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BOULDER For someone who spent much of her childhood unable to see her kneecaps because of joint swelling caused by rheumatoid arthritis, Jesse Knori has enjoyed a remarkable career as an athlete.

Knori, a senior nordic racer for the Colorado ski team, will retire after racing at the NCAA championships this week in New Hampshire because it wouldnt be good for her damaged joints to continue training at the levels her sport demands. She will be missed, not only because of her talent but also for the inspiration she provided to teammates for her ability to cope with pain and family tragedy.

Sometimes after a race she has to be carried from the finish line because she loses feeling in her legs.

I can feel that somethings wrong, but theres no spatial awareness of where my feet are, Knori said. Thankfully I have a really strong team. They can carry me.

Despite her arthritis she was an All-American last year, she won a race at the Alaska Anchorage Invitational this season, and she represented her country at the Under-23 nordic world championships last month, finishing 15th in a sprint race.

Her career has been one of overcoming obstacles. Knori was unable to compete her freshman season because of a long bout with whooping cough. Then she lost her father in a horseback-riding accident.

Without complaining at all, she has such dedication and perseverance, said CU nordic coach Bruce Cranmer. Knowing how much shes had to deal with, and been so positive, its an inspiration for everybody on the team.

The first signs of her disease showed up in the sixth and seventh grades. Knori started noticing she couldnt turn her neck without getting an electric pain in her spine. Then her knees began to swell.

I didnt know what my kneecaps looked like until I was probably 18, when I started seeing them again, Knori said. They were like giant grapefruits.

Knori had togive up volleyball and figure skating, which she loved. She could swim, and was on her high school team, but she longed to be outdoors. Growing up on a ranch in Jackson, Wyo., there was a lot out there to miss, so she gave cross country skiing a try and fell in love with it. It may not have been good for her joints, but it was great for her mental health.

When youre happier, your body tends to be healthier, Knori said, and I was having a great time.

She was good at it, too. After moving to Sun Valley, Idaho, she won a state high school title. She made it to junior nationals three times before enrolling at CU in 2013. There she had another major setback.

An injection that was supposed to control inflammation in her joints crashed her immune system, and within days she had whooping cough that lasted seven months. She kept going to class, but professors asked if was prudent for her to be out in public.

I would faint and puke just from coughing, she recalled. Every four weeks or so, I would have a good day. I think I trained like eight hours in six months. I just had to keep my mind positive and get ready for it to be over.

She did not consider quitting.

To me it was just, stuff happens and you get on with it, Knori said. I just loved the sport.

She joked that coughing is a good workout for abdominal muscles.But the blow that came in June after her freshman year wasnt something she could laugh off. One evening back in Jackson, her father went out for a horseback ride and his horse returned without him. Search-and-rescue was summoned.

Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post

They found him, he was brain dead on scene, Knori said. They transported him to an intensive care hospital and he passed away 12 hours after that. He hit his head on a rock.

At first, Knori wasnt sure if she could return to school, but at home there were constant reminders of her father. She went back to Boulder, grief-stricken.

I would break down (while) training, especially when we were doing really hard workouts, she said. Your mind is always challenging you when youre pushing really hard. When I would get into the red zone of training, I would break down in tears.

College ski teams spend enormous amounts of time together. There are three-hour roller-ski workouts in the summer and long van rides during the season seven hours to the Utah Invitational, 10 hours to Montana State. Her teammates were there for her.

It helped me so much more than I think any of them know, Knori said.

The camaraderie of nordic athletes goes beyond team.

When you cross the finish line, you see everyone from different teams congratulating each other and hugging each other because you all know youre doing the most masochistic sport out there, Knori said. You have to admire each and every person for doing that to themselves and loving it. Its not like they hate it. They love every second of it.

Knori is going to miss it. Being a casual recreational skier will have to suffice.

Its not smart for me, body-wise, to push it and see what I can do, Knori said. I just think I need to take care of my body a little bit more than I have for the past four years. I think Ive accomplished with skiing what I want. I still love it every day. Ill always do it. Ill be the crazy person roller skiing at age 50 because I think roller skiing is one of the more fun things anyone can do.

She wants to coach at the youth or high school level, and if one of her athletes has to go through something really difficult, she can share what battling arthritis has taught her: How she kept a positive attitude, because when she was diagnosed, she saw kids who were worse off, kids she knew would be bedridden for the rest of their lives.

Even if you are having a bad situation, Knori said, thinking positively about everything else you have in your life brings you to better places mentally than it would if you let it hold you down.

Original post:
Diagnosed with arthritis in middle school, CU's Jesse Knori managed to become a successful athlete - The Denver Post

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