Sometimes a freak accident sets the course for a future as a Paralympian, a successful career in the medical field, and an opportunity to serve others in similar circumstances. For Jason Lalla, the incident that changed the course of his life happened only a few miles from home when he was 18 years old.
As on many previous occasions, Jason had hopped on his motorcycle to ride the familiar route to go for a swim. On the way back, he revved up his bike to see how fast he could go, a habit that had once gotten him to 140 miles per hour without any disastrous consequences. This time, he wasn’t so lucky. Just when he reached 100 miles per hour, he crashed, and spent his summer after high school recovering from an above above-the-knee amputation.
Adaptive Skiing Brings Hope
“I felt like my life was over,” says Jason, now 37. A former competitive high school athlete, Jason refused to consider himself disabled, so when his prosthetist suggested he try adaptive skiing, Jason wanted no part of it. Later, when a former high school coach who was involved with a ski company set Jason up with the adaptive equipment to begin three-track skiing, Jason was immediately hooked.
“I fell in love with the sport and began skiing recreationally as many weekends as I could,” says Jason.
Despite being encouraged to race, Jason had his sights on going to college. After dabbling in various majors for two and a half years, Jason realized that nothing appealed to him and set his sites on ski racing. While attending a ski camp held at Waterville Valley, Jason made up his mind to try out for the United States Disabled Ski Team, packed his bags, and moved to Vail, Colorado.
Competing with the U.S. Disabled Ski Team
Three years later, Jason made the team and spent the next several years competing in races throughout the world. His achievements include winning gold in the Giant Slalom at the 1998 Paralympic Games in Nagano, Japan, and at the 2000 World Champions in Sion, Switzerland. Besides filling the competitive void created after his accident, skiing alongside world-class athletes completely shifted Jason’s image of having a disability.
“Being among disabled ski racers and seeing their zest for life and positive helped me adjust both physically and mentally,” he says.
Career in Prosthetics Begins
And in the course of working with prosthetists, Jason discovered what he wanted to study in college.
“The people I worked with in the prosthetics industry definitely influenced my career decision,” says Jason, who now works for Next Step Orthotics & Prosthetics, Inc., the same company who fitted him with his first prosthesis and exposed him to adaptive skiing. “I liked the idea of interacting with people, using my hands, working in the medical profession, and helping people.
In addition to his work, Jason coaches adaptive skiing and racing through North East Passage, which is affiliated with the New England Handicap Sportsman Association. A husband and father to two children, Lalla was recently named one of New Hampshire's "40 Under Forty," an honors program that recognizes the state's emerging leaders.
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See Female Amputee Joins U.S. Swim and Ski Teams to learn how Sandy Dukat found her niche by participating in sports after an amputation.
