Sofia Goggia’s moving message to downhill skiers, with Matteo Franzoso’s remembrance
For the past few weeks Sofia Goggia has been training in La Parva, Chile, with the downhill skiers left behind in South America after the tragic death of Matteo Franzoso. Now that she is nearing the end of the trip, the Bergamasque outfielder thanked the Azzurri jet men for helping her stave off fear and also remembered Franzoso, who passed away Sept. 15 after long hours of agony. Here are Goggia’s words.
“Gugu, Schidi, Matti (Guglielmo Bosca, Florian Schieder and Mattia Casse, ed.): Thank you Guys. Because you had courage and reminded me what it means to have courage; because by staying we could face fear together. Because still in Ushuaia, feeling deeply shaken, I had asked myself so many questions and the decision to join you anyway in La Parva proved difficult for me emotionally; knowing that you would stay gave me strength. Training with you has been a privilege.”
“And thanks also to all the men’s staff for their work: it was not easy to turn your gaze beyond what were the limits of your momentary horizon, yet you did it, in your immense pain, but in the utmost of your professionalism. Thank you Gas, Babi, Darwin (some members of the technical staff, ed.), for supporting me, for the way we worked and for the moments of sharing: in this far from simple situation, you protected me and helped me cope.
“Dear Matthew, the Farellones community dedicated a touching memorial to you, there were many of us outside that little church to say goodbye to you, it was foggy that afternoon and when they said your name it started snowing. Your comrades made a cross out of the pieces of the fence you broke in the impact. Both on the first day and also on the last day, when practice was over, I stopped, at that cross.”
“I sat there in what was a moment of inner recollection; I made the sign of the cross, I turned the palm of my hands up reciting for you several times the Lord’s Prayer, tears were streaming down my face. Dear Matthew, I am so, so sorry for what happened to you… your absence has turned into presence, a constant presence that will linger in our minds and hearts.”
“It was an extremely complicated gathering, but feeling so united and supportive and continuing to work for that dream that you were also chasing supported us in our albeit difficult daily lives. And that is why I say to all of you with whom I shared this gathering, from the bottom of my heart, with tears in my eyes, thinking back to what it was: it took a lot of courage and we all had it. Thank you guys.”
