Sweeping the Podium

Up in the mountains, surrounded by snow, trees, and icy air, Highland custodian David Worthen found his freedom.

Worthen began skiing at the age of 13 through Utah’s Special Olympics program. His love for the sport grew as he got older, and in high school he was able to be a part of the Hartvigsen School ski program. During the winter he and his teammates got the chance to go up to Park City to practice through the National Disability Center, something that Worthen looks back fondly upon.

Hartvigsen is a special education school in Salt Lake that Worthen graduated from at 21. He became the student body president at Hartvigsen, which certainly speaks to his outgoing, kind-hearted personality.

After he graduated, skiing became an even bigger part of his life. His favorite things about the sport are his teammates and experiencing the great outdoors. He focuses on downhill and slalom skiing and has had the opportunity to compete in several Special Olympics all over the country. These Special Olympics take place on a stage larger than most can fathom; they bring in hundreds of amazing Special Olympic athletes from all over the world. He has won multiple gold and silver medals in every Special Olympics that he’s competed in, but the thing that he is most proud of in his skiing career is that he got to compete in Nagano, Japan for team USA.

“The people in Japan are so nice and outgoing,” Worthen said. “It was one of the most fun experiences that I’ve had.”

In order to qualify for an international Special Olympics event, one must compete well at the state level. They are then entered in a raffle with athletes who are in the same division as them — everything is divisioned so that athletes of similar capabilities are competing against one another. In 2005, Worthen got the lucky draw and had the experience of a lifetime, something of which he is very deserving.

Worthen brings incredible influence and positivity to everything that he is involved in. Aside from skiing, he also participates in a Special Olympic program called Kelly’s Heroes that is centered in Sandy. Worthen has been a part of this tight-knit program for several years, participating in sports like golf and bowling, and volunteering as a coach for track and field athletes.

“He’s a very enthusiastic guy,” Harris said. “You can’t help but smile when he’s around. He just brings a lot of joy with him wherever he goes…everyone has fun when he is around.”

Harris and Worthen have become close friends through this program, often talking on the phone and sharing jokes with one another. Their friendship is a very important part of Worthen’s life; Harris is someone that he looks up to a great deal.

“Kelly is awesome,” Worthen said.

When he’s not skiing or participating in sports through Kelly’s Heroes, Worthen can be found at Highland. Just over a year ago, Worthen started his job as a custodian and soon became involved with Highland’s football program as a manager on game days. He truly feels like a part of the Highland family and loves getting to interact with the students every day. At lunch he can be found spreading his cheerful spirit by talking to students and making sure that Highland stays clean. A lot of the time he’ll even sit down with students to eat lunch with them.

“David is very inquisitive; he wants to meet everyone,” principal Chris Jensen said. “He’ll meet you, remember your name, and then care about you…He wants to know what you did on the weekend, how your family is doing — he just has a real warm spirit and loves people.”

Every day during lunch, Worthen makes an effort to get students involved with taking care of Highland by keeping it clean. Most students are happy to clean up after themselves, but some still fail to follow through. Worthen does not let this get him down, but instead continues to encourage students to take care of their school, even going on HTVS to make sure that the message gets across to everyone.

Though the work is not easy, he is very passionate about it and enjoys it on most days. No matter the task, he always works his hardest. He has an incredibly positive impact on everything that he is involved in whether it’s at Highland, on the slopes, or in the bowling alley, and Highland is certainly lucky to have him.