News Article: "Mettlesome Maid from Fitchburg - Tammy Marcinuk Surmounts a Handicap"

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Title

News Article: "Mettlesome Maid from Fitchburg - Tammy Marcinuk Surmounts a Handicap"

Catalog Entry

An article written by Doris Kirkpatrick discusses the story of Tammy Marcinuk who grew up to become a champion skier despite being born deaf. Nineteen-year-old Tammy was always challenging herself by skiing down the toughest trails, down the tallest mountains, and pushing herself to be the best. Tammy’s love for sports didn’t stop at skiing, for she also actively practiced roller skating, water skiing, sewing, swimming, and dancing daily. Tammy was also a master at lip reading, so she didn’t need to rely on sign language or a piece of paper to communicate. Even though Tammy was born with a disability, she did not allow it to limit her determination and enthusiasm in becoming a champion in the Deaflympics. Her father and grandparents also skied stating, “Skiing is worth all this effort, she (Tammy) thinks she is carrying on a family tradition.”

This article was written in 1968, less than a year after Tammy had been rated the “top woman competitor” in the “International Alpine Ski Races for the Deaf” in Austria. Tammy won first place in three events at the competition including slalom, giant slalom, and downhill skiing. The invitation to compete was a huge honor to Tammy because she was the only one representing the United States. The year before she had won two gold medals during the Deaflympics where she was competing against fifteen other nations. Despite her success, Tammy remained very humble about her winnings saying, “It isn’t nice to show off,” even after being presented with a key to her home city of Fitchburg by Mayor George J. Bourque. Tammy traveled very frequently for all her ski events and was extremely busy but she always found time for “those whom Lady Luck has not smiled on.”

 

When she was in Amsterdam, Tammy spoke at a school for children who are deaf and gave them encouragement to “live normally.” Tammy was always trying to motivate others to achieve their goals. At The Holy Family High School in Fitchburg, she planned on becoming an instructor for deaf children.

It is very unfortunate that Tammy was never brought into the same light as champions in the Olympics because she certainly deserved it. Many people in this world underestimate the abilities and capabilities of people with disabilities, whether it be physical or intellectual. The Special Olympics, Paralympics, and Deaflympics are all ways that we have tried to include people with disabilities in showing and representing what they can do. However, there has been much talk about if these events specifically for people with disabilities is bringing more attention to the person’s disability rather than their ability. Some people are happy with this separation, but others think that the individuals who are just as good as the elite competitors in the actual Olympics are just being held back from being recognized. Tammy and other countless amounts of people with disabilities will never be recognized to the extent that they should be because events like the Deaflympics never reach the front pages and receive little to “no live television coverage in the United States.” Personally, I think this is very unfair, and Tammy deserved to get the recognition she deserved for being an incredible athlete and winning “five gold medals in six international Deaflympic Games over a 24 year period starting in 1967.” In my opinion, people should not have to feel singled out because they have a limitation or disability. Tammy was completely capable of competing in the Olympics and taking home the gold.

Founded by Eugène Rubens-Alcaise, the first Deaflympics were held during 1924 in Paris. Around this time, according to Jake Clark in his article “The Deaflympics,” “hearing people thought the Deaf were ‘not smart’ or lacking in intelligence.” People who were deaf were seen as outcasts in society, and the founding of the Deaflympics was their way of being able to prove that they had amazing skill, smarts, and talent. The Deaflympics was not even called the Deaflympics when it was first founded; it was known as the “Silent Games.” Competitors use visual signs such as waving and flashing lights because they are not allowed to use a hearing aid, unlike the Olympics, the Paralympics, and Special Olympics. Jake Clark explains how athletes “have to work harder to fund their training and participation" in this event because the Deaflympics does not “draw the same media publicity” as the other events for athletes who are disabled.

Most people who can hear will never be able to understand or relate to someone who is deaf and the challenges that they have to face in their everyday life. Jake Clark brings to our attention that nearly “three out of every thousand American children are born deaf.'' For these children to grow up and become athletes who are capable of achieving the same accomplishments as hearing athletes it takes great determination, will, and strength. These athletes deserve to be broadcasted and noticed for their tremendous ability. Jake Clark also states, “an estimated twenty-eight million people in the United States have some form of hearing loss." Therefore there still needs to be more opportunities for the deaf to be recognized.

Tammy recently passed away in 2018, retiring from skiing in 1991.  She was inducted into the 1993 USA Deaf Sports Federation Hall of Fame. In 1971 the late Mayor Harold Lemay proclaimed a day in her honor. Disabled athletes as a whole should be more included in society, because disabilities are very common, and we should be bringing more attention to these athletes' achievements. Tammy was never able to hear a crowd cheer her on, but was able to achieve incredible achievements  even when life made the journey a little more difficult.

Bibliography

Clark, Jake. "The "Deaflympics" (Deaf Olympics)." ​American Sign Language​ University, asluniversity.com/asl101/topics/deaflympics04.htm.

“In Memoriam: Tammy Marcinuk.” USA Deaf Sports Federation, 12 Oct. 2018, usdeafsports.org/news/in-memoriam-tammy-marcinuk/.

Artifact Owner

Fitchburg Historical Society

Artifact Condition

This artifact is in really good condition with no rips, tears, holes, or stains on the article.

Artifact Material

This artifact is what seems like a typed and printed magazine article, written by Doris Kirkpatrick. There is some writing on the side of the article in pencil stating that this is a “Biog. Marcinuk, Tammy 1968."

Catalog Entry Author(s)

Jillian Garreffi, Student, Fitchburg State University

Editor(s)

Fiona Campbell, Student, Fitchburg State University

Collection

Citation

“News Article: "Mettlesome Maid from Fitchburg - Tammy Marcinuk Surmounts a Handicap",” Cultural Heritage through Image, accessed March 28, 2024, https://culturalheritagethroughimage.omeka.net/items/show/94.

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