Olympian Gets Hero’s Welcome at Mount Southington
- Philip Thibodeau
- 12 hours ago
- 3 min read
One in a million - as Jennifer Coan-Mahmood, Assistant Director at Mount Southington Ski Area, pointed out to the enthusiastic crowd, that’s literally how rare an Olympic athlete is. That’s also part of the reason why Southington takes so much pride in its own Olympian, skeleton racer Austin Florian.
A large crowd of fans that included many awestruck children turned out at Mount Southington Friday evening to welcome Florian home from his recent exploits in Cortina, Italy. It was a homecoming in a double sense – not only does Austin call Southington home, but it was on Mount Southington, at the tender age of 2, that he first felt the thrill of speeding down a snowy mountain.
Florian arrived at the ski area under the last gleam of twilight, dressed in his puffy, red-white-and-blue Olympic jacket. He was greeted by a crowd of supporters who lined the walkway to the Mountain Room restaurant, whooping and waving small American flags as he passed. Erin Min, who runs a club for elementary-age skiers at the mountain, made sure all her young charges were ready for his arrival. As a reward for making posters and waiting patiently in the cold, they received high-fives from Austin, who, at 6’2’’, loomed over them like a kindly, bearded snow giant:
Florian was greeted by more fans inside, including Mount Southington Manager Jay Dougherty and local dignitaries. The event was organized by 81st District State Representative Christopher Poulos, himself a devoted skier and Mount Southington volunteer. He was joined by 30th District Rep Donna Veach, along with three members of Southington’s Town Council, Kristen Guida, Christopher Palmieri, and David Zoni. Some 35 local businesses sent gifts to Austin in recognition of his achievement that were laid out inside.
The crowd moved outside for the official ceremony, which was covered by local TV crews. (NBC reporter Kevin Gaiss pointed out that Connecticut is home to a total of seven Olympic athletes.) Coan-Mamoud described how proud Mount Southington was to be part of Florian’s journey. Austin’s father Sean Florian described how his son, while still a youngster at Kelley School, used draw pictures of himself on the ski slope with the five Olympic rings overhead. Skeleton may be closer to sledding than skiing, yet his drawings still proved prophetic.
Representatives Poulos and Veach then bestowed on Florian a signed proclamation from the legislature, along with the very Connecticut State Flag that flew over the Capitol building on the day of Austin’s runs:
Once it came time for him to speak, Austin kept things heartfelt, reminiscing about Mount Southington’s hills and thanking everyone who helped him on his journey. He described how, once he ended a self-imposed social media blackout at the Games, he was overwhelmed by all the words of support coming in from back home. His central message was specially directed at the kids in the crowd: “Always remember, whatever you’re doing on the slope, you’re there to have fun. Just coming down is so much fun, and you should never forget that.”
When the presentation was over, Florian went back inside and spent nearly two hours signing autographs for a long line of fans. Among those who got their merch signed was Shane Shackelford, who had printed up a poster that read, “Austin Florian, Faster than a Delorean.” Shackelford is looking to auction off the poster and donate the proceeds to St. Baldrick's Foundation, a childhood cancer charity:
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