Rod Hernley
1991
Recreation/Development | 1988
Hometown: Denver, Colorado
Born in Indiana, Rod Hernley spent much of his childhood in hospitals, undergoing 13 major surgeries by the age of 12. He was born with arthrogryposis multiplex congenita, a condition that shortens ligaments and causes joint contractures. After birth, his parents were told that it was unlikely he would walk. Through hard work, perseverance and the support of a loving family, not only did Rod learn to walk…he started snow skiing.
Rod worked with a ski instructor to adapt his ski equipment to compensate for his disability, including adding five-inch lifts inside his boots to shift his center of gravity and make up for his knees’ inability to bend more than 45 degrees. He continued to work and develop his unique style of skiing and the technology associated with it, creating several devices including the lifts inside his ski boots, that would eventually help other disabled skiers to succeed.
During his 30s, from 1976-1986, Rod became one of the top competitive disabled ski racers in the United States. He won more than 20 gold and silver medals in national competitions and, in 1984, Rod brought home a bronze medal for the U.S. in the Paralympic Winter Games in Innsbruck, Austria.
After a devastating ski accident in 1986, which damaged and disarranged his internal organs, requiring major surgery — an accident one doctor said would have killed just about anyone else — Rod was back on his skis in three months and competing in Sweden. He finally retired from skiing but headed organizations that support disabled sports, including the Committee on Sports for the Disabled for the U.S. Olympic Committee. He also wrote a book on growing up with a disability.
