And here is the article from The Grand Rapids Press
Teddy gets his turn in spotlight
Thursday, December 28, 2006
By Tom Rademacher
The Grand Rapids Press
Teddy Knape worked atop mountains, though usually in the shadows, handling a video camera that would help create both sponsors and stardom for his skiing buddies and their daredevil ways.
But in the wake of his sudden death last winter, Teddy's friends and family decided to turn the tables and, this week, Teddy's name will grace a panoramic ski slope at Crystal Mountain Resort.
The "Back Bowl" there is being re-named "Teddy's Turn," yet the phrase defines more than a challenging run at a northern Michigan resort.
It pays homage to a kid who died too young and only now is taking his turn in the limelight he generously arranged for others.
"He was always concentrating on opportunities for others," said his mother, Cindy Knape. "But I think he's smiling to know that now this is happening for him. "
A 2003 graduate of East Grand Rapids High School, Teddy's life came to a tragic halt in March, after rescue workers carried his body off a British Columbia mountaintop when he collapsed from a heart defect that had troubled him all his 21 years.
Not that many knew of his physical problems. You had to be pretty tight with him or his family to realize the energetic young man with the flashing smile had endured three heart surgeries, suffered from a blood disorder that demanded life-long medication, and survived more than a dozen accidents requiring a revolving door at the ER.
But his legacy will be less on how he suffered than how he triumphed, working most of his short adult life to focus the spotlight on extreme skiers eking out a Bohemian existence on North America's snow-covered pinnacles.
While studying at Western Washington University, Teddy also worked as a videographer for Theory 3-Media, a ski film company in the Pacific Northwest. He was clutching a camera until the bitter end while filming a skiing event known as the "K2 Back 9" at Canada's Whistler ski resort.
When his frantic parents finally connected by phone with the doctor in charge, the physician could only express every parent's worse fear: "We pronounced him five minutes ago."
Teddy gets his turn in spotlight
In a memorial penned after the death, Grant Gunderson, of Bellingham, Wash., recalled Teddy as "the glue that held Theory-3 together," noting "Teddy personally launched the careers of many of the skiers that are at the forefront of the sport today."
Skier Zach Davison, of Anchorage, Alaska, shared how "much of my success in the ski industry is due to Teddy, who singlehandedly shot and edited my first video, which got me my first sponsors."
And Tyler Barnes, of Comstock Park, recalled how "the void he leaves in the ski industry, and in the people who knew him, can't and never will be replaced. I love that kid."
Teddy's memory will be honored in a formal ceremony Friday evening when Crystal hosts the "Teddy Knape Film Fest" at its sprawling facility near the Benzie County town of Thompsonville.
The 8:30 p.m. event is open to the public, and proceeds from the $15 admission fee and accompanying raffle will benefit a program for special-needs skiers.
Snow-lovers from across the country are expected to attend and not only view films by Teddy, but applaud Crystal's decision to name a slope after their friend.
"He shot a lot of footage right here at Crystal," says resort spokesman Brian Lawson. "And, after filming, he'd stay out on the slopes until 2 and 3 in the morning, helping our groomers get the jumps just right for the following day."
Indeed, the entire Knape family calls Crystal "home," in part for a cabin they own nearby,.
The Back Bowl "was his absolute favorite hill," says Teddy's mother. "I can't think of anything else that would serve better as a memorial."
Cindy Knape says she and husband Bill "have had to face a lot of things in our lives, but this is the most painful because you're so unprepared for it."
Even now, she says, she sometimes catches herself wondering when Teddy will be joining his two brothers, Peter and Paul, home on college break. "Last year," she says, "I picked up three boys at the airport." Her voice softens. "This year, two."
Still, she and Bill and their surviving sons are buoyed, says Cindy, by the memory of Teddy and his smiling face encouraging everyone to test their mettle on the slopes.
"Teddy just wanted everyone to ski," said Cindy. "He just figured that, if you skied, you'd be happy."
