Willie Stewart
Competition | 2018
Hometown: Boise, Idaho
School Name: Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center
Willie Stewart, from Boise, Idaho, is the 2018 honoree in the Winter Competition category. In 1980, Stewart was an 18 year old undefeated high school wrestler working a summer construction job at the Watergate Hotel in Washington, D.C. A horrific construction accident cost him his left arm just below the shoulder and almost crushed his spirit. After rekindling his passion for sports on the rugby pitch, Stewart transformed himself into one of the most accomplished endurance athletes, including being the first and only disabled athlete to achieve Leadman recognition, the first above elbow amputee to kayak the Colorado River, and he is a four-time Hawaiian Ironman.
The three-time Paralympic athlete, who won a silver medal at the 2002 Winter Paralympic Games, previously ran the adaptive skiing program at Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center in Colorado. Several years ago, he also created the PossAbilities program at Loma Linda Medical Center.
