19 December 2009

Happy Alive Day, JR!



JR Salzman: Seven-time Logrolling World Champion, 2005 ESPY Award winner for Best Outdoor Sports Athlete of the Year, and Iraq War Veteran.


Happy Alive Day to the man Mothax of the American Legion's Burn Pit blog believes should have been named Athlete of the Decade. I agree.

Between 1998 to 2002, JR won five logrolling titles at the Lumberjack World Championships. During the six-year run of the Great Outdoor Games, he won 14 medals in total, tying for the most among any competitor.

And in 2005, JR received the ESPY Award as the Best Outdoor Sports Athlete of the year after winning three Great Outdoor Games gold medals. That October, he deployed to Iraq with the Minnesota National Guard.

On December 21, 2006 he posted the following entry on his blog:
it is hard for me to tell you all this but i was hurt by an ied here. my right arm has been amputated below the elbow, my left has four working fingers. my legs are fine so l can still logroll! i am on my way to the hospital in germany, then back to the states for more care. i am in high spirits. i am going to be ok, but i will have a long road to recovery. please remember me in your prayers, as well as those who were injured with me. i will let you know more as time passes.

In July 2009, JR went on to win his seventh title at the 50th annual Lumberjack World Championships.

Happy Alive Day, JR. Have fun on the slopes today!

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