Raised in West Hartford, CT, Jimmy Shea is truly an inspirational story. Jimmy has the distinction of being a third generation Olympian. His father, Jim Shea, competed in Nordic combined and cross-country skiing in the 1964 Olympics and his grandfather, Jack Shea, won two gold medals in the 1932 Olympics in speed skating. When Jimmy's family moved back to Lake Placid, Jimmy quickly became adventurous and began taking advantage of the winter sports facilities in Lake Placid. From the day he picked up a sled, he has not looked back. With the odds stacked against him, Jimmy persevered through hardship and sacrifice. There are the well documented stories of Jimmy hitchhiking his way through Europe to train and compete with only his sled by his side. He slept in bobsleds in open sheds. He was not to be denied. In 1998, he became the first American to win a World Cup race. In 1999 he won the World Championship. He is also a Goodwill Games Champion and is a spokesperson for the games as well. I became successful through blind obsession, I did not care about anything else." Jimmy is credited with being partly responsible for bringing Skeleton back as an Olympic Sport. Since 1948, Skeleton had been left out of the Olympics . His goal was to bring the sport back for the 2002 Games. Jimmy spoke to countless organizing members about his passion for the sport. When Skeleton was officially brought back, the Salt Lake City Organizing Committee Chief, Mitt Romney, was quoted as saying, "Jimmy Shea, in many respects is responsible." Jimmy Shea has become a national story. He is a member of Team Xerox and has been invited to speak at corporate outings nationwide. NBC, CNBC, e-TV, Sports Illustrated, The New York Times, USA Today and many more have documented his rise to fame. We invite you to share in his quest to become an Olympic Champion."
