Let it never be said that Roosevelt MFA is not a proponent of winter sports!

Katie "Big Screen or Big SKI-reen?" Leimkuehler

 
While Chicago may not have mountains, gondola lifts, or John Cusak going down a mountain really fast, some of us in the city remain passionate defenders of Skiing as a legitimate wintertime activity.  Recent Roosevelt  MFA alum Katie Leimkuehler would certainly count herself among this group.  Never one to be limited to the prose writing she persued while a Roosevelt student, Katie is currently writing a screenplay based on the life of her grandfather Paul “Bud” Leimkuehler. Paul was a successful speed skater who, after losing a leg in World War Two, created his own prosthetic leg as well as the world's first system of ski outriggers than enabled him to become a master downhill skier. 

Paul Leimkuehler was inducted into both the Ski Hall of Fame and the Disabled Ski Hall of Fame for his persistence and ingenuity, which allowed future generations of disabled person to pursue a sport which might have previously been closed off to them. 

Katie currently has a trailer for the film, Ski Pioneer, in the running at the International Movie Trailer Festival.  You can view the work and vote for her entry here.