Foxborough Native Makes U.S. Paralympic Team

FOXBOROUGH, MA — Connor Hogan had a stroke at birth that left him with cerebral palsy and the right side of his body partially paralyzed. But the Foxborough native hasn't let this stop him from skiing 80 mph down a mountain and achieving his dreams. For a second time, Hogan, 22, earned himself a spot on the U.S. Paralympic alpine skiing team.

Hogan took up skiing at age 5 and fell in love with the sport immediately. He said its hard to describe exactly why he loves it as much as he does, but it was one of those things where he was "instantly hooked." A few years later, Hogan was already on a mission to make his Paralympic dreams a reality.

"I realized when I was about 11-years-old," Hogan said. "I was watching a 2008 Beijing recap show on NBC when I saw someone (Courtney Clemens), who I had met a few times at a wounded veterans event, win a sprinting medal. I turned to my grandma and mom and said, 'I'm going to be a Paralympian.'"

Seven years later, and Hogan turned those dreams into reality. In 2018, he made his Paralympic debut at the PyeongChang, South Korea winter games, competing in the giant slalom competition, a downhill race where skiers must navigate between a series of poles on their way down.

Hogan placed 24th in 2018, but is already back in Switzerland working to improve for the World Cup. Hogan's competition season begins in Veysonnaz, Switzerland from Jan. 7 to 12. The effort it takes to prepare is rigorous and takes up the majority of his day.

"During training camps, we ski three days on one day off, and during our days on, we do three to four hours of skiing consisting of three to four warm up runs," Hogan told Patch. Then we do another six to 12 runs in a course depending on the disciple we are training; that could be slalom to downhill."

After lunch, Hogan and the rest of the team can be found in the gym working out for an hour to hour-and-a-half. The evenings are spent studying video of their skiing and some physical therapy before going to bed and doing it all over again in the morning.

There isn't much down time for a Paralympic athlete. Hogan said to perform at his best, it requires a year-long commitment, even in the summer when he's not on the slopes.

"During the summer and time off, I spend three to four days a week in the gym working out two to three hours a day," Hogan said. "Then one to two other days, I'm doing things like mountain biking or other outdoor activities."

But Hogan said it's all worth it because he's living a dream, traveling and has built great relationships his coaches and the rest of the team.

"Its been amazing," Hogan told Patch. "I love my coaching staff. I have the most amazing job in the world if you ask me. I travel 250 days a year to the most beautiful places in the world to do the job I love."

Hogan has done all this with cerebral palsy, but said it's never made him any different of a person. He said his drive is what got him there, and the only thing that has mattered is what he believes he can do.

"Of course some days are harder than others, but what drives me is the realization that I could achieve my dreams, which are way bigger than anything else in my life," Hogan said. "They are the driving force behind everything I do ... What I would say to anyone is that no matter what happens, it is hard work and determination that make any dream work, and it only matters what you think you can achieve."