The compelling story of Lauren Woolstencroft, Canadaâs most accomplished winter Paralympic athlete, was shared with the world in a heart-tugging ad premiered during Sundayâs Super Bowl.
Woolstencroft was born without legs below the knee and no left arm below the elbow. Her journey to becoming one of the worldâs premier alpine skiers is celebrated in a 60-second spot for Toyota.
It begins with a nurse pulling the infant from a crib. Script scrolls over: âOdds of winning a gold medal?â As the girl grows, walks, takes up ballet and begins to ski, the odds rapidly tick down: 1 in 997,500,000 to 1 in 148,983 as she zooms down a ski hill as a teen.
The ad called âGood Oddsâ shows that hard work and personal spirit shrink the young womanâs odds down to 1 in 120 and then 1 in 10.
And then she crosses the line at the Paralympics.
âWhen weâre free to move, anything is possible,â Woolstencroft says to close the ad.
âI think the intent was to kind of show my spirit, which was, especially as a youngster, a kind of determined, sort of stubborn young girl determined to do anything and everything,â the Calgary-born Woolstencroft told CTV Calgary.
That everything amounts to eight gold medals, one silver and one bronze in three Paralympic Games. She became the first Canadian winter Paralympic¬¬ to win five gold medals at a single competition, achieving that at the 2010 Paralympics in Vancouver.
The ad ran in the first post-kickoff commercial spot during the North American broadcast of the Super Bowl, which was estimated to draw more than 100 million viewers in the United States alone.
Itâs the first time Toyota has not shown a vehicle in one of its ads, instead focusing on the theme: âStart your impossible.â
âI feel really proud of it. Iâm really happy with how it all turned out,â Woolstencroft said of the commercial, which features a ballad of determination called âStronger Than Iâve Ever Beenâ by Kaleena Zanders. Woolstencroft is hopeful the ad will help to raise the profile of Paralympic sports.
âParalympics arenât necessarily on the front of everyoneâs mind and the Olympics get so much coverage, so I think itâs a huge deal that a Paralympian has an ad with this kind of play time.â
Woolstencroft, 36, began skiing at four and began racing at 14. Now an electrical engineer and a married mother of a young boy, she retired from competition after the Vancouver Paralympics. She will head to the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea in March as a broadcaster.
Toyota, which is positioning itself as a mobility company, says Woolstencroftâs career is a perfect example of sports inspiring people to overcome challenges to make their dreams come true.
âWhether they have a physical disability or not, but just to kind of show that journey,â she said. âI found when I was a young girl I didnât necessarily have those kinds of role models that I could see on TV.â
With a report by CTV Calgaryâs Ina Sidhu
This is a great authentic human story of determination and commitment. Toyota did an amazing job in telling the story in 60 seconds.
â Tim Woolstencroft (@TimWoolstencro)
Eight time Paralympic gold medalist Lauren Woolstencroft is featured in this ad for Toyota Canada, a proud official partner of the Canadian Paralympic Committee.
â CDN Paralympic Team (@CDNParalympics)
The Dinklage-Freeman lip sync and Manning-Beckham dance were entertaining, but gotta go with Toyota and paralympic skier Lauren Woolstencroft.
â Carl Lisciandrello (@carlmarksTimes)The ad telling the story of Paralympian Lauren Woolstencroft. I cried, I smiled, I am still moved and inspired.
â Nathalie Larsen (@NathalieSLarsen)Favorite Super Bowl ad? Loved the NFL Dirty Dancing one and then this one!! "If you knock me down I'll get up...
â Lauren Przybyl (@fox4lauren)This is 's great ad about paralympian Lauren Woolstencroft. Good stuff.
â Sean Gardner (@2morrowknight)Hope you guys catch this beautiful commercial in the today! A triumphant story about Lauren Woolstencroft ft my song âStronger Than Iâve Ever Beenâ (prod by ) Unbelievably greatful to be a part of this!! âĽď¸
â Kaleena Zanders (@KaleenaZ)
:The odds of winning a Paralympic gold medal are almost 1 billion to 1. This film follows the journey of Lauren Woolstencroft, who beat the odds to win eight Paralympic gold medals.
â Khary Penebaker (@kharyp)Not sure that 2018 was a vintage year for great , but we did think Toyota's "Good odds" commercial, featuring 8 times Paralympic Gold Medal winner Lauren Woolstencroft, certainly floated our emotional boat.
â Warm & Fuzzy (@warmandfuzzyUK)Beautiful ad from Toyota. The journey of Lauren Woolstencroft, what an incredible and inspiring woman.
â Jonathan Willems (@JonathanWillems)