Torah Bright, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and originally from Cooma, New South Wales, captured the gold medal in last week’s women’s snowboard half-pipe at the Winter Olympics.
What many have described as her captivating smile and gracious manner has charmed audiences around the world. But Torah says her heart belongs to American snowboarder, Jake Welch, whom she plans to marry in the Church’s Salt Lake temple in June. In Latter-day Saint temples, ceremonies take place which unite a husband and wife for this life and the eternities. Church members call it eternal marriage.
Torah has been described by journalists as the “cleanest of sports stars” because her lifestyle does not include drinking alcohol, coffee or tea. She also shuns tobacco and other drugs and believes that intimate relations should be preserved for marriage. “For me [being a Mormon] is just a way of life”, she mentions.
In referring to these practices, Torah is reflecting Latter-day Saint tenets which the Church believes contribute to a happier and more satisfying life than alternative lifestyles.
During her younger years, before snowboarding world championships resulted in her move to Salt Lake City at age 14, Torah and her family were members of the local Cooma branch of the Church. The branch was small and included older-aged individuals and few, if any, youth.
In spite of the lack of peer support, early on, Torah determined that the Church, its teachings and customs were something that she would adhere to throughout her life. She became a follower of Jesus Christ and tried to live by his teachings. Life in a small branch, with few friends holding to the same beliefs, prepared her well for a nomadic existence following the snowboard circuit just a short time later.
Torah comes from a family of skiers. As a toddler she rode on her parent’s back, soon learned to ski and took to snowboarding at age 11. She has been winning on the slopes since. Her brother, Ben, is her coach.
Although Bright is a proud Australian, because she needs access to the snowfields she currently lives in Salt Lake City, Utah. The city is the headquarters of the Church and is the location of the 2002 Olympics in which her sister, Rowena, competed as a downhill skiier. Approximately 65% of Utahns are members of the Church. It is the location of the faith’s Brigham Young University, the largest private university in the United States.
Living in Utah, a distinct contrast from being brought up in small branch of the Church in Cooma, was a means of combining her love of her faith with the excellent snowfields of the Rocky Mountains.
Australian Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, called minutes after her win for Australia to say “how proud everyone is back home [in Australia]”.
Before the Olympics, Torah dislocated her Jaw and incurred three concussions. “It wasn’t the easiest month,” she said. “I spent more time off the snow than on.” Balance and headaches were issues. While doctors cautioned, Torah persevered.
Falling on the first of two runs in the finals, the pressure mounted. “When I was standing up on the top I looked down at the crowd, saw all the Australians in the crowd and thought to myself: ‘Let’s have some fun’,” Bright said to journalists. “I was sick all day with anxiety and there’s no words to describe how good this feels.”
Torah is scheduled to appear on US late night talk shows, early morning broadcasts and has plethora of interviews and opportunities to become known world wide.
http://www.independentweekly.com.au/news/national/national/general/bright-wins-gold/1756056.aspx
