Former Upper Grand District School Board student Madison Mullin is heading to Italy in March to compete in the Paralympic games.
Madison is a recent graduate of Centre Wellington District High School and at 18 years old she will be representing Canada as a member of the Para Nordic Skiing team.
Madison was born with congenital glaucoma, which makes her blind, with only some light perception in her right eye and reduced peripheral and depth perception in her left eye. As part of her Para Nordic Skiing, Madison skis with a guide. Brooke Ailey acts as Madison’s guide and is from Thunder Bay, Ontario.
When speaking about the process involved to make Team Canada, Madison said, “the process was long and took a lot of determination. It involved years of training, racing at National and International events, and consistently performing at a high level.” She continued to say that it took “a lot of dedication, resilience, and support from coaches, teammates, family, and my great back home community.”
Madison is looking forward to representing Canada in Italy, while competing against some of the world’s best athletes. She said, “It’s such an honour to wear the maple leaf and being able to do that at the Paralympics in Italy is a dream come true.”
When reflecting on her time at UGDSB and Centre Wellington DHS, Madison said, “I’m incredibly grateful for everyone who has supported me along the way [including] my coaches, teammates, teachers, friends and family. Growing up in the UGDSB helped shape who I am both as an athlete and as a person. I hope this experience shows other students that with hard work and belief in yourself, big goals are possible.”
Congratulations, Madison! Your Upper Grand community will be cheering you on while you compete in Italy this winter.
