Colorado skier goes to Turin Olympics with faith, family in tow

Published: 2006-02-02

DENVER (CNS) -- If U.S. cross-country skier Rebecca Dussault, 25, wins a medal at the Winter Olympic Games Feb. 10-26 in Turin, Italy, she'll be the first American woman ever to have done so. The realistic dream for the gifted, self-coached athlete is to place in the top 15. "That would be pretty much the best U.S. women's result ever," she said. "There's about 80 competitors per sport and the sport has been dominated by Europeans." Dussault's best finish in a world championship competition was 28th. But with God, all things are possible -- and Dussault is a woman of strong Catholic faith. In 2004 Dussault developed a deep appreciation for Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, a young Italian outdoorsman who lived an exemplary life of prayer and charity in the early 1900s. She had just returned to ski racing the year before after a short "retirement" to marry her childhood sweetheart, have a child and work in the Dussault family business. When she returned to the ski-racing circuit, her family -- husband Sharbel and son Tabor, then 2 -- went with her. Setting her sights on the 2006 Winter Games, she made Blessed Pier Giorgio the patron of her Olympic journey after realizing several similarities in their lives.

Copyright (c) 2006 Catholic News Service /U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in whole or in part without the prior written authority of Catholic News Service .