Sean Rose is a Winter Paralympian, World Cup Skier and Adventurer.
Sport and, in particular, competition have always been the mainstay of Sean’s life. As a youngster, Sean was a champion Gymnast for the North East, played Badminton for his county and competed internationally as a BMX racer. He joined the RAF in 1989 for what he thought would be his perfect job as a Physical Training Instructor. This gave him the opportunity to travel, try out new sports and teach these sports to other personnel in the Armed Forces.
In 2000, while teaching a group of pilots how to ski, Sean had a freak accident which crushed his T8 vertebra in his back, causing spinal cord damage leaving him paralysed from the waist down and a wheelchair user for the rest of his life.
Faced with a life that could be much curtailed from his previously active lifestyle, Sean was determined that sport would continue to play a major role in his life.
From day one he would never accept the word ‘can’t’. As an RAF PT instructor, he had always pushed others to achieve beyond their dreams, now it was Sean’s turn. He had no choice, grasp life by the throat or die a slow miserable death.
He grasped life and retired in 2012 as:
- Britain’s most successful disabled alpine ski racer.
- Double Winter Paralympian – Vancouver 2010 and Turin 2006.
- Britain’s first World Cup Gold Downhill Sit Skier
- Winter XGames Medalist
- 3 x World Disabled Water Ski Champion
Sean was part of the record-breaking Channel 4 coverage of the Winter Paralympic Games in 2014 and 2018 commenting on the ski racing as well as the opening and closing ceremonies. He also performed – looking as if he was on fire — as the ‘secret’ skier in the Channel’s promotional films that lead up to the 2014 Games.
His achievements and death-defying antics inspire thousands. Changing your own life is easy but Sean Rose has taken on the role of inspiring others to break their own self-inflicted boundaries. “Life doesn’t have to end when you’re in a wheelchair or have other conditions or issues. It ends if you give up!”
As a Motivational Speaker, Sean Rose will inspire the lives of your audience, there will be tears and cheers.
He will bring humour to the tragedy, he will lift aspiration and challenge everybody in the room to raise their sights, achieve abnormal goals and settle only for the best you can be. He will not allow people to live in a dream world, but if you’re passionate about something then make your dreams a reality!
