A letter from an Athlete | Allyson Mallory
LETTERS FROM AN ATHLETE IS A SERIES THAT FOCUSES ON SHOWCASING SOME OF OUR ATHLETES, WHO ARE PROUD TO REPRESENT AND BE SUPPORTED BY HIGH FIVES. IT’S ALSO A CHANCE FOR US TO SHOW OFF HOW APPRECIATIVE THE FOUNDATION IS TO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THESE INDIVIDUALS AS THEY CHASE DREAMS, COMPLETE GOALS, AND INSPIRE OTHERS.
High Fives is honored to be associated with Allyson Mallory, seeing Allyson set goals and put her mind to completing them is nothing less than incredible.
Mallory was a very capable snowboarder who had spent a majority of her life chasing around snow and progressing her snowboarding ability. Unfortunately, she misjudged her speed while hitting a rail in the Area 51 park in Keystone Colorado, sending her too quickly into the following jump, she hit the next jump off balance landing on her back. This crash changed her life forever.
After learning of her new reality, Mallory took no time to feel sorry for herself, she instead looked forward to the future and how she was going to continue to live life the way that she wanted to.
Mallory’s infectious positive attitude and dedication has taken her far since her injury. High Fives looks forward to see how she will continue to represent the Foundation by being the best version of herself.
A Letter From Allyson
I’d like to take a moment of your time to introduce myself and an organization who gave me back part
of my life. My name is Allyson Mallory. I am a High Fives Athlete and a principal at an elementary
school in Littleton, Colorado. I moved to Colorado in 2015 to chase the snow and the fulfillment the
mountains brought me. After 20 years of pushing myself and skills, the consequence of living life on
the edge caught up to me. You see, two years ago, I was involved in a snowboarding accident at Area
51’s snowboard park in Keystone. I came off an A frame rail with too much speed forcing a decision that
would change my life forever. I hit the next feature which threw me into a backflip, landing on my back
and erasing all feeling from my waist down. I was paralyzed. The whirlwind that ensued was overwhel-
ming to say the least. I spent a week in ICU after my surgery, seven weeks in rehab at Craig Hospital,
and will spend the rest of my life adjusting and adapting.
Adjusting and adapting to this life without the use of my legs is hard work. There is a shift in not only
the physical but the mental and social/emotional components that come into play as one experiences
loss. In these times, it is imperative that we seek out people and resources that not only support this
transition in life but provide silver linings and opportunities to get back part of who I was before the
accident. The High Fives Foundation is one of our silver linings by supporting the dreams of outdoor
action sports athletes by raising injury prevention awareness while providing resources and inspiration
to those who suffer life altering injuries.
The High Fives Foundation is a support system for the athletes like myself whether it is to support the
cost of rehabilitation, adaptive equipment that we need to become more independent and experiences
to show injured athletes that we can continue to challenge ourselves through sports. Organizations like
High Fives can only continue to fund grants and programs for athletes who suffered a Spinal Cord Injury
(SCI), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), or other life changing injuries with the help of generous donors such
as yourself. Partnering with the High Fives foundation supports a community that often is overlooked,
underfunded and left behind. With your help, the High Fives Foundation can continue to bridge the
gap between access and resources and the inclusivity of all.
Thank you for becoming a part of this amazing community!
