Muffy Davis, one of the most recognized and respected skiers in Winter Paralympics history and a 2010 inductee into the Skiing and Snow Boarding Hall of Fame, once again defied all odds by changing her sport, retiring her skis for good, and entering the 2012 Summer Paralympics. She brought home three gold medals.
Muffy Davis, an Olympic skiing hopeful, was paralyzed in a freak ski racing accident in 1989. Instead of retiring from the sport to spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair, she decided to acquire an adaptive device, retrain her body, and learn to ski once again. Within a few years she was accepted on to the Paraplympic Ski Team, competing for the US and winning numerous medals, titles and accolades across the globe.
Davis has also wheeled across the Great Wall of China, rode elephants in Thailand, scuba dived the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, trekked in Bhutan, propelled up mountain cliffs, and white water rafted. She also took time to establish herself as a much-in-demand motivational speaker and a national spokesperson and consultant for Johnson & Johnson disability products.
Somewhere along the way, Davis decided to become the first female paraplegic climber to ascend California’s 14,000 foot tall Mt. Shasta. She then married her long time beau, Jeff Burley. And in December of 2008 the couple had a baby girl, Elle, now three and a half.
10 months before the 2012 Summer Paralympic Games in London, Muffy had to have neck surgery due to numbness in her arm. Not only did she recover, but she won back to back overall World Title’s in Para-cycling, was named to the US Paralympic Team and while in London, Muffy competed in three separate Para-cycling events, including: The Time Trial, a 16km Race on September 5; The Road Race, a 48km Race on September 7; and the Handcycle Team Relay on September 8th where she fulfilled her childhood dream and won Gold in each event. Muffy is now continuing to inspire others with her motivational speaking as well as raising money to help her to continue training to defend her Gold’s in the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games.
A History of Accomplishments and Awards in Competitive Skiing
While participating with the US Disabled Ski Team, Davis won three Silver Medals in the 2002 Paralympics Games in Salt Lake City, UT, two World Cup overall titles in 2001 and 2002, a Bronze medal in the 1998 Nagano, Japan Paralympics, the 2000 World Championship in Anzere, Switzerland, five World Cup titles and 25 World Cup medals in other global competitions.
Ms. Davis has been honored by the Paralyzed Veterans of America with its Outstanding Skier Award for her sporting accomplishments and community service. In 2002 and 2010 she was selected by the Challenged Athletes Foundation to receive its prestigious Most Inspirational Athlete Award. Also in 2002 she was the recipient of the Endurance Sports Disabled Athlete of the Year, and was then named the Disabled Athlete of the Year by the President of the International Olympic Committee.
To learn more about Davis, visit:
http://www.muffydavis.com.
