BY EMMANUEL OGBONNA
Among the most sought-after keepsakes circulating at the Milan Cortina Winter Games is a small red pin bearing a single name: Sarah. For many athletes in freestyle skiing, it represents more than memorabilia. It is a tribute to a woman widely credited with transforming their sport — and who never lived to see it reach the Olympic stage.
Sarah Burke, the Canadian freeskier who became a pioneer of women’s halfpipe skiing, played a central role in elevating the discipline from a niche, male-dominated event into a fully recognized Olympic competition. Her advocacy, competitive success and tireless promotion of the sport helped secure halfpipe skiing’s place in the Winter Games. Yet she died in 2012 at age 29 after sustaining injuries in a training accident, two years before women’s halfpipe skiing made its Olympic debut at the Sochi Games.
At Milan Cortina, her memory endures in subtle but powerful ways.
Canada coach Trennon Paynter commissioned 200 pins spelling “Sarah” in flowing red script, echoing the design of helmet stickers worn by skiers in Russia in tribute to Burke. The pins have become a symbol of gratitude and remembrance, quietly passed among athletes across national lines.
“She got women into the sport, period,” Paynter said. “And then she was a huge driver of getting the sport into the Games by actively attending International Ski Federation events when a lot of people didn’t know that was the pathway into the Olympics.”
In the early years of halfpipe skiing, female participation lagged far behind the men’s field. Burke not only excelled competitively — becoming a multi-time X Games champion — but also worked behind the scenes to legitimize the discipline within international governing bodies. She understood that Olympic inclusion required formal recognition and consistent competition standards. Her lobbying efforts, alongside other advocates, helped lay the groundwork for the sport’s acceptance.
Even now, some skiers continue to wear “Sarah” stickers on their helmets. But Olympic regulations prohibit personal messages or unauthorized displays on equipment. Seeking an alternative that complied with those rules, Paynter created the pins as a discreet way to honor her legacy.
Before the first halfpipe practice earlier this week, he was given a few moments to address the assembled athletes. He spoke about Burke’s impact and introduced the pins. Within hours, word had spread throughout the snowpark, and the initial batch was gone.
“Everyone in this sport, not only this sport but action sport in general, is still really paying tribute to Sarah and her legacy,” Paynter said. He plans to produce additional pins and sell them to benefit Burke’s charitable foundation.
On Sunday, the women’s halfpipe final — postponed a day due to heavy snow in the Italian Alps — is expected to feature some of the sport’s biggest names. Among them is Eileen Gu, who is seeking her second consecutive Olympic gold medal in the event. Gu shares a poignant connection with Burke: both were born on Sept. 3, a detail that resonates deeply within the close-knit freeski community.
For many, the emotional high point of women’s halfpipe skiing at the Olympics remains its inaugural competition in Sochi in 2014. Burke’s parents and husband attended that night, watching from the stands as the world’s best female skiers carved through the halfpipe for the first time under the Olympic banner. At the end of the contest, members of the slip crew formed a heart shape on the snow — a quiet homage to the athlete whose efforts had helped make the moment possible.
Paynter later scattered some of Burke’s ashes above the halfpipe at Rosa Khutor, the venue that hosted the event. It was a symbolic gesture, binding her spirit to the sport she had championed.
French skier Marie Martinod, who won silver in Sochi, has spoken about Burke’s personal influence on her return to competition. Martinod had retired and started a family when Burke visited her and urged her to come back, insisting that the Olympic debut deserved the strongest possible field. That night in Russia, Martinod painted snowflakes on her fingernails to match a tattoo Burke wore on her foot — a small but deeply personal tribute.
“I think I didn’t say goodbye to Sarah yet and I still have to do it,” Martinod said at the time. “Now I feel I’m able to do it because I did what she asked me to do.”
Twelve years later, the number of competitors who knew Burke personally has diminished as a new generation rises through the ranks. Yet her name remains widely recognized, and her influence continues to shape the culture of the sport.
American skier Nick Goepper wore one of the red pins during Friday’s qualifying round, even pointing to it while awaiting his score in the holding area.
“She was a commanding personality and force to legitimize halfpipe skiing for both men and women,” Goepper said. “She gave a lot of inspiration for a lot of young girls.”
In a discipline defined by risk, creativity and individual expression, Burke’s greatest achievement may have been her ability to unite athletes around a shared purpose. She pushed for equality in prize money, visibility and opportunity at a time when women’s events often struggled for recognition. The Olympic halfpipe — now a marquee competition attracting global audiences — stands as part of her legacy.
At Milan Cortina, amid the roar of the crowd and the spectacle of elite performance, a small red pin carries quiet weight. It is a reminder that the path to the Olympic podium was paved not only by medals and scores, but by the determination of an athlete who believed the sport belonged to everyone — and worked to make that belief a reality.
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