Vonetta Flowers Legacy

Eight years ago a record number of Alabamians gathered around their television sets to watch the finals of the two-woman bobsled event at the Salt Lake City 2002 Olympic Winter Games.

They tuned in to see Birmingham native Vonetta Flowers do what no other African-American had: Win a gold medal at the Olympic Winter Games.

"It feels like so long ago," Flowers said. "I didn't go into it thinking about history. The commentator actually had to tell me that it was a first. It was surreal. I cried a lot. I just felt really, really blessed to be an American representing my country."

Since that record-setting win, Flowers has traded her bobsled for a Toyota Sequoia, and her training runs for trips to football, track and baseball practice for her twin 7-year-old sons, Jaden and Jorden. But later this month, which happens to be Black History Month, the mother of three-her youngest is 7-month-old Jaxon-will be back in the Olympic spotlight. She will serve alongside Vice President Joe Biden as a member of the U.S. Delegation to the Opening Ceremony of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games.

Flowers will join 1968 figure skating gold medalist Peggy Fleming and 1980 men's hockey gold medalist Mike Eruzione along with the vice president and his wife in welcoming the U.S. athletes to Vancouver.

It will be Flowers' first Olympic Games as a spectator.

She returned to the Games as a competitor in 2006, four years after pushing for driver Jill Bakken and winning gold in 2002. In Torino, Flowers teamed up with driver Jean Prahm to place sixth. As hectic as her schedule was as an Olympian, Flowers said it's even tougher as a mom.

"Life before kids was actually easier," Flowers explained. "They're the athletes now. I didn't get nervous for myself when I competed but I get so nervous for them. I'm the mom out there yelling and screaming and going crazy cheering on the sidelines. We live pretty busy lives even though I'm not an athlete anymore."

Flowers said she is 100 percent devoted to being a mother. Her actions speak much louder.

When her son Jorden was born 10 weeks premature weighing 2 pounds, 9 ounces and had no ear canals or auditory nerves, Flowers threw herself into learning sign language and researching possible remedies to her son's condition. Before competing at Torino, Flowers and her family flew to Italy in December 2005 in order for Jorden to be the first U.S. child and one of just a few children from around the world to undergo auditory brain stem implant surgery, a procedure not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration at the time. During the surgery, electrodes were placed on the area of Jorden's brain responsible for processing sound.

Flowers spent 10 days in and out of the hospital with her son. Her time away from Jorden was spent training, with many of her workouts starting in the parking lot of the medical center.

Despite the surgery, Jorden's language didn't develop as hoped. Vonetta and her husband, and longtime training partner/coach Johnny Flowers, moved the family from Birmingham to Jacksonville, Fla., where they enrolled Jorden in the Clarke Jacksonville Auditory/Oral Center.

"They taught him how to listen," Vonetta said of the school. "We've been here almost three years and he can read and speak, and it's amazing."

Almost as amazing as Flowers' own success story.

A seven-time All-American sprinter and long jumper at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Flowers tried out for the 1996 and 2000 U.S. Olympic track and field teams, but did not qualify.

During the U.S. Olympic Trials for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, her husband came across a pamphlet in their hotel lobby. Olympic luger and bobsledder Bonnie Warner was looking for a brakeman and she put word out at the Trials hoping to find someone with speed. At the time, Flowers' only bobsled knowledge consisted of the movie "Cool Runnings'' a movie loosely based on the Jamaican bobsled team. But she responded to the flyer thinking, at best, it would provide a good laugh for her and her family.

One month later, Flowers was pushing sleds on the icy runs of Germany. Eighteen months later, she had an Olympic gold medal dangling from her neck and a spot in the record books.

Flowers' victory seems that much more stunning after the 36-year-old explains the seven surgeries she's had on her knees, hips and ankles.

"Everybody laughed at me at first," she said. "They were like, 'You're doing what?!' But then they realized, 'Hey she might be successful at this.' Everybody in Alabama now loves bobsled."

Flowers is spreading that love through the motivational speeches she gives encouraging students and professionals not to give up on their dreams. She's watched the Olympic Winter Games slowly become more diverse with black athletes like U.S. speed skater Shani Davis winning more Olympic Winter Games gold medals.

"You see some black athletes out there," Flowers said. "Great Britain has a few. I think the more you see black athletes coming out and staying around, the more you'll see people crossing over from other sports to participate in the Winter Games."

The Flowers twins watch bobsledding on television every chance they get, and they, like their mother, have memorized almost all of the lines to "Cool Runnings."

"They love pushing things around-empty boxes, each other, whatever it is," Flowers said, laughing.

They also love keeping their mother humble. Like his parents, Jaden has become an accomplished runner. After a recent track and field meet, the 7-year-old poured over his collection of medals, handling his four gold medals with special care.

"I told him, 'You know Jaden, one day you're going to have more medals than me,' and he looked at me for a few seconds," Flowers said. "He said, 'Mommy, you only have the one gold medal. I already have more than you.' I was like: You're right. You're absolutely right."

Story courtesy Red Line Editorial, Inc. Annabelle Tometich is a freelance contributor for teamusa.org. This story was not subject to the approval of any National Governing Bodies.

TAGS: Vonetta Flowers, Jill Bakken, Jean Prahm, Annabelle Tometich

Tags: Annabelle Tometich, Jean Prahm, Jill Bakken, USA Bobsled, Vancouver 2010, Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games, Vonetta Flowers