BY EMMANUEL OGBONNA
Upon arriving in Italy for the Milan Cortina Paralympics, Paralympic skier Patrick Halgren began leaving his mark in the most personal way imaginable: with a small blue-and-yellow sticker reading “SvendIt,” placed in the bathroom of a popular Cortina d’Ampezzo restaurant.
It was the first of what would become a trail of decals he plans to leave throughout the region—on chairlifts, water bottles, and buildings—a symbolic gesture inspired by both his approach to life and the memory of his late twin brother, Lucas Sven Halgren, who went by Sven.
The phrase, a playful take on “send it,” embodies Halgren’s fearless attitude and relentless pursuit of adventure. But it also serves as a deeply personal tribute. Sven, an avid skier and adventure-seeker, had encouraged Patrick to take up skiing after Patrick lost his left leg above the knee in a motorcycle crash in 2013. Tragically, Sven himself died three years later in a motorcycle accident in New Zealand. Today, Halgren carries his brother’s spirit with him on the slopes, tattooed on his belly and etched into every turn, jump, and race he competes in during the Paralympics.
“I’ve got a lot of friends messaging me, saying, ‘He’d be so proud of you,’” Halgren said, reflecting on his connection to Sven. “When there’s a ray of sunshine on the mountain, I’ve got to believe it’s him up there, showing me the way.”
Halgren’s journey to Cortina has not been easy. After multiple crashes and injuries throughout the season, he qualified for five events in the standing division: downhill, super-G, giant slalom, slalom, and Alpine combined. His parents, Kathy and Peter, traveled from Connecticut to support him in Italy. To celebrate and energize himself for each event, Halgren plans to change his hair color—keeping his signature braids for the downhill before switching to red and blue highlights for the super-G, alongside his natural blonde hair. “Because blondes have more fun,” he joked.
Life for Halgren is a blend of adventure and adaptability. He splits his time between living out of a Ford camper van and his home in Colorado Springs, Colorado. During ski season, he parks near Winter Park Resort, where he trains, helps repair fences, announces races for children, and embraces the self-proclaimed title of “sheriff of the mountain.” Beyond skiing, Halgren has ventured into filmmaking, working on the short film Us and Them, which highlights adaptive skiing from the perspective of athletes like himself. “We just wanted to show disabled people doing cool stuff,” said the 33-year-old athlete. “I feel like I have a superpower at the moment—being able to combat hate with love and spread it to those who have helped me get here.”
Halgren’s path to Paralympic skiing began after his near-fatal motorcycle accident in 2013. Racing to work one morning, he failed to navigate a turn, veered off the road, and collided with a telephone pole at approximately 80 mph. Paramedics saved his life after he severed a major artery in his pelvis and remained in a coma for a month. Though he lost his left leg above the knee, Halgren found inspiration to continue living life to the fullest from his twin brother Sven, a volunteer at an adaptive sports program in Vermont. Initially cautious, he first tried wheelchair basketball before eventually returning to skiing with determination and courage.
“Patrick got off the chairlift, went to make a turn, and fell right over,” Halgren’s father recalled. “But he’s a proud kid. By the end of the day, he said, ‘Dad, I’m going to be the best one-legged skier in the world.’ And now he’s on his way.”
Sven’s death in 2016 weighed heavily on Halgren, yet it has also fueled his ambition and resilience. Being at his second Paralympics, Halgren reflects often on what his brother would think. “He wouldn’t be surprised at all,” Halgren said. “He’d be just as excited as me, if not more.” His family echoes the sentiment, emphasizing that participation and heart outweigh medals: “Our hearts are so happy that we’re just here,” his mother said.
The “SvendIt” mantra, meanwhile, has taken on a life of its own. Suggested by a friend, the stickers now appear across the world—from Norway to Sweden, atop weather stations in Colorado, and now in an Italian restaurant bathroom. For Halgren, it’s more than decoration; it’s a philosophy. “Basically, if you’re going to do something, you’ve just got to go for it,” he said. “Go have some fun, live your life, and have something to talk about later.”
This Paralympic journey is not just about racing down the slopes—it’s a living tribute, an expression of joy, and a testament to the enduring bond between twin brothers who shared a love of adventure and an unbreakable spirit.
Original article
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