Whitehorse Daily Star

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Photo by Marcel Vander Wier

A NEW SEASON DAWNS – Prospective buyers sift through what is left of the cross-country skis Saturday during the Whitehorse Cross Country Ski Club’s annual ski swap.

Paralympic swim star to be honoured with trail sign

The Whitehorse Cross Country Ski Club will honour Paralympic swimmer Stephanie Dixon tomorrow

By Marcel Vander Wier on October 20, 2014

The Whitehorse Cross Country Ski Club will honour Paralympic swimmer Stephanie Dixon tomorrow.

The Yukon resident, who won 19 medals at three Paralympic Games, will have a sign bearing her name added to the ski club’s Olympic Trail.

The ceremony will take place at 4 p.m. Tuesday with members of the ski community present.

The ski club’s goal is to recognize all Olympians living in Whitehorse by placing signs in their honour on Olympic Trail.

The trail is an easy two-kilometre trek that begins at the Sumanik Drive bridge. It was established in the mid-’90s to recognize Lucy Steele-Masson and Jane Vincent who competed in Albertville in 1992.

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

Dixon was born with one leg and began swimming competitively at the age of 13 against able-bodied athletes.

A year later, she made Canada’s national team for swimmers with a disability, and the rest was history.

Dixon went on to star for Canada at the Paralympic Games in Sydney, Athens and Beijing.

Last year, Dixon was named to the Canadian Disability Hall of Fame.

She also took up cross-country skiing using a modified sit-ski in an attempt to return to the Paralympics via a winter sport.

The 30-year-old got her introduction to swimming at the age of two in her hometown of Brampton, Ont.

She has spent her last four years living in Whitehorse, working for two seasons as head coach of the Whitehorse Glacier Bears swim team.

Ski siblings Graham and Emily Nishikawa are also expected to be honoured with signs of their own later this season.

Graham served as a guide for gold-medal winner Brian McKeever at the 2013 Paralympics, while his younger sister Emily became the first winter Olympic athlete to represent the Yukon in more than 20 years.

Meanwhile, the local ski season began with a bang at 9 a.m. Saturday, with the club raising approximately $7,000 via its annual ski swap.

Ski club manager Mike Gladish said $60,000 worth of gear was up for grabs, with morning sales totalling $32,000.

“The lineup in the morning started at 7 a.m.,” he added. “It was out the doors and up the stairs. That’s all I know.”

All kinds of winter sports gear was up for sale – including cross-country skis, downhill skis, hockey equipment, snowboards, snow bikes and more.

Finally, a cold weather policy will be implemented this season at the club. When the temperature is -35 C or colder this winter, the chalet will be closed.

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