Bonnie St John
Competition | 2019
Hometown: San Diego, California
School Name: Harvard University
Born in Detroit and raised in San Diego, Bonnie St. John had a condition called pre-femoral focal disorder, which necessitated her right leg being amputated below the knee when she was 5 years old. In 1979, while in high school, an invitation from a friend to go skiing led Bonnie on an incredible journey. Bonnie then found a club of amputees that skied and the president of the club to join. He agreed and lent her his outriggers so she could go skiing.
Borrowed outriggers in hand, Bonnie joined the group on an outing to Bear Mountain Ski Resort. She was hooked. She dreamed of making the U.S. Paralympic Ski Team. She wrote to author Warren Witherell’s school – Burke Mountain Academy in northern Vermont – asking for more information on how to train to become an elite skier. When learning that her mother would never be able to afford the cost, Witherell told her to come anyway. The training began.
While in college, Bonnie made the roster of the U.S. Disabled Alpine Ski Team. She qualified for the 1984 Winter Paralympic Games in Innsbruck, Austria in the four alpine events. She would go on to win bronze medals in the Slalom and Giant Slalom and silver medal in the Overall category, becoming the first Black American in history to medal in a Winter Paralympic or Olympic event.
After Innsbruck, Bonnie returned to school at Harvard and graduated magna cum laude. She then was named a Rhodes Scholar, attending Oxford University in England and earning a master’s degree. She went to work in sales for IBM and then worked in the White House National Economic Council under President Clinton before embarking on a career as a public speaker and later starting her own leadership company. Bonnie also authored six books, several co-authored with her teenage daughter, Darcy.
In 2006 Bonnie was featured in a nationwide Starbucks campaign called “The Way I See It”, which featured cups with inspirational quotes from various public figures. Her quote was: “I was ahead in the slalom. But in the second run, everyone fell on a dangerous spot. I was beaten by a woman that got up faster than I did. I learned that people fall down, winners get up, and gold medal winners just get up faster.”
