Praying the Way to Gold

David+Wise+performs+a+tail+grab+at+the+Audi+Nines+Sports+Event+held+in+S%C3%B6lden%2C+Austria+Spring+2018.+Wise+saw+the+quarter+pipe+and+grabbed+his+chance+for+the+Nine+Knights.+%E2%80%9CI+felt+like+a+champ%2C%E2%80%9D+Wise+said.+Photo+courtesy+of+Markus+Fischer.

David Wise performs a tail grab at the Audi Nines Sports Event held in Sölden, Austria Spring 2018. Wise saw the quarter pipe and grabbed his chance for the Nine Knights. “I felt like a champ,” Wise said. Photo courtesy of Markus Fischer.

by Lily Hansen, Contributing Reporter

 

David Wise smiles at the thought of his past. Wise was happy to have embraced the joy he felt when he advertised for Bollé Eyewear, Lululemon, Monster Energy and First Lite Hunting. Photo courtesy of Alexandra Wise.

Olympic skier David Wise returned to Red Rocks from Reno, Nevada to tell of his religious experience and what he thought would be the end of his career at Red Rocks Church Youth Groups’ ‘Friendsgiving’. Wise spoke about trials at the Olympics- he was on the slopes and during his first trial and his ski fell off. His second try didn’t go any better, as his ski unlatched from his boot on top of the half pipe. Finally during his last chance and final run, he qualified with a 10/10 score. “I have been attending Red Rocks Church for a really long time and I feel like I’m part of the family. I like the opportunity to speak to kids who are in a position now that I was in,” Wise said.

“Reality is for me, everybody looks at the highlight real. They can see what I’m doing right now or what I’ve done recently and forget that I was a high school kid at one point. I want to inspire kids to chase their own dreams and do whatever they’re passionate about. It’s cool to have that chance,” Wise said.

When I was young I thought it was cool to hide my emotions and never smile. The older I get, the more I realize that every opportunity to smile or laugh needs to be embraced head on. Live it up! Be wistful and whimsical and silly, you might just find your real self somewhere down there under scar tissue,

— David Wise

David Wise is a 2 times Olympic Gold Medalist with two kids and a wife. “Spending so much time traveling this year has made me appreciate time with my family more than ever. Driving them to school, reading to them, playing games with them, I soak it all up and do as much as I can before I have to head out on the road again,” Wise said. “Remember to focus your attention on the people around you, not the things, the people are the real treasures,” Wise says of his kids Malachi and Nayeli.