Back on Pace: One U.S. Athlete's Story of Tragedy and Triumph
Jeremy Holm
Issue date: 11/13/06 Section: Sports
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After an extremely successful high school and collegiate athletic career, Pace began racing in the sport in 2001. She finished fourth in the 2002-2003 Junior World Championships, and won 6 World Cup medals in the 2004-2005 season. Noelle then became the first American female athlete ever to win the overall World Cup Skeleton title in 2005.
Prior to the 2006 Olympic Games held in Torino, the world of skeleton and the media predicted Pace would win the Olympic gold medal during the event.
On October 19, 2005, tragedy struck.
During a trip to Canada's Calgary Olympic Park a four-man bobsled crashed into Noelle and her teammates, shattering her lower right leg and, she thought, her Olympic dreams.
After being rushed to the hospital doctors performed emergency surgery, inserting a titanium rod into her leg. The preliminary prognosis was that she would be unable to put pressure on the leg for four weeks.
"I was afraid of not being able to walk," Pace said. "I was praying that everything had gone well in surgery."
While the world watched, Noelle returned to home to Orem on Oct. 23. One week after the surgery Pace fought her way through her first session of physical therapy. With the doctors and physical therapists telling her to slow down "everyday," Noelle began the race of her life: heal sufficiently to compete in the Torino games only 114 days away.
"I would do rehab about 6-8 hours a day, inside and outside of physical therapy," said Pace. "[It] was long and painful. I did it everyday except Sunday for six weeks. I would go back here and there throughout the season. After any serious injury, I don't think rehab ever really ends."
Throughout the ordeal, Pace continued to receive an onslaught of phone calls, letters and emails.
"The support was one of the biggest things that aided in my rapid recovery," she said. "I had hundreds of emails and letters from family, friends and complete strangers."
Six weeks after surgery Pace walked back onto the ice the first time since the accident. She then rejoined her teammates on the World Cup circuit in December, placing 20. One month later, Pace placed 5 in the World Cup race in Königsee, Germany. Despite her miraculous recovery, Pace's absence had left the United States eligible to officially send only one female skeleton athlete to Torino. In the end, she watched the competitions from her hotel room.
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