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Tuesday, September 19
Goldman enjoys being a role model
Scripps Howard News Service
The camera focuses on the face of a woman who is running hard. As
the distance between her and the camera increases, we slowly see more
and more of her until we discover she is sprinting on two prosthetic
legs.
It is a powerful television commercial, part of the "Long live
sport" campaign by adidas, but it leaves viewers wondering: Who is
this runner? How did she lose her legs?
|  | | Jamie Goldman is hoping to land a spot on the 2000 U.S. Paralympic team. |
She is Jami Goldman, a disabled sprinter from Huntington Beach,
Calif., and she lost her legs on the way home from a Colorado ski trip
12 years ago. A severe snowstorm in northern Arizona stranded Goldman
and a friend in their car for 10 days.
"I feel really honored that adidas took a chance on a disabled
athlete," says Goldman, a disabled world record holder at 200 and 400
meters. "I'm very proud of it. I'm very fortunate they took that
chance and it came out so well, so beautiful."
In December 1987, Goldman and a friend drove from Arizona to
Purgatory to ski. Goldman was 19 and a student at Arizona State. On
the way back, they took a wrong turn near Heber, Ariz.
The road was closed behind them, and no one checked the road to see
if anyone was on it. Their car got stuck in a snowbank. It was Dec.
23.
"You didn't know if it was day or night for the first four days
because the snowstorm was so bad," Goldman said.
Goldman developed frostbite in her legs, then gangrene. They had no
food, and had to melt snow on the dashboard for water. They finally
were found Jan. 2. Goldman's legs had to be amputated below the knees.
Her friend lost toes.
Goldman wasn't athletic before she lost her legs, and she didn't
begin running until her prosthetist went to the 1996 Paralympics in
Atlanta and suggested she give it a try.
"I have been given a second chance at life," Goldman said. "That
means I have a purpose in this world. This purpose is to share and
increase knowledge about the Paralympics. As an amputee for eight
years, I didn't know the sport existed. Maybe I could have run in '92
or '96."
Goldman ran for nearly four hours the day the commercial was shot.
"They said, 'We're going to have you go out there and run,' and I
ran," Goldman said. "That was that. They just had me run and run and
run. I had no idea they were angling the camera the way they did, from
the face down to the feet. The end result was just awesome."
The commercial has had a profound impact, especially on children.
"A lot of kids ask, 'Do you want your legs back?' I say, No,
because I wouldn't be able to sit here and share my story with you.'
Or, 'No, I wouldn't be in the position of a role model and a mentor,
providing hope for people with disabilities.' I feel really fortunate
my life has taken this turn."
The 2000 Paralympic Games will take place Oct. 18-29 in Sydney,
Australia.
Goldman isn't on the team yet but hopes to be named to it soon.
"The glory of sport is how strong your body and mind are, if you
want to let them be," Goldman said. "You can find the strength
within and see how far you can take the physical body."
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