How should Sarah Burke be honoured?

Sarah Burke, a pioneer of women's halfpipe, died Thursday. How should she be honoured? (Alessandro Garofalo/Reuters) News of Sarah Burke's death made international headlines on Friday, but the freestyle skier's death is likely being felt most acutely in her native Canada.

Burke died Thursday after falling in a training run on Jan. 11. She ruptured a vertebral artery in the fall, which caused cardiac arrest and, ultimately, severe irreversible brain damage. She was in a medically induced coma when she died.

Born and raised in Ontario, Burke was an avid skier from the age of five. She competed as a moguls skier before switching to freestyle, where she truly made her mark.

She was a four-time gold medallist in superpipe at the annual Winter X Games in Aspen, Colo., a 2005 world champion and the first woman to land a 1080-degree spin (three full rotations) in competition.

She also advocated fiercely for the inclusion of halfpipe in the Winter Olympics - and won that battle, too. She was considered the heavy favourite for the gold medal at the event's debut at the 2014 Games in Sochi, Russia.

Members of the CBC community have shared hundreds of tributes for Burke since news of her death broke Thursday afternoon.

• "RIP Sarah, your legacy will live on, especially at the Olympics thanks to your tireless work," wrote squeezer.
• "We have lost a great athlete," added rosiegp. "Sarah proved in life that she was a true champion with amazing talent."
• "When a brilliant athlete dies, it's always sad," wrote canczech. "When a trailblazer, someone who was truly innovative, extra daring and different - and Sarah Burke appears to have been all of these - passes away, it's tragic."

How do you think Canada should honour Sarah Burke? Share your thoughts and ideas in the comment field below.


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