Tuesday, February 23, 2010

The Snow Leopard





Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong is the only member of the Ghana Olympic Ski Team. The story behind this underdog is nobel and inspiring.

With a sense of competition that drives him and a passion that won't let him give up he has overcome many obstacles that would have stopped him from competing in the 201o Olympics. The most obvious being that he is from Ghana, a country that most people don't even know what skiing is since the temperature rarely drops below 70 degrees. He didn't even see real snow until his 20's when he moved to London to earn a masters in Tourism. While working at an indoor ski arena , he was able to use the slopes on his days off. It was on these artificial slopes that he learned to ski, starting at an age when most skiers are ready for retirement.

His nickname is The Snow Leopard. This is based off the custom-made leopard ski outfits that he always wears. Due to his lack of finances he really has to hustle to get the resources he needs to properly train. Such as skis, trainers, etc. I read that he did a grass roots marketing campaign selling spots on his outfits. For $8 you could have your name on a spot. I wish I would have found this out in time. I would have loved to have been one of his spots and support his journey. Go Snow Leopard!!

There is a great write up here if you'd like to read more about him.

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