On today's Skate for the Heart (NBC), in support of research for heart disease, Jozef Sabovcik talks about his beloved grandmother, who died of heart disease. He said he wanted long hair as a youth, but everyone was against it (probably thought it would reflect negatively on him in competition, no doubt). But Grandma was supportive, and managed to convince his family to let him have long hair. Yay, Grandma! Didn't stop him from realizing his dream of competing in ice skating. He won the 1984 Men's Bronze Medal at the Olympics. Sadly Grandma did not live to see this event. She died from heart disease. But he fondly remembers her supporting both his skating and his decision to be a longhair. 25 years later, and Sabovcik still has his long honey-blonde hair. And he's still skating too. Great, positive longhair story, on national TV. Link below to a fan site with pics.
Jumpin' Jozef Sabovcik
Abso-freakin'-lutely awesome, Carol. Thanks for sharing this inspirational story!
--Val