'Inspiring' Samson Selected to Carry Flame in Olympic Torch Relay

Author: Devin Zatorski News Editor

In an event designed to ignite the Olympic spirit for the 2002 Winter Games, Katie Samson '02.5 will join the 7,200 torchbearers selected to carry the Olympic Flame on a 65-day, 13,500-mile journey spanning 46 states.

The route begins in Atlanta, Ga., where the torch last touched United States soil, and concludes in Salt Lake City, Utah, the venue for this year's competition.

Torchbearers were chosen from a pool of more than 210,000 nominees, each of whom had an inspirational story, according to the selection committee statement.

Assistant Lacrosse Coach Missy Hopkins '99 said a large group of the Middlebury women's lacrosse alumni "sisterhood" nominated Samson for the honor.

In their letters of nomination, the former players related a story that began with Samson's debut season on Middlebury's women's lacrosse team in 1999, when she was varsity goalie and received recognition as the Toyota Player of the Game.

"She played every minute of every game and led the team to an NCAA title," said Head Lacrosse Coach Missy Foote, who recruited Samson out of a Radnor, Pa., high school.

But January 2000 brought a sledding accident that left Samson paralyzed. Just a year later, she returned to campus determined to resume where she left off. To maintain her legacy of athletic involvement, Samson signed on as an assistant lacrosse coach.

Foote noted Samson's skill as a "tactician" and her "great eye for the opponents' weaknesses," although in addition to her contributions as a coach, said Foote, Samson has also been "an inspiration to the team."

When Foote heard Samson would be a torchbearer in the Olympic Torch Relay this December, she thought, "What a perfect honor for someone for whom sports has played such a significant role, and who is now inspiring so many others."

Kully Hagerman '99, now the head lacrosse coach at Babson College in Babson Park, Mass., was a senior on the Middlebury women's lacrosse team when Samson was a first-year goalie.

Praising Samson's "contagious" spirit, Hagerman recalled that, "Katie is the type of person that you just want to be around."

"To me, Katie Samson is the Olympic spirit," Hagerman continued. "She has faced adversity and overcome it, always with a smile and a laugh." Her remark touched on the criteria for torchbearer selection, which the Salt Lake Organizing Committee characterized as "embodying the Olympic spirit and inspiring an individual or community.

Foote recounted the inspiration last year's NCAA championship team drew from Samson's presence on the sidelines. At a press conference after Middlebury clinched the title, captain Betsy Wheeler '01 said that during the game, "she only needed to look towards the sidelines to be inspired by Katie sitting there," Foote explained.

Hagerman holds Samson up as a model athlete with qualities she hopes to nurture in her players at Babson.

"Katie symbolizes what it means to be a team player and go above and beyond the call of duty," she said. "Now as a coach myself, I can only hope that some of my players embody even 50 percent of the heart and commitment that Katie has. If they do then I will consider myself successful."

Hopkins, who played defense when Samson was the goalie, commented, "Katie was a truly amazing goalie and a fierce competitor."

She went on to mention that Samson's "smile, laugh and hilarious sense of humor are truly inspiring," and that Samson has taught her to "love every minute of my life."

When Samson discovered that she had been selected as a torchbearer, she said that she was "amazed they picked me out of all these people in the country who were nominated for this."

"Everybody thinks about being part of the Olympics when they're a little kid," Samson continued, so her selection as a torchbearer was something of a "dream come true."

Assessing the significance of the relay, Samson remarked, "It's really important in times like these to carry out inspirational events that people can watch and take comfort in the unity of our country."

She practices wheeling a mile a day to prepare, sporting the Coca-Cola warm up suit to advertise the relay's official sponsor. Still, she said, "I'm not quite sure I'm ready for it," but her excitement has not waned.

While at home in Villanova, Pa., over Thanksgiving break, the Philadelphia affiliate of NBC News even conducted an interview with Samson.

"The [television crew] came to my house, met my family and my dogs," recalled Samson. The station plans to air profiles of the 24 Philadelphia-area residents selected as torchbearers.

Foote summed up Samson's effect on the lacrosse team, saying that, "Katie teaches us everyday about personal courage, poise, grace and perseverance. It is impossible for us as a team not to work a little harder and complain a little less when Katie is on the field."