A eulogy for CR spoken by me on on Friday, March 5th, 2010.
CR Johnson Eulogy My name is Cody Townsend and CR Johnson was my first ski buddy. And well, since most of you here are skiers you’ll probably understand the importance of such a relationship. CR became a friend at 10 years old simply because of our shared infatuation with skiing. As you get older you might pick your friends according to work, similar music tastes, political affiliations or maybe even sheer convenience, but when you’re 10 years old and love skiing, your best friend in the world is the one that wants to ski with you every damn day. And that was CR. CR had a fire for skiing that exceeded everything else in life.
I remember when CR was about 12 years old and was diagnosed with Osgood-Schlatters, the extremely painful growth related knee disease. At the time he was one of the country’s quickest rising stars in mogul skiing, but the impacts of icy moguls and hard landings were too painful to handle anymore. Doctors recommended him to stop jumping and stop skiing moguls until the painful growth spurts stopped. The doctors essentially told him to stop skiing. But CR found a way around that. A loophole in the law that allowed him to keep skiing. But this was no effortless decision. In order to keep skiing CR would have to do the unthinkable, the impossible, the outrageous. CR decided to leave the Squaw Valley Freestyle Team and join the Squaw Valley Race Team. He decided to leave the airs and moguls and start chasing gates down race courses to lessen the impacts on his knees. Now to a lot of you this actually might not sound like the biggest deal, but back then it was. You see, the Race Team and Freestyle Team used to absolutely hate each other. And CR’s switch was like Tom Brady going to voluntarily play for the Indianapolis Colts, it was as if Sidney Crosby changed residency and played for the Americans at the next Olympics. But CR didn’t think about all breaking the boundries of convention, all CR cared about was skiing. He pushed all the norms aside and carved a new path that allowed him to keep skiing.
And then, right about when his knee problems began to subside, CR became one of the best, most praised and most famous freeskiers in the world. But honestly, you guys know that story and his impacts will never be underestimated. So in reality, I’m going to skip that section of his life, because awards, magazine covers and accomplishments are temporary. What CR’s true gift to this world lies in the moments after he almost lost everything.
When CR was involved in that freak accident that left him in a coma for nearly a month, CR was pushed back to his beginnings. CR in the moments before his accident was on top of the world. And then all of sudden he wasn’t. In the years that followed the things that defined him as a professional skier eluded him. Magazine covers, awards and big paying sponsors slowly evaporated. CR could have grown bitter, grown disillusioned and become disenchanted with the sport that nearly killed him. But he didn’t. He just kept skiing . He surrounded himself with his family, friends and his sport and grew happier with every day of life.
I still remember vividly the last personal conversation I had with CR. We stood atop McConkey’s this Fall. It was a cold blustery October day and I asked CR what his plans were for the Winter. CR cracked a smile of pure elation and said to me, “Well, the sponsors that I have left told me, ‘CR, just keep being CR’. So that’s what I’m going to do. Just ski at Squaw with my friends and enjoy life. I can’t wait to be shredding. We have to ski Squaw together again. Just like when we were kids. Just for the fun of it.” CR in full contentment looked at me and all of sudden he was that 10 year old that was my best friend.
