Jill Kinmont
Jill Kinmont Boothe graced Los Angeles, California with her birth on February 16, 1936. Jill grew up skiing and racing on mountains like Mammoth Mountain. She was national champion in 1955 with no one to challenge her position.
The nation was counting days for the Winter Olympics that would bring her a medal. However, Jill did not participate in the Winter Olympics next year and every next year from 1955. She became paralyzed neck down on 30 January 1955 while she was participating in Snow Cup in Utah.
The almost fatal accident during the competition left her paralyzed for rest of her life. She was just a few weeks behind for celebrating her 19th birthday. She was on the cover of Sports Illustrated that week.
Jill Kinmont gave new meanings to life. After recovering from the shocking out comes of the accident, she graduated from University of California. Jill succeeded to get teaching credential from Washington University.
In 1976, she honored John Boothe to marry her. She had a long career of teaching in Washington, Beverley Hills, and Bishop her hometown.
To our surprises she is an accomplished artist who has had held many exhibitions of her paintings. Her courageous life inspired the filmdom to such an extent that we have two movies telling the story of Jill Kinmont, The Other Side of the Mountain Part I&II. She is on the list of National Ski Hall of Fame from 1967.
Jill Kinmont’s life gives us very simple message; do not live in the past for those dreadful things happened to you in your life. Always look ahead towards what you can do rather than dreamy “what might have been.
Jill Kinmont