Pushing Limits and Removing Barriers: Coaching Alpine Ski Racing for People with Intellectual Disabilities
By Shawn Roseman, Senior Consultant
Supporting leadership, adapting strategies to individual needs, and fostering environments where people can thrive are the keys to success, whether on the slopes or in the workplace.
During my MBA program, I volunteered with the University of Washington for the Special Olympics Regional Alpine Ski Competition. I found myself on the advanced alpine racecourse, watching athletes with intellectual disabilities race alongside their coaches. I was blown away: they were racing at a level that demanded precision, speed, and discipline, and there was this joyful and close connection between the athletes and their coaches. That moment had a profound impact on me, further shifting my perspective on ability and what it means to support someone in pushing their limits.
I formally joined the Skihawks Racing Team and the Outdoors for All Foundation, beginning a ski coaching journey that is now approaching two decades. I started coaching Aidan when he was just 8 years old, a beginner racer navigating the red and blue gates for the first time. Fourteen years later, at 22, he has become one of the fastest skiers in the advanced division in Washington State, and I am fortunate to share the special bond between athletes and coaches that drew me in years before.
Then, an unexpected opportunity surfaced. The organization Athletes Without Limits approached us about bringing some of our advanced level athletes to the Virtus World Championship in Austria, a 40-year-old world-renowned event that has never had a U.S. Team. With little time to organize, three Skihawks rallied - and two of them were my athletes, Aidan and Elizabeth! I just had to be there for this historic event! Since I knew the athletes personally and had experience with international events, I helped where I could - answering questions, supporting logistics, and making sure things ran smoothly. It was a natural extension of the skills I have honed at Forum Solutions: adapting to ambiguity, supporting leaders, and navigating unfamiliar territory.
I was surprised and excited when Athletes Without Limits asked me to take on a formal leadership role as the US Director of Winter Sports and annual US Team Delegation Leader for the annual Virtus World Championships. Virtus has opened up an incredible opportunity because it encompasses everything I love - international collaboration, service, competition, and coaching. Through this journey, I have formed deep bonds with coaches from France, Australia, Turkey, Japan, Poland, and more - like-minded people around the globe who share the same passion for this sport and the mission to expand opportunities for athletes with intellectual disabilities.
“Inclusion is not just an idea - it is an active practice. Success is not about conformity - it is about fostering environments that embrace individual strengths and remove unnecessary barriers. When those practices are applied, real transformation happens.”
This effort has seen significant growth and success. At the Virtus World Skiing Championships in Austria (2023), Poland (2024) and France (2025), the U.S. team earned a combined 25 medals, including six gold. The team, started in Washington State, now includes athletes from five states. This year, the Huntsman Cup in Utah, a Paralympic qualifying event, included athletes with intellectual disabilities for the first time, bringing us closer to future Paralympic representation.
I am already looking ahead to 2026, with the goal of growing the US Alpine team through outreach to other programs throughout the U.S., bringing in the first US Nordic team, and finding new pathways for people with intellectual disabilities to compete, push their limits, and grow in Alpine skiing and beyond.
Beyond competition, these athletes continue to defy limits - but more than their achievements, it is the relationships we have built that mean the most. Many of them check in with me through texts, sharing moments from their lives, their latest races, or simply reaching out to stay connected. I started getting texts from Aidan where he uses speech recognition to share news of what he is doing accompanied by GIFs and photos. Michael went to school for Hospitality and works in this field at SeaTac airport in International Arrivals. Just this week, he guided me to the correct customs line, along with thousands of other travelers.
Haleigh is especially inspiring to me: She competed in France for Virtus, earning three silver medals, and returned home to complete her BA in Education with honors - all while working as a special education para-educator.
These moments remind me that coaching is not just about competition, it is about building trust, providing encouragement, having fun and being a steady presence in someone’s life. I feel honored and fortunate that these athletes are in my life and see me as someone they can turn to, who supports them in their journeys both on and off the slopes. Their experiences mirror a broader truth - when people are empowered in ways that work for them, they surpass expectations.
Shawn Roseman is an experienced Program and Project Manager. She has a proven track record in different industries designing, standing up, implementing and evaluating new programs across the globe. She has consistently collaborated with diverse, cross-functional teams, driving organizational change and results in dynamic, quick-paced, and often ambiguous environments. Shawn has a high EQ, a good sense of humor, and thrives working with a diverse range of stakeholders.
Forum Solutions is a management consulting company dedicated to crafting and delivering transformational outcomes for our clients, our colleagues, and our community. With our help, clients become more agile, resilient, and connected, bringing great ideas to fruition with brilliant results. From start-ups to the Fortune 50, business leaders rely on Forum Solutions to help them form and realize their strategies. Our company is a certified Woman Owned Business that believes in developing and growing our colleagues, company, and region in a socially conscious way.