It's rather difficult to write a memorial to a young man of 42. Somehow, it just doesn't seem fulfilling to say "good bye" to someone who should have had decades more of life ahead of him. Especially one who enjoyed life so, and shared his love so easily with others.
John was involved with Ski for Light at its very beginning, and joined us again in recent years, with nearly two decades of absence in between. Despite his absence from International SFL events, his life had a great impact on many of us in the SFL family.
As a high school student, John was introduced to cross-country skiing in 1975 at the first event, then called Race for Light. The following year he was named to the first team chosen to represent newly named Ski for Light at the Ridderrenn in Norway. After that, John didn't attend SFL for many years, but we all knew of his activities, because John was doing what very few of us ever dare. John decided to follow a dream.
He showed such potential in those first two years, that John set out to become the best blind cross-country skier in the United States, and maybe in the world. After college, John abandoned his home town of Chicago and moved to Breckenridge, Colorado, where there was a long ski season, lots of sighted guides, and an opportunity to train at high altitude.
To paraphrase Joseph Campbell, a hero is someone who goes into the unknown with faith and courage. John went into the unknown, a field of competition where no other blind American had ventured. He did so with a courageous effort and a faith in himself and his many friends. He did become recognized as one of the best in the world, and pushed the other champions to their limits. John dominated the field in the United States for nearly ten years.
Maybe it was his training as a psychotherapist that helped him draw out others, or maybe it was the reverse, Regardless, few would argue that John had the knack for making good friends very quickly.
Although John was extremely competitive when the challenge was there, he was also gentle and encouraging with new skiers. He only missed one Colorado regional SFL program, this last February.
I'm sure that John Novotny stories will be told for many years, among his American friends and those fellow skiers with whom he competed around the world. One of those stories will be the courage and faith with which he faced his death. John was born with cancer, and became blind as a result. It was a recurrence about three years ago that brought about his early death. Without question, he went into that great unknown as a hero of unrivaled achievement.
Thank you, John, for your inspiration. Thanks for showing us that dreams can come true. Thanks for being our companion and guide in this adventure we call life. You finished the race with all the style and determination anyone could ask. Thanks again for being our hero.