Abraham Louisiana

Photo courtesy of AP/Michael Sohn
A.J. Rosen takes a practice run during the menʼs singles luge training session.
Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili suffered a fatal crash
during a training run on a slide where Rosen had finished
just moments before, he didn’t give up.
His mother credits Civil Air Patrol and a lifetime of
perseverance for the young man’s positive attitude. “A.J.
learned that nothing is impossible if you
just keep trying,” she said.
After Kumaritashvili’s death, Olympic
officials moved the event’s starting point
closer to the finish. Rosen’s injuries slowed
down his start, but he had been making
up for it over the length of the track. With
that opening gone, he could only do his
best and sail.
“If you go in thinking you’re going to
win the gold, you try too hard and things
can go wrong,” Rosen said.
He finished 16th in 2010 competition,
just 0.03 seconds from the 15th spot.
His showing in Whistler, though the
best on the British team, disappointed
him. “You want to do better than you’ve done previously,”
Rosen said.
THIRD TIME’S THE CHARM?
Between his training and World Cup competitions,
Rosen is creeping along toward a bachelor’s degree in
aeronautics through the distance learning program at
Embry-Riddle. He plans to enroll full time when luge
training and competition are over.
Since he is eyeing a 2014 luge victory for Britain, that
degree may still be a few slides away.
“I think I have some very good years ahead of me in the
sport,” he said. “I think
the years coming up will
be very good. I know
that I can still fly after
I’m done.”
Four years ago, Rosen
initiated the Power to
Excel Award at his alma
mater, Mamaroneck
High School, to
recognize students who
persevere consistently to
overcome physical or
learning disabilities —
who work twice as hard
to achieve their goals.
Even with a 145 IQ, Rosen struggled with his dyslexia,
but went on to compete in the Olympics.
“I remember watching the Olympics as a kid and
dreaming of being an Olympian and now it’s happened
twice,” he said. “To make it there and to be able to call
yourself an Olympian, it’s an honor, and I thank programs
like the Civil Air Patrol that help make dreams a reality.” ▲
Cadet Rosen, center, loved the movie “Top Gun”
and hoped one day to be a fighter pilot. Flying is
currently on hold as he pursues Olympic gold.
Civil Air Patrol Volunteer 8 April-June 2010