Jim Martinson
Competition | 2003
Hometown: Puyallup, Washington
Sports was always a way of life for Jim Martinson growing up in Washington state. During winter weekends, the Martinson’s would ski the small rope-tow areas of the Cascade Mountains. This experience built a lifelong love for snowsports.
Jim was a linebacker on his high school state championship team and even played football in college but he dropped out after one semester with plans to be a ski bum in Sun Valley. The draft and Vietnam, however, changed those plans significantly.
In June, 1968, near Da Nang, Jim’s life changed forever. A land mine exploded and he lost both legs above the knee. Learning to live without legs took time; not only to build back his strength, but his spirit too. An invitation to play wheelchair basketball got this competitor back in the game. He started racing wheelchairs in 1976, and in 1981 he won the Boston Marathon. That same year Jim founded Magic in Motion, an adaptive sport equipment company specializing in lightweight performance wheelchairs and racing wheelchairs under the brand name of Shadow. Jim also created devices for waterskiing, tennis, golf and even rugby.
Jim traveled the world winning races but he still wasn’t skiing. Then, a friend took him to nearby Snoqualmie Pass in 1985. Back on snow, Jim got ideas. He used his knowledge for a better wheelchair to build a sit-ski, one with a shock and a system to give riders the freedom to get on and off the lift independently. The new design was a hit and like his Shadow wheelchair, it revolutionized competitive and recreational skiing for the disabled.
A three-time Paralympian, Jim medaled at both summer and winter games. As a member of the U.S. Disabled Ski Team, he won gold at the 1992 Winter Paralympics in Albertville, France. At 63, he was also the oldest competitor in the Winter X-Games.
