen on waterskiing.[2]
An accident when she was aged ten when her minibike had a collision with a car.[1] The accident left Bloedel without the use of her legs[3] so she had a wheelchair at Wilson High in Tacoma. At school she was keen on sport including tennis, swimming, javelin and weightlifting[1] and at home her brothers would pull her along in a toboggan through the snow.[2] She decided to ski whilst attending the University of Washington where she studied for a degree in social work and a master's in rehabilitation therapy. She was recruited by a ski instructor at the campus.[1]
She joined the national team in 1987.[3] She won gold medals at the National Championships in the US and Canada in 1991.[3] At the 1992 Winter Paralympics Bloedel took a silver medal at Albertville in the Giant Slalom coming second to Marit Ruth whose time was 2:36:78. Teammate Candace Cable of the USA came third.[4]
Bloedel did some modelling of clothes.[5] She became pregnant and retired from skiing to live with husband and children in Seattle.[3] In 2016 she was inducted into the North-West Ski Hall of Fame. The others honoured were Judy Nagel Johnson, Nobi Kano and Lenore Lyle.[2]
References
- ^ a b c d "It's One-Derful -- Seattle Woman Rides Fast Track To World Competition | The Seattle Times". archive.seattletimes.com. Retrieved 2025-08-11.
- ^ a b c "BANQUET HONORS FOUR NEW HALL OF FAMERS" (PDF). The Ancient Skier. Fall 2016. pp. 1–2. Retrieved 11 August 2025.
- ^ a b c d Shannon Bloedel, disabledskihall, retrieved 17 February 2014
- ^ Tignes-Albertville 1992 Paralympic Winter Games Alpine Skiing Women's Giant Slalom LW10-11, paralympic.org, retrieved 17 February 2014
- ^ Models With Disabilities Find a Place in Retail Ads, Andrea Maier, 1992, LA Times, retrieved 17 February 2014