Paralympian inspires a global audience

Lauren Woolstencroft has received hundreds if not thousands of messages since her remarkable life story was broadcast to the world during the Super Bowl.

The eight-time Paralympic skiing gold medallist was the subject of Toyota’s touching “Good Odds” commercial that aired during this year’s NFL championship game. The outpouring of support, she said, was “bigger than any success I had at the Paralympics.

“The amount of messages I’ve had from around the world, and people reaching out who have kids with disabilities, saying it inspired them, it’s incredible.”

One particular message made her smile.

“A person emailed me from Australia and said he was a ski instructor at Canada Olympic Park in the late ’80s. And he had taught me as part of a school group and he remembered me, and that experience of teaching me as an eightyear-old was super meaningful for him,” Woolstencroft said. “And he said he talked about it through the years, and then there I was on a commercial. You kind of don’t realize the impact you have on people.”

Woolstencroft won three medals in 2002 in Salt Lake, two in Turin, and an astounding five gold medals in Vancouver before retiring.

“When I agreed (to making the ad), I kind of thought it would be played in the middle of the night, nobody watches commercials anyways, and I didn’t really think about that,” the Calgary native said. “But it’s been crazy. They actually released it on the Today Show on the Friday before the Super Bowl. I guess that’s a big thing with Super Bowl ads, the pre-release to get a buzz. It was unbelievable.”

The 60-second spot, which doesn’t feature a single car, chronicles Woolstencroft’s journey to Paralympic excellence, from the day she was born without legs below the knee, and with no left arm below the elbow.

The 36-year-old is now an electrical engineer and mother of oneyear-old son Max, and is working with the CBC’s broadcast crew in Pyeongchang.

The commercial was true to life, she said, developed through re-enactment around video clips and photos of her childhood. The 14-year-old Woolstencroft was played by Erin Latimer, who’s competing on Canada’s alpine team in Pyeongchang.

The final product made for emotional viewing.

“I’ve done so much media and so much on TV, but that’s always been about specific things like winning a medal at the Games,” Woolstencroft said.

“This was more a story of my life, and I hadn’t necessarily done that. So, I think especially for my parents, yeah it was emotional.”