GRANVILLE, OH (WCMH) — At Granville Christian Academy, the school nurse is a local celebrity.
Lea Ann Parsley likes to share her story with the students at the school… because these days there’s only a handful who know Miss Parsley’s athletic history.
But when she pulls out the Olympic Silver medal, they listen closely.
Parsley won a silver at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, competing in the Skeleton competition. She rode her sled at more than 80 miles per hour in one of the most daring Olympic sports. At the time, Parsley worked as a firefighter in Granville.
She was a college basketball player at Marshall and later stumbled upon skeleton on the internet. The sport grabbed her interest immediately.
Parsley stayed with the sport after 2002 Games, serving as the color commentator for NBC’s coverage of the Olympics in Vancouver.
She was also a registered nurse, so making the transition to a school setting in her hometown made sense for Parsley. She says she loves to bring her medal to classrooms to tell kids the story of her achievement and how dedication to a goal can be rewarded.
